Adam Swift's POVThe courtyard remained silent. No one dared move. No one dared speak. The fear hanging in the air was almost tangible.Derek Carter was still kneeling before me, his expensive suit stained with dirt and sweat. The proud man who had once commanded soldiers and intimidated businessmen now looked like a broken shell of himself.Beside him, Damien Carter lay on the ground, groaning in pain, unable to stand after what I had done to him. Around us, hundreds of people watched in terrified silence. I tightened my grip on my sword.This was the moment I had waited ten years for. Another enemy. Another debt to collect.Derek noticed my movement. The color immediately drained from his face."P-Please..." His voice trembled. "Don't kill me."I stared down at him without emotion. For ten years, I had imagined moments like this. The men responsible for my family's destruction begging for mercy. The men who had shown none to my father. None to my brother. None to me.Yet now they wa

Adam Swift's POVThe four men stared at me. For a moment, the street became completely silent.Then the leader burst into laughter. A loud, mocking laugh that echoed through the crowd. The others quickly joined him. Their laughter filled the narrow street.The old man lowered his head. The teenager looked at me with confusion. Even some members of the crowd shook their heads. They thought I was making a mistake. A dangerous one.The leader wiped a tear from his eye. "You want me to let him go?"I nodded. "Yes."The man laughed again. "And who exactly are you?"I remained calm. "Someone giving you a chance."The smile immediately disappeared from his face. The crowd felt the change. So did his companions. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. The leader's eyes narrowed."A chance?"I took another step forward."Let the boy go."The man holding the teenager tightened his grip. "What if I refuse?"My gaze settled on him. "Then you'll regret it."The street became quiet again. The old man

Adam Swift's POVThe engine of the black military vehicle hummed softly as we drove through the quiet streets of Quinzerland.Outside the tinted windows, the city glittered beneath the evening sky. Towering skyscrapers pierced the clouds, luxury hotels illuminated the avenues, and streams of traffic flowed through the heart of the capital. Ordinarily, I would have been studying every street, every rooftop, every possible threat.Tonight, my thoughts were elsewhere. Taylor. For ten years, I had buried every memory of my younger brother beneath hatred. I had convinced myself that mourning him was the only way to survive.Now Derek Carter has shattered that belief with a few simple words. Your brother is alive. I closed my eyes briefly. Could it really be true? Or had Derek simply found the perfect lie to save his own life?Dax broke the silence. "I've finished the preliminary investigation."I turned toward him. "What did you find?"He placed a tablet on the table between us. "The Hayes