Chapter Title: The Storm Before the WarSimeon's POVThe room was silent. Too silent. I walked back and forth, my fists clenched so hard that my knuckles were white. My heart raced in my chest, every beat filled with anger, worry, and frustration. Where was she?I had been sent the images—Lily, captive, injured, helpless. Seeing her like that had made something snap inside of me. I had come close to tearing the entire place apart just to get to her. But before I could, she had freed herself.Now I was waiting. Waiting for her.The door flew open, and my heart halted.Lily was upright, her clothes torn, her face smeared with dirt and dried blood. Her breathing was uneven, her eyes bright with anger and fatigue. Yet despite all that, she was upright. She had made it.I exhaled, my fury momentarily lost to relief. "Lily."She did not say a word. She just looked at me, her eyes searching mine. Then, just when I was about to step closer to her, she swayed. "Lily!" I stepped forward hastil
Chapter Sixty Eight: Confession NightLily's POVIt was quiet within the room, with only the soft tick of the clock caressing the air. The warmth was comforting, relaxing, and yet something inside me kept me tense. My body ached from all the wounds that I had sustained, but this was not the reason why I could not sleep.He was the reason.Simeon.Even with my eyes closed, I felt him there. I listened to his deep breathing, the small movements he made as he shifted positions in his chair. He hadn't left me since I had fainted from exhaustion hours earlier.Gradually, I opened my eyes.The lamp cast shadows on his face. His sharp features were blunted in the light, but there was something in his eyes—something deep, unreadable."You're still awake," I whispered, barely above a breath.Simeon's eyebrow rose in surprise that I was awake. "You should be sleeping."I sat up, wincing as pain ran through my ribs. "And you should be resting too," I said. "But here you are, looming over me like
Chapter Title: The Calm Before the StormLily's POVThe night was quiet, too quiet. It was the kind of silence that crawled under my skin, the kind that only came before something terrible was about to go down.I paced before the window, looking out into the darkness, my mind restless. My body screamed with pain as every muscle shrieked from the beating I had received hours earlier, yet I could not possibly lie down. How could I? Nelson and Vivian were out there, their minds scheming. They would never stop until they had me and Simeon stamped on the ground.I curled my fists into fists. No. I wasn't going to let that occur.A soft knock at the door pulled me out of my trance. I turned to see Simeon standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. His dark eyes probed me, reading me like an open book."You should be resting," he told me.I dry-laughed. "So should you."He came in, closing the door. "I couldn't sleep, either."I sighed and turned back to the window. "It's as if
Chapter Title: Stands UnshakenVivian's POVThe scent of wine and victory hung thick in the air of Nelson's lavish estate. I leaned back in my chair, swirling the red beverage in my glass as I watched Nelson across the room. He stood at the tall windows, looking out over the city like a king surveying his kingdom.A slow smile crept onto my lips. "You look like a man who's already won."Nelson half-turned, his dark eyes gleaming with victory. "That's because I have."I let out a low laugh, raising my glass. "Then I suppose this calls for a celebration."He walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. "Simeon and Lily think they're ready. They think they've planned enough to take us down." He took a drink, his expression unreadable. "But no matter what they do, no matter how clever they think they're being…" He turned fully to face me, a sneer on his lips. "They will always fail."I slowly released a sip of my wine, savoring the taste of victory before I set my glass back down on
Chapter Seventy One: Unbreakable BondLily's POVThe air was thick with tension as I sat opposite Simeon in his quarters. The dark lighting created long shadows across his sharp face, and he seemed even more intense than usual. His jawline was clenched, eyes brooding in consideration.I knew what he was considering.The fight was imminent. The battle that would determine everything.Nelson and Vivian had believed they already won. They believed that no matter what we were going to do, we would not be able to depose them. But they were wrong.I sat forward, elbows on knees. "We can't afford to make errors, Simeon," I said, speaking firmly. "They're waiting for us to fail. They think we're weak."Simeon smiled brusquely, though there was no humor in his face. "Let them think so." He breathed deeply, raking back his black hair. "They have no conception of what's to come."His confidence made my skin crawl. I had seen Simeon fight. I had seen his strength, his power, his lethal precision.
