NICHOLAS’S POV
Victor had left me with more questions than answers.
The old man had revealed just enough to keep me on edge—but not enough for me to fully grasp the truth he dangled in front of me.
I sat in my office, fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk. The Blood Debt. Gareth’s death. The past my father had buried.
Everything was converging.
Dim light from the desk lamp flickered, casting long shadows over the aged parchment before me.
The ledger.
Or, at least, what I had found so far.
Victor had been cryptic—his words laced with hidden meanings, his intentions unreadable. He wanted me to find this, but why? Was it a test, a manipulation, or something more?
I exhaled sharply, running my fingers over the brittle edges of the pages. The ink had faded, but th
