Chapter 23 His Secret

• FLASHBACK
• The Blackwood estate gleamed in the pale light of dusk, a fortress of wealth and power. For Zander, it had always felt more like a battleground. As he sat in his studio, fingers idly tracing the edge of a wine glass, memories began to stir, vivid and unrelenting, pulling him into a time when the rivalry between him and Daniel burned at its fiercest.
• Ten years ago, the summer air carried a suffocating weight as Zander returned home from Europe. His music tour had been a resounding success, with critics praising his compositions as visionary. Yet, stepping back into the Blackwood estate, the accolades felt hollow. Here, success wasn’t celebrated—it was scrutinized.