Chapter 17 First Night In That House

• Arkan took a deep breath before finally answering Aleksander's question, his eyes looking straight at the man who was now his new ally. "His name is Rendra Wilson," he said quietly. "Rania's own uncle."
• Rania felt her entire body freeze hearing that name, the world around her seeming to stop turning for a moment. "Uncle Rendra? That's impossible. He—he disappeared after my father's company went bankrupt. Everyone thought he ran away out of shame over his own failure."
• "He didn't run away out of shame," Arkan answered, his voice full of a painful certainty. "He went into hiding because he'd already finished his task. But, Rania, listen to me carefully—your uncle is also just a pawn, same as me. He reports to someone far more powerful, someone I myself have never even seen the face of or known the name of. Your uncle sometimes acts as the real mastermind's trusted man, but he's not the brain behind all of this."