The Board of Elders convened in the Silvercrest Manor's grand chamber, a circular room of dark wood and stained glass that had witnessed every major decision in the family's history for the past three centuries. The Elders themselves sat in tiered seats arranged in a semicircle, twelve men and women of varying ages, each one representing a branch of the Silvercrest bloodline or a legacy family bound to it by ancient oath. Their faces ranged from curious to openly hostile.Ethan stood in the center of the room, alone. Donald and Sable had been forbidden from attending. This was a test, and the first rule of the test was that he faced it without his shields.Lord Marcus Silvercrest presided from a raised dais, his expression one of benevolent authority. Beside him stood a young man Ethan had never seen before, tall, dark-haired, with the same aristocratic features as Marcus but sharpened by youth. His suit was immaculate, his posture perfect, and his smile carried the particular warmth

They tracked Kessler to a private airfield on the outskirts of the city, where a small jet was waiting on the tarmac. The operative was halfway up the boarding stairs when Ethan's car screeched onto the runway."Kessler!" Ethan stepped out, his voice carrying across the empty airfield. "You're not going anywhere."Kessler spun around. He was a thin, nervous man with a receding hairline and the desperate eyes of someone who knew his time had run out. "Young Master Silvercrest. I—I can explain.""You can explain to the Board. After you tell them who paid you fifty million dollars to sabotage Helix Dynamics."Kessler's face crumpled. "If I tell you, I'm dead. You don't understand who's behind this. He'll kill me. He'll kill my family.""And if you don't tell me, you'll spend the rest of your life in a Silvercrest detention facility. Which do you think is worse?"Kessler's eyes darted toward the jet, then toward the distant fence line, as if calculating his odds of escape. Then his should

The description fits Damian perfectly. "Did he say anything else? Anything that could identify him?"Elise hesitated. "He mentioned his father once. He said... he said his father had been waiting twenty years for this. That the Silvercrest heir was an imposter, and that his family was the rightful bloodline."Ethan felt the pieces click into place. Damien wasn't just helping Marcus sabotage the trials. He was actively working with the Shadow Council, feeding them information, using their resources to destroy Ethan's credibility. Marcus might be the mastermind, but Damien was the executioner."Sable, take her into protective custody. She's going to testify before the Board."Elise grabbed his arm. "If I testify, they'll kill my family.""No," Ethan said. "They won't. Because by the time I'm done, there won't be anyone left to threaten them."---That evening, Ethan convened a private meeting with Donald, Sable, and Amelia. He laid out everything Elise had revealed, the connection to Ge

"Is that what you want? To handle your own battles?""I want to be your partner, not your ward." She met his eyes. "Whatever the third trial brings, we face it together. No more secrets. No more protecting me without telling me."Ethan pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her waist. "I don't deserve you.""Probably not." She smiled. "But you're stuck with me anyway."He kissed her, slow at first, then deeper, the stress of the day melting away in the warmth of her embrace. When they finally pulled apart, the sun was setting over the garden, painting the fountains in shades of gold and rose."Come on," Amelia said, taking his hand. "You've been in battle mode all day. Tonight, you're going to relax. I'll draw you a bath. We'll have dinner in your quarters. And for a few hours, we're going to pretend the world isn't trying to tear us apart."Ethan let her lead him inside. "What did I ever do to deserve you?""You were yourself," she said simply. "That was enough."---That night,

"You're a sad, bitter man," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You lost the respect of the Board. You lost the respect of your colleagues. And now you're losing me. But it's not because of Ethan. It's not because of Mom. It's because of you. You are the common denominator in every relationship you've destroyed. And I'm done letting you destroy me too."She turned and walked toward the door. "Amelia." Her father's voice stopped her. "If you walk out that door, don't bother coming back."Amelia didn't turn around. "I stopped coming back the night you froze my accounts and called me a disgrace. This dinner was your last chance. And you wasted it."She walked out of the dining room, through the marble foyer, past the family portraits that lined the walls, generations of Freemans staring down at her with painted eyes, judging her, dismissing her, just like her father always had. She didn't look back and she didn't cry. She held herself together until she was in the limousine, the