“You know I would never do such a thing. I won’t betray you like that,” Ray said, his voice quiet but firm, laced with an edge of coldness. “You don’t trust me, Lily?”Lia laughed bitterly, her voice hollow and sharp. “Ha… ha… haaaa! Trust? You dare to talk about trust?” Her eyes blazed with fury, her words dripping with disdain. “Why would I trust you? Your bloody company released my creation as theirs, and you dare to speak of trust. Trust you?” She scoffed, shaking her head, the sarcasm in her tone palpable.“Yes, I put you in charge publicly. Yes, the world believes you run this company. But you know what? That’s just a façade. You’re in charge on the surface. You don’t get to steal from me, Ray. Not like this.”“I know you’re frustrated, Lia, but please… turn it down,” Lilly’s voice chimed in her mind, softer this time.But Lia couldn’t hear her—or rather, she chose not to. The rage swirling inside her was too loud, too consuming. And deep down, even Lilly knew stopping her now c
She flinched at his words, her expression wavering as the weight of his sincerity pressed against her walls. But those walls were high, and the years of pain that built them weren’t so easily dismantled. The years of being locked up, the years of being denied blood she craved.“You don’t see me,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “No one ever does.”And with that, she crumpled into the nearest chair, her hands covering her face as sobs wracked her body.Lilly just kept mute, because she herself does know much or what Liliana has gone through she has no memories of them.Ray stood there for a moment, helpless and heartbroken. Then, slowly, he knelt beside her, his hand hovering uncertainly before resting gently on her arm.“I do, Lia,” he murmured. “And I’m going to prove it to you. I don’t care how long it takes.”But as she cried, her pain laid bare, he wondered if his words could ever be enough.“Take me home, I’m tired and I promise to return your Lilly back to you, maybe it
As she gazed around the sterile room, the walls seemed to close in on her, making her feel suffocated. Time had lost all meaning - days, weeks, months, it was all a blur. She had been trapped for what felt like an eternity, cut off from the world and everything she loved. Her hobby, her family, her friends - all gone, replaced by the cold, unforgiving silence of her confinement. The only thing she knew was the feeling of being choked, of being deprived of everything that brought her joy. A lemon, sour and bitter, seemed to have been lodged in her throat, refusing to budge. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, a maze of questions and fears. What was happening to her? Why was she being held captive? And when would she be free? Every time she tried to speak, to ask for answers, they would silence her, distracting her with empty words and false promises. She couldn't take it anymore, her sanity was slipping, and she couldn't wait to escape, to break free from this prison and reclaim he
Ellen froze mid-step, her hand hovering just above the doorknob. Slowly, she turned back to face Helena, her expression unreadable. For a moment, there was nothing but silence between them, the tension in the air so thick it was suffocating.Helena leaned back against the headboard, arms crossed, her expression a mixture of challenge and amusement. “What? Did I say something wrong? Here I was thinking you were serious about helping me with my… little problem.”Ellen’s eyes narrowed, her composure slipping just enough for Helena to catch the flicker of uncertainty beneath her polished exterior. “Don’t test me, Helena,” she said softly, her voice tinged with warning. “You might not like where this road leads.”Helena tilted her head, her lips curving into a faint smirk. “You’re the one who brought it up. I’m just calling your bluff. Unless, of course, you’re not as bold as you pretend to be.”Ellen stepped forward, closing the distance between them in a matter of seconds. Her movements
Ellen’s fingers stilled against Helena’s cheek, her face hardening into a mask of icy composure. “Ray?” she repeated, her voice deceptively calm, though her jaw tightened. “So that’s what you’ve been holding onto? Some ridiculous fantasy that he’d choose you?”Helena frowned, taken aback by Ellen’s sudden change in demeanor. “It’s not a fantasy,” she said defensively. “Ray and I had something real. If you hadn’t—”Ellen cut her off with a sharp laugh, stepping back and folding her arms across her chest. “Oh, Helena,” she said, her tone dripping with mock pity. “You really don’t have a clue, do you?”Helena sat up straighter, the hairs on her neck prickling at Ellen’s shift in tone. “What are you talking about?”Ellen tilted her head, her smile cold and condescending. “Ray got married,” she said, savoring the way the words seemed to hit Helena like a slap. “A month ago, to be precise. To Liliana.”The room seemed to tilt as Helena stared at Ellen, her mind struggling to process what sh
Matilda tossed her phone angrily onto the bed and screamed, “Haaaaaa!” at the top of her lungs, but none of the servants dared show up. They were used to this in the Anderson household. Everyone in the family, except Liliana Anderson, acted like a bunch of mad people—breaking things or yelling at the top of their lungs like it was some sort of therapy.To say she wasn’t frustrated would be a big lie. Master was in New York, and how was she supposed to tell him that Liliana was no longer under their control?Matilda herself had given Liliana the pill, and she’d almost died in the process. She knew that without Master’s help, she wouldn’t have been able to get rid of Evelyn or even imagine herself married to James.She knew she couldn’t hide forever. Matilda had been coming up with excuses to avoid seeing him, but she knew it was only a matter of a day or two before he sent someone to drag her to him.And the only thing that daughter of hers knew how to do was whine nonstop every day li
