The boardroom was silent.
Not the kind of silence born from respect — this was fear.
Every man seated around the obsidian table felt it, the invisible weight pressing down as the elevator doors opened with a soft ding.
From the shadows, Cassandra Steele walked in.
Tall, graceful, and terrifyingly composed. Her black suit hugged her frame like armor, her heels clicking against the marble floor in a rhythm that felt like a countdown.
The only sound after that… was her voice.
Low. Smooth. Deadly calm.
"Gentlemen," she said, taking the head seat at the table. "You all thought this empire needed Jaden Steele to survive. You were wrong."
A nervous cough came from the far end. "Ms. Steele, we thought you were—"
"Dead?" she finished for him, her crimson lips curving slightly. "That was the point."
She set a folder on the table — the old Steele financial records, marked CLASSIFIED.
Inside, each document revealed the corruption her brothers had tried to keep buried.
"While my brothers were busy destroying each other," Cassandra continued, "I was rebuilding. Quietly. Efficiently. And now—"
She glanced at the security monitor, where Jaden's face appeared on a grainy feed. "He's back on my radar."
The men exchanged looks.
One finally asked, "What do you want us to do with him?"
Cassandra smiled faintly. "Nothing… yet. He'll come to me on his own. He always does
---
Meanwhile…
Lydia sat in the dim light of a rundown motel room, staring at Jaden's reflection in the mirror.
He was cleaning a deep cut on his arm, jaw tense, mind clearly far away.
"Tell me about her," she said finally.
He froze.
"You already know her name," Jaden murmured. "Cassandra Steele. My sister. The board believed she died in a plane crash six years ago. But if Damian's right… then she's been pulling strings from the dark this whole time."
Lydia's heart pounded. "And you think she's after you?"
He looked up, eyes meeting hers in the reflection.
"No, Lydia. She's after us."
That chill — the one that crawled down her spine whenever his past surfaced — returned stronger this time.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked quietly.
Jaden turned fully to face her, his expression unreadable.
"Because every time I let someone close, they end up hurt. You were safer not knowing."
Her voice cracked slightly. "That's not your choice to make."
A long pause filled the room, heavy and unspoken.
Lydia turned away, walking toward the window. Rain pattered softly against the glass.
She whispered, "I trusted you, Jaden… but the more I know, the less I understand who you really are."
Before he could answer, a faint click came from the door.
Someone had just unlocked it — from the outside.
The door creaked open.
A woman stood there in the doorway, wearing the same black suit from the boardroom — eyes sharp, lips curved.
"Hello, little brother," Cassandra said.
Jaden went cold. "Cassandra…"
Lydia's breath caught.
The woman smiled. "You've been busy."
Jaden took a step forward, shielding Lydia behind him. "What do you want?"
Cassandra's eyes glimmered with amusement. "What I've always wanted. My family… back where they belong."
Then her tone hardened , her gaze locking on Lydia.
"But first, we need to talk about her."