Leaders from the districts, the military units, and the naval commands of Nucus stood in rigid lines along both sides of the seaport. At the center of the formation, George Montgomery, mayor of Nucus, kept his eyes fixed on the dark shape of the naval vessel as it crept into the harbor.It was not an ordinary day.Soren Anderson—youngest four-star admiral among Westland’s four naval regions—was coming home. Not thirty yet, and already the name people lowered their voices for. Stuff he’d commanded still got chewed over in mess halls. He’d broken fleets that were supposed to be unbreakable, and pulled loyalty out of men most officers only ever saw in books. Word of his return had spread fast. Civilians packed the barriers three and four deep just for a look at him.A young man in the crowd craned his neck.“Why’s half the navy standing out here?”The man beside him didn’t look away from the ship.“You haven’t heard? Admiral Anderson’s coming in. The mayor himself’s waiting.”“The four-

Behind Soren, a burly man finished a phone call. Lucus Bennett. Dressed plain, but the way he stood made it obvious he wasn’t just some regular bodyguard.Soren didn’t turn around. “Did you find out what was used on Charles?”“Yes, sir.” Lucus’s voice went serious. “Our people got the investigation records. Traced the substance on the body. Hydrogen peroxide.”Soren’s eyes narrowed a little. “Hydrogen peroxide?”“Yes, sir. Concentration was extremely high. Not the kind people keep at home. It degraded the bones badly. Some parts of the remains had almost broken down. That’s one reason the investigators had so much trouble identifying him. DNA was compromised too. The lab had to work with whatever little biological material was left before they could confirm it was him.”Soren stayed quiet.His eyes stayed on Charles’s tombstone.“Any suspects?” he asked.Lucus shook his head. “Not yet. We checked every lead we could find. Whoever did this was careful. All the CCTV around where the bod

Martha stepped forward and blocked Soren’s path. “You’re not going anywhere,” she said coldly. “Leave the Anderson Estate immediately.”Soren stopped. Martha looked at him without the slightest warmth. “Charles is dead. Whatever reason brought you here, you should stop digging into the past. He is already gone.”Soren’s eyes turned cold. “Shut up.”Martha froze. Soren slowly looked at her. “You don’t deserve to say his name.” His voice was quiet, but the anger behind it made the surrounding guests fall silent. “You were Charles’s personal maid. You were supposed to stay beside him and protect him.” He took a step forward. “But you failed.”Martha’s face changed. “My brother was blind. He trusted the people around him because he had no choice.” Soren’s gaze became colder. “And now he’s dead.” He stared directly into Martha’s eyes. “So don’t stand in front of me and speak his name as if you have the right.”Martha’s lips trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. “You ha

Bang!Anderson's old woman hands slammed against the table.Several guests flinched, and the glasses on the table trembled from the impact. She slowly rose from her seat, her eyes fixed on Soren with an anger that made the entire hall feel colder.“You really have changed,”“When you were a child, you knew your place.”Her eyes traveled over Soren's military uniform.“You were nothing more than a boy brought into this family because your parents were dead. Chadwick gave you food, shelter, and the Anderson name when you had nowhere else to go.”Soren's expression did not change.The matriarch's voice became colder.“And now you return after ten years wearing a military uniform and believe that makes you important enough to stand in my house and threaten my family?”“You have forgotten something, Soren. This is not the battlefield, and I am not one of your soldiers. Inside this estate, your military rank means nothing. If I decide you leave this house in a body bag, nobody here will que