Jade remained in the kitchen long after Jayla retreated to her room. The morning warmth cooled into a heavy chill that hung in her chest. She stared at the mug in her hands, trying to wrap her head around the tension of the argument from the morning and their bond unraveling between the sisters.Jayla believed Axel. Jasmine did not. And there she was, stuck between two people she loved more than anything in the world and a man for whom she had taken every caution against in her gut and fallen for anyway. But now… now things felt even more complicated. The appeal of Axel, the mannerisms when it was just them, drew her in. Yet, all those lies, all that secrecy-it weighed on her.The door slam upstairs shook her out of her reverie. Jayla and Jasmine were in pain, and all she could do was stand here frozen in the growing feeling that was all starting to slip through their fingers. They couldn't keep up with the doubt, the confrontation and the accusations between one another and they woul
Not long after Jayla withdrew into her room that Jade made no move to leave the kitchen. The morning sun had lost its warmth, and there was a coldness in the atmosphere, thick inside her chest. She looked down into the mug grasped between her hands as her mind swam with tension-this morning's argument and the bond unraveling between her sisters.Jayla had believed Axel. Jasmine didn't. And here she was, stuck in the middle of two people she loved most in this world and a man she let her guard down with when it screamed warnings to be cautious. Now…now it felt even more complicated. Axel was charming, and his company made her feel so good that she forgot all reality. Yet all the deceptions, all the secrecy, weighed increasingly heavy upon her.The door slammed upstairs, jerking her out of her reverie. Jayla and Jasmine were suffering, and she was doing nothing other than standing here frozen with the dire feeling things were spiraling out of control. They couldn't go on much longer lik
Sarah slipped out into the night, the cool air hitting her skin like a breath of fresh relief. The door shut softly behind her, and as she walked across to her car, her mind racing over newer plans. The argument she'd overheard between the triplets was more than enough confirmation that things were spiraling utterly out of control Just perfectly. They had no inkling she'd sat in the wings, waiting for this moment in time. They were too busy clawing at each other over some man. Axel, Brock, Alexander whatever his name was, it didn't matter. What matters is that he is the key to their downfall.Sliding into the driver's seat of her car, a wicked smile curled on Sarah's lips. She had lived in their shadow long enough, watching them laugh and enjoying the life she should have lived. It was always them: Jayla, Jasmine, and Jade the perfect triplets, picture-perfect sisters with pretty faces and perfect lives. But they are not so perfect anymore, are they?She started the car, her fingers
Sarah drained the last of her wine, relishing the taste, but most of all the spiraling sense of power inside her. The triplets were imploding, their bond dissolving in the fight against one another over Axel. Soon, with her help, they would be shattered beyond repair. A private smile twisted her lips as thoughts of the ways this could be manipulated swirling in her head.It had to be that same man, the Axel she had dealt with before. And if it was, then he would remember her. He'd remember the power she had over him. Sarah's smile deepened. It all would fall into place tomorrow.The Next Day , The Meeting with AxelThe rooftop bar hummed low with the murmur of voices and the soft clinking of glasses. Outside, the city sparkled in the evening light, but Sarah wasn't interested in the view. She sat in a corner, twirling a cocktail stirrer between her fingers as she scanned the crowd for the man who could turn it all her way.The pulse quickened in anticipation. Her mind replayed the mes
Axel, confidence faltered as he replayed the events of the night. Sarah had made him see a little more than just a tangled web in the way that his position was precarious. He had been walking a tightrope with these sisters, weaving the fabric of lies between them, and now with Sarah, everything was just too close to unravel. She was right there, watching him, waiting for him to slip up.He walked through the night, the great city lights casting their long shadows everywhere, but his mind continued to circle back to Sarah even as he walked toward his next encounter with Jade. Sarah's message had been clear: continue to try to drive a wedge between the sisters. But Axel knew the first rule of being a very good puppet: don't be anyone's puppet. He had his own agenda, though for the time being, he knew it was important to stay one step ahead of her.Jade's message now weighed on him, dragging him back into the immediate. What did she want? Was she growing suspicious, or was this another o
