THE KASTELLAN HEIR.

A NEW EMPIRE.

The change was anything but slow. His grandfather had pushed hard, forcing Ronan to soak up decades of business knowledge and family history in a brutal two-week span. Ronan finally understood the rush. Two weeks after the night that flipped his old life upside down, he stood in the private garden once more. But he wasn’t there to grieve his parents this time. A fresh grave sat there, the dirt still dark and loose.

The last of the Kastellans was gone. Even though their time together had been short, the fierce, caring way the old man had treated him gave Ronan something he’d never felt before: a sense of belonging. His grandfather had spent his final days shaping him into a weapon.

This was Ronan’s empire now. The company, the influence, the sheer, frightening weight of the Kastellan name belonged to him. Still, staring at the gravestone, a hollow ache settled in his chest. His grandfather’s last words echoed through the quiet garden, a kind of mantra for the man he now had to become.

“Ronan, the world has been harsh to you, so now you must be harsh right back. Grab every chance by the throat. When you act, act without mercy, no matter who gets hurt along the way. Everyone here is loyal to your blood. Emeric will never leave your side, and neither will the rest. The world is yours, but you still have much to learn. You always will. Keep learning, and never forget the fire running through your veins.”

Ronan shut his eyes and tilted his head back, drawing in a shaky breath. He felt a strange bond to the three people buried in that ground, the parents he’d never known and the grandfather who had pulled him out of the gutter. He was alone again, a lonely orphan wrapped in a billion-dollar suit, but he didn’t cry. The head of a global empire couldn’t afford to grieve. He had to be as tough as steel.

A soft, steady hand rested on his shoulder. He didn’t need to turn around to know it was Sienna. She was Emeric’s granddaughter, and just as her grandfather had served his, she had taken on the role of his personal assistant.

The moment he met her, he’d noticed her sharp mind and calm, steady focus. She was pretty, sure, but it was her quick thinking and full grasp of the company that made her impossible to replace. They had connected instantly; she was the link between his old life as a failure and his new life as a giant in the business world.

“Mr. Kastellan, we need to go,” she said, her voice soft but firm.

“Already?” Ronan asked, keeping his eyes shut for one more moment of calm.

“The board meeting starts in five hours. The drive back to Halloway City takes three, and you need time to get ready. You have to set the tone, sir.”

Halloway City. The same city that had chewed him up and thrown him out into the rain. He was heading back to the place where he’d been called a “parasite” and a “nobody.” But this time, he was returning like a king.

“Alright, Sienna,” he said, finally opening his eyes. “Let’s move.”

Sienna had become his shadow, teaching him about every branch and part of the Kastellan empire. He guessed she’d been studying these records since she was a child, waiting for the heir to come back. He was glad the first stop he picked was the Halloway City office. Deep down, a cold plan for revenge was already starting to take shape.

In Halloway City, the Kastellan office wasn’t just a branch, it ran the whole local economy. A line of black SUVs waited in the driveway, engines running, ready for the last living Kastellan to take his seat. The sun beat down on him, a sharp contrast to the rain that had soaked him the night he got fired. He took it as a sign. The sun shining meant it was about to burn everyone who had wronged him.

Meanwhile, deep in Halloway City, the mood at the local office was tense. Preston, Ronan’s old boss, was pacing the meeting room. He was there for his company, hoping to land a deal that could save his firm from a recent drop in profits. He stood among people from other companies, all fighting for a piece of the Kastellan fortune.

Then, a voice boomed through the building’s speakers, startling everyone in the seven-story tower.

“All staff and guests must go to the lobby right away! Clear the halls for the Chairman’s arrival!”

The meeting was dropped instantly. Preston watched, annoyed, as the investors he’d been chasing rushed toward the elevators. “What is this? How can they just walk out on a deal worth millions?” he muttered, his curiosity finally beating his ego.

He followed the crowd down to the ground floor, where hundreds of workers had spilled onto the sidewalk, buzzing with nervous energy.

“Who’s the new Kastellan?” someone whispered. “I thought the family line ended with the old man.”

“Did you hear about the burial? It was private, but the security was insane.”

Finally, the line of cars pulled up. Six SUVs and a single, sleek limo came to a smooth stop in front of the glass doors. Total silence fell over the crowd. A guard in a sharp suit stepped up and opened the back door.

Ronan stepped out slowly, fixing the cuffs of his tailored jacket. Sienna stepped out beside him, tablet in hand. Shocked gasps spread through the crowd as they realized how young the new Chairman was.

“Wow, he looks like a movie star,” a secretary whispered.

Ronan walked with a slow, powerful stride, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. He felt the weight of their stares, full of awe and fear. Preston stood near the front of the crowd, squinting hard as Ronan came closer.

“He looks familiar,” Preston mumbled to himself, racking his brain. It was hard for him to connect the “broke loser” he’d fired with the powerful figure now standing before him. Ronan looked completely different, healthier, sharper, and giving off an aura of pure wealth.

He shrugged it off, his frustration over the delayed meeting winning out over his gut feeling. He had no clue that the “parasite” he’d mocked now held his whole career in the palm of his hand.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​