CHARLES POV
The gentle tinkle of glass meeting marble resonated as I served myself a drink in the study of the Grayson estate. Whiskey straight, intense, searing like the truths I hid far below this refined facade. The world thought Ethan Grayson represented the empire, yet they overlooked that I was the tempest hidden below the tranquility. And at this moment, the elements were shifting once more.
I gazed at the amber fluid, listening to her voice echo in my mind.
Leena.
Zack was an i***t. I observed from the periphery, muted by obligation, bound by allegiance. However, when I witnessed her fall at that hotel and noticed the emptiness in her gaze, I understood something. My quietude was no longer admirable. It was a lack of courage.
A rap on the door jolted me from my reflections
