Evan Leigh's POV
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I sat behind my desk and looked at the file again.
Kian Silver.
Final-year university student.
Scholarship recipient.
National coding competition winner.
Perfect academic record.
No disciplinary issues.
No wealthy relatives.
No connections.
No shortcuts.
Every achievement had been earned.
The more I read, the more impressed I became.
Which was annoying.
Because I didn't enjoy being impressed.
My assistant entered.
One look at me and he sighed.
I narrowed my eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing, sir."
"That wasn't a nothing sigh."
"It was."
"It wasn't."
He remained silent.
Coward.
I tapped the file.
"He's coming tomorrow."
"Mr. Silver?"
"Obviously."
The assistant hesitated.
Then asked carefully:
"May I ask why you've taken such an interest in him?"
I leaned back.
Good question.
Why had I?
At first, it had simply been curiosity.
Then annoyance.
Then entertainment.
Now?
I wasn't entirely sure.
But one thing was certain.
Kian Silver fascinated me.
And that was rare.
Very rare.
"Prepare the office."
"Sir?"
"I have a feeling tomorrow will be entertaining."
The assistant immediately looked concerned.
Which was reasonable.
Whenever I said something would be entertaining...
It usually wasn't entertaining for anyone except me.
Aiden Frost's POV
The room was dark.
Not completely.
Just enough.
Enough to make shadows seem alive.
Enough to make every corner feel dangerous.
I stood silently in the center of the room.
Waiting.
The massive double doors opened.
A cold draft swept inside.
Then he entered.
Lucien Blackwood.
The Head of All Alphas.
The man whose name alone could make powerful leaders lower their voices.
His footsteps echoed slowly.
Deliberately.
Like a king entering his throne room.
I immediately straightened.
Not because I wanted to.
Because my instincts demanded it.
Lucien sat down.
Elegant.
Calm.
Terrifying.
His silver eyes settled on me.
For several moments, he said nothing.
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Then he smiled.
And somehow that felt worse.
"Aiden."
I lowered my head.
"Sir."
"How are your injuries?"
"Recovered."
"Good."
Lucien leaned back.
His expression unreadable.
The room felt colder.
"Then it's time."
I frowned.
"Time for what?"
The smile on his face widened.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
Dangerously.
"For Diamant Reed and Evan Leigh to suffer."
My eyes widened slightly.
Lucien continued.
"They've spent too long standing at the top."
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
"They've forgotten what fear feels like."
The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
"I intend to remind them."
My pulse quickened.
Lucien stood.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Then he began explaining.
A plan.
A carefully crafted plan.
Every detail precise.
Every move calculated.
Names were mentioned.
Companies.
Alliances.
Weaknesses.
Opportunities.
By the time he finished speaking, silence filled the room once more.
I stared.
Even I felt chills.
Not because the plan was impossible.
Because it was possible.
Entirely possible.
Lucien looked toward the city visible through the distant window.
His eyes gleamed.
Cold.
Patient.
Certain.
"This city belongs to them now."
His voice was quiet.
"But not for much longer."
I slowly nodded.
Understanding everything.
The role I had to play.
The purpose Lucien had chosen for me.
The destruction that was coming.
"I understand."
Lucien smiled.
"Good."
A chill crawled down my spine.
The man before me wasn't targeting a relationship.
Or a company.
Or a single person.
He was targeting empires.
And for the first time since escaping the warehouse...
I felt genuinely afraid.
Lucien turned toward the window.
The city lights glittered in the darkness below.
Beautiful.
Unaware.
Vulnerable.
His voice drifted through the room.
Soft.
Almost pleasant.
"Then let the game begin."