Max pushed through the bar doors into the cool night air, the noise fading behind him. Marie followed close, arms wrapped tightly around herself as if holding in everything she refused to let spill. "You’re sure about this?" Max asked, glancing back at her. Marie nodded, though her eyes betrayed the storm within. "You promised." He didn’t argue again. The police station was quieter than expected—low voices, the hum of fluorescent lights, the occasional shuffle of paperwork. Max spoke briefly with the officer at the front desk, and after a moment, they were granted access. Marie’s steps slowed as they approached the visitation room. Inside, a thick pane of glass divided the space in two. She stopped just short of the chair. Then the door on the opposite side opened.Jones stepped in. He froze. For a second, neither of them moved. It was as if the world had narrowed to the space between them. "Jones…" Marie’s voice broke on his name. Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks a

CHAPTER 54 The conference room doors swung open one after the other, and the executives poured out like survivors of a quiet battlefield. Low voices. Tight expressions. Avoided eye contact. No one lingered. No one dared. Because whatever had just happened inside that room— Wasn’t business.It was war. Melissa stepped out. Fast. Her heels struck the marble floor with a rhythm that betrayed her composure, each step echoing louder than necessary. Her jaw was tight, her fingers curled into fists at her side, nails digging into her palms as though pain could steady the storm inside her. Embarrassment and humiliated in public. In front of the board. Her chest rose sharply as she walked, forcing herself not to turn back, not to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing just how badly that meeting had shaken her. Marie. Her name alone burned. Melissa swallowed hard, but it did nothing to ease the bitterness clawing up her throat. Every slide she had prepared, every number she had

Chapter 56 The car stopped. But Jones didn’t move. The engine idled low, a steady hum beneath the silence that filled the vehicle. The blindfold had been removed minutes ago, but it didn’t help. Wherever they had brought him—it wasn’t familiar. Tall iron gates. Endless stretch of gravel. A mansion that didn’t just stand… it watched. He stared at it through the window. Still. Unmoving. The door beside him clicked open. Cold night air slipped in. “Out,” one of the men said. Jones didn’t. His jaw tightened, shoulders stiffening as he remained seated. “I’m not stepping into somewhere I don’t know,” he muttered. Silence. Then— A voice. Calm. Firm. Final. “You want answers?” Jones turned slightly. Logan stood a few feet away, hands in his coat pockets, his expression unreadable under the dim light. “Walk.” That was all he said. No threats. No persuasion. Just truth. Jones held his gaze for a second longer, searching for something—anything—but found nothing to hold o

The night air pressed heavily against my skin as I stood alone on the balcony. The mansion behind me glowed with warm golden lights, but none of it reached me. Below, the city stretched endlessly, silent and distant, its lights flickering like dying stars. I rested both hands against the cold railing and lowered my head. Too much had happened in less than twenty–four hours. Prison. Lewis. The Waltersons. My real name. My real blood. Everything felt unreal, like I had stepped into someone else’s life and got trapped there by mistake. The balcony door slid open quietly behind me. I didn’t turn immediately. Somehow, I already knew who it was. Logan. His footsteps were calm. Measured. Controlled. He stopped beside me, his broad frame leaning slightly against the railing. For a while, neither of us spoke. The wind moved between us carrying the faint scent of cigar smoke from inside the mansion. “You should be asleep,” he finally said. I let out a dry chuckle. “

The next morning, Jones quietly pushed open the mansion doors and stepped inside. The massive living room remained calm and silent except for the faint ticking of the grandfather clock hanging across the wall. Morning light streamed through the tall windows, spilling across the polished marble floors. He had barely taken three steps— “Where have you been?” Jones froze instantly. Logan stood near the staircase with his arms folded tightly across his chest, dressed sharply in a dark suit already prepared for the day. His expression alone screamed disapproval. Jones sighed internally. Too early for this. “I stayed over at my girlfriend's place,” he answered honestly while loosening the sleeves of his shirt. Logan’s jaw tightened immediately. “And the car?” Jones blinked once. “What about it?” “I specifically assigned a driver to you and you returned them without your presence.” Jones scoffed lightly. “I took the bus.” “The bus?” Logan repeated slowly like t