The three sisters were sitting in the living room together, casting sympathetic glances at one another. That was odd, the plans for all three of them to fall through-but still, at this stage, none of them suspected a thing.They were about to continue their conversation when the door to the living room opened and their father stepped inside, a broad smile plastered on his face.Girls," he said, his voice warm and full of excitement. "I have something special planned for you. There's a masquerade night gala happening next weekend. It's a high society event for the city elite. I want all of you to go."Jayla's eyes lit up. "A masquerade? That sounds amazing!"Jade smiled, nodding in agreement. "We haven't been to one in years.Jasmine, too, was stirred with a spark of excitement. It had been ages since they attended such a glamorous event, and after the past few weeks, it felt like the perfect way to unwind.Their father clapped his hands together. "Good. It's a gathering for the most i
The golden hues of the evening sky melted into deep purple as the triplets—Jayla, Jade, and Jasmine stood in front of the wide mirror in their dressing room. Their house is an estate sprawling across hills, buzzing with the motion of staff who rushed in and out to get ready for what was expected to be the grandest night of the year.The Masquerade Gala was where the city's most powerful gathered, cloaked behind masks of mystery and allure. For weeks, the sisters had been preparing for this night, knowing full well that in the world of the elite, appearances were everything. And tonight, they were determined to make an entrance that would not be forgotten.Inside their lavish dressing room, the soft glow of the chandelier above bathed the room in its warm intimate light, reflecting off the three full-length mirrors where each sister stood, putting the final touches on her look.Jayla's fingers danced lightly over the silken finery of her emerald green gown as she couldn't help but curv
The noise of the gala swirled around them like soft music-but to the triplets, the night had suddenly become sharper, more intense. That moment they'd overheard his voice, everything shifted.Each sister stood: Jayla, Jade, Jasmine, each thinking they had finally found their man-but none of them knew they were all thinking of the same person. Their hearts racing and their minds whirling in different directions. A sort of static glance passed between them, but no word was said.Jayla's breath caught in her throat. Axel was here-the man that had been filling her thoughts for weeks now. Yet, one question weighed strongly on her mind: why was he talking to someone else? the air constricted around her; her eyes crept over the smooth lines of his back, the way he stood, all so dear to her.Her heart crumpled. He was hers. He does not belong to this world amidst the elites. He was supposed to be with her, by her side. What was he doing here?Jade always so much quieter, and now her mind fel
The air was thick between the sisters, heavy with all that wasn't said. Standing together, the strong bond that always seemed to tie them felt stretched thin like a thread that might snap at any second. Each of them went tumbling into a world of their own: obsession, confusion, jealousy-pulling into the intoxicating façade of a perfect evening.Jayla's hands tightened over the stem of her champagne glass as she took a slow sip, attempting to cool off the erratic beat of her heart. The warmth of the drink did little to settle the storm churning inside of her. Axel was here-she knew it. Her chest constricted with the ache of needing to see him again-to know he was hers and only hers. Restless, she scanned the ballroom for a glimpse, any glimpse, of him.The conversation around them had turned to tonight's entertainment-whispers of something about to take place. But Jayla wasn't listening. The words flowed past her like background noise, no more than a blur against the single focus in her
He vanished into the sea of people as silently as an ombre, leaving Jayla, Jade, and Jasmine panting at the rim of the ballroom. Laughter and chatter became a humming noise, but it felt so far away from them at that moment, a muffled buzz beneath the pounding of their hearts.The breath in Jayla's lungs was shallow, her chest tight with frustration. It was Axel; she knew that with absolute certainty-the cut of his jaw under the mask, the confident way he had carried himself all evening. Yet when she was finally close enough to say what she intended, he seemed to have vanished into the sea of glittering gowns and suits, leaving her standing in the wake of her desperation.She looked at her sisters, but neither one of them was looking back at her. Something was wrong. That connection they had, that unspoken understanding passing between them, felt as though it had been stretched taut, strained. And down deep, beneath the surface, Jayla could feel the slow churn of possessiveness turn to
