Chapter 13: The Names We Choose
The morning after the rooftop, Eden woke in Cassian's bed.
Not as a secret.
Not as a symbol.
But as a woman choosing to stay.
The penthouse was quiet. Cassian stood by the window, shirt unbuttoned, tie in hand, staring at the London skyline.
She sat up, voice still husky. "You always get up this early?"
He turned, eyes softer than she remembered. "Only when everything matters."
She crossed the room barefoot, heart pounding.
"Does it?"
He didn't hesitate. "You do."
For the next few days, time blurred.
Cassian postponed meetings. Eden ignored the buzzing phone she hadn't touched in weeks. The world could wait.
They cooked together—burnt eggs, oversalted pasta.
He taught her chess.
She taught him how to lose with grace.
At night, they lay in silence.
No plans. No pressure.
Just breathing the same air.
But the question still built between them—inevitable as thunder.
What now?
It arrived on a Tuesday.
In heels.
Verena.
She strode into the penthouse like a warning shot. "Cassian, you've gone dark. Malik's circling. And she"—a sharp glance at Eden—"has been seen."
Eden folded her arms. "By who?"
Verena smirked. "Everyone who matters."
Cassian stepped forward. "Enough. What do you want?"
Verena's voice lowered. "To remind you—empires don't pause just because you found your conscience."
His answer was quiet steel.
"Then maybe it's time we burn the empire down."
That night, Eden found him in the study.
He was staring at an old photo: two boys in uniform. One blond. One dark-haired. Smiling like the world hadn't touched them yet.
"That's Malik?"
Cassian nodded. "My brother. In everything but blood."
She waited.
"When my mother died, his family took me in. My father… he was busy chasing legacies. Malik and I were inseparable. Until we weren't."
"What happened?"
Cassian's jaw tightened. "We planned to run Wolfe Global together. Then my father handed me the solo crown. And I took it."
"You betrayed him," she said.
He nodded once. "I've betrayed a lot of people. But never you."
The next morning, Eden opened her email.
Over 300 messages.
One caught her eye:
From: Noah
Subject: The truth you're still owed.
She hesitated. Then opened it.
You don't know the whole story. Verena. Malik. Cassian.
They all played you.
I can prove it. One hour. One meeting.
After that, I'll disappear.
Attached: a Berlin gallery address.
She closed the laptop slowly.
Cassian entered the room.
She looked up.
"I need to go."
"Where?"
"Berlin."
He studied her. "Noah."
She didn't flinch. "Yes."
He exhaled. "I won't stop you."
"I'm not asking."
"I know. But… I want you to come back."
She touched his face. "Then give me a reason."
He kissed her forehead. "I trust you."
Berlin was colder than she expected.
Noah waited inside a quiet gallery, framed by pale light and dust. He looked older. Tired. But not broken.
"Eden," he said. "Thank you for coming."
"Get to the point."
He nodded. "Cassian's father paid me to get close to you. Long before you ever met Cassian."
She froze.
"They wanted someone with access. Someone who could… position you."
"You were a setup."
"At first."
Her fists clenched.
"But I fell for you. And Cassian—he didn't know the full arrangement. I swear."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I can prove it."
He handed her a USB.
"Emails. Contracts. Surveillance logs."
She stared at it.
"And what do you want?"
"Nothing. Just for you to know—
The game was never fair.
But you were never just a pawn."
She left without a word.
Back in London, Cassian stood on the rooftop.
Eden stepped beside him.
She placed the USB on the ledge.
"Your father started this. Years ago."
He didn't flinch. "I suspected."
"Did you know I was being watched?"
He shook his head. "I only knew I couldn't lose you. Even if I didn't deserve you."
She stared out at the city. "So what now?"
He turned to her.
"We tell the truth. Name what's broken.
And choose what stays."
"And Malik?"
"We expose him. With everything we've got."
Two days later, they walked into Wolfe Global—hand in hand.
Boardroom. Cameras. Gasps.
Cassian stepped forward.
"This is Eden Blake. Not a liability. Not a scandal.
But the reason this company still stands."
He slid a folder across the table.
Inside: contracts. Wire transfers. Verena's betrayal. Malik's network.
Then another folder—Eden's.
Her journals. Her story.
"You used her to destroy me," Cassian said.
"Now she's the reason we survive."
Silence fell.
From the back of the room, Malik stood.
Watched.
Then turned and left.
That night, Eden stood alone on the rooftop.
She lit a match and watched an old photo of her and Noah curl into ash.
Cassian joined her.
Arms around her waist.
"No more shadows," she whispered.
"Only fire," he said.
She leaned back against him, her heart steady at last.
They didn't speak.
There was nothing left to explain.
Only the names they chose to leave behind—
And the ones they'd write next.