2026-09-24 16:46:38Ronan made it back to Halloway City three days later. It had easily been the finest trip of his life, even if it was the only one he’d ever taken. Sienna turned out to be something special. Between sharing his bed and the quiet moments in the penthouse, she’d shown him more about the Kastellan family than any book ever could.
“You need to learn to shoot, Ronan,” she said as they rode in a matte black Bugatti toward the mansion. “Someday,” he replied, brushing it off. He had no desire to hold cold metal in his hands again anytime soon. “You’re going to need it. Range practice. Tomorrow,” she pushed back. He glanced at her, but her face stayed blank. “Fine,” he gave in. “But that doesn’t mean I’m walking around armed.” She just smirked. “You’ll adjust.” “I won’t. Right now, I need fresh clothes. I’ll find the nearest boutique and...” “Come on, you don’t have to go ‘find’ anything,” she cut in, looking horrified. “Just tell me what you want, and I’ll have designers drop off a full seasonal set by tonight.” “I’m my own man, Sienna. I handle my own shopping, alright?” The old habits from his past life kept tugging at him. “Fine,” she sighed, clearly noticing he hadn’t fully adjusted to Kastellan life yet. “But at least buy from somewhere the company owns. It’s safer that way.” He nodded. “Sure, as long as I’m not surrounded by a crowd of guards.” Sienna cleared her throat and turned to the window. “Wait. Am I?” he asked, puzzled. “You didn’t notice the three cars tailing us this whole ride?” Following her lead, he pulled up to a huge, glass-fronted boutique. He bypassed the main entrance, heading instead for the private garage out back. As he reached for the handle, Sienna caught his arm. “One thing first, Mr. Kastellan.” “We’ve spent the last three nights together and you’re still calling me Mr. Kastellan?” he asked. She shrugged. “Old habit, I suppose. Here.” She handed him a sleek black card trimmed in gold. His name, RONAN KASTELLAN, was printed in clean, neat lettering. “What’s this?” “Your unlimited card, Ronan. Right now you’re holding the buying power of a small nation in your hand.” “No way…” he breathed. The card felt weighty, like it carried the entire world inside it. “This is who you are now,” she said plainly. They stepped into the boutique, and he froze. Near the far end, close to the bridal and formalwear section, two familiar faces stood surrounded by fabric. Preston was checking out a row of dark gray suits while Vivienne stood beside him, talking to a worker holding a white lace wedding dress. His blood turned to ice, then instantly began to boil. Of every place in Halloway City, they had to pick this one. He walked straight up to the front counter, ignoring the greeting from staff. “Those two over there,” he said, tilting his head toward them. “Put their whole bill on my account.” Sienna narrowed her eyes at him, catching the sudden change in his mood. “What’s the matter?” “Just someone from my past,” he said darkly. Preston spun around then, spotting him. A smug, satisfied grin spread across his face. Ronan was dressed casually in a polo shirt and slacks, while Preston looked polished in a fitted vest. “Well, look who showed up!” Preston called out, strolling over. “What brings you to a place like this, Ronan? Can’t you see the price tags run higher than your annual pay? Or…” He squinted. “You work here now? Are you the new valet? Maybe her driver instead?” He pointed at Sienna. Sienna’s eyes flared with anger. She looked ready to lay into him when Ronan gently pulled her back by the arm. He didn’t say a single word to Preston. “Your boss seems awfully quiet today,” Preston teased as Vivienne stepped up beside him. “What’s happening here?” she asked. The instant she saw Ronan, her face twisted. “Are you tracking me down now, Ronan? This is humiliating. It’s unsettling.” “Guess this fool couldn’t stand missing our wedding shopping trip.” Preston sneered. “You mentioned something about my wedding earlier, didn’t you, kid? Want that invite so badly? Just give me your trailer’s address, and I’ll make sure one lands in your hands. I want you to see exactly what you’re missing out on.” Ronan smirked. Without a word, he