The evening was cool and calm.
A gentle downpour had washed the streets clean, and a mild breeze carried the scent of wet earth — perfect for rest, for reflection. But tranquility had no place at Trafford Manor.
Inside, chaos reigned.
Five massive, merciless men surrounded a bloodied figure — a man in his mid-twenties — pummeling him with ruthless precision. Every blow landed with a sickening thud, echoing off the cold stone walls like the toll of a funeral bell.
"Enough."
The command cut through the violence like a blade.
A woman's voice — sharp, poised, and chillingly composed.
Melissa Trafford.
The newly anointed heiress of the powerful Trafford empire stood at the edge of the scene, untouched by the brutality, cloaked in elegance and authority. There was no remorse in her eyes, only calculation.
"Are you going to sign the divorce papers or not?" she asked, her tone void of emotion.
For Damian Kane, the words struck harder than the fists.
This — this — was the woman he had devoted his life to. Orphaned young, Damian had found purpose and belonging in Melissa. He had pledged loyalty not just as her bodyguard and personal assistant, but as the man who had stood by her through every challenge, every corporate war, every threat to her life. He had helped carve her path to power.
And now, she cast him aside like a broken tool.
The weight of her question didn't just sink in — it crushed him. A storm surged in his mind, louder than the thunder outside. The woman he loved… saw him as nothing.
"But why