At a quarter to seven, Caelan stood in front of the mirror.The wardrobe in the Presidential Suite was no joke, suits in various colors and cuts, all from brands whose names alone said everything. Caelan chose a dark navy one, slim fit, falling perfectly across his broad shoulders. His shirt was clean white with the buttons done up neatly to the collar, no tie, a choice that made the whole look feel fresher than purely formal. His hair was combed back neatly with one thin strand falling naturally to his forehead.He looked at his reflection for a moment.This was the first time he had looked like this in a very long time. Four years of prison uniform, three days of plain shirts and trousers, and now this.On top of that, tonight wasn't just a party. It was a doorway into a circle that had been closed to him all this time.Suddenly, the room bell rang.Caelan opened the door.Layla was standing at the threshold with a dinner cart in front of her, her uniform neat as always, her express

In the corner of the room, Serena stood with a glass of champagne in her hand that she hadn't touched.Her eyes followed every movement on the dance floor, Caelan moving in a way she had never seen in five years of marriage, Elara following him as if the two of them were born to be paired on this floor.Her chest felt hot.Not because the room was warm."Damn it! Am I jealous?!" She bit the inside of her lip. "Impossible. That bastard is just an ordinary doctor. There's nothing special about him. Harrison is better than him in every way. On top of that, Harrison is going to end his life sooner or later, and he'll be nothing but meaningless trash. Forget him, Serena. He's just a worthless piece of garbage."But her feet didn't move and her eyes didn't look away.Beside her, Harrison Blake stood with a glass that also hadn't been touched. His expression was flat, but flat in a way that was different from usual. Not his usual controlled coldness. This was a coldness that was keeping some

Ronan was still standing in the middle of the room when reality began to sink in.No one was defending him. No one moved toward him. One by one, the people who had been whispering in support a moment ago were looking away, suddenly finding something else far more interesting to look at.And Harrison, the man who had whispered the plan into his ear just minutes ago, was standing in the corner with a glass in hand, his expression as calm as someone watching another person's show.Ronan swallowed.If all his contracts with the Crest family were genuinely pulled, half his investment portfolio would collapse in under a month. The Crest name was in too many places across his business, too many to be saved if they truly withdrew.He had no other choice.Ronan stepped toward Leonard and went down on his knees."Mr. Leonard." His voice was nothing like before. "I beg your forgiveness for my behavior tonight. I was wrong. I was completely wrong. Please don't end our partnership. I'm willing to

The moment the call ended, James looked at the two people sitting in front of him.Both were wearing black robes with a gold dragon emblem engraved on the left chest, not ordinary embroidery, but engraved as if burned into the fabric itself.The first was around twenty-five years old. His face was handsome with lines too sharp to look ordinary. A defined jaw, black eyes that never looked still even when his body wasn't moving, dark black hair falling neatly to his shoulders. There was a stillness in the way he sat that didn't come from being relaxed, but from the complete certainty that there was nothing in this room he needed to be concerned about.The second was slightly older, twenty-seven or twenty-eight. His hair was dark red like embers nearly burned out, shoulder-length and left loose. His face was broader than his companion's, with an expression that from the start already said he wasn't used to waiting.Both of them radiated something James couldn't define with ordinary words

They moved above the city like shadows that never touched the ground.Building to building, rooftop to rooftop, each leap spanning a distance that made no sense for ordinary humans but felt completely natural to the three people doing it. Velmont below them moved like a miniature board.They stopped at the edge of the city, where concrete and streetlights gave way to darkness. Cindervale Forest, a green zone deliberately left undeveloped in the western corner of Velmont, older than the city itself. During the day this place served as a jogging trail and picnic spot. On a night like this, there was no one.Old oak trees stood like giant pillars beneath a moon that wasn't full. The ground here was damp, fallen leaves forming a layer that muffled the sound of footsteps.All three landed almost simultaneously in an open area, a small clearing surrounded by trees on every side.The black-haired man turned to face Caelan. His eyes scanned from top to bottom with more precision than they had