The property dispute wasn’t about the house. Not really.

It was about power. Control. A reminder that she didn’t have a place in this town. Not anymore.

By the time they arrived at the courthouse, Kael didn’t need to ask how she knew. He could see it in the set of her jaw, the way she clenched her fists, ready for a fight but bracing for a betrayal.

The man standing in front of her was Paul Winters, the local attorney—and worse, her father’s old business partner.

He was older now, but his sharp suit and cold eyes still carried that same calculating air. The kind of man who never lost, no matter how much it cost.

“Liana,” he said, voice smooth like a snake, “you’ve grown.”

“Not in the way you wanted,” she replied, her voice steady but dripping with years of bitterness.

Kael stepped beside her, not speaking, just standing in that protective distance.

Paul’s eyes flickered to him, then back to Liana.

“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with. This isn’t about the house,” he said, leaning in just slightly. “This is about your family’s debts. Those don’t just disappear.”

Her heart clenched. She hadn’t heard the word debt in years. She’d spent her entire life avoiding it. But here it was. And he knew exactly how to push.

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked, voice a little quieter. “To collect what’s left of my mother’s failure?”

He smirked. “Your mother was a smart woman. She just had bad taste in who she trusted.”

Liana’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not getting it.”

“I already have,” he said coldly. “You’ve got no choice but to play the game. You’re already losing.”