Silas looked out at the churning black water. "The Bastards were built on lies, Sloane. Maybe it's time we let the tide take them."

But as they spent late nights in the Vane library, the lines blurred. Every "vicious lie" they told the world to protect their families became a fragile truth between them. Sloane realized the Bastards weren't just villains; they were prisoners of the very legacy they used to terrorize others.

Silas didn't flinch. Instead, he stepped into her space, the scent of expensive cologne and rain-damp pavement surrounding her. "In Boulder Cove, the truth is just a story someone hasn't paid enough to kill yet. My father bought your dad years ago. The question is... what are you going to do to buy him back?"