A sharp sting hit the back of Lydia's head.
Her vision blurred as she came to, the faint hum of machinery echoing in the background. The air smelled of metal and disinfectant — cold, clinical.
When her eyes finally adjusted, she realized she was lying on a leather couch in what looked like a private suite. The walls were glass, but outside was darkness — no view, no hint of where she was.
And then, she saw her.
Cassandra Steele.
Standing by the window, dressed in that same black suit, a glass of wine in her hand.
"Good. You're awake," Cassandra said without turning around. Her voice was soft, controlled — the kind of calm that came from power. "I was beginning to think my men used too much chloroform."
Lydia tried to sit up, her wrists aching from the restraints. "Where am I? What do you want?"
Cassandra turned slowly, her gaze assessing. "You're in one of my properties. Let's just say… a safe house." She smiled faintly. "And as for what I want — it's simple. I want to know what my brother told you."
Lydia's pulse quickened. "Nothing that concerns you."
Cassandra tilted her head, walking closer. "That's where you're wrong. Everything about Jaden concerns me. Every lie he's told, every deal he's made… and every woman he's tried to protect."
She knelt beside Lydia, her perfume sharp and expensive.
"You see, Lydia, my brother has a weakness — a habit of letting his heart cloud his logic. And that's where people like you become… collateral damage."
Lydia swallowed, fear mixing with anger. "You think you know him, but you don't. He's changed."
Cassandra chuckled — a low, cold sound. "Changed? Men like Jaden don't change. They just hide better."
There was a flicker of pain in Lydia's eyes, but she didn't look away. "You're wrong about him."
Cassandra's expression hardened. "Am I? Then tell me — why is he still lying to you?"
Lydia frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Cassandra stood, walked over to a table, and picked up a slim black folder. "Do you know why he disappeared for six months last year? Why he moved half his assets to offshore accounts under different aliases?"
Lydia hesitated. "He… said it was business—"
Cassandra slammed the folder shut. "Business? No. It was damage control. He was cleaning up after what our father started — and covering up something much darker."
The words sliced through Lydia like ice.
Cassandra turned to her, eyes sharp and merciless. "You've been sleeping next to a man who's lied to you about everything. Even his name isn't what you think it is."
Before Lydia could respond, the door opened — and one of Cassandra's guards leaned in.
"Ma'am, he's here."
Cassandra smiled slowly. "Perfect timing."
She glanced at Lydia one last time. "You're about to see the man behind those cold eyes. The real Jaden Steele."
The door swung wider.
Heavy footsteps echoed on the marble.
And then — Jaden walked in.
His shirt torn, his eyes burning with fury.
"Let her go, Cassandra."
Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Always so dramatic. You should thank me, Jaden. I'm saving her from you."
Lydia's heart raced as the two siblings locked eyes — steel against steel.
She could feel it — the tension, the buried pain, the history neither had ever spoken of.
Cassandra stepped closer to him. "Tell her the truth, brother. Tell her what you really did to inherit this empire."
Jaden's jaw clenched. "Don't do this."
"Oh, I will," she whispered, her smile sharp. "Because the truth, dear Lydia, is the only weapon left."
The air grew heavy — the calm before a storm that could destroy them all.