For a split second, everything in the grand ballroom hall seemed to slow down.Jasmine's heart pounded in her chest as her gaze locked onto her sister, Jayla. The whirling gold lights of the gala swirled around them; the chatter of amusement and clinking glasses faded into the far hum. It was just the two of them across the room, staring and frozen in a moment that was too heavy, too charged to comprehend.Jayla, halfway towards the exit, her emerald gown shimmers with reflected light from the chandelier, slowly turning towards Jasmine with an expression resolute, a glance that sends a sharp chill down her spine enough to raise gooseflesh on her arms. Why is she going in the same direction as me? Jasmine's mind raced. What is she doing? Who is she following?It couldn't be.Her breath caught in her throat, as the bitter taste rose at the back of her mouth. Jasmine's pulse raced as a wave of confusion washed over her. This isn't right. Why does she look so determined? And why is she he
The grand ballroom, once so alive with laughter and echoes of music, now felt like a cold, suffocating tomb. The soft illumination from the chandeliers provided no relief from the tension hanging heavy in the air.Jayla, Jasmine, and Jade stood at the edge of the room, staring at the grand doors that had slammed shut, cutting them off from the man they all thought they knew. Between them, the truth hung in the air, ugly and undeniable.One man.Three sisters.One massive betrayal.But none knew at whom to direct their anger at. Not yet.Jayla was the first to move, her chest rising and falling in sharp, erratic breaths. Never had she felt such a storm of emotions assaulted her all at once-possessiveness, jealousy, and disbelief. The fact that Axel, her Axel, could have been lying to her, could have been with both of her sisters, tore at her insides."This can't be real," Jayla whispered, more to herself than to her sisters. Her hands shook as she pulled her gaze slowly from the grand
This grand ballroom felt as if it were closing around them, suffocating in its grandeur. Jayla, Jasmine, Jade-three sisters, so close their whole life-now stood oceans apart, separated by a singular, devastating truth.Axel. Brock. Alexander.The same man.Jayla's eyes darted between her sisters, trying to keep her breathing steady as the full weight of it hit her. She wanted to scream to refute, to deny everything so obviously standing before her. How could it be that they’d all been seeing him? How could it be that her Axel had somehow become their Brock or Alexander?Her throat tightened. She needed him to be hers. He had to be. That thought was the only thing anchoring her at the moment. But now, looking at her sisters, each of their faces reflecting her very same belief and jealousy, she knew she couldn't just claim him openly.At least, not just yet.Jasmine's heart raced, her fingers fisting into the fabric of her dress until it might rip off. Alexander had been her salvation,
Four Days After – Jasmine's ApartmentJasmine's head was a war zone.Two days hence, her head would not sleep. It hit her for the umpteenth time—this awareness of Jayla not being the one—whoever ever came near Jade. It lingered in her mind like a tune she was unable to turn off.Why?Who killed Jade?And the letters—the threats. Somewhere, someone had worked it all out and had played chess, and they were pawns.Jasmine had slept in bed last night, awake and lying there, empty inside. She hadn't slept, she hadn't eaten. Her flat was free of space.She needed out of it.She took deep breaths and collapsed onto the bed, legs hanging over the side, fingers relaxed with loose hairs. Anchor arms, anchor legs, and yet she moved.Air. Coffee. Something mundane on a ritual schedule.With which she might perhaps remember herself.An Hour Later – 12th Street Coffee ShopThe small café fi
That Night – Axel's Apartment Axel paced the length of his bedroom, forward and backward in front of his bed, the pictures still grasped in hand in the envelope. The previous day or so had weighed on his shoulders. The pictures. The letters. Burglarizing Jayla's apartment. No coincidence. Something was happening outside of one's control, and Axel could not help but wonder if and why he was nothing more than a pawn in someone's game. His bed phone beeped. He gazed at the screen. Unknown Number. His stomach constricted. He let it ring once. Twice. Then, on a whim, I picked it up. "Yeah?" Nothing. Then that smooth voice, razor blade sound tone. Sarah. "You sound tired, Axel." Sarcasm infused her tone. "Sleep at all?"
