The sound of the door handle turning seemed louder than it should have been.
In the quiet mansion hallway, the faint metallic click echoed like a warning.
Aiden and Noah stood a few steps back from the entrance, both instinctively tense. The peaceful warmth of the afternoon had vanished completely, replaced by something colder. Something dangerous.
The door slowly opened.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then a tall man stepped inside.
He looked like someone who didn't belong in a house like this—not because he seemed out of place, but because he carried the kind of presence that made every room feel smaller.
His dark coat hung neatly over broad shoulders. His hair was slicked back, and a faint scar ran along his jawline. He wasn't smiling, but there was something about his expression that felt almost amused.
Behind him, another man remained outside near the car.
The first man's eyes scanned the hallway calmly.
They landed on Noah.
And his smile appeared.
