SERAPHINE.The alarm rang, sharp and insistent, cutting through my sleep like a blade. I groaned and slapped at it blindly until the sound stopped. For a moment I lay there, eyes half-closed, my body heavy, my mind still floating somewhere between rest and worryThen light touched my face.Morning sunlight.I squinted, rubbed my eyes, and forced myself to focus.The room was already bright. I reached for my phone and checked the time.Almost 9.“Damn it,” I muttered.I shot up immediately, the fog in my head clearing all at once. Late wasn’t an option not anymore. Not with everything happening and not with Ryan carrying the weight of Cassian alone.I rushed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Cold water spilled down,stealing my breath, shocking my system awake. I welcomed it and that was what I needed.The cold grounded me, washed away the lingering fear and exhaustion that had followed me for days. I stood there longer than usual, letting the water hit my shoulders remin

RYAN.I put the document down, my fingers lingering on the edge of the table as if it could anchor me.The room felt quieter than it should have been, yet the noise outside,screens, voices, headlines, kept pressing in. The news cycle had turned vicious. Elizabeth’s words were everywhere now, repeated, dissected and reshaped into something sharper than the truth.I turned toward the mounted screen and watched the headlines scroll. My name sat beside phrases that made my chest tighten. Unstable leadership. Hidden past.And questions surrounding Cassian’s future, Each line felt deliberate like a blade chosen carefully from a drawerJulian came upstairs his steps measured. “Ryan,” he said, stopping just inside the office“a reporter wants to speak with you”I nodded already knowing this wouldn’t be simple. The man entered soon after with a eat suit, calm expression, the practiced neutrality of someone who believed himself untouchable.He didn’t sit until Julian gestured.“The media ar

RYAN.Seraphine stopped me before I reached the room.She didn’t grab my arm and didn’t raise her voice. .She just stood in front of me, steady, unshaken, and looked me straight in the eyes.“Ryan” she said quietly.“You need to calm down.”I clenched my jaw. My blood was still hot from the chase from finally seeing Elizabeth restrained instead of untouchable. My hands itched with everything I had been holding back for months.“Anger won’t take you where you think it will” Seraphine continued. “It won’t save Mary and It won’t protect Cassian. It will only give her exactly what she wants.”I looked away breathing hard. Part of me hated that she was right.“I’ll try” I said at last. The words felt heavier than any promise I had made before.She nodded once“That’s all I’m asking.”I walked past her before she could see the conflict on my face.The room was dim, lit by a single overhead light. Elizabeth sat in the chair, her wrists bound behind her,her posture still composed despite the

MARCO.The bar was loud, but none of it reached me.I sat alone, my fingers wrapped around the glass watching the amber liquid swirl as if it held answers. Every sip burned but it wasn’t enough to drown the noise in my head. Dante’s voice, Elizabeth’s smile. The Cassian name always taking from me, never giving“I need to get out of this circle” I muttered to myself lifting the glass again. “I need to”The bartender glanced at me. “You want another?”I shook my head“No. I’m done.”Done with Dante, Done with being someone else’s weapon. Every time I trusted a Cassian, they took something from me my time, my peace. And now my son was still trapped in Elizabeth’s messI set the glass down harder than necessary the sound sharp against the counter“Keep the change,” I told the bartender sliding some bills forward.He nodded already moving on.As I walked out into the night the cool air hit my face clearing my head just enough for the truth to settle. I didn’t want Dante anywhere nea

RYAN. I sat back on my chair, eyes on the table, my mind heavy with the weight of what we were facing.Seraphine and Julian were across from me, their expressions tense. Julian broke the silence first.“From what I’m seeing… Elizabeth won’t talk. She’d rather die than give in. She’s… she’s capable of killing herself for the Cassian throne”he said his voice grim.I clenched my fists leaning forward. “We can’t even leave this to the police. If they get involved, it’s a crime. And I..I could go to jail for it”Seraphine’s eyes snapped to me, sharp. “Ryan, you can’t talk like that..”“I don’t think I should care!” I said, my voice rising. “I’m doing this for my family. That’s all that matters.”She leaned closer, her tone firm but calm. “You aren't doing any illegal things. Elizabeth is the one doing things”I stared at her for a long moment, the tension in the room thick. Finally, I let out a slow breath. “good. You should understand that the evil one in this building here is locked up