The motel room fell into a tense silence.Thomas Reed’s family had been taken.Samuel’s expression darkened.“They’re cleaning up every loose end.”Ethan looked at the family photograph still lying on the table.Thomas.His wife.His little daughter.Three ordinary people.Caught in a war they never started.He looked at Gabriel.“How much time has passed since they were taken?”Gabriel checked the latest report.“Less than thirty minutes.”“They’re still in the city.”Samuel frowned.“Assuming they haven’t switched vehicles.”Ava suddenly spoke.“They won’t.”Everyone turned toward her.She walked to the map on the wall.“If I wanted to eliminate witnesses…”“I wouldn’t leave the city immediately.”“I’d hide them somewhere close until the search lost momentum.”Gabriel nodded slowly.“That makes sense.”Ethan looked at Captain Reed through the video call.“Roadblocks?”“They’ve already been requested.”“But there are hundreds of places they could hide.”Ethan remained quiet.Then his

Morning settled over Ashford Manor, but no one enjoyed the peace.The attack on Ethan had changed everything.The enemy was no longer hiding in the shadows.They were striking openly.Inside the strategy room, Samuel Grant stood beside a digital screen displaying photographs of the captured assassin, the black lion ring, and the Crimson Circle symbol.Captain Gabriel Stone addressed the room.“We’ve questioned the assassin for hours.”“He refuses to speak.”Ethan looked up.“Everyone talks.”“Sometimes they simply need the right reason.”Samuel glanced at him.“You wish to question him yourself?”Ethan nodded.“I do.”Deep beneath Ashford Manor…The assassin sat alone inside a reinforced holding cell.His hands were restrained.His face remained expressionless.When Ethan entered, the guards stepped aside.The assassin smiled.“So…”“The heir finally comes.”Ethan pulled out a chair and sat across from him.“I have questions.”“And I have no answers.”The assassin leaned back.“You’re

Midnight.A thick fog drifted through the deserted streets of Nova City.The Old Ashford Opera House stood in silence.Once the pride of the Ashford family, the grand building had been abandoned for more than two decades.Its faded marble walls and broken stained-glass windows stood as reminders of a forgotten era.A black sedan stopped across the street.Ethan stepped out alone.At least…That was what anyone watching would believe.Unknown to the observers hidden in the darkness, Samuel Grant, Gabriel Stone, and a team of Ashford security officers had already taken positions around the building.They remained out of sight.Watching.Waiting.Ethan slowly climbed the cracked stone steps.The massive wooden doors creaked open with a gentle push.Inside…Dust floated through beams of moonlight.Rows of empty velvet seats stretched toward the stage.The silence was overwhelming.Then…A single spotlight flickered to life.At the center of the stage sat an elderly man in a perfectly tail

The tunnel beneath the opera house fell silent.No one spoke.Everyone was trying to understand the impossible.Alexander Wolfe had been dead before Ethan arrived.Yet Ethan had spoken to him.He had looked him in the eyes.He had heard his voice.Gabriel turned to the medical examiner.“You’re absolutely certain?”The examiner nodded.“There is no doubt.”“Time of death…”“…approximately six hours ago.”Ethan looked at Samuel.“Then who was the man on that stage?”Samuel didn’t answer immediately.Instead, he stared at the leather notebook in his hands.His face had grown pale.“You already know something.”Ethan’s voice was calm.“But you’re still hiding it.”Samuel closed the notebook.“Yes.”“For twenty-five years.”He took a slow breath.“Richard Ashford had a younger brother.”The words echoed through the tunnel.Ethan remained silent.“His name was Jonathan Ashford.”Gabriel frowned.“I’ve never seen that name in any Ashford record.”“You wouldn’t.”Samuel’s expression grew hea

The words echoed in Victor Kane’s mind. The Ashford Legacy Vault. For years, it had been dismissed as nothing more than an old family legend. Even members of the Crimson Circle had questioned whether it truly existed. Jonathan Ashford did not. He knew it was real. Because he had spent twenty-five years searching for it. Back at Ashford Manor… Ethan stood before the hidden chamber beneath Richard’s study. The journal lay open on the mahogany table. For the first time, he read it with a different perspective. His father hadn’t simply been preparing him to lead a company. He had been preparing him to protect something. Something worth killing for. Samuel entered quietly. “You’re thinking about the Vault.” Ethan looked up. “You know about it.” Samuel nodded. “I do.” “Then tell me.” Samuel walked slowly around the room. “Your great-grandfather created the Legacy Vault shortly after founding Ashford Global.” “It wasn’t built to store money.” “It was built to protect