My lungs burned with eachbored breath as Iy sprawled on the floor, tasting blood and defeat. The jade pendant against my chest pulsed with diminishing heat—a dying ember where moments ago it had zed. Through swollen eyes, I could still make out Harrison Ashworth''s imposing silhouette standing over me.


    "Say it again," Harrison demanded, his voice cutting through the silence. "What would your life be without my daughter?"


    I coughed, spitting blood onto my already ruined floor. "Meaningless," I rasped, each syble sending sharp pains through my cracked ribs. "A life without Isabelle is no life at all."


    Harrison''s expression remained impassive, but something flickered in his eyes—calction, perhaps, or the faintest hint of respect. Before he could respond, Caspian Kane stepped forward, his nose still bloodied from my lucky punch.


    "This farce has gone on long enough," Caspian snarled, wiping blood from his face. He looked to Harrison for permission, received a subtle nod, and then delivered a brutal kick to my side.


    My body skidded across the floor, crashing into the wall. Fresh waves of agony radiated through me, and for a moment, darkness threatened to pull me under. But I refused to surrender. Not yet. Not with Harrison still watching.


    With trembling arms, I pushed against the floor. Each movement was torture, my muscles screaming in protest. Blood dripped from my split lip, forming a small puddle beneath me. I got to my knees first, then, with excruciating effort, I rose to my feet.


    "Impressive," Harrison murmured, almost to himself.


    Caspian''s face twisted with frustration. "Stay down," he hissed. "You''re only embarrassing yourself."


    I ignored him, focusing every ounce of my remaining strength on staying upright. My legs shook violently, threatening to copse at any moment, but I locked my knees and forced myself to stand straight.


    "I''ll be worthy of her," I promised, my voice stronger than I felt. "Give me the chance to prove it."


    Harrison studied me with clinical detachment, as if I were some curious specimen. Then something unexpected happened—his expression softened, almost imperceptibly, as if he were seeing a ghost from the past.


    "Your determination is... familiar," he said quietly. He turned to Marcus and Caspian. "Wait outside."


    Both men hesitated, exchanging uncertain nces.


    "Now," Harrisonmanded, his tone brooking no argument.


    When they''d gone, Harrison approached me, stopping just beyond arm''s reach. "You remind me of someone I once knew. Someone who refused to ept the limitations others ced upon him."


    I swayed slightly but remained standing. "Your daughter deserves someone who would move heaven and earth for her."


    "And you believe that''s you?" he asked, one eyebrow raised skeptically.


    "I know it is."


    Harrison''s mouth twitched—not quite a smile, but something close to it. "You understand nothing of our world, Mr. Knight. Veridia City would eat you alive."


    "Then I''ll learn," I insisted. "I''ll adapt."


    Harrison was silent for a long moment, considering. Finally, he released a slow breath. "One year."


    I blinked, uncertain I''d heard correctly. "Sir?"


    "One year," he repeated firmly. "Be strong enough to stand among the elite of Veridia City. Prove your worth not just through pretty words but through power thatmands respect. If you fail..." His eyes hardened. "You will disappear from my daughter''s life forever."


    Hope and dread warred within me. A year. It seemed simultaneously generous and impossibly short. "And if I seed?"


    "Then we''ll have a different conversation." Harrison turned toward the door. "One year, Mr. Knight. Starting now."


    Relief flooded through me, undermining what little strength remained in my legs. I copsed to my knees, no longer able to maintain the facade of strength.


    "Thank you," I whispered, the words barely audible.


    Harrison paused at the door, looking back over his shoulder. "Don''t thank me yet. I''ve merely given you enough rope to hang yourself." With that parting shot, he left.


    The moment the door closed, I surrendered to unconsciousness, ckness swallowing me whole.


    ---


    Harrison Ashworth entered the luxurious hotel suite, loosening his tie with a practiced movement. His thoughts remained on the stubborn young man he''d left bleeding on an apartment floor across town. The boy should have stayed down—any sensible person would have. Yet he''d risen, again and again, fueled by something Harrison hadn''t seen in years.


    "Father!"


    Isabelle rushed toward him, her face pale with worry. "What happened? Where''s Liam? Is he—"


    Harrison raised a hand, silencing her. "He''s alive."


    "What did you do?" Isabelle demanded, her eyes shing with usation. "If you hurt him—"


    "Control yourself," Harrison cut her off sharply. "I merely tested him, as is my right. The boy who seeks my daughter''s hand should be worthy of the Ashworth name."


    Isabelle''s hands clenched into fists. "And what did you decide? Is he ''worthy'' enough for you?"


    Harrison moved to the bar and poured himself a measure of whiskey. "Not yet," he admitted, swirling the amber liquid. "But I''ve given him a chance to be so."


    Suspicion bloomed on Isabelle''s face. "What does that mean?"


    "One year," Harrison exined, taking a sip of his drink. "I''ve granted him one year to prove himself capable of surviving in our world."


    Relief visibly washed over Isabelle. "You''re actually giving him a chance?"


    "I''m giving him exactly what he asked for—nothing more."


    Isabelle studied her father''s face. "Why? What changed your mind?"


    Harrison considered the question, remembering the fire in Liam''s eyes as he''d stood, battered but unbowed. "The boy has spirit. Whether that''s enough... we shall see."


    "It will be," Isabelle dered with absolute certainty. "You don''t know him like I do."


    Harrison merely nodded, unwilling to argue. "You should rest. We return to Veridia City tomorrow." <strong ss="in-imprint-a">Reader support at * made this trantion possible.</strong>


    After Isabelle reluctantly retired to her room, Caspian entered from the adjoining suite. His nose had stopped bleeding but was beginning to bruise.


    "Well?" Caspian asked, pouring himself a drink. "What''s your real assessment?"


    Harrison stared out the window at the city lights. "He''ll fail."


    "You sound certain."


    "Veridia City destroys men far stronger than Liam Knight," Harrison replied. "The politics alone would overwhelm him, even if he somehow manages to gain enough physical power to be taken seriously."


    Caspian nodded slowly. "And yet you gave him a year."


    "It cates my daughter for now," Harrison said dismissively. "By the time the year is up, she''ll have forgotten this... infatuation."


    "And if she hasn''t?"


    Harrison didn''t answer immediately. His mind drifted to the pendant he''d glimpsed around Liam''s neck—jade, ancient, and unmistakably familiar. The same pendant worn by a man who had once made the heads of all major families bow in respect and fear.


    "Mr. Ashworth?" Caspian prompted.


    Harrison turned from the window, his expression guarded. "If he is truly that person''s son..." he mused quietly, almost to himself, "then perhaps we should be preparing for a different oue entirely."


    Caspian''s brow furrowed. "Whose son?"


    But Harrison merely shook his head, unwilling to speak the name aloud—a name that still held power, even years after its owner had vanished. A name that had once made titans tremble.


    If Liam Knight truly carried that blood, then giving him a year wasn''t a sentence.


    It was a countdown to something none of them could predict.