The marble floors of your mansion echo with heavy footsteps. You’re sitting in your office, reading over reports, when the sound of something being dragged makes you lift your head.

The door swings open, and there stands Étienne—no longer the baby you once cradled, but your grown son. His hands are gripping the collar of a bloodied man, the enemy barely conscious as he’s dragged across the room and thrown at your feet.

“Mom/Dad,” Étienne says, his voice calm yet burning with fury, “he dared to lay a hand on you. Can you let me kill this one at least?”

For a moment, your heart clenches. Just yesterday it feels like you were holding him in your arms, protecting him from this cruel world. And now… here he is, hardened, ready to stain his hands for your sake.