The Ashen Spine“Welcome back, Iron Lord!”With humidity below thirty percent, on a vast plain where a towering mountain cut across the north like a blade driven into the earth, over ten thousand soldiers stood at attention.Their eyes were pinned to the helicopter hovering above them.The Ashen Spine was the highest mountain in the Imperial City. At this time of the year, it snowed more than ever, totaling seven consecutive months of relentless snowfall.They trained here year-round. The shortest amount of time any of them had gone without leaving the mountain was three years.Yet for soldiers who had survived such extreme conditions and knew better than anyone how to control their emotions, their faces were filled with the unmistakable feeling of pride and happiness.“We missed you, sir!” they shouted, but the cacophony of their voices was swallowed by the deafening roar of the helicopter as it landed.A tall, broad-shouldered young man in military gear stepped out. A stiff but genu

Donovan Locke furrowed his brows in surprise when he saw the limp bodies of his men groaning in the hallway.Then his eyes fell on the tall redhead leading two identical boys into the room, and a wicked, arrogant smile broke across his face.“Eh, what is this?”Leo immediately scrambled forward, gritting his teeth as he turned to leer at Rowan.“Mr. Locke, this is the troublemaker I told you would be coming! He snatched my phone and forced me to lead him here. You must have your champions teach him a lesson!”“Mister... I don’t see mommy anywhere.”At the sound of Ryan’s timid little voice, Nancy Renard, who had burst into tears when Donovan overpowered her, immediately scrambled off the bed and rushed forward to shield them.Her clothes had been torn erratically, reduced to mere rags hanging off her shoulders. But that didn’t stop her from dropping to her knees and pulling her children into a desperate, trembling hug.In the midst of the chaos, Rowan silently took off his heavy black

“T-thank you, officer,” Nancy breathed, her voice trembling with relief after Rowan dragged out both men and shoved them into the backseat of his SUV. The hotel security had recognized him, but Donovan was certain he’d be out in an hour and told them to stay back. “You have one hour to think my offer through. When I’m out, I will no longer treat you like a friend, but an enemy and I promise I will destroy you.” Donovan laughed, grinning widely as he placed his head on the window. Rowan said nothing and simply rolled up the windows before returning to stand before Nancy. He looked down at her battered state, his jaw clenching tightly as he held her gaze, parting his lips to say,“You may not remember my face, but my name is Rowan Lachlan. Six years ago, I was the busboy for the Williams family.”For the first half of his sentence, a grateful smile had been forming on Nancy’s lips. But the moment the word ‘busboy’ registered in her mind, the smile shattered.The woman who had just b

Henri’s smile froze, his grip around his phone tightening. “What do you mean… gone?” The man exhaled heavily. “A hostile takeover. Ten minutes ago. A shadow conglomerate backed by offshore accounts completely gutted us.” “They bought the Grand Meridian Hotel, the new construction development, every single thing. Donovan Locke has also been ousted and I’m not even sure he has much to his name anymore.” “The whole thing is just messy. We don't even know the name of the buyer. I have to go now, Mr. Elliot. We are packing up our desks.” The line went dead a second later. For the next ten seconds, one could hear a pin drop in the room as a deathly silence took over the onve buzzing atmosphere. Then, Henri scoffed, breaking the silence. Regaining his composure, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and folded both hands across his chest. His initial shock quickly morphed into a smug, dismissive sneer as he stepped toward Rowan. “Well, there you have it. The compan