OWNED BY THE BIKER KING

Chapter 16

Luca narrowed his dark eyes suspiciously, his gaze cutting through the room like a scalpel. The atmosphere inside the grand estate felt... different. Too different.

Drayton looked far too amused, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Elena looked surprisingly comfortable, her posture no longer rigid with fear. And Ryder—the notoriously anti-social, lethal Ryder—was actually sitting right there in the living room having a normal, casual conversation. Luca was seriously beginning to think he had accidentally walked into the wrong mansion.

“…What exactly did I miss while I was sorting out the security re-routing?” Luca demanded again, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Nothing,” Ryder replied immediately, his tone flat.

“That’s a blatant lie,” Luca countered.

“It isn’t.”

“It is.”

Elena blinked, her gaze darting between them as the dangerous Kane brothers immediately started bickering like schoolboys. Drayton, completely in his element, looked absolutely delighted by the show.

“Man, this is better than premium television,” Drayton chuckled, leaning back.

The lighthearted atmosphere slowly faded after Elena politely excused herself and left the living room. The moment the heavy oak door closed behind her, a sharp, professional silence settled over the three men. The playful facade vanished instantly.

Luca sank onto the leather couch, his expression turning stone-cold. “So,” he muttered, glancing directly at Ryder. “Let's talk business.”

Ryder already knew exactly what his brother was referring to. He shifted his weight, his voice dropping into a low rumble. “No new updates.”

Drayton frowned, his playful demeanor completely evaporating. “Actually, I tried looking deep into her background last night. Ran her face through our secure databases.”

That statement caught Luca’s undivided attention. “And? What did you dig up?”

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean, nothing? Everyone has a digital footprint, Drayton.”

“I mean exactly what I said—absolutely nothing,” Drayton clarified, folding his arms tightly. “It’s not just a lack of records, Luca. It’s clean. Too clean. It’s like someone with high-level clearance purposefully erased her entire existence from the grid.”

The room fell dead silent. A digital erasure of that scale didn't happen by accident. It required immense power.

After a few seconds of heavy contemplation, Drayton spoke again, his tone dropping into a hesitant whisper. “…Although, there is something else. Something incredibly strange.”

Ryder slowly lifted his eyes, his obsidian gaze locking onto his brother. “What is it?”

Drayton hesitated briefly, rubbing the back of his neck as if trying to find the right words. “Don’t you guys think... she looks incredibly familiar?”

Luca frowned, his corporate mind analyzing the statement. “What are you trying to say?”

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Drayton muttered, his voice trailing off into the quiet room. “But every single time I look at her face, at the way she carries herself... it feels like I’ve seen her somewhere before. Years ago.”

Silence stretched. Cold, suffocating silence.

Then—Luca slowly turned his head toward Ryder. Ryder was already staring back at him, his jaw clenched tight. In that tense, unspoken moment, both of them reached the exact same conclusion.

“Nana.”

The name left their mouths at the exact same time, carrying a heavy weight that shook the room.

And suddenly, the atmosphere inside the mansion no longer felt light. The ghosts of their past had just walked into the room.

“I thought it was just me who felt that way,” Ryder admitted quietly, staring down at his bandaged knuckles.

A long, agonizing silence followed. Drayton was the first to break it, shaking his head in denial.

“…No. No way.”

Luca frowned deeply. “No?”

“It can’t be her,” Drayton insisted, pacing the floor. “Nana disappeared into thin air years ago. It’s been ages since we last saw her. And besides, wasn't she supposed to be under heavy protection overseas? Why on earth would she be running away and hiding at a shady bus terminal here?”

“But think about it,” Luca pointed out quietly, his voice steady but sharp. “Elena appeared out of absolutely nowhere with zero background records, and her facial features resemble Nana’s to a terrifying degree. It's too precise to be a mere coincidence.”

The room fell into a heavy silence again. Neither of them liked where this conversation was heading. Especially Ryder. Because if Elena was indeed Nana, then the danger surrounding her was infinitely bigger than Adrian Vale.

Before any of them could voice their growing fears, the distinct sound of tires crunching against the gravel driveway echoed from outside.

All three men frowned simultaneously, their bodies tensing into defensive positions. At this hour? Without security clearance?

Luca stood up first, his hand instinctually reaching for the firearm tucked inside his jacket. Ryder and Drayton followed closely behind him. A few moments later, they reached the grand front entrance.

Through the tinted glass doors, they watched a sleek black luxury sedan come to a smooth stop right in front of the steps. The doors flew open. A sophisticated, elegantly dressed middle-aged woman stepped out first.

The moment her eyes landed on the three men standing at the door, her face lit up with a brilliant, joyful smile.

“Surprise!” she called out, waving her designer handbag.

The three hardened underworld leaders froze completely in their tracks, their eyes wide.

“…Mom?” Their voices rang out in unison, completely stripped of their usual intimidating authority.

A second later, another towering figure stepped out from the driver’s side. A sharp, middle-aged man with silver-streaked hair and a familiar, commanding smile looked up at his sons.

“Good to see we’re still recognizable to our own flesh and blood,” the older man chuckled deeply.

“Dad,” Ryder muttered, completely stunned.

The Kane family dynamic was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

To Be Continued