Episode 21
The air in Blackwood Manor was no longer still. Something unseen coiled through its ancient halls—a storm waiting to break.
Victor Blackwood was coming.
Lucien stood in the war room, a place few even knew existed. Maps of the city, digital blueprints, red strings connecting names and businesses—all tangled together in the web of the Blackwood Empire.
Aria joined him, her expression set in fierce determination. She had changed from the hesitant girl sold into a cruel marriage to a woman forged in secrets and steel.
"Tell me everything you know about him," she said.
Lucien glanced at her, then at the digital screen where a shadowy figure stood beside their father's portrait.
"Victor was raised in Eastern Europe, by the men our father trusted most—the ones who did his dirty work. I only met him once, when we were fifteen. He was cold. Calculated. I thought he was a bodyguard. Turns out, he was blood."
Aria's lips parted. "He's had years to prepare."
Lucien nodded. "And he's never once lost a game."
---
Shadows in the Garden
That night, the fog in the garden thickened. Aria wandered among the roses, needing air, needing space to think.
A flicker in the hedge caught her attention.
A silhouette.
She turned slowly. "Who's there?"
Silence.
Then a whisper:
"You should have run when you had the chance."
She spun, but the figure was already gone—vanished into the mist.
Lucien arrived seconds later, gun drawn, breath ragged.
"He's here," Aria said, voice steady despite the ice in her veins.
Lucien swore under his breath. "He's playing mind games. He wants to rattle us before he strikes."
Aria shook her head. "He doesn't know me, Lucien. I don't rattle."
---
The Blood Heir's Party
The next day, every major player in the Blackwood network received an invitation.
Black cardstock. Wax seal. Crimson ink.
> The True Heir Returns.
Join us for a private celebration in the city of glass and fire.
"It's a trap," Lucien growled.
"It's a message," Aria countered. "He wants to humiliate you publicly. Strip you of your empire piece by piece."
Lucien slammed his fist into the table. "Then we respond. We show him he's not the only predator."
---
The Gathering
The club was carved into the edge of a skyscraper—glass floors, firelight flickering along the walls, a place designed for the powerful and cruel.
Aria wore midnight silk and a blade strapped to her thigh.
Lucien wore tailored black, every inch the dark prince of the city.
They entered the lion's den together.
Victor stood in the center like he owned it.
He looked like Lucien—but twisted. No warmth. No humanity. Only precision and poison.
"Brother," he said smoothly, lifting a glass.
Lucien didn't respond. Just stared.
Victor's eyes slid to Aria. "So, this is the girl who broke the rules."
Aria met his gaze. "And you're the mistake they tried to hide."
A ripple of gasps moved through the crowd.
Victor chuckled. "She has fangs. Cute."
Lucien stepped forward. "You want a war? You got it. But it won't be in shadows. This time, we burn everything down."
Victor grinned. "Oh, little brother. That's exactly what I was hoping for."
---
The First Move
Back at Blackwood, they prepared.
Allies were called. Accounts secured. Private guards stationed.
But Victor's first move came faster than anyone predicted.
One of Lucien's oldest allies—Martin Devereux—was found dead. Poisoned.
A message carved into his desk:
> Checkmate begins.
Aria stood at the window that night, Lucien beside her.
"He's not going to stop," she whispered.
"Neither will we," Lucien vowed. "But Aria... this will get darker."
She looked at him, eyes fierce.
"Then let's light the match."