"Hello, Prince Ivan," Ruslan said with a grin. "It's been a long time. Years, I believe. But here we are again. How nice."
Ivan didn't move. His jaw clenched tightly. His hands stayed near his sword.
"My apologies—you are now the Grand Duke," Ruslan added with a mocking bow, his grin not fading. "Quite the promotion. I didn't expect the boy I once knew to grow into a man with titles."
His voice was smooth, too smooth. It slithered through the cold air like poison. And still, Ivan said nothing. He had come here to investigate the man behind Lydia's pain, the one who had destroyed her life. He had never imagined it would be someone he once trusted. Someone he once thought of as family. Someone who had once been kind to him.
Now, standing face to face, it felt like the ground beneath him was shifting. The cold wind bit at his skin, but it was nothing compared to the storm rising in his chest.