The Same Night – Jayla's Apartment Jayla felt like she was being watched. As soon as she entered her apartment, she shivered down the spine. Something was off—too quiet. She looked into the room, faint light, sharp eyes scanning it, pounding heart. Everything was fine with her stuff. Something within her was warning otherwise. She moved stealthily into the kitchen, phone in hand. She placed her keys on the counter, standing—and listening in. Nothing. She breathed in again. Paranoid, perhaps. Perhaps— Click of noise behind. Jayla spun, thudding heart thudding in her head. --Nothing. Own quiet hiss of air as she moved towards reach
Three Days Later – Jayla's Apartment Jayla wrapped herself in her couch, twirling a coffee cup around in her hand, the warmth that could not be shed still running through her system. She awoke in the dead of night, struggling to breathe, after images of the shootout played out in her head. Her bandaged shoulder ached, reminding her she had been nearer death than she wanted to remember. She hadn't heard from or spoken to Jasmine and Jade since she'd gone out with them the night at the club. Like they even called her, anyway. Something was bothering her about why they would do that. Her phone, which sat on the table beside her, rang. No caller ID. She waited a second before she answered it. "Hello?" Stop, then Axel's raspy, deep voice. "Jayla, we need to talk." She got to her feet. "Now you want to talk? After leaving me high and dry?" "I didn't have any choice." His voic
The next evening, Jayla sat down her cross-legged on her bed, a glass of water in one hand and her phone in the other. The soft hum of the ceiling fan did little for the silence marshaling its forces against her. Her fingers hovered over Axel's contact name. They hadn't spoken since that night party, the drinks, the indistinct memory of his worried face as he hailed her a cab. Her thumb finally pressed "Call." The ringing felt eternal before Axel's voice crackled through the speaker. "Jayla?" Axel sounded surprised. "Hey… it's been a while." Jayla smiled faintly, leaning back against her headboard. "Yeah, it has. I wasn't sure you'd pick up." "Of course, I would. You kinda disappeared after… everything. How are you? You sound different." Jayla's smile faltered. "I was in the hospital, Axel. I… I was poisoned. Almost died. The line went dead. She could hear Axel's hitched breath. "Poisoned?" he repeated, his voice low, slow, measured. "Jesus, Jayla. Are you okay now? Do you--do
Jayla’s chest heaved as she stood frozen in the doorway of Room 408, the sight of Axel slumped on the bed and Jade standing beside him sending white-hot fury coursing through her veins. “Jayla,” Jade purred, her voice mocking as she leaned casually against the bedpost. “I didn’t think you’d show up. Brave of you.” Axel stirred; still groggy, his eyes tried to take better focus. "Jayla, wait.it's not what you think—" "Not what I think?" Jayla crackled her tone as her shaking fists jammed beside her. "You're in bed with her, Axel. Her! After all that we had gone through?" Jade scoffed, each of her words sharp and biting. "Oh, don't be so stunned, Jayla. Probably, if your nose were not constantly up your asshole, then maybe, just maybe you might have seen it coming. The words were gasoline to the fire running rampant inside her body. She strode closer, each step more adamant, her voice going louder. "You manipulative little-" With a quick dodge to her advance and strength that was a
Jade's Hotel Room — Midnight The room was pitch black except for the bleeding light of the city through diaphanous curtains. She sat at the end of a king bed, soft light befalling her face from the phone in her hand, one leg over the other. Lying beside her, Axel was spread across the bed, his shirt unbuttoned, his breathing deep but irregular since the drug she'd slipped into his wine still did its work of keeping him very sluggish and unaware of what was happening around him. A sly smile played upon Jade's red lips, curled as they were hand-flipping the pictures she had managed to click throughout, each frame showing something sensual, well-thought-of with calculation. Her hands were over Axel's chest, rubbing casually across his bearded cheek snaps told it all sans loud words of recognition for proximity. Her gaze shifted to the figure that lay before her, serene and soft-as-a-petal in his sleep. "Time now for the thickening of the plot." She clicked the Messaging app first to
The silence of the house enveloped Axel as he stepped inside, the sweet scent of lavender and vanilla comforting perfume so frail in nature wafting through it. Soft light spilled from the living room, casting warmth against the chill of the emotional vacuum that had filled him.As his eyes acclimatized to the brightness, he saw her there: Audrey.She had been curled on the couch, her body sheathed in one of his immense sweaters from her miniature body, and flowed right down her back, where long red hair gave a cascade when the fuming teacup heated her hands.Then she'd raised her gaze, and now her eyes just met Axel."Ach Axel." She sighed soft,.And before another word could escape his lips, Audrey was pressed against him, her face buried in his chest, her fingers digging into his shirt as though he'd disappear if she loosened her grasp."I thought you weren't coming back," she choked.Axel’s throat tightened as the guilt pressed against his chest like a weight he couldn’t lift off,
Outside the Café, moments after the Ultimatum, Axel staggered to his car, the night chilly and nibbling on skin that felt nothing. His head was spinning on a roll-out of control with that threat of Sarah inside his head.The image on her phone imprinted into the brain - damning evidence against him.He was holding on to the roof of his car, his head hung low, sharp, labored gasps of breath.She's mine now.It was his ringing phone that managed to wrench him back from that spiral of thoughts. His fingers moved over his pocket for his phone, as did his eyes, locking their focus on the screen.Audrey: "Baby, I miss you. You're back from your trip, aren't you? Cause I feel like I am freaking out. I need you."Audrey. His wife. The woman he'd promised to protect, to love.Axel sank his teeth hard as the knuckles whitened with the grip of his phone. He couldn't let her take down everything. Whichever way, a choice seemed to enslave him; every step to choke the breath out of his neck.He jam