His eyes widened.Not with fear—though fear was there. But with understanding. With the horrifying realization that this wasn't random violence or madness.This was calculated. Purposeful. Strategic."You still have Anastasia's name in it," Lila continued, her tone shifting to something venomous, poisonous as the smoke filling the room. "Even after everything. Even after all the sacrifices I made. Even after she abandoned you, abandoned all of us."She leaned closer still, her mask almost touching his face."Even after her mother disgraced this family, you still chose her.""That... is none of your business," the grandfather growled, though his strength was slipping fast. The poison and the exertion of speaking were combining, draining him second by second."Oh, it's very much my business."Lila's composure cracked for just a moment—a flash of raw, bleeding hatred breaking through the calculated calm."Because as long as her name is there, everything I do is pointless. Every sacrifice

Instead, Elias slowly shook his head."I don't need anything…yet.”Elias would play the long term game. Instead of his dumb enemies, He planned to use this man the right way.The grandfather studied him, respect evident, then nodded.“There’s no need to be shy, Elias. You are now part of the family. Your enemies are now mine and I can take them all out with a flick of my finger.” The Duke said eager to win him over. Then he turned, his expression hardening to granite. His eyes locked onto Lila and Victor."And as for you both," he said coldly, "you are stripped of every privilege. Your access. Your influence. Your claim to this family."Each word fell like a blade."You will be watched. You will answer for what you've done. From this moment on, you are nothing in this family."Absolute silence followed.Later that night, Elias carried Anastasia in his arms down the quiet hallway of her home.She wasn't injured, but exhaustion and shock had finally caught up. Her eyes were already clo

Elias moved the moment Anastasia’s finger tightened on the trigger.It was not panic that drove him forward, and not fear either. It was instinct sharpened by experience, reflex layered with the quiet certainty that if he hesitated even a fraction of a second, someone would die.“Stay away,” Anastasia warned, her voice shaking. Her eyes were glassy, unfocused, burning with a wild intensity that did not belong to her. Her hand trembled around the gun, sweat slick against the grip. “Don’t come any closer.”Elias did not stop.He kept walking toward her, slow enough not to startle her, fast enough that the distance between them kept shrinking before she could fully process it. He could hear her breathing. Short. Uneven. He could see the delay between thought and action, the slight lag in her movements that told him her body and mind were no longer in sync.The gun went off.The sound exploded through the courtyard, sharp and violent, echoing off stone and marble. Vanessa gasped and insti

Elias stood in the kitchen, his gaze locked on the servant struggling against the guards. The young man’s hands were bound, his chest heaving. Fear burned in his eyes, but he fought desperately to hide it. Then, suddenly, he bit down hard on something inside his mouth.Elias’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?” he asked calmly.The servant hissed, lips trembling. “I… I can’t… I won’t tell you!”“I think you will,” Elias said, his voice low. “You’re holding something deadly in your mouth. Poison. I know what it is. One bite, one swallow, and it’s over.”The man’s hands trembled. “I… I can’t betray them! If I speak, they’ll—”“Your choice is simple,” Elias interrupted. “Speak and live, or stay silent and die. You know it, and I know it.”The servant’s jaw clenched. “I… I can’t…”“You can,” Elias said, stepping closer. “Just say the name. Just tell me who has been making you do this. Who wants Anastasia broken?”The man’s eyes widened in panic. He swallowed convulsively, a slight gasp

Servers moved silently between clusters of guests, their trays laden with champagne flutes and hors d'oeuvres that cost more per bite than a week's groceries. The air was thick with expensive perfume, cigar smoke, and the undercurrent of whispered calculations.Elias stood near the entrance, taking it all in. He wore a tailored black suit—simple, elegant, understated. Nothing flashy. He'd learned early that true power didn't need to announce itself with gold cufflinks and designer labels.Beside him, Anastasia adjusted the diamonds at her throat, her face composed but her eyes scanning the room with practiced wariness. Since the incident with her trying to kill Vanessa, Elias had avoided talking about this issue and spoke to her like nothing happened.When she heard about the poisonous incense, she was completely ashamed. This only fueled her determination to keep Elias by her side no matter what it took. He was always there to save her over and over again. It was beginning to seem