truth was not as simple as he had once believed. His father, the man he had grown up idolizing, had been a part of a far darker world-a world of secrets, mani

ow could everything have been a lie? His entire upbringing, the love he had felt from his mother, the values his father had instilled in him-all of it was now tainted by

ldn't

ity of her statement chilled him to the bone. There was no escaping this world, no turning back. Even if he wanted to dist

ith their calm, unchanging glow. How could anyone be so oblivious to the chaos beneat

m. He didn't want to see anyone-not yet, not when his emotions were still raw, when his mind was still

, his voice colder

nd confidante. Her appearance was calm, composed, as always, yet there was an unmistakable tension in the way s

ing you. I thought we should go over the latest reports. There's still a lot o

away the fog that had settled over his thoughts. Work. Company. Reports. All of it seemed so insignificant now, so irrelevant

with frustration. "I need time to think. T

e directness of her question hitting him harder than expected. She had always been sharp, perceptive, and it was

dn't show the weakness he was feeling. But he knew she wasn't going to let it go. Lena had a way of cutting through

s involved in things I didn't know about. Things that are dangerous. I've spent my whole

tood more than he had expected. Lena had always been more than just an assistant-she was one of t

voice filled with quiet understanding. "You're not alone in thi

ly considering how dangerous the situation had become. But the words she had spoken, the soft reassurance i

mething I can share with anyone-not yet. I need to figure out what my next mo

ticed by Arvid. She wasn't going to press him any further, but he could tell she wasn't conv

me one thing, Arvid," she said, her voice serious. "Don't shut everyone out. Don't push the people who

ed back against the window, staring out at the city once more, but this time, his thoughts weren't c

the truth-no matt

erest in him since his birth, the accidents, the whispers-it was all coming together. Arvid knew that this was only the beg