2025-07-29 21:36:34
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Chapter 185Have you ever felt you made a wrong choice?A wrong move, and everyone had to penalize you for it.Because that was what all of this seemed to me.Joining Edwin had felt like the only way to stay afloat in a world that had already turned its back on me. I didn’t trust him. Hell, I hated him. But I hated the system more. I hated the fact that no one had come to help me when I was drowning, when I was alone, when I was being trampled on and laughed at. The only person who came for me was Leo, and now he is dead. So I took his hand—not out of loyalty, but revenge.I wanted to destroy everything he had built. Everything he stood for. And I figured the best way to do that was from the inside.But somewhere along the line, the lines got blurry.Edwin wasn’t stupid. He knew I wanted to burn his empire to the ground. Yet he kept me close, fed me power, gave me responsibility—only to tie me to his mess.At first, I didn’t mind the fire. I was ready to walk through it if it meant
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Chapter 184The pen slipped from my fingers, clattering against the cold marble floor. A small sound, but it echoed like a gunshot in the suffocating silence that followed. I stood there, numb, the name Sterling bleeding across the page like a wound I couldn’t take back. Edwin’s eyes glinted with twisted satisfaction, but Daniel… Daniel looked almost disappointed.“You see?” Edwin said softly, folding the document with ceremonial grace. “There’s a certain peace in surrender. Now, we can begin your evolution.”Zee stumbled toward me, her good hand gripping my arm. “What did you do?” she whispered, her voice thick with disbelief.“I did what I had to,” I murmured, barely recognizing my own voice.“I told you not to let them win.”“I didn’t,” I said, but the lie was paper-thin and brittle on my tongue. “I’m going to burn this entire thing from the inside out.”Zee’s eyes narrowed. She knew me too well. She didn’t forgive me, not yet—but she understood.Edwin stood, brushing imaginary dus
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Chapter 183Edwin raised a hand, halting Daniel before he could retort.“Enough,” he said quietly, but the authority in his voice silenced the room like a sudden gust of wind through a candlelit hall. “We are not here to fight like children.”Daniel leaned back, arms crossed, still glaring at me with the kind of hatred that went beyond blood ties. I knew he wanted to provoke me, to push me until I broke and gave him the excuse he needed to unleash what was truly on his mind. But I wasn’t here for him.My eyes shifted back to Edwin. “Where is she?”He took a long sip of his wine before answering, almost savoring the silence. “She’s safe for now. But safety is fragile, especially in our world. The wrong move from you… And even I might not be able to guarantee it.”“Then get to the point. What do you want from me?”Edwin chuckled and finally gestured toward the chair across from him. “Sit.”I remained standing.He leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “The world doesn’t need more warrio
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Chapter 182As I lay on the bed, my mind went back to Zee. The thought of having to fight her again was all I could think about. It felt really good when she stood up for me. But now that we are back to being at loggerheads, it doesn't sit right with me. I just have to find a way for her to understand me. First, I have to get Juliet back, and if joining hands with Edwin would bring her back, then I have to do it. I had told my foster mother, but she doesn't seem to be pleased with it. “Do you think you can endure dining with the devil?” That was the only thing she told me. I don't know what to say or tell her. I know what she meant, and I know what it was going to cost me to join hands with Edwin. A part of me wishes there was another way, but clearly there is none. Daniel was going to be my half-brother, and I was not going to forsake my father's name, but I would have to take on a new name. Sterling. I had never thought there was going to come a time when I would have to thin
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Chapter 181 Do you ever feel the pain of having to start all over again? When you think everything is almost done. When you think everything is coming to an end.Boom!You start all over again. I don't know their deal, and I don't even know what they wanted and why they were going to such lengths to side with Edwin. At first, I thought this was a joke. All of it, but I saw they were really against me.As I walked out of the council room, I knew I had declared war on them, and it was only a matter of time before they came for me. Daniel, Edwin, and now the council. I rubbed my face gently as I walked, feeling the weight of the entire world on my shoulders. I wanted to ask why they were doing all of this, but I couldn't. All I could focus on was now trying to save my friends and the people that really mattered. One thing was certain: no matter how hard I tried or how hard I fought, evil would never be extinguished. I walked Zee home, trying to make sure she was safe. I had so many
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Chapter 180“You don't need to follow me, Zee. I can handle it.” I said, looking at her face. “I told you we are in this together. Nobody is separating us again. Wherever you go, I go.” Zee replied, strapping her backpack to her back. The students were now looking at us. Some of them wondered while I was with Zee after she dated Nathan. “She has no shame. How dare she date him again?”“Imagine the look on her face.” As we walked, I noticed there was a slight change in Zee. She looked over her shoulders as if the words haunted her. “You don't need to pay attention to any of them, Zee. If we are going to do this, then you need to stop paying attention to what people say.” I looked up, and I saw Marcus and Ren walking towards us. We met in the middle of the hallway. “Where are you going?” Marcus asked, staring at my face. “The council. They called.” Zee replied before I could say a word. There was brief tension as all of us kept looking at each other. “Have you seen him?” I asked,
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