Matilda paced nervously in the driveway, clutching her car keys. Her usual driver had been dismissed with a cold excuse of needing “privacy,” and now, she was gripping the steering wheel of her luxury sedan like it was a lifeline. She didn’t often drive herself—why should she? But this wasn’t the kind of visit she wanted anyone else to witness.As the towering iron gates of an old, industrial-looking street loomed ahead, she slowed to a stop. A hulking man stepped out of a hidden booth, his body brimming with muscle and menace. His face was expressionless, but his sharp eyes bore into hers as he leaned down to peer through the window.Before Matilda could say a word, he stepped back and pressed a button on a small device. The gates groaned open, revealing a sprawling compound that looked like a blend of a high-tech laboratory and a fortress.Matilda’s fear grew with every inch the car rolled forward. Inside, the space was stark and clinical. The walls were metallic, with strips of gla
“So, you’re telling me that you fed my toy a pill?” Master’s voice thundered through the room, the walls seeming to vibrate with the sheer force of his anger. His piercing gaze bore into Matilda, who trembled on her knees, barely holding herself upright. “How the fuck did you get access to it?”The silence that followed was suffocating, broken only by Matilda’s shallow breaths and the faint hum of machinery in the background. The Master’s fists clenched tightly at his sides, his knuckles white with rage.Which one of his men had betrayed him? Who dared to give her access to something so dangerous? His mind raced, a volatile mix of confusion, fury, and disbelief swirling within him. How could this happen? And worse, how had she survived?The Master’s aura darkened, an almost tangible wave of menace radiating from him. It was as though the room itself shrank under the weight of his wrath, the air growing colder with each passing second.Matt, standing near the doorway, swallowed hard. H
Fairy tales didn’t exist. Ray had always known that. And yet, he had let himself believe. Believe that after everything, he could finally have his happy ending. That Lily would come back, that they would put all the chaos behind them and just… be. But four months had passed. Four months, and she was nowhere to be found. And in those four months, she had caused more destruction than she probably even realized. The Anderson family was gone. The Manchester family had been silenced. The power structures that once dictated everything had crumbled beneath the weight of her actions. And yet, the world had gone eerily quiet. The media barely spoke about it. There were no reports, no scandalous headlines, no outrage. It was as if the universe had conspired to erase all traces of her, making her untouchable. He couldn’t reach her. He couldn’t speak to her. He couldn’t even see her. It was hell. And the worst part? It was starting to feel like the version of hell he had
The silence stretched between them.Lilly and Jerry—two people who had seen death, caused death, lived among death—now sat here, unable to make sense of the one loss that actually hurt.Lilly swallowed the lump in her throat.“I thought I could tell you that time would heal this. That one day, you’d wake up, and the pain would be gone.”Jerry gave her a hollow stare, waiting for her to continue.“But that would be a lie.”Her voice broke slightly, but she pushed through.“The truth is… you won’t wake up one day and magically feel okay. You’ll carry this pain with you. Every damn day.”Jerry’s jaw clenched. He knew that already, he knows deep down he will never get over losing his love right before it could even blossom.Lilly reached out and placed a hand over his.“But you’ll learn to live with it,” she whispered. “Because that’s what Chloe would have wanted. She didn’t fight this hard, endure this much, just for either of us to fall apart when she’s gone.”Jerry let out a ragged bre
Ray stared at her, his heart pounding in his chest.“One… m-m-month?” His voice cracked. “That’s too much, wifey.”His grip on her hands tightened, as if afraid that if he let go, she would disappear before his eyes.Lilly’s lips trembled, but she held her ground.“At least this way, you won’t be married to a woman who is mentally unstable, Ray,” she said softly. “And worse—a woman who shares her new body with her dead twin’s split personality.”Ray’s body stiffened.“Split what?” His brows furrowed, convinced he had misheard.Lilly sighed, wiping the stray tear that escaped her eye. “I’m sure you’ve already guessed it, Ray. You’ve seen it. You’ve felt it. Lia and I… we aren’t just one person. And I need to do this—for myself, for you, and for our baby.”Her voice wavered.“I need to be able to give you the same love you’ve given me. To birth our baby in a safe place. Please, Ray… please.” She squeezed his hands, her tears falling freely now.Ray felt something twist in his chest.Lil
