Chapter 90: The Betrayal That Changed Everything

The air inside Kian's office was thick with tension, the kind that came before something broke, before something irreversible shattered. He sat behind his desk, one hand tapping idly against the wood while the other curled around a glass of whiskey he hadn't touched. The city outside stretched beneath him, its skyline dark against the creeping dawn, and yet—for the first time in years—Kian wasn't thinking about his empire. He was thinking about the war brewing inside it.

Adrian stood across from him, arms crossed, his gaze sharp, unreadable. Kian had seen that look before—the one that said he knew something was wrong, that he was waiting for Kian to explain. But Kian didn't have explanations. Not this time.