RYANI sat down heavily as they carried Dante inside and locked the doors behind himMy eyes flicked to the window. Everything outside looked calm, too calm. My gut tightened. Calm was rarely a good sign in situations like this.I couldn’t shake the feeling that Dante had led me here for a reason and my instincts screamed that Julian was somewhere close, shadowing us, waiting for the right moment.Elizabeth appeared beside me,her presence quiet but firm“Do you sense it?” she asked, her voice low.I frowned. “Sense what?”She didn’t answer immediately, just looked at me sharply. “Stop pretending. I know Dante brought Julian here.”Her certainty should have unsettled me but I forced myself to inhale deeply. Panic wasn’t going to help. Not here I had to think clearly. I got up and made my way to Pa Jake, my mind racing with strategies and worst-case scenarios.“Should I send more men to secure the perimeter?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steadyPa Jake’s eyes were calm but I c

RYAN.The fight outside had been brutal, but controlledMr. Miller’s men had ambushed the mercenaries with precision, pushing them hard, hitting and killing with calculated efficiency I watched every move, coordinating signals, sending warnings, making sure civilians were safe.For a moment, I felt a flicker of relief the plan had worked.Then, shock. The mercenaries didn’t retreat in fear as I expected. Instead, they pushed back. My stomach droppedI could see it in Miller’s eyes too, confusion, disbelief.“What’s going on? Why are they pushing back?” he muttered under his breath.I couldn’t answer. This wasn’t normal.Not for the DynastyRetreating wasn’t their style.They came back, and my heart sank as I saw them regrouping outside the gates. Every muscle in my body tensed. I knew this was far from over.Inside, Pa Jake’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Why did they go back?”Miller shook his head, still scanning the perimeter. “Everything was set. We had the advantage. Gue

RYAN.Five days underground. Every hour, every step, every shadow had begun to weigh on me but I didn’t let it show. I kept moving, kept thinking, kept watching The family was together, and that made all the difference.Jasmine slept near me her breathing steady. Seraphine stayed close, alert, scanning every corner. Seeing them safe gave me a small comfort in this endless dark.But Mary… I couldn’t stop thinking about herShe wasn’t here. The hospital was a temporary refuge, but I didn’t trust it. Not completelyThe Dynasty could find anyone, anywhereThat thought gnawed at me constantly Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined their agents slipping past security, their footsteps silent, their hands taking what I loved. I had to find her I had to be sure.The tunnel stretched ahead, twisting and turning like a living labyrinth beneath the old Cassian estate. Pa Jake, old but sharp, suggested we explore more of it. “There’s more than one way down here,” he said. “Better know

DANTE.The building was dead.That was the first thing I noticed the silence wasn’t just quiet, it was hollow, like the place itself had been stripped of purpose and left to rot.A big abandoned structure, concrete bones exposed, windows broken long ago.The kind of place no one came to unless they were hiding.I sat on the floor with my back against a pillar, head lowered, elbows on my knees. My thoughts wouldn’t slow down.Maybe we shouldn’t have left.The idea kept loopingLeaving Ryan. Leaving the others is dangerous for us.Running off like fugitives with no plan except fearThis wasn’t working The farther we got from the tunnel, the worse it felt. Like every step away sealed a mistake I couldn’t undoElizabeth didn’t seem to feel it.She was careless again just like before. Talking too loud, moving like the world wasn’t hunting her.Like consequences were optional.I watched her earlier and felt something twist in my chest.She needs to learnThen I corrected myself immediat

RYAN.The room was quiet.Not the kind of quiet that brought peace, but the kind that pressed in on the ears, reminding me how alone leadership really was. No voices. No footsteps. Just the faint hum of electricity and the soft glow of screens reflecting off the walls.I sat at the desk, surrounded by files—Chinese Dynasty records, Cassian archives, financial reports stacked and layered like the weight they carried. Page after page. Numbers. Names. Accounts. Routes.I didn’t even know what I was looking for.I just knew I had to keep looking.When you lead, you don’t get the luxury of rest. You search even when you don’t know what you’re searching for. You keep digging because stopping feels like surrender.I leaned back in the chair, rubbing my eyes. My body was here, but my mind kept drifting—to Seraphine, to the children, to the families sleeping under borrowed roofs, relying on decisions I wasn’t even sure were right anymore.I didn’t want this life.I wanted freedom.Freedom from