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Chapter Twelve – Betrayal’s Seed
Author: Healing-Pen
last update2025-09-07 20:55:08

The city didn’t sleep. Rumors traveled faster than light, weaving themselves into conversations, meetings, and hushed boardroom exchanges.

Everywhere Adrian’s name surfaced, so did doubt: “Too ambitious, too fast, no one rises without dirt under their nails.”

“Maybe the Grants were right. Maybe he is hiding something.”

“I’ll hold my investments until this blows over…”

The poison was spreading exactly as Damian intended. But in a private penthouse, a different kind of poison was being prepared.

Harold Grant leaned across the table, his expression grim. “We tried the markets. We tried the media. It weakened him, but not enough.”

Damian swirled his wine lazily. “Then we move closer.”

Harold’s brow furrowed. “Closer?”

Damian’s smile was razor-sharp. “Every empire falls the same way, Harold. Not from the outside. From within.”

Inside Cole Tower, Adrian’s war council gathered again. Marcus briefed him on the fallout.

“Two partners already want to renegotiate. One is stalling payments. And t
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  • Chapter Twenty - 26 The Forsaken Heir

    Gerald’s body hit the marble with a sickening crack. For one stunned heartbeat, the courtyard froze. Flames roared, smoke choked the night, but every Cole and every Grant stood silent, their eyes locked on the fallen patriarch.Adrian staggered forward, blood pouring from his side, his rifle slipping in his grip. His chest heaved, his eyes blazing with fire and grief. “Grandfather…”Gerald’s lifeless gaze stared at the sky, his final command echoing in Adrian’s skull: Don’t fail this family. Something inside him snapped.The grief twisted into fury, into fire so hot it seared the weakness from his bones. He lifted his head, his eyes locking on Harold Grant across the battlefield.And in a voice raw with rage, he roared: “Harold!”The sound shook the courtyard. “You wanted my bloodline? Then face me yourself!”Harold’s lips curled into a cruel smile. He stepped forward, unhurried, the flames painting him in hellfire. His pistol gleamed in his hand, steady, merciless.“You’re a fool, Ad

  • Chapter Twenty - 25 The Forsaken Heir

    Gunfire split the air. The Cole estate trembled as explosions ripped through its gates, walls crumbling beneath the Grants’ assault.Smoke choked the marble halls, flames licked the night, and the screams of soldiers echoed through the corridors.Inside the throne room, Adrian Cole stood, pale and bleeding, his grip tight on Gerald’s shattered cane. The firelight painted his face in shades of war, half shadow, half steel.Elena clung to his arm, terror flashing in her eyes. “You can’t fight like this”“I don’t have a choice,” Adrian rasped, his voice hoarse but unshakable. “They’ve come for my empire. For me. If I don’t stand now… everything falls.”Marcus burst into the room, his pistol drawn, his suit streaked with blood and smoke. “The east wing’s gone. They’re flooding the courtyard. We’ve got minutes before they’re in this hall.”Adrian’s lips curled into something that was almost a smile. Cold. Dangerous.“Then we’ll make those minutes count.”The doors shuddered with the impact

  • Chapter Twenty-Four – The Awakening

    The echo of Elena’s scream still rang in his skull. Adrian’s eyes snapped open, his vision swimming, every nerve burning fire through his body.His chest ached, his side screamed where the knife had carved him open, but none of it compared to the sight he’d just witnessed, Elena dragged from his bedside, Gerald’s voice cold and merciless: “Adrian Cole is declared unfit to rule.”His monitor spiked, alarms shrieking. “Sir, don’t move” a medic rushed toward him.Adrian’s hand shot out, fingers locking around the man’s wrist with iron strength. His voice was gravel, low but lethal. “Where is she?”The medic stammered, eyes wide. “They, Gerald had her taken”The machine beside him blared louder as his pulse hammered. He tore the wires from his chest, pain searing his body, blood dampening the bandages. But he swung his legs off the bed anyway, staggering upright.Every muscle screamed rebellion. His lungs burned. But his fury burned hotter. Two guards burst into the room, startled to find

  • Chapter Twenty-Three – The Heir’s Throne

    Elena’s pulse thundered as Gerald’s words cut through the room. “You will either stand aside… or you will stand with me.”The machines hummed steadily beside Adrian’s bed, proof of his fragile grip on life. His chest rose and fell in shallow rhythm, pale and unmoving.Elena stared at Gerald, horror and fury clashing in her chest. “He isn’t dead. You can’t talk about him like he’s already gone.”Gerald leaned heavily on his cane, his silver eyes cold. “Look at him, girl. He’s not leading anything. If he doesn’t wake soon, his empire will fracture, and the Grants will devour what’s left.”Her voice broke with rage. “He bled for this empire! He bled for me! And you’re ready to throw him into the grave before his heart even stops?”Gerald stepped closer, his shadow falling over her. “Don’t mistake sentiment for loyalty. I built this dynasty long before Adrian drew his first breath. I won’t watch it crumble because you’ve turned him soft.”Marcus entered then, his face taut, his eyes flick

  • Chapter Twenty-Two – When Kings Fall

    Adrian’s blood poured between her fingers. Elena knelt on the cold warehouse floor, his head cradled against her lap, her hands soaked crimson.His chest rose shallowly, each breath a rasp that made terror twist in her gut. “Adrian, Adrian, stay with me” Her voice cracked, desperate, trembling.His eyes flickered beneath half-lids but didn’t open. His lips parted, and a broken whisper slipped out. “Don’t… let them…”Then nothing. “No, no, no” Elena’s sobs tore through the silence. She pressed her palm harder against the gaping wound in his side. Blood seeped around it anyway, unstoppable.Marcus’ voice snapped through the chaos, sharp as a blade. “We’re losing him! Get the medics, now!”Two men rushed forward, hauling gear, their hands moving fast, too fast and not fast enough. Elena’s fingers clung to Adrian as they pried her back. “Don’t you dare take him from me!” she screamed. “He needs me”Marcus caught her arms, pulling her upright, his face grim. “He needs a surgeon more than y

  • Chapter Twenty-One – Ashes and Blood

    The shard of glass slid deep, and Adrian’s body jolted with the shock of it. Heat blossomed in his side, thick and wet, his shirt already clinging crimson. Damian’s grin widened as he twisted the jagged edge, savoring the pain.“Now you bleed,” Damian hissed, his voice ragged with triumph. “Now you know what it means to lose.”Adrian’s teeth clenched against the groan threatening to escape. He gripped Damian’s wrist, veins straining with the effort, and slammed his forehead into Damian’s nose. Bone cracked. Blood gushed.Damian reeled back, cursing, but Adrian didn’t hesitate. He ripped the shard from his own side, ignoring the fresh gush of blood, and drove his fist into Damian’s jaw.The warehouse floor echoed with the brutal symphony of flesh and bone colliding. Elena screamed from the chair, her voice breaking. “Adrian! Stop, please!”But neither man heard. They were beyond words, beyond reason. There was only rage, history, and blood. Adrian straddled Damian, fists raining down.

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