Karl slowly straightened, understanding that this was no longer a simple mission to eliminate the Iron Wolves. His father was preparing for something much larger. “Father,” Cassian finally said, his voice controlled but serious, “if you’re ordering a full mobilization, then this isn’t simply an operation against the Iron Wolves.” Roman’s lips curled into a cold smile as he rose from his throne. “No. They’re become more than a faction. They’re devoured two pillars of the underworld organization, their numbers must have increased to thousands. So we need all our men.” He took several slow steps toward the enormous windows overlooking the city before stopping. “This is a war.” Karl’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. “How many days do we have to prepare?” “Three.” Both brothers exchanged a brief glance. “Three days?” Karl repeated. Roman nodded, his expression becoming increasingly cold. “That bastard gave me two months.” Cassian’s brows furrowed slightly as he immediately underst

Kade, however, remained surprisingly calm.“Your old clothes were covered in blood,” he explained. “You were unconscious, and I didn’t want you sleeping in them.”Elara’s mouth fell open.“So you changed them?”“Yes.”Her face became even redder. “You—”“Relax.”Kade raised one hand before she could explode. “I turned off the lights before changing your clothes. I didn’t see anything.”Elara stared at him suspiciously.“You expect me to believe that?”Kade gave her a tired look. “Why would I lie about something like that?”She continued staring at him for several seconds before eventually looking away, still embarrassed. “You should have just asked someone else to do it.”“There wasn’t anyone else around at the time.”That answer silenced her.Elara lowered her eyes and began playing nervously with the edge of the blanket. She suddenly noticed something else about Kade. His hair was slightly messy, his blue eyes looked heavier than usual, and there were faint shadows beneath them. He

The following morning, the atmosphere inside Elara’s apartment was considerably calmer than it had been the night before. Sunlight filtered through the curtains and spread across the room, casting a warm glow over the quiet interior. Elara stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her clothes and checking her appearance one final time before picking up her handbag. The exhaustion from the previous night was still visible in her eyes, but she refused to let it stop her from going to work. She had already missed enough time because of the kidnapping, and the last thing she wanted was to allow her enemies to interfere with the company she had worked so hard to build.Kade, meanwhile, had finished getting dressed as well. Since he had arrived at her apartment with practically nothing except the clothes on his back, Elara had been forced to find something for him to wear. Her father, Roland, had so many old clothes, and although they weren’t exactly tailored to Kade’s size, they fit well eno

The man’s expression became more uncomfortable.“You’ve offended someone you shouldn’t have offended.”Elara frowned.“Who?”Ramon looked around the corridor before lowering his voice. “The Knox family.”The moment the name left his mouth, Elara’s expression froze.“The Knox family?”“Yes.”“What does the Knox family have to do with my office?”Ramon sighed. “Apparently, quite a lot.”Elara’s confusion only deepened. “What exactly did I do to them?”Ramon looked at her with a mixture of pity and frustration. “I don’t know the details, Miss Elara. That’s not my business. All I know is that Mr. Mark Knox personally instructed me to remove you from this building.”“Mark?”Elara’s eyes widened.For a moment, she couldn’t understand what she was hearing. Mark Knox had been making things difficult for her ever since the conflict surrounding the Voss family, but she had never imagined that he would go as far as interfering with the building where she operated her company.“Why would Mark do

The hallway fell quiet.Ramon continued, his confidence returning. “That’s my condition. I don’t want to get dragged into whatever trouble you’ve created with them. If you were still part of the Voss family, perhaps I would have ignored this. At least then I could have relied on the Voss family to protect me if the Knox family came after my business.”His gaze moved dismissively over Elara.“But you’re not.”Elara’s face tightened.“You’re a banished member of the Voss family now. You don’t have their name protecting you, you don’t have their influence behind you, and from what I hear, you barely have anywhere to go. So why should I risk my business for you?”Elara’s hands curled into fists. The words hurt more than she wanted to admit, not because she believed them, but because they reminded her of how quickly people had changed toward her after the Voss family cast her out. When she had possessed a powerful surname, people had smiled at her and called her Miss Voss. Now that she had