The slam of the front door finally stopped echoing. For a second, the only sound in Chloe’s house was everyone breathing. Leo didn’t move from his spot. He felt like a wire pulled too tight.He looked at the man in the expensive suit, Duncan. “You can’t just walk into a woman’s house like you own the place,” Leo said. His voice was quiet, but it filled the room.Chloe’s mother, Vivian, opened her mouth to snap at him. But Leo turned his head and just looked at her. He didn’t glare. He didn’t shout. His eyes were just… cold. Empty. Like looking into a deep, dark well. Whatever she saw there made her shut her mouth with a click. She actually took a small step back, her fancy heels silent on the floor.Duncan, though, just smiled a slick smile. “It’s not rude when the woman is your future wife.”“I am not your future wife!” Chloe’s voice was sharp. She looked tired. “That was never a real thing!”“It was,” her mother cut in, finding her voice again. She straightened her coat. “It was all

Duncan was losing his mind. He paced his office like a trapped animal. His phone wouldn't stop ringing. The TV on his wall showed his company’s stock price falling like a rock. He felt sick. He had thrown one punch, and Leo had blown up his whole world in return.“How do I fix this? How?” he yelled at Vivian, who just sat there looking pale and scared.Just then, a man walked into his office. Duncan hadn’t even heard the door open. The man was… normal. He wore a simple suit and had a calm face. He didn’t look rich or powerful.“Who are you? How did you get in here?” Duncan snapped.“My name isn’t important,” the man said. His voice was flat. “I’m here to offer you a rope.”“A rope?”“To pull yourself out of this hole you’re in. I can help you.”Duncan laughed, a bitter, broken sound. “Help me? No one can help me! That video is everywhere!”“I can give you a way to fight back,” the man said. He pulled a small flash drive from his pocket and placed it on the desk. “On this drive, you wi

The silence in Chloe’s living room was heavy. It had been two days since Duncan’s very public downfall, but it didn’t feel like a victory. It felt like the quiet before a bigger storm. Snd this was due to the strangeness of the situation. It just suddenly came to a stop. It was like everyone forgot about it. One moment, the tabloids and news outlets were carrying the news, the next minute no one was saying anything. Like their memory had been wiped.Leo was standing by the window, watching the street. He was always watching now. Chloe sat on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest. She looked small.“You’re thinking about it again,” Leo said, not turning around. He could feel her worry.“How can I not?” Her voice was thin. “Every time I look at my phone, there’s a new story. They’ve linked my name to yours in every article. ‘CEO’s Criminal Lover.’ ‘Brigards Heiress and the Ex-Con.’ My board is having a panic attack. My email is full of… of horrible things.”“I told you, I’ll hand

Leo blinked. The world came back slowly. For a moment he was confused. He wasn't in that smashed-up apartment anymore. He wasn't even in the city.He stood on hard, cracked earth. The sun beat down, hot and heavy. Way off in the distance, giant stone pyramids cut into the sky. The air felt dry and old."Silas?" His own voice sounded small and lost. "Where is this place?"Silas stood next to him. He looked different. No prison clothes. He wore simple, light-colored robes. "You'll see," Silas said. His voice was calm. He snapped his fingers.Everything went blurry for a second. When it cleared, they were inside a huge room. Giant stone pillars held up the ceiling. It was a throne room. A man sat on a big stone throne.The man was him. Leo.But this Leo looked older. His face was harder, like stone. A heavy gold crown sat on his head. His eyes were cold. On the floor in front of him, a woman was on her knees.It was Chloe.But not his Chloe. This one had long hair in braids. Her dress wa

"You talk too much," Darwin said suddenly. His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the room like a blade.Adrian stopped talking mid-sentence. His jaw tightened a little, but he kept quiet.Darwin leaned forward, elbows on the table. His eyes caught the weak light from the lamp, and for a second, they almost looked brighter, like something was burning behind them. "Let me ask you something," he said slowly, lowering his voice. "What if I told you that you could get more than the little joy of watching him fall? What if I told you there’s a kind of power out there… a power that can make sure no one ever steps on you again?"Adrian blinked at him, confused. "What… what kind of power are you talking about?"Darwin didn’t explain. He didn’t rush. He reached for a small wooden box on his desk, the kind that looked handmade, like something you’d keep a secret in. He opened it and took out a black stone, round and smooth.Adrian stared at it. The stone didn’t shine like a gem, and it didn’