Charles POV

Checkmate

“It isn’t power that corrupts men, it's losing the illusion that they still have it.”

The night air presses heavy against the windows, thick with the scent of rain and old secrets.

I sit at my desk, the same oak beast that’s held half a century of deals, betrayals, and blood.

Across the room, Christian plays quietly with a set of carved wooden chess pieces.

My pieces.

He’s bright, sharper than his father at that age. A perfect mind to mold. A perfect ...