Chapter Seventy Two: The Day of WarLily's POVThe sun had barely risen, but the air was heavy with tension. Today was the day. The day everything changed. The day we lost or won everything.I went to the window, watching as the first glimpse of dawn spread out across the sky, painting the horizon with hues of orange and red. It was practically poetic, like the world itself was setting the stage for the impending battle.Behind me, I heard the sound of footsteps echoing through the room. I did not need to turn to recognize that it was Simeon. His presence was one that I had grown accustomed to sensing without sound or vision—it was in the way the air shifted when he was near, the way my heart reacted to him even in the midst of the chaos that surrounded us."We're ready," he said, his voice even but determined.I turned to face him. He was a king heading into battle. His black suit was immaculately tailored, his broad shoulders squared, his piercing eyes icy and focused. But I could s
Chapter Seventy Three: BattleLily's POVThe moment had finally come.The battlefield stretched out before us, electric and waiting. Our soldiers waited behind us, attired and ready, faces set in determination. Nelson and Vivian's army opposite us waited mirror-like to ours. No words were needed. We all understood what lay in store.The wind was thick with the odor of metal and distant smoke of the explosions that already preceded the war. My hold on the handle of my sword tightened, and to my flank, Simeon did likewise.And in an instant, the silence was shattered.There was a crack of gunfire, and then the thunderous thunder of men charging at one another. The ground trembled beneath our feet as the two clashed, the clash of metal upon metal ringing in the air.I sidestepped as a sword came towards me. My attacker—a large man with a scarred face—wickedly smiled as he swung his sword once more, but I was faster. I dodged under the blow and ran my knife along the top of his thigh. He
Chapter Four: Battle - 2Lily's POVWe clashed again, blow for blow. Each punch we landed was driven by fury, pain, and the festering desire to end this war. Nelson raged like a beast—savage, unforgiving, relentless. But I was not weak. I was not the fragile girl he thought I was.I avoided his blow and bashed my elbow into his ribs. He groaned with pain, but before I could strike again, he struck back, kicking me hard in the stomach. I stumbled back, gasping for air. The coppery taste of blood was in my mouth, but I wiped my lips and again struck at him.Nelson was fast, but I was faster. I turned about at the last second, dodging his sword, and slashed my dagger across his thigh. He roared in pain, falling to one knee, but he still didn't go down."You're wearing thin, Lily," he snarled, gasping for air."Good," I growled. "Then I must be doing something right."I didn't have time to play around. I charged at her, determined to put this one to rest, but before I could strike, someth
Chapter Ninety OneChapter Title: A Brother's DilemmaNelson's POVThe silence in the room was oppressive, the air thick with unspoken words. My men were gathered around me, their gazes trained on me, waiting for commands. We had always been a well-oiled machine—swift, ruthless, and precise. But now, everything was different.Lily.My little sister. The one I believed was dead. The one I'd spent my entire life seeking revenge for. Now here she was, alive, in the middle of my world, telling me to let go of all I'd fought for."What's next, boss?" one of my men finally broke the silence and asked.I didn't answer immediately. I glanced instead at Lily, who was seated on the couch, arms folded across her chest, watching us cautiously. I could feel that she was waiting, seeing if I would continue in the same vein or if I would change for her.I had to be careful.I held up a hand briefly, a gesture for my men to be silent. Not now. Not in front of her. They understood immediately, shiftin
.Chapter Ninety : Torn Between Them(Lily’s POV)The room was quiet. The weight of my decision pressed down on me like a rock, crushing me. I had decided to leave Simeon, to stand with my brother, to honor the blood that coursed through my veins.Why did it have to hurt so much that I felt like I had ripped out my own heart in doing it?I sat on the cold floor of the dark room, legs pulled tightly into my arms. Nelson had stepped outside for a moment or two, but even when he stayed with me, there was that awful tension between us. He thought I'd made my decision, that I'd accepted his war as mine.Inside me, I was breaking.My mind was a battlefield of emotions—grief, guilt, yearning, and a pain so raw it was as if I was being pulled apart from within.I missed Simeon.Every breath I drew in his absence was tense. I tried to hold back the memories—the weight of his arms wrapped around me, the calmness of his voice telling me everything would be all right, the gaze in his eyes like I
Chapter Eighty NineTorn Between Love and BloodLily's POVThere was an aura of tension around me as I sat alone in the darkened room, my heart heavier than ever. I had locked the door, thinking that I could shut out the world and hence ease the pain inside me. But nothing could quell the raging tempest in my heart.I had only learned that my brother, Nelson—the sole survivor of my family—existed. I had long believed him to be dead, then suddenly he appeared and reversed my world. And now, I was being required to make a decision between him and the man I loved—Simeon.A soft knock against the wooden door, a knock accompanied by a voice I had long tried to quell."Lily, please. open up."Simeon.His voice was taut, the sound of it ready to crack. I closed my eyes, putting my palms over my ears as if that would be sufficient to block out the anguish in his voice. But it was useless. I could feel his pain even through the door.Another knock. Harder this time.Lily, if you don't want to
