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Chapter 51: Blood of Empire
The glass tower that bore Liam Hawthorne’s name was a cathedral of silence at dawn, the city still heavy with mist outside its walls. He liked those early hours—when the world was slow enough for him to think, when power hummed not from voices but from systems running exactly as he had designed.But that morning, silence cracked into chaos.The elevator doors slid open with a jarring clang and his CFO, William Avery, stumbled out. His tie was askew, his face pale with the kind of fear no market fluctuation could ever inspire.“Liam,” he rasped, holding a trembling tablet in his hand. “We’ve been hit.”Liam’s pen stilled over the page he’d been signing. He looked up slowly, deliberately, like a general who refused to flinch under cannon fire. “Define hit.”Avery swallowed. “Three of our offshore accounts—Zurich, Singapore, Grand Cayman—they’ve been frozen overnight. Not regulatory freeze. It’s coordinated. Simultaneous court injunctions filed under dormant compliance codes. Every chann
Chapter 50: Direct Fallout (2)
SlLiam poured himself a drink from the bar, though his hand shook enough to spill a few drops across the counter. The amber liquid burned down his throat, but it wasn’t enough to drown the storm. He stared out at the glittering skyline beyond the window, voice like gravel when he finally spoke again. “Do you want him back?”The words fell like a gauntlet. Ava flinched as though he’d struck her. “What?”“You heard me.” He turned to face her, glass dangling from his hand. “Do you want him back? Because he looked at you tonight like he already owned a piece of you. And if that’s true, then I need to know now before I decide how to deal with him.”Ava’s eyes filled with something raw, but she didn’t look away. “I want the boy I lost, Liam. But that’s not who stood in that room. That’s not Cassian. Not anymore. He’s someone else’s creation. I don’t want him—I want him freed.”Liam’s jaw slackened, then tightened again. For a moment, the rage cooled enough to reveal the aching truth beneath
Chapter 49: Direct Fallout
The limousine was silent, but it carried the echo of the gala like a coffin carried whispers of the dead. Ava sat opposite him, her face turned toward the black glass, and Liam could see her reflection fractured by the passing city lights. He wanted to reach for her, to drag her into his arms, to tell her that nothing and no one could undo them. But the weight pressing on her shoulders was not the kind words of comfort, it was history — history in the shape of a stolen son who now stood across the battlefield, weaponized against them.Liam had been in boardrooms where fortunes collapsed. He had stood in alleys where knives dripped red and promises curdled into betrayal. He had stared into the hollow eyes of men begging for mercy he never granted. But never — never — had he seen Ava look so breakable.When they reached the penthouse, she went straight to the balcony, her silk gown trailing like spilled midnight. Liam followed, but he did not touch her. Not yet. The city below stretched
Chapter 48: The Mask Unveiled
The chandelier above seemed to sway with the weight of the silence. It wasn’t, of course—its golden branches remained steady, crystal droplets catching the light—but to Liam Hawthorne, the room felt tilted, off-balance, as though the air itself had fractured.Cassian Rhys stood at the edge of the ballroom, every inch of him dressed in a confidence that didn’t belong to youth. His shoulders were squared, his jaw sharp, his smile carefully honed. The room full of billionaires, diplomats, and hidden predators reacted like bloodhounds catching a fresh scent—some stiffened, some leaned forward, and all of them turned their gaze away from Liam.The shift was subtle but unmistakable. For years, Liam had been the center of every room he entered. Tonight, that center of gravity threatened to move. It was not the shift in attention that made him feel threatened, it was being prepared for all else but this. No one had prepared him for this encounter. Ava had said nothing and the shock alone woul
Chapter 47: The Gala
The black-tinted limousine rolled to a smooth stop in front of the Langston estate, its polished chrome glinting beneath the floodlights that washed the sprawling mansion in golden radiance. Tonight, the entire estate had been transformed into something more than a home—it was a stage. And every guest stepping onto its marbled steps was both actor and audience in a play of wealth, influence, and veiled hostilities.Liam Hawthorne stepped out first, his tuxedo tailored so sharply it could cut glass. He hated these events, hated the shallow rituals of champagne toasts and whispered slander, but tonight wasn’t about preference. Tonight was about survival—and control. He knew it was going to be a battle tonight but he didn't care. He had stilled himself to face and summount whatever it was. No one was going to make him feel inferior. Not even if that man was Frederick Langston, his father in law. He did wonder though what Frederick had up his sleeves. What Trick was he going to pull this
Chapter 46:: The Invitation
The morning sun slanted through the curtains, gilding the dust motes that floated lazily in the air of the penthouse. Liam sat at the dining table, a mug of black coffee cooling between his hands. The world outside was alive with the people going fir their business concerns. Yet Liam’s world had grown unbearably heavy, the silence inside his chest echoing with everything left unsaid. He hadn’t spoken much since the confrontation with Ava’s father. The cruel words replayed in his mind: You will never be one of us. You were never meant to sit at our table. Words that left bruises no hand could touch. He tried to drown them with long hours at work, sweat dripping, muscles aching, but every night when he lay down, they returned—sharp and unrelenting. Everyone had accepted him and his fortune and he had even increased his wealth by his hard work and strategies but Fredrick Langston still felt he was beneath him. He wouldn't even address him by his new and rightful name : Liam Hawthorne
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