Lyla’s POV“Lyla, have you lost your mind completely? What has gotten into you? You want me to help you outsource guns?” Chad’s face twisted into a frown. He seemed genuinely shocked and confused.When I left the factory earlier, I had called him, wanting to meet and talk. He probably thought I was about to give him another chance, but that wasn’t why I needed him. No, I needed his help. I had to get my hands on the production materials without Collin knowing, and if I left it up to him, I knew his emotions would cloud his judgment. My sister’s life was on the line, and I wasn’t willing to risk it.“Look, Chad,” I said, trying to control the desperation creeping into my voice, “I know this is a lot to ask, but you’re the only person I can trust right now. I really need your help.”He stared at me, his expression filled with concern and confusion. “You’re pregnant, Lyla. And I understand you want to save your sister, who’s been kidnapped, but this is too much for you. I don’t think you
Bailey’s POVI ran as fast as my legs could carry me, my heart pounding in my chest. Fear surged through my veins, and every step felt like it could be my last. There was no looking back—I couldn’t afford to. My body was weak and exhausted, each breath a struggle, but I couldn’t stop. I dared not stop. Not until I was far enough away from them.I ran for what felt like miles, my legs giving out, but I forced myself to push forward. Eventually, I slowed, my breath ragged, as I came to a halt in the middle of a deserted road. I was surrounded by nothing but silence and darkness, the only sound my frantic breathing. The world seemed to stretch on forever, empty and abandoned. I had no phone, no means of communication, and I didn’t recognize a single landmark. It was as if I had entered a ghost town.“Oh God, help me. What have I done?” The words left my lips in a whisper, barely audible in the vast emptiness. My knees buckled, and I hunched over, resting my hands on them to steady myself
Bailey’s POVI didn’t know how long I had been unconscious. Time seemed to stretch and bend in ways I couldn’t understand. My body was heavy and disoriented, and as I began to regain some sense of my surroundings, I felt the sharp bite of cold water on my skin. My heart jolted, and I immediately jerked upright, trying to gather my bearings. But something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.I tried to move, but I couldn’t. My arms and legs were bound, and the tightness of the ropes restricted even the slightest motion. Panic surged through me as I realized I was sitting in a chair, helpless, trapped. My skin tingled from the cold water, and my body trembled, not just from the chill, but from the fear that flooded my senses.Gradually, my mind began to piece together the events that had led to this moment. But the more I thought, the more the memories seemed fragmented and distant, as though they belonged to someone else. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t make sense of the puzzle that was
Bella’s POVI watched as Lucas’s jaw tightened. The subtle shift in his expression told me everything I needed to know—he wasn’t happy with what I had just said. But there was no turning back. I had made up my mind, and nothing was going to change that. I wanted to be with Nado, and I could feel the weight of that decision settling into my chest. The emotions swirling around me were intense, but my resolve was firm.Lucas opened his mouth to speak, but I could see the hesitation in his eyes. His words stumbled over each other.“You can’t possibly want to be with him. You’ve just met him! I’ve been here for so long. You know I’ve changed, Bella. I changed for you, and you know I would treat you right. We would have been married if not for the fact that our wedding was canceled three years ago. And you know it was all a lie!”I sighed, shaking my head. “I already explained that to you, Lucas. But it’s just too much. It’s always one bad news after another with you. It’s never a happy end
Lyla’s POVWith trembling hands I gripped firmly on my phone while staring at the picture of Collin closely wrapped around his supposed ex - girlfriend as though she was the actual love of his life or as though she was Bailey, my sister. My stomach twisted, filled with a mixture of both fury and nausea gradually rising in my throat. With everything happening? How could he? Did he ever love my Bailey? Or was it just a pretense while he waited for the return of his ex-girlfriend? “Wait, what if she was just a bait in all of this. I said all this to no one in particular, I stood up pacing around my room deep in thoughts, thinking of every possible way to get my sister Bailey released unharmed. But the more I paced, the more inconclusive my thoughts were”. Bailey was my priority and no matter how hard i tried to focus, it still didn't make any sense. On a second thought, whatever Collin was doing behind my back could wait, I had more important and pressing concerns to address. I pi
Lyla’s POVThe following evening Chad and I invaded Collin’s house unexpectedly. The entrance door wasn't locked and was slightly open. We stood there unsure whether to knock and wait for him to come open up or just use the opportunity to gain entrance unannounced and who knows we could probably catch him right in the act of cheating on my poor sister. We entered quietly ensuring no noise was heard, not even the creaking sound coming from the door as soon as it was pushed open. The lights were still on, and I could visibly see movements through the curtains, but I exhaled sharply in order to avoid any tension which was already rising from within me. Chad sensing my unease, calmly held my wrist reassuring me that he's by my side. An instant wave of peace came upon me and just like magic it worked. “Thank you, Chad," I said softly. He looked at me with confusion written all over his face, you're welcome he said with a smile forming at the corner of his lips”. I took a step further