Chapter Eighty Eighte: Broken and LostSimeon's POVThe moment Lily turned her back on me, a part of me broke that I didn't realize it could.I stood there, frozen, staring at the emptiness she had left. My heart was raging so fiercely it ached, my chest tightening as if someone had stabbed it with a knife. The room was suffocating, crushing down on me with the weight of her words."I love my parents too much to let this pass.""I can't be with you, Simeon."Her words echoed in my head, each one cutting deeper than the last.I was a fool.Everything that we had, everything that we shared—it meant nothing to her?No. I would not believe it.Lily loved me. I knew she did. I could see it in the way she looked at me, in the way she held on to me in the evenings, in the way she whispered my name like it mattered.But now, she was gone. And she had chosen her brother. Chosen revenge over love.My fingers curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. I had to leave.Without uttering a w
Chapter Eighty Seven : Broken HeartLily's POVWhen the second Simeon walked out that door, I felt like I had lost a part of my soul.I stood there, frozen, my body trembling with the weight of what I had just done. My breathing was in short, pained gasps, and my chest ached as if someone had stabbed me through the heart.I had let him go. I had told him that I was not interested. I had put my past, my family, ahead of the love of my life. And yet… why did it feel like I had destroyed myself in the process?Tears forced me to blink, but I did not break—not yet. I stepped back from the door, not wanting to go running after him, even when every part of my body was screaming at me to run, to scream at him to return, to take back every awful thing that had escaped my mouth.Nelson stood by my side, looking at me with an impenetrable expression. For a moment, he didn't say anything, simply studying my face as though he wished I would change my mind."You did the right thing," he said at l
Chapter Eighty Six: A Love Broken by WarLily's POVThe air between us was thick with tension, so dense I could barely breathe. My heart pounded within my chest, my rib cage aching under the weight of my own speech. I'd just told Simeon—the man I loved, the man who had stood as my foundation—that I could no longer be with him. That I couldn't be a traitor to my parents' memory.Simeon just sat there, his black eyes staring back at me, hoping for something—anything—that would make him think I was kidding about what I had just said. But I wasn't kidding. Not one word.I needed to mean it.He blinked once, his jaw tightening as if he were trying not to break. I had never seen him like this before. Not even in battle, not even when his life had been on the line. He was always so tall, so powerful, so in command. But now, he looked. broken."I don't want anything to do with you, Simeon," I repeated, my voice shaking. "I love my parents. I love them more than anything. I won't let this pass
Chapter Eighty Five : A Line DrawnLily's POVThe quiet between us was as sharp as a knife pressed to my throat.Nelson was before me, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths, fists clenched at his sides. His face burned with rage, his jaw locked so tightly I feared it would break."You love him?" His voice was low, but the rage underlying it was unmistakable. "You love Simeon?"I swallowed hard. My hands trembled, but I steeled myself to incline my head. "Yes."It was barely louder than a whisper, but it was enough to provoke him.Nelson's face twisted with pure rage. "How dare you, Lily? How dare you betray our family in such a manner?""Don't!" he bellowed, his voice slicing as a knife. "Don't you dare even say you didn't betray them! Our parents are dead! Do you hear me? Dead! And those responsible are the very people who gave birth to that man you claim to love!"I swallowed hard, but refused to look away. "I know," I whispered barely above a breath. "Do you think I don't?
Chapter Eighty Four : The Man I LoveLily's POVI sobbed as I hugged Nelson. My brother. My blood. The man whom I had thought I had lost forever. The only one whom I had cried for in the dark, wondering if he was alive, if he even remembered me.And here he was now, hugging me just as hard as I hugged him. But it did not take away the years of suffering, the loneliness, the torture."I have suffered so much, Nelson," I wailed between tears. "You don't have any idea what I've suffered. You don't have any idea how much I missed you."Nelson eased his grip a bit, his arms wrapped around my shoulders as he looked into my eyes, his eyes filled with pain. "Lily, I—" He broke off, his voice cracking. "I thought you'd died."It shattered me once more to hear him say that."I thought I was dead too," I breathed. "Every night I wept myself to sleep wondering if you were out there somewhere. Wondering if you were alive. But I had no one. Had nothing. Had to fight for everything, Nelson. Had to b
Chapter Eighty ThreeLily's POVThe room was silent. My heart pounding against my chest, my breathing rapid. I could still feel the warmth of Nelson's embrace, his body vibrating against mine. The weight of his words, the truth of who he was, slammed into me like a tidal wave, covering me in emotions I couldn't even categorize.Nelson Williams.My brother.A name I had long suppressed in the depths of my mind. A name I never thought to hear again.I leaned back slightly, my hands still on his arms as I looked at him—really looked at him. My eyes were wide, taking in his face, hoping to see the boy I once knew.The little boy who played barefoot, chasing butterflies in the garden. The boy who took my hand when the nights were too dark and the thunderstorms too loud. The boy who promised to protect me.And here he was now, a man hardened by time, by war, by a fate that neither of us had planned.Tears streamed down my face, and my lips trembled as I took a soft breath, "Nelson… how?"Hi