Asher’s POV
She offered herself as their chemist,” I said, forcing the words out. “Youngest on record.”
Noah said nothing. He knew what it meant too. If Kaia had truly joined the Orman Group, she was gone. Even if she lived, she could never come back.
My mind reeled.
How had we let it come to this? How had the girl I once carried on my shoulders slipped so far away I didn’t even notice she was leaving?
And worse—why did she feel she had to?
A cold, hollow ache burrowed into my chest.
Noah stood abruptly. “I’m going to Mexico.”
“What?”
“I’m going to talk to Adam Orman. I don’t care what it takes. She’s our sister.”
“I already spoke to him,” I said, my voice low. “It was almost impossible to bring her back now. And I was afraid we would piss Adam off and he would do something to her. So we have to stay calm.”
But Noah wasn’t hearing me. He was already beyond
reason.
“How could you be so calm!!! She is our sister! Even I dies, I will bring her back,” he snapped, voice rising.” Asher. You know what kind of monsters the Ormans are.”
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“Noah, calm the fuck down
“How could I!” he shouted, eyes red with fury. “You told me to keep my distance! Said if we got too close, we’d put her in danger. And look at her now–gone.”
I flinched.
“You let us chose Sylvie,” he said. “Over Kaia. Again and again.”
Jace rushed into the room, stepping between us. “What the hell’s going on?”
“Kaia,” Noah said bitterly. “She left us.”
Jace blinked. “What? She’s not in Cuba? I thought she was working on the new product—”
“She left,” Noah cut him off. “Fled to Mexico. Signed a contract with the Orman Group. She’s one of them now.”
Jace fell silent.
Noah turned back to me, his voice shaking. “All these years, I listened to you. You were our father after Dad died. I followed your lead without question. But look where that’s brought us. Your choices and arrogance had pushed her away. You cost us her.”
His words hit harder than a bullet.
I sank onto the edge of the chair, breath shallow. My knees barely held.
I hadn’t meant for this. I just thought… if we kept Sylvie close, we could keep Kaia safe. The spotlight would be on Sylvie. Not her.
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That way, Kaia could live outside the shadow of our world
unscarred, unexposed.
“Noah,” I said quietly. “I’ll handle it. I’ll reach out to Orman. I’ll go to Mexico myself. But until then, I need you to hold things together. Take care of Jace. And Sylvie. If anything happens to me… you’re the head of this family.”
Noah didn’t reply, but I saw it in his eyes—he barely hold back himself now.
My hope of speaking with Adam Orman again vanished
fast.
After that one call, he disappeared. Every time I tried to reach him, some assistant answered with vague pleasantries and diplomatic bullshit.
I reached out to every connection I had. Old partners. Mutual enemies. Ghosts of allies past.