Jade paced her room long after Axel was gone, the friction of their conversation humming in her veins. The memory hung in the air, an almost palpable charge: his steady gaze, his challenging words, the subtle but unmistakable glint of approval in his eyes. He saw her; truly, he saw her in a way her sisters never had. And that small flicker of acknowledgment of recognition made her powerful, more powerful than she'd felt in years.Her hands quivered, the surge of adrenaline running through her as her fists curled and flexed. First time out of the shadows, first time she had ever proclaimed her intention. No more the quiet, ignored sister who tried to maintain peace between Jayla and Jasmine. No more the sister who faded into the background while her sisters took whatever caught their fancy.This time, I'm taking what's mine.A fuse of jealousy, betrayal, and ambition boiled inside her like a storm. All these years, she was content to remain neutral, to keep her own emotions corked whil
Back in Sarah's apartment, in the dark, Sarah's fingers ran over the torn photograph of the triplets: Jayla, Jasmine, and Jade. Their torn smiles staring at her mockingly, their once perfect blissfully ignorant existence belittling her. A grin spread across her face as she reveled in the power she had over their lives now. All that covetousness and resentment finally boiled over, and now she was in control. Now she had the upper hand.She watched the photo flutter to the floor with a quick flick of her wrist and kicked it aside. The clacking of her heels on hardwood was satisfying and controlled. The word rang inside her head like some mantra begging her heartbeat to steady. Axel's message had smoothed her nerves, but the number wouldn't shake from her mind, it was a shadow that followed her closely at her back.She paced around the room, reaching for and pouring another glass of juice in a single fluid motion; its deep red liquid swirled inside the tumbler, much like the storm that w
Sarah paced back and forth across the darkened apartment, her mind racing after the words Axel had texted. The words on the screen felt cold and detached, more warning than a promise. "Don't keep me waiting." Her fingers hovered over the phone, aching to shoot off another message, something sharp, something to remind Axel that she called the shots here. But she restrained herself. It was wiser to let him think that he held all the cards. Tomorrow at 3 PM. She would meet him, but this time it just wouldn't be about triplets. No, something was happening that neither of them had expected - these messages, the unknown presence creeping into her life. It gnawed at her, a scratch that she could not itch. Someone watched. Someone knew. Mulling over what had happened in her head, a feeling she couldn't ignore was that Axel had to have something to do with this. Maybe he didn't send the messages himself, but his involvement in this game had always been more muddled than it initially seemed.
The Last Battle – Axel's Final Stand The triplets burst into Audrey's apartment, closing the door. Audrey sat in the middle of the room, holding herself, face white. Jasmine gave her a quick glance. "You okay?" Audrey nodded but winced her hands. Jayla sighed deeply. "You should have mentioned it when he called." Audrey gazed down. "I thought I could handle it." Jade snorted. "Not with Axel. He doesn't listen to no." Jasmine stood by the window, narrowed eyes intently focused as she gazed out. Then she froze. Outside, in front of the window, on the street, a black car. A dark figure in the car. Watching. Waiting. Her heart was pounding. He was here. She spun to her sisters, low voice, resolute. "He's outside." Audrey's eyes widened. "What?" Jayla leaped to the window to look out. Jade cursed under her breath. "That psycho." Jasmine breathed slowly, deeply, attempting to soothe herself. She wasn't scared. She was angry. Axel had done enough already. Sarah was d
The Final Stand – Axel's Last Gamble Audrey was on her couch in her apartment, frowning at her phone, the screen lighting up with an unknown number. Her gut clenched. She knew who it was. The second it started ringing she knew. A shiver ran down her spine, her heart racing. Axel. He was calling her. She swallowed hard, her fists tight. She had blocked him. Had changed her routine. Had tried to close him out of her life. And yet. He'd somehow come back anyway. The ringing stopped. A voicemail message showed up. She was breathing irregularly as she hit play. And then his voice was smooth and even, weighted with something sinfully wicked bouncing off of the walls. "Audrey he said, did you really think I'd let you go that easily?" Her blood went cold. "We both know you still think of me. Of us." Her fists clenched on the phone. No. No, she didn't. She wouldn't. She couldn't. "I gave you your space. I let you pretend. But it's time to come home, sweetheart." Audre
The Fall of a Legacy – Their Father Is Brought to Account Their father slumped in the interrogation room, the stark metal table between him and the detectives. For the first time in his life, he was not in charge. His expensive attorneys weren't going to get him out of this today. His influence, his name, his power—it meant nothing now. The seasoned detective dropped a file onto the desk, reopening it. Pictures. Documents. DNA tests. It all lay before him. "You drew up official papers," the detective said, his own voice tightly controlled. "You drew up fake papers and left your firstborn daughter to live and live comfortably. His father's jaw clenched. The detective continued, "And because of that, Sarah spent her entire life believing she wasn't wanted." A bitter silence. "And now she's dead." For a moment—a fleeting moment—something passed through his father's eyes. Regret? Guilt? Maybe. But too little, too late. The detective leaned in.