Bailey’s POVThe damp air of the warehouse made it difficult for me to breathe; it reeked of urine stench, and the surrounding area was in ruins with abandoned properties. I sat there wondering how long the place has been used as their hideout for torturing their victims. The cold metal handcuffs dug deep into my wrists; I had virtually lost count of how many hours I had been there, yet the weight of exhaustion pressed down on my body like a rock. My body ached severely from being tied up for so long, but I needed to remain strong. I can't give up yet, not now, not ever. “Hello! Anybody ther”e? I called out but got no replies. Where have they all gone to? This would have been the best time to escape, but fuck, I've been bound to the seat just so I won't escape like the previous time. Suddenly the door clicked and then was flung apart; there he was standing with a smirk on his face, smiling mockingly at me, Raphael—my worst nightmare. I shifted slightly, wincing in pain as the br
Lyla’s POVThe kicks in my tummy were becoming consistent these days; my little ones have been stressed like their mother; I barely had time to rest, totally forgetting about my clinic visit for my routine check every week. For the past couple of weeks, the only thing that has occupied my mind was the thought of getting my sister Bailey released from the hands of those mafians. My poor sister, I just wonder how badly she's been treated by those ruthless people, and to even think it's her husband, Collins, that orchestrated all these is so unbelievable. I sat in my car; my grip on the steering wheel was so hard that my knuckles hurt. The city lights shone outside the windshield, but all I could focus on were Vanessa’s words echoing in my head."You give yourself up, and Bailey goes free."It wasn’t just a trade; it was a trap, a test. And worst of all, a message.They wanted me, not just because of Bailey. Not just because of the mafia.Because of something I didn’t know yet.A deep
Lyla’s POV I already had my plans well played in my head, Chad betrayed me in the past, I can't wait for his go ahead to act. Becky is alive and I am not safe, not even my girls. Even after all this while, she's never going to stop fighting me. She is not careless and definitely not relentless. She would make sure I'm destroyed before she stops. And I on the other hand is a hard nut to crack open. I would protect my family at all costs because my life depends on it. I stared at the picture I got from Chad earlier, all night. I recognized the coat Becky wore. It was from a boutique we used to shop at—one only two cities carried. Infact, I had gotten it for her during one of our shopping spree years back. I sent an assistant to pull credit card logs under the alias “Nora Lake”— which was an identity Becky used once before.Three hits. One in Midtown, two in Westbrook.Becky wasn’t hiding that well after all.I didn’t want revenge. Not exactly.What I wanted… were answers of what
Chad's POV I immediately began the search for Becky’s death certificate. And that's where I found discrepancies. The time of her supposed death was logged before the last nurse’s shift ended. Autopsy wasn't done, even the body Identification was made “visually” by someone anonymous. Then it dawned on me that it has been a plot all along, but why? I reached out for my phone and called the hospital. The nurse who cared for Becky that night? Had earlier resigned two days later. With no forwarding address.Asides other discoveries, this was another red flag, infact a forest of red flags.I was looking for a cover-up, probably this was all a lie. But with all this new findings it wasn’t sloppy. It was intentional, it was the truth. Becky is alive. I decided to visit the cemetery, I went to the cemetery alone that evening. Becky’s supposed grave was neat. Flowers were neatly placed on it once a week, always fresh. But not by me and definitely not by Lyla.Then, Who was visiting? I whis
Becky's POV Becky’s Death Was Never Real—It Was Her Greatest LieBecky knew she was running out of options.The walls were closing in. People believed she had double-crossed powerful people. The threats were real—but the worst one came from someone she once betrayed;, her best friend_ Lyla.Becky had seen it all before—how Lyla always ended up safe, polished, untouched. Even after every disaster, she landed on her feet, walking through life like she was untouchable. Becky, on the other hand, was the one left picking up pieces.But this time, Becky wasn’t going to be the one left behind.So she disappeared. On purpose. And she made it feel so real. Three years ago, she faked her own death and made everyone think she truly died. Becky is one manipulative being who makes sure everything works according to her wish. But Lyla on the other hand had trusted and loved her more as a sister than a friend that she was. It really pained her when she back stabbed her and got pregnant for her ex