picked up a pen and slip of paper from the counter and jotted down an address. Preston yanked it away, reading it with a sneer. “This might be our wedding, but it’s about to be your funeral,” he said, a nasty glint in his stare. He grabbed Vivienne’s arm and headed back to pay. “That comes to sixty-four thousand dollars, sir,” the clerk said. Preston’s jaw dropped open. “What? That’s ridiculous!” “No need to worry, sir. Your total’s already been settled in full,” she replied, calm and businesslike. “We’ll get everything wrapped up shortly.” Preston gaped at her. “Settled by who?” “I’m not permitted to share that, sir.” He turned to Vivienne, who shrugged, equally baffled. By the time he looked back, Ronan had vanished. He glanced down at the address scribbled on the slip. Green Hills Manor. His eyes went wide. That was the most exclusive gated neighborhood in the whole city. “This joker’s messing with me,” Preston grumbled. “Fake address, probably too much of a coward to say where he really lives. A wannabe king pretending to matter. Whatever. I’ll send the invite anyway, just to prove I can find him.” “Ronan, why’d you let them speak to you like that?” Sienna asked, annoyed as they headed back to the counter. “You own this entire place!” “I’ve got my own approach, Sienna. I’d rather they stay relaxed right up until I strip it all away.” He passed his card to the clerk. The moment she read the name, Ronan Kastellan, her mouth fell open on the spot. “No way!” The following morning, Ronan sat in his mansion’s dining room, still dressed in pajamas. His butler, Alfred, a man who treated being on time like sacred duty, entered carrying a tray. “A letter came to the gate, sir. It’s addressed to you,” Alfred said, bowing slightly. Ronan ripped it open. Inside sat a thick, cream-toned card decorated with silver flowers. A wedding invitation. He studied it in silence for a moment before a quiet, cold chuckle escaped him. “Thanks, Alfred. You can go.” He looked over the card once more, tracing his thumb across Vivienne and Preston’s names. “Well, well,” he murmured. “Time to crush a wedding.“
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Latest Chapter
THE SECOND HEIR.
Glass rained across the floor like hail.A black rope whipped through the shattered window, and men in tactical gear swung in on it, boots first, weapons raised, shouting. "Police! Drop your weapons! Drop them now!" Red dots swept across the concrete. A flashbang bounced off a steel beam and burst in a wall of white noise.Ronan threw himself sideways, dragging the briefcase with him. He hit the ground, rolled, and came up on one knee. The floor was a blur of shouting, smoke, and drifting glass."Sienna!"She was already moving. During the confusion, she'd twisted against the cord, and now something silver flashed between her fingers, a sliver of glass from the broken window. She sawed at the rope with a grunt of pain and stumbled free just as Preston, panicking, swung his pistol around."Don't move!" he shrieked. "Don't move! I'll shoot her! I'll...""Preston."The voice came from a few feet away. Ronan stood up slowly, empty hands spread, dust in his hair."Put it down," he said."S
THE LONG WAY DOWN.
Glass rained across the floor like hail.A black rope whipped through the shattered window, and men in tactical gear swung in on it, boots first, weapons raised, shouting. "Police! Drop your weapons! Drop them now!" Red dots swept across the concrete. A flashbang bounced off a steel beam and burst in a wall of white noise.Ronan threw himself sideways, dragging the briefcase with him. He hit the ground, rolled, and came up on one knee. The floor was a blur of shouting, smoke, and drifting glass."Sienna!"She was already moving. During the confusion, she'd twisted against the cord, and now something silver flashed between her fingers, a sliver of glass from the broken window. She sawed at the rope with a grunt of pain and stumbled free just as Preston, panicking, swung his pistol around."Don't move!" he shrieked. "Don't move! I'll shoot her! I'll...""Preston."The voice came from a few feet away. Ronan stood up slowly, empty hands spread, dust in his hair."Put it down," he said."S
THE LAST PAGE.