The Last Truth – A Mother's Justice The triplets were in their mother's living room, the weight of what they had to say very much on their minds. Their mother sat opposite them, her fists clenched on the armrests of the chair while her face was set in stiff lines. Jasmine took a deep breath. "Mom… we've got something to say." Jayla leaned forward. "Something about Dad." Jade sighed. "And Sarah." Her mother's eyebrows jerked with horror when she said the name Sarah. "What about her?" Jasmine's voice was constricted, but she fought to say something. "She was our sister." Their mother's breath stalled. Her hand gripped the chair as her knuckles turned white. No one uttered a word for a second. Then, in a whisper just above a murmur— "What did you just say?" Jayla swallowed hard. "Sarah… she was Dad's daughter." Jade paused before saying again, "His first daughter." Their mother turned white. "That's not… that's not possible." Jasmine pulled out the pro
The Aftermath – Shadows of the Past The triplets sat in silence, the weight of the news pressing down on them. Sarah was dead. And even after everything she had done. Even after the lies, the betrayals, the destruction It didn’t feel like a victory. Jade let out a slow breath, staring at the floor. “I thought I’d feel… relieved.” Jayla shook her head, her voice quieter than usual. “Me too.” Jasmine's clutch on her cup of coffee spasmed. "She was our sister." Jayla grumbled unwillingly. "Half-sister." Jasmine shut her eyes. "It doesn't matter." For in the end, Sarah had been as lost as they had once been. The difference? She never had her way back. Fraser and Tressa – A New Beginning, or a New Threat? Tressa turned a lock of hair around her finger, watching out the apartment window. "She's really gone," she murmured. Fraser, who stood behind her, let out a deep sigh. "Yeah." Tressa’s chest tightened. Sarah had been many things—an enemy, a rival, a storm in human form.
The Aftermath – A New Future, A Lingering Past Sarah retreated from the front door of Fraser's, her heart pounding in her ears. She'd dreamed to herself for months that she might possibly be able to fix what she'd broken. That she could win him back. But now? Now, she knew more. She'd been too late. Fraser's moved on. And not with someone. With Tressa. A woman as clever, as cunning, as smart as Sarah used to be. Sarah's fists clenched. She'd lost before. But this? This was not the same. This had been done. And she was not so sure that she could do that. And meanwhile – Fraser and Tressa's New Beginning Tressa shut the door, breathing softly as she smiled at Fraser. "A knight?" she said, regarding him. Fraser rubbed at his hair, jaw locked. "That was. unexpected." Tressa smiled, leaning on the wall. "Seriously? You didn't think she'd come crawling back sooner or later, or something?" Fraser breathed slowly. "Part of me did, yes. But that moment I just saw her?"
The Final Confrontation – Axel Witnesses His Downfall Axel lay sprawled on his black penthouse, half a bottle of booze in front of him. It was done. Audrey had won. His secrets were revealed. His reputation, so carefully built, was ruined. And now? Now, he was nothing. A shadow of his former self and suddenly there was a knock on the door. It resounded through the stillness. Axel growled, running a hand through his messed-up hair. He wasn't really in the mood for visitors. And if it was some bill collector or worse—some woman from his other life who'd come to collect from him for what he'd done— He wasn't in the mood. He rose slowly, dragging himself to the door. When he opened it— His blood ran cold. Standing in the hall, smiling like they owned the place, were Jasmine, Jayla, Jade— And Tressa. Axel's gut clenched. "What in the devil are you doing here?" He was curt, rough-voiced. Jayla stood in the doorway, arms crossed. "Wow. You're such an ugly person." Jade
The Pull of the Past – Audrey's Weak Moment Audrey's breath was shaking as she clutched the phone held against her ear. Axel's voice was harsh, deep—altered. "Audrey… don't hang up." She should. She should hang up, push him away, and be done with it. But something in the manner of him speaking her name— Something in the urgency in his tone— Freeze her in mid-air. "Why are you calling me, Axel?" Her voice softer than she'd meant. A breath of silence. Then, a stuttering, nervous breath on the other line. "I just… I wanted to hear you." Audrey swallowed, her heart beating too hard, too fast. "Axel, we—" She closed her eyes. "We're over." A gasp of shock. Then, his voice—soft now. "Are we?" Audrey's stomach plummeted. He was doing it again. That thing where he made her doubt herself. Where he had gotten her doubting everything. But she wasn't that girl anymore. She wasn't going to let him wheedle her back in. "Goodbye, Axel." And this time? She hung up. Her hand
The Aftermath – Breaking Down and Breaking Free Audrey sat by the café window, staring outside at the steam curling above the coffee before her. Weeks had passed since she'd left Axel in the dust. Weeks since her world had come crashing down. Since she'd had to accept that the man of her dreams never existed in the first place. The hurt, in the beginning, had been unbearable. The nights she'd lain awake, reaching for her "phone, only to recall that she'd deleted his number. The mornings she'd woken up expecting the refreshed "good morning, beautiful" text message that never came. The memories of all the falsehoods that pretended to be love. But now? Now, the pain was starting to feel different. Not gone. Never forgotten. But less heavy. Like a weight that she was learning to carry slowly. She took out her phone, reading through messages from the triplets. They'd been calling to check in on her. So had Tressa. That still wasn't sitting well. She had every right to hat