The room felt unbearably heavy.Jerry sat still, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands.And then, without warning—A sob tore through him.“Haaaaaa~~~” he yelled out. For the first time in life he felt like someone was trying to zap life out of him.The kind that clawed out from the depths of his soul, ripping past the walls he had spent years building.Tears streamed down his face. He didn’t even bother to wipe them.This wasn’t grief.This was devastation.This was an unbelievable moment, it was only aFew days ago that he realized the extend of his live for Chloe and now she dead.Dead just like that.This was the feeling of watching the one person who made life feel like more than just blood and war—slip through his fingers.He had lost Chloe.And now, what was left of him?Nothing.Nothing but this unbearable silence, this emptiness that no amount of vengeance could ever fill.He clenched his fists.He had always thought himself untouchable, someone who laughed in the fa
The room was too quiet.The kind of silence that made the air feel heavier, pressing against their chests like an unbearable weight.Lilly sat frozen, her eyes staring into nothing.She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t speaking.She just sat there, lost in the void.Ray was right behind her, not touching, not speaking just there.Because what could he say? What could he do?There were no words for grief like this. No bandage for wounds that cut this deep.On the other side of the room, Jerry knelt beside Chloe’s bed, his hands gripping hers with a desperation that made his knuckles turn white.His lips moved, whispering something under his breath.A prayer.Jerry Manchester the man who had never feared death, who had laughed in the face of danger—was now begging.To a God he didn’t even believe in.“Please—”His voice cracked, his fingers tightening around Chloe’s.“Please, don’t take her.”Tears burned at the corners of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.He didn’t cry. Not Jerry Man
The scent of iron was thick in the air.Lilly’s eyes, cold and unyielding, swept across the men standing by. Their hesitation irritated her.“What the hell are you all waiting for?” Her voice cracked through the tense silence, sharp as a whip.The men snapped to attention.“Get him out of there. Now.”She didn’t need to say it twice.Two men rushed forward, reaching into the trunk and dragging David Deluca’s battered body out. His weight was dead, limp, his blood smearing against their gloves.“Take him to Damon.”Her tone left no room for argument.The men moved swiftly, disappearing into the building with their barely breathing cargo.Lilly stood still, her breathing measured, her fingers clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palms.She should feel satisfaction.But for some reason—She didn’t.Inside, the air was suffocating.The rhythmic beeping of the life support machine filled the room—until suddenly, the sound changed.The sharp, rapid BEEP—BEEP—BEEP sliced through the ai
Lilly inhaled sharply.Ray cursed under his breath.Jerry looked up, his expression wild, desperate. “We need to stop the bleeding!”But his hands were unsteady, his mind a mess.Lilly took over.“Move,” she ordered, her voice firm.Jerry hesitated, unwilling to let go, but Ray grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.“Let her work.”Lilly worked fast, grabbing supplies from the medical kit. She cut away the fabric around the wound, assessing the damage. The bullet hadn’t passed through it was lodged inside.“Shit.”With gloved hands, she cleaned around the wound, applying pressure to slow the bleeding. Her movements were steady, precise years of training kicking in.Jerry could barely breathe.“Is she going to be okay?” His voice cracked.Lilly didn’t answer immediately. She grabbed a hemostatic gauze and pressed it firmly against the wound.“This will slow it down until Damon gets here,” she murmured.Ray kept his focus on Jerry, who looked like a man on the verge of breaking.“She’l
The shockwave rattled the car, and Chloe instinctively ducked.“What the fuck—?!” Jerry shouted, glancing at the rearview mirror.One of the enemy vehicles was now a burning wreck.And behind it—The Alpha Team had arrived.Meanwhile, in the Shooter’s Car…Matt watched in horror as one of their vehicles went up in flames.He gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into the seat.“Stop shooting!” he roared.His men hesitated, confused.But one look at Matt’s expression—twisted with fury and frustration—was enough to make them obey.Clark, sitting beside him, turned with a scowl.“Boss, I thought you said they wouldn’t have backup until we reached the city.”Matt’s jaw clenched. His hands balled into fists.“Well, are you fucking blind?” he snapped. “Or just too dumb to realize we’re already in the city?”Clark stiffened.“They own this place,” Matt muttered, his voice low and furious. “This is their fucking territory.”Clark exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face.“Then why the h
Jerry’s hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white. His mind was spinning, Chloe’s words echoing in his head.“You never miss a chance to make me feel like an object.”“But guess what, Jerry? I’m not an object.”His jaw clenched.“When have I ever treated you like an object?” he asked, his voice unusually quiet—almost confused.Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes.Jerry, however, wasn’t done.His mind raced, trying to piece together where the hell he had gone wrong. Is that why she won’t give me a chance? Does she really think I see her that way?For the first time in his life, Jerry Mancini found himself questioning his own actions.And in doing so—He completely forgot they were being followed.A loud bang erupted behind them, and the car jolted violently to the side.Chloe snapped her head around, eyes widening as she saw the dark SUV gaining on them, its headlights like glowing eyes in the night.“Jerry, focus!” she shouted.Jerry’s head whipped back toward t