BONDED BY HATE

The compound was quieter than usual. Guards patrolled the perimeter with heightened alertness, and cameras had been upgraded since the infiltration. Inside, however, a fragile peace lingered in the air—like the eye of a hurricane.

Noah lay in bed, a soft blanket wrapped around him as he slept soundly for the first time in days. Heaven sat beside him, brushing her fingers gently through his hair, unable to look away.

Dylan stood silently by the doorway, his presence heavy but comforting.

"He hasn't let go of my hand once," Heaven whispered. "He was so scared."

"I know," Dylan said, his voice low.

Heaven turned to look at him. His shirt was fresh, but the bruises along his jaw and the scratch down his neck were evidence of the storm he had walked through to bring Noah back. For the first time, she didn't see the tyrant. She saw the man—the warrior who bled for someone else.

"Why did you go through all that trouble?" she asked softly. "Why risk so much?"

He met her gaze, and for a second, his mask dropped.

"Because I promised you."

Her heart twisted at his words.

Dylan stepped closer, stopping beside Noah's bed. He gently placed a small pendant in the boy's palm before brushing a hand through his hair.

"You should get some rest too," he murmured to Heaven.

She stood but didn't leave. "What about you?"

"I don't rest."

He turned to leave, but she caught his wrist. "Dylan… thank you."

He paused. "Don't thank me yet."

---

Downstairs – War Room

Jayden stood beside a massive table with digital blueprints projected over its surface. Surveillance photos of Richard's fortress, weapon caches, and allies littered the screen.

Dylan entered, all steel and silence.

"We got the kid out, but Richard's just getting started," Jayden said.

Dylan nodded. "It's time we finish what was started years ago."

Jayden raised a brow. "You want to go to war now?"

"No," Dylan replied. "I want to win. There's a difference."

He walked over to the monitor and pointed to a section labeled "The Vault."

"This is where he's keeping the data on our family—the inheritance files, blackmail archives, everything he's using to manipulate allies in the underworld."

Jayden frowned. "You want to take that too?"

Dylan's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to burn his empire from the inside out. Brick by brick."

---

Later That Night – Heaven's Balcony

Heaven stood beneath the stars, letting the breeze brush against her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself, unsure whether it was the wind or the memory of Dylan's voice that gave her chills.

She didn't know where this strange connection with Dylan was heading, but one thing was clear: he wasn't the same man she first met. And that scared her more than anything.

Behind her, footsteps approached.

Dylan joined her, a single tumbler of whiskey in his hand.

"I didn't take you for a stargazer," she said without looking.

"I'm not," he answered. "But some nights, silence speaks louder than war."

They stood side by side, neither touching, neither looking directly at the other. But something unspoken passed between them—fragile, tense, and full of fire.

And somewhere deep in the shadows of the city, Richard smiled coldly. His next move was coming.

And it wouldn't be quiet.