Chapter 11The sliding glass doors of the hospital hissed shut and the thunder rolled across the skyline of Aethelgard, shaking the puddles that had gathered on the cracked concrete steps. The rain was freezing, a downpour that mirrored his own grief and smelled of ozone and industrial runoff. But Adrian didn’t feel the cold. He felt empty inside. Sarah clung to his arm, her small body trembling violently. Her sobs were wet and ragged, the sound of a heart breaking in real-time. She buried her face in his sodden jacket, unable to look at the world that had just taken the only mother she had ever known.“Adrian,” she choked out, her voice barely audible over the rain. “What do we do? Where do we go? They’ll call the police since we can’t pay for the body removal. We can’t…”“Hush, Sarah.” Adrian’s voice was low. It didn't vibrate in his throat; it vibrated in the air around them. “We aren’t running. Not anymore.”“But the bill for the morgue.”“The bill doesn’t matter.”[ SYSTEM ST

Soon, Adrian arrived at the estate he'd just acquired with the help of the mysterious system. His sister was still by his side, looking stunned at their new reality, but he was proud of what he'd done with Marcus. Now, their mother would be laid to rest and he could take over the city, just like the system promised him. “We're here," he said to Sarah who was so awestruck her jaw literally hung down. The iron gates of the Vane Estate was a masterpiece of intricate craftsmanship, towering about twenty feet high and crested with gold and brass. They were clearly designed to keep the world out, to separate the richest of the city from the insects and paupers who built it.When they got to the first security station, it was digital and it should have blocked out anyone who wasn't Marcus or his family. But for Adrian Black, they swung open with a loud groan the moment his boots touched the driveway.He walked up the winding cobblestone path, the rain having finally ceased, leaving th

Now, Adrian was in his new property after getting rid of the arrogant pests that called themselves domestic staff. He walked through the grand foyer, his eyes scanning the portraits of Marcus Vane that still hung on the walls. In one, Marcus stood with a foot on a globe. In another, he shook hands with a senator. They were monuments to a man who, just an hour ago, was walking in the mud.“Adrian.”The voice was small as his sister called out to him. Adrian stopped at the foot of the large staircase. He turned to find Sarah standing by a marble pillar. She looked painfully out of place. Her shoes were still wet, leaving faint prints on the polished floor. She hugged her arms around herself, but she wasn’t shivering from cold anymore. She was shaking with anger.“Sarah,” Adrian said, his voice softening. “You should go upstairs and get a warm bath and fresh clothes. Lena is preparing the rooms and she said that the east wing has the best view of the—”“Stop it,” Sarah snapped.The

Adrian laid in bed later that night, tossing and turning as he tried to escape the harsh dream world. Everything was so vivid that he could almost smell lavender and antiseptic in the air. It was a scent Adrian hadn’t smelled in years, the smell of their old apartment before the mold set in and the poverty ate the walls.He was standing in front of a cracked mirror, wearing a suit that was too big for his shoulders. His mother, Elena, stood behind him. She looked quite healthy, her cheeks were full, her eyes bright and devoid of the yellow tinge of sickness that had haunted her final days. Her hands were warm and steady and they were working the knot of his tie.“Stand still, Adrian,” she chided gently, tugging the silk tight. “You’re going to be late for your first day.”“First day where, Mom?” Adrian asked, his voice sounding much like his younger self. “The top,” she whispered and smoothed the collar of his shirt, her touch lingering on his neck. “You’re going where the wolves

Chapter 19For a few seconds, Adrian just sat there in the dark SUV. The darkness was almost maddening. It wasn't up to a few minutes before he felt the car roll to a stop and the doors slid open. “Get down, lord Black," the leader snapped at him and he got down from the SUV, scanning the area. There wasn't much he could see before he was shoved to the side. Adrian growled loudly. “You know I could snuff you and your men out in a minute." “But you won't. Unless you want your sister to be hurt," he reminded him. Just then, Adrian felt a strong bang at the back of his head and before the system could activate, he allowed himself to succumb to the pain and lose consciousness. A while after, maybe it was an hour or more, Adrian wasn't sure, but he finally came to wakefulness. Everywhere was dark. It wasn’t just the absence of light, it was almost like a physical weight, pressing against Adrian’s eyelids. A thick, heavy blindfold was tied tight around his head, smelling faintly of