"Read it," Aldric said. "Aloud, if you please. I want Preston to hear it."Ronan knelt on the cold concrete, the briefcase open before him, the muzzle of Preston's pistol trembling three feet from Sienna's temple. Behind Aldric, Crane stood with his arms folded. The city lay silent beyond the glass."It's a transfer of ownership," Ronan said. His voice was quiet. "Sixty-one percent of Kastellan Global Holdings, conveyed in full to Aldric Neville, effective at the moment of signing.""Sixty-one percent," Aldric murmured. "Your grandfather's fortune, given freely. Yes. Do sign."He drew a gold pen from his coat and held it out.Aldric slid the pen back into his coat as if the matter were settled, and began to pace in a slow, satisfied circle."Do you know what the first thing I will do is?" he said. "I will dismantle the Halloway tower. Brick by brick. Your grandfather was so proud of that building. He used to say it would stand for a thousand years." He smiled. "I'll sell the land to a
THE TOWER.
The capital tower rose six hundred feet into the night, a spear of black glass with a crown of white light.Ronan stepped out of the car at five minutes to midnight. The driver, an ordinary man in an ordinary suit, said nothing. Wind whipped the hem of Ronan's coat. Above him, sixty stories of darkened windows stared down like cold, blind eyes.He walked toward the doors.The lobby was empty. No security desk. No cleaners. Just a vast marble floor gleaming like black ice and a single elevator standing open at the far end, its light spilling out like a mouth."Welcome, Mr. Kastellan."The voice came from behind a pillar. A tall man in a gray suit stepped into the light, his face expressionless, his hands empty."Crane," said Ronan."You're on time.""I generally am.""Arms up."Ronan lifted his arms. Crane patted him down with the brisk efficiency of a man who had done it ten thousand times: coat, pockets, waist, ankles. He found the flask and unscrewed it, sniffing."Brandy.""Alfred'
THE MAN WHO CARRIED THE COFFIN.
The great hall of the Kastellan estate had never held so many silent people.Alfred stood by the fireplace, gray-faced, one hand pressed to his stitched ribs. Quill sat at the long oak table with his briefcase open before him and his tea going cold. Vivienne, bandaged and pale, huddled in an armchair with a blanket around her shoulders. The silver dog lay across the doorway like a furry barricade.And in the center of the room, Warrick stood with his hands folded, still in his loud mustard tie, sweating."Sir," he said. "I came as soon as I heard. Whatever you need, the tower's resources are yours. I've already ordered a search of every property Neville owns in the capital, and...""Warrick," Ronan said. "Sit down."The branch manager's smile flickered. "I'd rather stand, sir.""Sit."Warrick sat.Ronan walked slowly around the table, hands behind his back. He had not slept. His eyes felt scoured. But his voice, when he spoke, was almost gentle."For twelve years you've run the Hallow
CHECKMATE.
"Cornflower!"Vivienne's scream ripped through the earpiece, and Ronan was out of the SUV before the word had finished echoing."Go!" Sienna barked into her radio. "All units, breach the east wing! Repeat, east wing! Go, go, go!"Guards poured from the convoy. Ronan sprinted toward the mansion's gates, heart hammering. Behind him, Sienna's boots pounded the gravel. The mansion's lights blazed above them like a wall of fire.In the salon, Crane's fingers closed around Vivienne's throat."Crane," said Aldric mildly. "Gently.""She's wired.""Yes, I gathered." The old man rose, smoothing his lapels. "Take the pin. Break it. And bring her downstairs."Crane wrenched the rhinestone hairpin from her twist and crushed it under his heel. A faint crackle of static, then silence."Too late," Vivienne gasped, clawing at his wrist. "He heard everything. Every word.""Of course he did. That's what I wanted."She stared at him. Even now, half-choked in a stranger's grasp, she couldn't make the piec
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