Evan's POVThe burner phone buzzed on the desk like a live grenade. I snatched it up before the second ring.“Carter,” I said, voice flat.A low, almost amused chuckle came through the line. “You’re not going to believe what I just pulled off, Evan. But I need to see you. Now. No games. No traps. Just the two of us.”I didn’t hesitate. “Where?”“Abandoned warehouse on the old docks. Neutral ground. I’ll be waiting on the catwalk. Come alone.”The line went dead.I grabbed my jacket, checked the sidearm I’d never needed before, and headed for the exit.The warehouse smelled of rust and salt. Rain drummed on the corrugated roof. I climbed the metal stairs two at a time.Carter was already there, leaning against the railing, arms crossed, the same smug half-smile he’d worn since he stepped out of the Rourke mansion.He straightened when he saw me. “You came.”“I said I would.”He gestured to a battered metal table. “Sit. This is going to be ugly.”We sat. The silence stretched, thick eno

Evan's POVThe line went dead. I stared at the empty bed, the faint smell of Margaret’s perfume still hanging in the air like a ghost. My mother was gone. Again.My phone buzzed hard against my palm.“Miriam,” I said, voice shaking.“Evan, I traced the doctor’s call. It came from a burner in Zurich. The number is linked to a company called Legacy Protection. They’ve been handling Margaret Rourke for eighteen years. She’s alive, but the agency that owns her doesn’t want us near her.”I gripped the phone tighter. “Then we go to her. Now. Get me on the next flight to Zurich. And tell Audrey to stand down at the nursing home. Margaret needs to see me face to face.”I landed in Zurich at dawn, the cold biting straight through my coat. Miriam met me at the private terminal.“Legacy Protection moved her again two days ago,” she said. “They sent her to a safe house in the Alps. But I have eyes on the road now. We can follow her.”We didn’t wait for more. I was already in the car.The drive up

Evan's POVReviewing the event, Red lights flashed across the cabin walls. Margaret’s eyes went wide.“Evan… they already know I’m alive.”The leader raised his gun.“Time to go home, Miss Rourke.”I moved fast. I shoved Margaret behind me and lunged at the first man, tackling him hard. He dropped his gun. I grabbed it and fired once wide.The second man fired back. Pain exploded in my shoulder.But I didn’t stop.I kicked the third man in the knee and took his gun.“Audrey!” I shouted into my phone. “Safe house under attack! Roll up reinforcements now!”Margaret was on her feet, trying to get between me and the leader.“Evan, stop! You’re the target!”The leader grabbed Margaret’s arm.I roared and fired again. The shot hit him in the shoulder.More boots pounded outside.This wasn’t Roland’s crew.This was something worse.And they had found us.Margaret looked at me, blood on my shirt.“Evan… they’re here for you too. Now you know the truth. Run.”I grabbed her hand.“No. We’re doi

Evan's POVI stood there in the cold morning light, the evidence case still heavy in my hand, the name Graham Rourke burning in my chest.Jordan Hale had just given me the name.Graham.My father.The man who had signed the papers that night.The man who had let them erase me.The man who had let them try to kill my mother.And now I knew the real mastermind was inside my own family.Inside my own company.Inside the man who had once called me his son.The question wasn’t who was behind it anymore.The question was how long it would take them to destroy everything I had built.And whether I would be the one to burn it all down.The city woke up around me, but inside the Meridian Tower the air was thick with panic. I stepped off the private elevator on the 42nd floor and the noise hit me like a wall.Phones rang. Screens flashed red. Voices shouted in every direction.“Graham’s on the line!” someone yelled.I didn’t answer. I walked straight to the conference room where the board was a

Evan's POVThe screen flickered.Graham Rourke’s own brother stared back at us, smiling like he’d just won the lottery.The room didn’t breathe.Graham’s face was drained of color.“No,” he whispered. “Uncle Henry… it’s Henry.”Carter leaned in.“Uncle Henry. The man who raised me. The one who taught me everything. He’s been at the front for years.”I didn’t move. My hands were still on the table from the last threat, but the words hit harder than any threat.The mastermind was family. My family. The man who had called me Evan the servant. The man who had watched me clear tables for eighteen years while the rest of them dined like kings.Graham’s eyes stayed locked on the name.“I knew he was dangerous,” he said, voice rough. “But he swore on Audrey’s life that he was protecting the company. He said the real heir would be found one day and we could bury the scandal. I believed him. I let him near my son. And now…”He looked at the screen like it was a knife in his chest.Car