A chill swept through the corridors of Blackthorn Enterprises as Xavier stood before the mirrored
window of his office. Below, New York pulsed with light and life, but inside, he felt the old weight
return the tension that came before a storm.
His instincts were never wrong.
Something was coming.
And it wasn't just the sudden spike in stock market manipulation. It wasn't just the anonymous
threats slipping into his secured email.
It was the past.
Kara sat in her apartment across the city, brushing Zia's curls gently while the little girl read
aloud from her storybook. The peace of the moment shattered with the buzz of her phone.
A blocked number.
She frowned. Answered.
"You should've stayed gone," the voice hissed. "Now he pays the price."
Click.
Kara's heart stopped.
She looked at Zia, who was still giggling at the story, oblivious. But Kara knew the truth: the past
wasn't done with them. And the man she once loved, the father of her child, was walking
straight into the fire.
Back at Blackthorn Tower, Xavier's security chief entered.
"Sir, we have movement in the old Chicago account. The one you shut down years ago."
Xavier turned slowly. Cold. Focused.
"Who accessed it?"
"Lucien Wraith."
Xavier's jaw clenched. The name sent ice down his spine.
Lucien had been his childhood friend until he betrayed Xavier during a hostile takeover and
disappeared.
Now he was back.
"Track him. Every step. Every move."
"Yes, sir."
But Xavier already knew what Lucien wanted. Not money. Not even revenge.
He wanted Kara.
That night, Xavier showed up at her door. Rain on his shoulders. Fire in his eyes.
You're not safe," he said without greeting.
Kara crossed her arms. "I'm never safe when you're around."
"This isn't about us. It's about him. Lucien. He's back. And he knows."
"Knows what?"
"That you left me. That you had my child. That we were married."
Kara stiffened. "I never told anyone."
"Someone else did."
She stepped back. "Zia…"
"We need to protect her. And to do that, you need to come back to the estate. Tonight."
Kara hesitated. Her life had been built on running. But now? It was time to stand and fight.
She packed a bag.
By midnight, Kara and Zia were back in the Valentine Estate, guarded by men with loaded
weapons and eyes like wolves.
But the threat was closer than they knew.
Across town, Lucien lit a match, watching Kara's old photo burn.
"Hello, little Blackthorn," he whispered to the night. "Let's see how long you survive this time."