432 Once Maelstrom left, the doors closed behind him with a heavy thud. The silence that followed was thick, the enormity of what had just happened sinking in. Darwin was the first to speak, breaking the spell. "We’re alive," he said softly, his voice filled with both disbelief and gratitude. "We
433 "I’m not staying here another minute," a man muttered, grabbing his coat in frustration. "I don’t care if she has Maelstrom’s favor. That woman’s reckless, and I won’t let her drag me into her mess again." "Reckless?" Darwin finally spoke up, stepping forward, his voice sharp as he met the man’s gaze. "You’re calling her reckless?" "Reckless is an understatement," the man spat back. "She’s a walking disaster, and I won’t wait around for the next catastrophe!" "Enough," Darwin said, his tone lowering but still firm as he glanced around the room. "This isn’t helping. We’re alive because of what she did." "Alive?" a woman scoffed from the corner, crossing her arms defiantly. "Are we supposed to thank her for putting us in danger in the first place?" "Yes," Darwin shot back, his voice hardening. "Because if she hadn’t acted, we’d all be dead. Like it or not, Maelstrom saved us, and that’s because of Lady Margaret." "Spare us the heroics," the older man snarled, stepping forward
434 As the door slammed shut behind the last of the crowd, the silence was almost deafening. Darwin exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair, feeling the weight of the night pressing down on him. "They'll never understand," he muttered. "You do everything to protect them, and they turn on
“Promise me that if things go south, we don’t just sit back and wait to be slaughtered. We fight back,” Darwin said, his voice steady but laced with underlying fear. Margaret gave him a small, bitter smile, tugging at the corner of her lips. “I promise,” she replied softly, though Darwin wasn’t sur
436 Darwin glanced at the caller ID, tension loosening slightly when he saw her name. Dencia. He answered quickly, his voice low but tinged with a concern he couldn’t fully hide. “Hey, is everything alright?” he asked, his tone sharper than intended, worry lacing every syllable. “Relax, Darwin. I
437 “Darwin, is it true?” she asked after a pause, her voice barely above a whisper. “Is Harrison really behind it?” Darwin’s jaw tightened, the weight of the truth pressing down on him like a vice. “Dencia, listen to me,” he said, forcing his voice to remain steady. “Don’t believe everything you
438 But there was no way he could back down now. Silverwood Corporation had been their new concurrent now. He had to stop them. "I can handle it," he said, his voice low but resolute. "I’ll be careful. I always am." "No," she replied, stepping closer, her voice softening with a rare touch of empat
439 Already dressed for the day, Darwin stepped out of the house. The air was filled with the steady clamor of construction as workers continued their repairs. Lady Wettin and James were nowhere to be seen, giving him an unobstructed path to the driveway where his sleek Audi awaited. Sliding into t