The night Aidan spent outside Cross Enterprises was sleepless and cold, but his determination burned brighter than ever. The name “Cross” loomed over the entrance in bold, unmissable letters, a testament to the wealth and power it represented. Aidan’s jaw tightened as he watched people in tailored suits pass through the revolving doors, their badges gleaming under the building’s harsh lights.This wasn’t just any corporate building. It was an empire. His father’s empire.---The next morning, Aidan stood in front of a café near the building, sipping a coffee he didn’t want, his mind churning with questions. He couldn’t shake the image of William—or Victor—standing on that grand staircase in the hotel, his presence commanding, his voice calm but detached.“How does someone just walk away from their own family?” Aidan muttered to himself.The door to the café jingled as an elderly man stepped inside. Aidan’s attention snapped back to the present.“Excuse me,” he said, catching the man b

The moment Aidan stepped through the door of their apartment, Clara was waiting for him. Her arms were crossed, and her face was pale but furious, a storm brewing behind her eyes.“You went to see him again, didn’t you?” Clara’s voice was sharp, her hands trembling.Aidan dropped his keys on the counter, trying to avoid her gaze. “I needed answers.”“You had no right!” Clara snapped, her voice breaking. “I told you to leave it alone. Why can’t you just listen to me?”Aidan spun around, his frustration boiling over. “Because you’re not telling me everything! You’ve been keeping secrets my whole life, and I’m sick of it!”Clara took a step back, her face twisting with pain. “You think I did this to hurt you? Everything I’ve done has been to protect you!”“Protect me from what?” Aidan shot back. “The truth? My own father?”Clara’s hands clenched into fists. “He is not the man you think he is. His family—those people—are dangerous, Aidan. They don’t care about you. They never did.”“Then

Aidan’s breaths came in shallow gasps as he clutched his chest, trying to calm his racing heart. The faint hum of the city outside was his only company, a stark contrast to the vivid chaos that had played out in his mind. Every detail of the confrontation with William Cross felt as tangible as the walls surrounding him, yet now it seemed to dissolve into mist.Sliding his legs off the bed, Aidan rubbed his temples. His head throbbed as if punishing him for daring to believe in something so real yet so illusory. The dim glow of his bedside clock read 3:14 AM. He let out a shaky sigh and stood, his bare feet meeting the cool wooden floor."Just a dream," he murmured, though the words rang hollow.He wandered into the small kitchen, the silence oppressive. Pouring himself a glass of water, Aidan replayed the scenes in his mind—the intensity of William’s eyes, the weight of Clara’s diary in his hand, and the heavy silence that followed William’s words: “If you want to know everything, you

The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a warm, golden light over the small town streets. Aidan sat on the front steps of the house, Clara’s warnings echoing in his mind. He had never seen her so shaken, her fear so palpable. The note, the photograph, the shadowy figure from the night before—all of it felt like pieces of a puzzle he wasn’t sure he wanted to complete.As a child, Aidan had grown used to being unseen and unheard. He had learned to navigate a world that seemed indifferent to his existence. The mocking laughter of his classmates still lingered in his memory, a sharp reminder of his inability to fit into their world of privilege.---At school, Aidan had been the perpetual outsider. His tattered clothes and shy demeanor made him an easy target. His shoes, with their worn-out soles and patched sides, drew cruel comments from his peers.“Hey, Aidan,” a boy named Caleb had sneered one day, pointing at his feet. “Did you get those from the garbage dump, or did they just fal

Aidan stared at the letter in his hands, disbelief written across his face. It had arrived earlier that morning, the heavy weight of it like a tangible presence in his life. He could almost hear the sound of the envelope tearing open as his fingers trembled with a mix of excitement and fear.Full Scholarship to Pacific West University.The words on the letter’s top edge were crisp, black, and formal, almost too surreal for him to process. He had been dreaming of an opportunity like this for as long as he could remember, but now that it was staring him in the face, he wasn’t sure how to feel. This was his chance to escape, to leave behind the small town and the memories of being the kid who never quite fit in, who always came second in a world that valued wealth and appearances over anything else.Yet, the thought of stepping into a place where everything was so foreign, so polished, was both thrilling and terrifying. The students at Pacific West were different. They had more than he c