Then light erupted beneath his hand—not white and gold like it had been for Seraphina, but silver and blue, the colors dancing and swirling like liquid metal, like dragon fire made visible.The patterns spread across the console in spirals and geometric shapes, scanning him on levels he could only guess at, and he felt his dragon energy respond, reaching out to interface with the technology in ways that should have been impossible.A faint hum vibrated through his palm.…It’s responding to him.Then the door clicked and began to slide open, revealing his office.Zachary stepped inside and let the door close behind him, finally alone, finally able to let his carefully maintained stoic mask crack just a little as he leaned back against the cool metal and closed his eyes.One hour until his father's meeting ends.One hour to read whatever was in this folder and figure out what the hell he was supposed to do next.One hour before his new life really began.No pressure.He pushed off from

Then she was gone, and Zachary was alone again with his vibrating phone. He swiped to answer, raising it to his ear."Hello?""Zachary? Oh my God, Zachary? Is that really you?"He froze. That voice. He knew that voice, had heard it a thousand times in his old life, always dripping with contempt and barely disguised mockery. Chloe vanes. Elise's younger sister. The spoiled brat who'd treated him like dirt whenever Elise wasn't looking, who'd made his life miserable with her comments and her attitude and her constant reminders that he didn't belong in their world."Chloe," he said neutrally, his voice flat and controlled, even as his mind raced. How did she have this number? Why was she calling?"I can't believe it! Everyone said you were dead! There was a rumor about you dying a year ago in that attack at the dragon feast, and then you just vanished, and—""What do you want?" Zachary interrupted, his tone cold enough to cut. He had neither the time nor the patience for her dramat

"If I may offer counsel, Young Lord—your instincts are sound. Trust them. The skills that you have will serve you here."Zachary considered her words, gaze drifting briefly to the passing city outside before returning to her. "That's actually why I wanted to talk away from the office. I need your guidance on something specific, Ms. Knowles. You've been embedded in Father's organization far longer than I have. You understand more about this than I do. You know their personalities, the fault lines. I'm even sure you know their sleep patterns" He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "I need to know who I can trust moving forward. Which of the senior executives are loyal beyond question? Which ones are competent but potentially compromised? Which ones are actively dangerous?"He should start broad with his questions.The question seemed to catch Seraphina slightly off-guard.Her hands tightened almost imperceptibly on the steering wheel, and she was quiet for several seconds before

An hour later, Zachary was behind the wheel of a sleek, black sports car, navigating the bustling streets of the city. He had chosen not to eat in the corporate dining room. He needed space, and he needed to see the city with his own eyes. A year was a long time. As he drove, he noticed the subtle changes—new high-rises under construction, different logos on the storefronts, the shifting demographics of the districts. It felt alien to him, yet intimately familiar. Finally, Zachary eventually found a high-end, open-air bistro nestled in a quieter, upscale district of the city. He parked his car right along the curb where he could keep an eye on it and stepped into the building named, “The Meri." It was airy and not too clustered with several booths that lined the wall.It was perfect for sitting down and reviewing the files.Zachary had wanted to use his personal laptop rather than any company device as another precaution born from his father's warnings about internal surveilla

The lie flowed smoothly, a cover story he and Seraphina had crafted during the long hours on Sanctuary.Simple enough to be believable, vague enough to be unverifiable.Chloe's eyes lit up with interest. "That's such a coincidence! I told you earlier, but I work at PDG too—in operations. It's crazy really! I knew you had connections with the CEO but this is just crazy.""It was," Zachary replied with a slight shrug, accepting his coffee from the server with a nod of thanks. "Turns out CEO Knowles is very generous when it comes to recognizing competence.” He smiled wryly, " I did work a lot of jobs when I was still with your sister and assisted her in all the ways I could. So when I mentioned I was looking to come back to the city, she put in a word for me. I got lucky."More lies, but delivered with just enough confidence to sell them. He took a sip of his coffee, using the moment to recalibrate his approach.Time to turn this around."What about you?" he asked, his tone casual but h