Chapter 2 The Countdown to Ruin

Kael had not spoken much since arriving. He sat in the sprawling marble-floored parlor of Vivienne Hale's estate, surrounded by grandeur he never imagined himself worthy of. Gilded edges lined the bookshelves, and the scent of old paper and bergamot tea mingled with the flicker of a nearby fire. Yet it was not the luxury that warmed him-it was the presence of Vivienne, the woman who had pulled him from a shallow grave and poured life into his broken shell.

"You have steady hands," she said, observing him as he helped her repot a bonsai tree in her sunroom. "That steadiness... it comes from pain."

Kael didn't respond. His hands moved carefully over the roots.

"I was watching you that day. Bleeding, buried-but breathing. The city had forgotten you. Your enemies made sure of it. But I hadn't." Her voice was calm, but her gaze was steel. "I lost a son once, Kael. You reminded me of him-fierce heart, gentle soul, betrayed by the ones he trusted."

Kael swallowed hard, his fingers curling into the soil. "Why save me?"

Vivienne smiled faintly. "Because the world doesn't need another billionaire. It needs a man who's known the edge of death... and came back wiser."

In the three years that followed, Kael was more than groomed-he was rebuilt. Under Vivienne's guidance, he mastered not just business, but silence. Restraint. Vision. She taught him negotiation in the halls of power and empathy in the slums of the forgotten. He wore tailored suits now, but the rage beneath his ribs was what truly sharpened him.

Yet with all his evolution, one face remained untouched by time in his heart-Selene.

He saw her in dreams and shadows. The last he remembered was her face twisted in grief, calling out his name as he was dragged into the dark. She thought he left her. Abandoned her. Perhaps by now, she hated him.

But the clock was ticking.

Vivienne entered the room that evening with a glass of wine and a rare seriousness in her eyes. "I got the call," she said. "Her wedding is set. Three nights from now."

Kael's throat clenched.

"To Damien Voss," she added, her lips curled in disdain. "The son of that viper I once mentored-until greed ate him alive. They're tying your Selene to him like a pawn to resurrect their fallen name."

Kael stood slowly. "They can't."

Vivienne raised a brow. "Then stop it."

He looked at her, hands in his pockets, jaw taut. "You trained me for this moment."

She nodded. "No. I trained you for the war after it."

---

Back in the city...

Selene sat by her window in a pale blue dress, watching twilight bleed over the skyline. Her room was quiet, too quiet, save for the mutters of her mother downstairs talking about flower arrangements and guest lists. Her brother's voice broke through in harsh tones, barking about seating charts and the press.

None of them had asked if she wanted this wedding.

Her door creaked open. It was her younger sister, Lyra.

"You okay?" Lyra whispered.

"No."

"You still think he's out there? Kael?"

Selene's heart throbbed. "I don't know what I believe anymore."

"They say he ran away. That he couldn't handle the pressure."

Selene stood and turned to her sister. "Kael didn't run. He wouldn't just leave me."

Lyra's eyes softened. "Then maybe you need to run to him."

Selene blinked.

"If you're going to do something," Lyra whispered, "you've only got a few nights left."