Lyla’s POV The floodlights overhead began to hum, pulsing once—then twice—as if sensing the tension in the air.Seraphina didn’t move. “You’re not here to destroy the Syndicate,” she said rashly. “You’re here because you’re scared of what will happen if you don’t stop me.”“You’re right.” I replied, stepping forward. That made Seraphina pause.“You’re right,” I continued, drawing the compact blade from her belt. “Because we’ve seen what monsters like you do when the world’s asleep.”Seraphina tilted her head. “And yet you brought your ghosts with you.” She glanced at Gabriel. “Poor thing still thinks he gets to choose what he is.”Gabriel’s jaw clenched. He could hear her voice—the one that had once promised him salvation. Power. Purpose. He had followed her, believed in her... until the Architect’s programming shattered and truth flooded in.“Do it,” Jace hissed beside him, his voice sharp. “Take the shot.”But Gabriel didn’t. Not yet. He couldn’t.Not until he understood why she s
Lyla’s POVThe wind smelled different now.No more smoke from secret labs. No more burnt circuits or rusted cables threading their way through cities like veins. The Architect’s network—her programming, her algorithms, her reach—was gone.And yet… I still couldn’t sleep.Because darkness doesn’t die.It simply waits to be reborn.One year later, our estate near Lake Virelle was finally complete. Jace and I took turns walking the twins through the glass garden, the lake shimmering behind us.Bailey had taken over as Director of Public Safety, reshaping what the Karev Group once was. While she also prepared to begin medical school, it has always been her dream and her passion for saving lives was undoubtedly surreal. And Collins on the other hand, after the serum wore off—was in secure witness protection, supplying information on the Architect’s global shell companies.Everything seemed peaceful.But scars have memories.And mine still itched.It was dusk when I first saw him again.Ga
Lyla's POV After the incident, life went back to normal, to its usual hustle and buzzling. But while we were relaxed and thought that the Architect's reign died with her code. That peace could be coded back into the world like a firewall. But peace is never permanent apparently when blood remembers.Deep beneath the frost-ridden city of Australia, in a facility cloaked in electromagnetic silence, a woman stood before the embryonic remnants of a war long thought ended.Seraphina, twenty-one years old. Raised in secrecy by the last loyalists of the Architect’s bloodline. Not born—but built.She was the perfect shadow. Not a clone. Not a daughter. A weapon with emotions calibrated just enough to manipulate.The lab walls shimmered with biometric maps. One showed Lyla’s DNA spiral interwoven with Jace’s—Chimera-7.“They think they’ve won,” Seraphina said coldly to the masked board seated before her. “But their children carry the seed of what’s next.”Behind her, a glass cylinder opened,
Lyla’s POVThe forest around us was silent, except for the whisper of wind brushing dead leaves against my boots.Gabriel stood just a few feet away, his pupils dilated, absorbing everything—and nothing. His face was unreadable, but I saw it: the faintest tremor in his left hand.He was fighting something. Or maybe someone.“Gabriel,” I called softly, moving closer to him, “You don’t have to be what they have made you.”His gaze flickering to the side, then back to me.“You think I've been brainwashed,” he said. “But what if this—” he put his hand to his chest, “—is freedom? What if they showed me the truth?”“They showed you control. Lies. Chains dressed as destiny.”“No. They showed me what we are, Lyla.” His voice was suddenly sharp, aching with conviction. “Not victims. Not orphans. But Architects of evolution.”He suddenly dipped his hand into his coat. My body became tense. But he only pulled out a necklace.The other half of our mother’s coin.He let it dangle between us.“Do y
Lyla’s POVThat night, I couldn’t sleep. The weight of the shocking revelation from Dr. Mayer pressed so hard on me. Even with Jace cuddled behind me and both our hands on my belly, a storm was still brewing in my mind.They’re not after me. They’re after what I carry.Every kick from the twins reminded me: their bloodline wasn’t just mine. It belonged to something far more dangerous. Something born in a lab, buried beneath government black sites, and now resurrected in the hands of the Architect.I slipped out of bed at 3:14 a.m.Jace stirred but didn’t wake.Downstairs, I slid open my laptop. I had one goal: Find the remaining files from Project Seraphim. If the Architect wasn't lying, then I wasn’t the only one. There were others.And maybe—just maybe—one of them survived.After four hours of digital digging and one untraceable proxy into an encrypted defense archive, I found it.Subject 03ACodename: "Gabriel"Status: Retained – Off-gridProject Role: Behavioral Prototype – Enhan
Lyla’s POVThree days later, I was upstairs tending to the girls, when Mrs. Maddy came to deliver an envelope to me. "Who is it from?" I asked. I don't have an idea, it was delivered by a courier dispatch rider who said nothing, it came with no return address but enclosed with a black seal. Before I could ask, he was already lost in traffic, she said quietly. Alright, thank you mum, I'll take it from here, I said dismissively. I didn’t open it immediately. My fingers hovered over the wax, my heart thudding in my ears. Something inside me knew—whatever this was, it wasn’t just a threat.It was history.Jace watched from across the room. We’d barely spoken since the truth-serum night. Trust was being rebuilt, brick by bloody brick.He nodded once. “Whatever’s in there—we face it together.”I broke the seal.Inside: a single photograph. A building, half-collapsed. A young girl in a red coat, her back to the camera."It was me." I staggered back, nearly dropping the picture.“Lyla?” J