Days had passed, and the tension in the mansion had thickened like a storm cloud refusing to break. The silence between Ryan and Jane was a heavy weight pressing down on both of them. She had stopped talking to him, shutting him out even when he tried to bridge the silence. Frustration brewed inside her, all because he had ignored her suggestion—a solution she had believed would spare them both from the endless whispers and judgemental glances, because the humiliation had grown so unbearable that that now kept her from stepping outside.But eventually, she reached her breaking point. On Lauren’s advice, she decided it was time to talk things out with him, to finally get him to see things her way.When he opened the door in response to her knock, he was surprised to see her standing there.“Well, well,” he teased, leaning casually against the doorframe. "Who do we have here?” He raised his brows with a playful smirk."Or did you knock on the wrong door?"She shot him a hard look. “E

Ryan stood near a broken window inside an uncompleted building near the bar, his arms folded and his face obscured by a smirk.In front of him, the man he had noticed in the bar was tied to a rusted pole jutting out of the wall, his wrists bound tightly with ropes. A welt had formed above his temple from the blow that had landed him here.Slowly, he stirred, his head lifting weakly. He squinted at the space, panic settling into his expression as the unfamiliar environment took hold of him. "Where... am I?” He croaked, tugging at the ropes binding him to the pole, like a trapped animal testing its cage. Ryan stepped forward, the sound of his shoe echoing against the concrete. He crouched a few feet away from the man, his expression unreadable. "Easy man,” he said, his voice low and laced with mockery. "Save your strength. You are going to need it for what is coming.” The man’s jaw tightened as he glared up at Ryan, the fire in his eyes momentarily outweighing his fear. "What the

In the stillness of the night, in a secluded and resolute area, Ryan climbed into Emma’s car, glancing over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him.He had arranged this secret meeting with her earlier. Leaning back in the seat, he asked, “Are you sure you were not followed?”She let out a laugh. “Seriously? That’s the first thing you’re going to say?”He shrugged. “Whatever you are expecting from me doesn’t matter, Em.”"Are you sure you were not followed?" He asked her again.“It’s obvious you’ve landed yourself in trouble again. So, what is it since you are clearly not here to waste time?" She pressed after assuring him she had not been followed. He gave her a quick glance before looking straight ahead. “Yes, you’re not wrong. Things have gotten messy, and I need to fix it. You are the only one who can help me."She stared at him, clearly surprised. “You are not the type to ask for help. You always handle things on your own. So, what do you need me for?” He let out a la

Ryan crouched behind a fallen log in the woodland behind the secret mansion, his rifle steady against his shoulder as his eyes locked on a lone deer grazing in the distance. He inhaled slowly, held his breath, and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed sharply, startling a flock of birds into flight. The deer jerked, staggered, then collapsed into the brush. He smiled, satisfied by the perfect shot."Wow! Are you sure you haven’t done this since the last time with your father?” his uncle asked him, stepping out from behind a tree as his boots crunched over the forest floor, his tone filled with awe. He wore a sturdy brown jacket and cargo pants, and a wide-brimmed hat shielded his weathered face from the sun.A smirk tugged at the corner of Ryan's mouth as he slung the rifle over his shoulder. “And how do you think I had been practicing knowing what my life has been like?"The two began walking toward the fallen deer, their boots crunching over leaves and twigs. “There is no way a c

As Ryan and Jane stepped into the living room, they found Noah sitting on the couch while scrolling through his phone. “Didn’t expect to see you two here,” Ryan chuckled.Noah's eyes flicked briefly to Ryan, then back to Jane. “Grandma called a family meeting, didn’t she?"Jane paused, her brows furrowing in confusion. She glanced at Ryan before turning back to Noah. “You are here for the meeting too?”Noah shrugged. “Yeah, what about it?” He leaned back.Her confusion deepened when he revealed that Ethan and Liam were also around for the meeting."But why would she call them too? This meeting is supposed to be about Ryan?” She wondered.Ryan could not help but smirk as he pictured the looks of shock on all their faces when the truth about the meeting would come out."Where's Grandma? I want to let her know we are here." She asked Noah, trying to keep things from spiralling further.“She’s with the doctor in the private room. Dad is still getting treatment,” Noah replied.“Why aren