Ruby stepped out of the black sedan and looked up at the Boron Estate. It wasn't a house; it was a fortress of limestone and glass perched on a hill that looked down on the rest of the city like a judge. The red silk of her dress swirled around her ankles, feeling less like fabric and more like a second skin she hadn't quite earned. She could feel the weight of the micro-SD card tucked into her bodice, a tiny piece of plastic that felt heavier than a lead weight. As the massive oak doors swung open, the scent of expensive perfume and old money hit her. The foyer was filled with women—the other candidates for the "Perfect Bride" title. They were polished, groomed, and looked like they had never skipped a meal or a tuition payment in their lives. Ruby felt like a wolf in a room full of poodles, her dancer's muscles coiled and ready to strike. She wasn't here to win a husband; she was here to survive an interrogation."Miss Dior. You look... luminous," a voice drawled from the top of the grand staircase. Ruby looked up. It wasn't Baron. It was Zion Boron, the eldest. He descended the stairs with a slow, predatory confidence, his eyes scanning her with the same detached interest he might show a rising stock. He reached the bottom and offered his arm. "My brother Baron is indisposed for the moment. He's... temperamental about these things. I'll be your escort for the evening." Ruby hesitated, her hand trembling as she placed it on Zion's arm. His sleeve was charcoal grey—the exact same color as the suit the man in the video had been wearing. Her heart skipped a beat. Was it possible? Zion was the one who managed the family's legal and medical "initiatives." If Baron had been the heart of that night, Zion was certainly the cold, calculating brain."You're very quiet, Ruby," Zion noted as he led her toward the dining hall. "Most women in your position would be asking about the prize money or the social standing. But you... you look like you're looking for an exit." "I'm just taking it all in, Mr. Boron," Ruby replied, her voice steady. "It's a lot of house for one family." "It's not a house. It's a legacy," Zion said, his grip on her arm tightening just a fraction. "And legacies require protection. Sometimes, that means bringing in new blood. Other times, it means cutting out the rot." The dining hall was a sea of crystal and silver. At the head of the table sat Silas Boron, a man who looked like he had been carved out of granite. To his left was Zara, looking bored as she swirled a glass of champagne, and next to her were Brick and Henry. Baron was notably absent, his chair standing empty like a silent accusation.As the dinner progressed, the air grew thick with tension. Silas Boron raised his glass. "A toast! To the 'Perfect Bride' candidates. And to the newest addition to the Boron archives. The results of the preliminary DNA screening are in," Silas announced, his voice booming. "It seems we have a match. A blood relative who has been hiding in plain sight." Ruby felt the floor drop out from under her. Zion leaned in, his breath cold against her cheek. "Did you really think you could keep a Boron heir in a slum, Ruby? We own the air you breathe. We own the blood in your veins. And now, we own the girl.""Where is she?" Ruby screamed, lunging across the table toward Silas. Brick and Henry jumped up to restrain her. "She's in the nursery upstairs," Silas said calmly. "Where she belongs. But there's a problem, Ruby. The DNA confirms she is a Boron. But it doesn't say which one of my sons is the father." Zion smiled, pulling a remote from his pocket. A screen descended, showing a small boy with dark curls, a mirror image of Mira, dressed in a miniature suit. "Meet Leo," Zion said. "The twin you were told died at birth. I've been raising him in secret. And now that we have the girl, the set is complete."Ruby looked from Mira on the screen to the thought of Leo, her mind reeling from the impossible cruelty. "Why?" she whispered. "Because a 'Perfect Bride' is a temporary asset, but a 'Perfect Heir' is forever," Zion replied. "You can stay here and be the mother they need, or you can leave and never see either of them again. You're trapped, Ruby. No one in this city is powerful enough to step between a Boron and his property."Just as the words left Zion's lips, the massive double doors of the dining hall didn't just open—they were thrown wide with such force that the crystal on the table rattled. The sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps silenced the room. A man stepped into the light, dressed in a suit of midnight blue that made Zion's charcoal look cheap. He carried an aura of absolute, unshakeable authority that seemed to dim the very chandeliers.Zara Boron gasped, her champagne glass slipping from her fingers and shattering on the marble. Her face, usually a mask of boredom, flushed a deep, frantic crimson as she stood up instinctively. "Karan?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of awe and desperation.Karan Doe didn't look at Zara. He didn't look at the patriarch Silas, or the snarling brothers. He walked straight through the center of the room, the crowd of elites parting like a retreating tide. He stopped directly in front of Ruby, ignoring the guards holding her arms. He reached out, his gloved hand gently lifting her chin so her tear-streaked eyes met his—eyes that held a piercing, icy intelligence that made the Boron power look like child's play."Property?" Karan said, his voice a smooth, dangerous velvet that echoed in the sudden vacuum of the room. He turned his head slightly, casting a look of utter disdain toward Silas Boron. "You always did have a habit of overvaluing your hand, Silas. But you've made a grave mistake tonight. You've laid claim to something that doesn't belong to you."He turned back to Ruby, a slow, enigmatic smile touching his lips—a smile that sent a different kind of shiver down her spine. "The lady isn't staying, and neither are the children. Now, the only question left for this family to consider is..."
