Kael's POVNobody spoke after Moretti's question. The rain continued falling around us, cold, heavy, and relentless, but suddenly none of that mattered.Because every person standing on that pier seemed more interested in Elena Luca than the bloody war that had nearly killed us all.That alone told me how dangerous she really was. Moretti studied my face carefully, waiting. I shook my head. "I don't know where she is." The answer sounded weak even to me. Because it wasn't completely true.I knew where she had been. I just didn't know where she'd gone. The old man's eyes narrowed slightly. "You haven't spoken to her?" "No." "When?"I frowned. "What?""When was the last time you saw her?"Something about the question felt wrong, Calculated. Like he wasn't asking for information. He was measuring my reaction. I folded my arms. "Why does everyone suddenly care about Elena?" Silence Again.I was beginning to think rich people developed a medical condition that prevented them from answering

Kael's POVNobody spoke, not immediately. Rain pounded the pier. The dead phone remained in my hand, and for the first time since arriving here, every powerful person around me looked shaken, not angry, not calculating, but shaken.That scared me more than gunfire ever could. Because if the words "second archive" terrified people like Lucien and Moretti, then whatever Alessandro had hidden was bigger than the empire itself. I slowly lowered the phone. "What is the second archive?" Silence, of course.Then Lucien laughed. The sound was sharp, humorless, and dangerous. "There isn't one." Moretti turned toward him. "You know that's a lie." The words hit hard. Lucien's smile disappeared. Interesting.The council chairman wasn't playing games anymore. The old man stepped closer. His calm composure from earlier was gone, not completely, but enough."The second archive was destroyed," Marcus finally spoke. "No." Everybody looked at him. Marcus exhaled slowly. "It was supposed to be destroyed.

Kael’s POVThe room stayed silent after Elena finished speaking. Nobody rushed to answer. Nobody tried to deny it. Which told me everything.The recording was real, the threat was real, and whatever Alessandro had hidden all those years ago was finally coming back to destroy everyone connected to it.Lucien stood near the far window, staring out across the city. For once, he looked distracted. Not scared, not nervous, distracted. Like he was trying to solve a puzzle that suddenly had too many pieces.Elena noticed it too. "You're worried."Lucien glanced toward her. "I don't worry.""That's a lie." His jaw tightened. Interesting. Nobody spoke to Lucien like that, nobody except Elena.Marcus stepped forward. "We need to know exactly what Alessandro was hiding." "We already know enough," Raven said. "No," Marcus replied. "We know people are dying over it. That's not the same thing." Fair point. I looked toward Elena. "You said Alessandro created something before he died." Her eyes found

Kael's POVThe explosion shook the entire building. Dust rained from the ceiling. Somewhere below us, glass shattered. Then came gunfire. Lots of it: automatic weapons. Short controlled bursts, professional. The Syndicate wasn't here to negotiate. They were here to eliminate problems, and apparently I was at the top of their list.Adrian checked the security feeds again. His expression immediately darkened. "That's bad."Marcus grabbed the tablet. "What now?" "They brought breach teams."Raven swore.Lucien looked annoyed. Not worried; annoyed. Like someone had interrupted his evening. Honestly, that was somehow more unsettling. Another explosion thundered through the building, closer this time.The lights flickered, then stabilized, for now. "We need to move," Raven said. "Agreed," Marcus answered, but Elena was staring at one of the monitors, frozen. I followed her gaze. The camera showed a man walking through the lobby, tall, in a dark suit. No tactical armor, no visible weapon. Ye

Kael's POVNobody moved; nobody even blinked. The room felt frozen. Like time itself had stopped working.Victor stood calmly among armed men and dead bodies, holding the black folder in one hand, waiting, watching, and enjoying this. Because he knew exactly what he'd just done. My eyes slowly shifted toward Elena.Then Marcus.Then Raven.Then Lucien. Every single person avoided looking at me, and suddenly that felt worse than Victor's claim. My pulse slowed, dangerously slow. "What did you just say?"Victor didn't answer immediately. He studied me carefully. Like he was measuring the damage.Then he repeated it. "Alessandro Varez wasn't your biological father." Silence. My chest felt hollow. Not because I believed him, not yet. Because nobody immediately called him a liar, nobody. I looked at Marcus. "Tell me he's full of shit." Marcus stayed silent. My stomach dropped. I turned toward Elena. "You too?"Pain flashed across her face. That wasn't the reaction I wanted. That wasn't eve