A⁴ MANOR — MORNING, 9AM
The living room was unusually peaceful. Sunlight spilled lazily through the large windows, casting a golden hue across the polished marble floors. Ace and Aiden sat on the couch, controllers in hand, deeply immersed in a video game. The occasional tap of buttons and low curses filled the air, until the peace shattered with the sudden slam of the main door.
"Asher?" Aiden dropped his controller.
Asher stood breathless, his eyes wide, hair disheveled like he'd been running. "Ariana's missing."
"What?" Ace bolted upright. Aiden froze.
Just then, Artemis emerged from the hallway, his usually calm face pale with worry. "Hitomi too," he said quietly. "I've been calling her since last night. No response. That's not like her. She always texts me back… always."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Aiden's phone began to ring. He grabbed it quickly, the name flashing: Modeling Agency. A sinking feeling twisted in his gut.
He answered. "Yes?"
The voice on the other end was tight with tension. "Mr. Aiden, it's about your sister… we—just this morning—we discovered her phone. It's broken. She didn't show up for her 6am call. It must've happened last night."
The room was spinning for Aiden.
At that moment, all their phones buzzed. One by one.
Aiden, Ace, Artemis, and Asher looked at each other, sharing the same grim expression. Each of them opened the message. It was a video.
Their hearts stopped.
The footage showed Hitomi, Ariana, Jade, and Arabella—barefoot, disheveled, still in pajamas. They were huddled together on what looked like a deserted island, surrounded by nothing but sand and distant rocks. No visible water. No trees. No shelter.
Hitomi's arm was bleeding. Jade was crying. Arabella was trying to calm Ariana, who looked like she was about to pass out.
A second message followed.
"Don't try to find them. Don't use your family's power. If you do, they disappear."
The words were plain but chilling. Aiden crushed his phone against his palm.
"Why?" Artemis muttered. "Why our sisters and girlfriends? Who would punish them like this?"
A silence fell—until Ace's eyes narrowed. "Lyric Cassandra Sandras."
The name dropped like a bomb.
"But why?" Asher growled.
Ace clenched his jaw. "I never understood why Lilian protected her so much. But after watching her slam someone into a wall with a smile, I knew she wasn't just some spoiled heiress. She's dangerous. And we hurt Lilian… so now she's hurting them."
The boys exchanged shocked glances.
Ace pulled out his phone and dialed someone immediately. "Find out what ward Lilian Garcia is in—St. Seraphina's Hospital. Private. Now."
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ST. SERAPHINA'S HOSPITAL — PRIVATE WARD
The air smelled of antiseptic and lavender. Lilian winced as the nurse gently dabbed at the cuts on her arm. Her body was aching from the beating she'd taken, and though she whined at the sting of antiseptic, her eyes kept flicking toward the silent figure beside her.
Lyric Cassandra Sandras sat on the couch, pressing her phone calmly. Immaculate as ever in a dark blazer and leather boots, her icy expression never cracked. The only time she moved was when the nurse asked what Lilian would want for lunch.
But instead, Lilian said quietly, "You didn't sleep last night."
Lyric didn't look up. "Haven't in 14 years. Not new."
Lilian sighed. Her ribs ached.
"You talk too much," Lyric said coldly, though her voice was quieter now. "I hate talking."
Lilian gave a weak smile, listed her breakfast order, and lay back. Lyric kept scrolling through her phone, unreadable.
Then her screen lit up—Call from Elena.
"What?" Lyric answered coolly.
"There was a shootout. The Dork cartel and the Onyx Fangs tried to hijack your shipment at Port Aramis."
Lyric's lips twitched slightly. The mask returned. "Handle it. If you can't, burn the whole dock."
She checked the time. 10:58 AM.
She stood just as the door burst open.
The A⁴ walked in—Ace leading, with Aiden right behind, Artemis and Asher in tow. Their presence filled the room with heat and fury.
Lilian sat up, heart pounding. Lyric stood still, her expression unreadable.
Aiden rushed to her, grabbing her coat roughly. "Where did you take them?! Where are the girls?!"
Lyric didn't flinch. Her voice was softer than silk but colder than death. "Let go of me."
The glint in her ocean-blue eyes was enough to make Aiden stagger back.
She looked him in the eyes, her voice void of any human emotion. "Originally, I planned to have five men rape each of them. And I would live stream it for the world. But Lilian—" she gestured vaguely— "talked me out of it."
The boys froze.
"I changed the plan. Not because I care. But because rape might not hurt sluts. You can't rape the willing." Her lips curled. "But if they anger me again… I will kill them. And I'll wrap their bodies in silk and send them to you as farewell gifts."
"Lyric!" Lilian gasped. She jumped down from the bed, crying out as her knees hit the cold floor. The pain was sharp, but the look Lyric gave her—like she was trash—hurt more.
Ace stepped forward slowly. He pulled off his black face mask.
Lyric turned to face him—and froze.
The world stopped.
Her breath caught in her throat. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Her pupils dilated as her gaze locked onto his features. The soft, pointed jawline. The deep-set eyes. The small scar on his right brow. The sharp nose. The soft pink lips.
It was him. It was Liam.
Or it should have been.
Liam… her twin brother. Her light. Her protector. He died when he was five. But standing in front of her was his grown-up version. Exactly how she imagined he'd look if he hadn't died.
Her mind fractured.
Images from the past slammed into her—Liam laughing. Liam protecting her. Liam screaming as the fire consumed the room.
Her chest tightened. Her fists clenched.
Kill. Kill. KILL THEM!
Her vision blurred with blood and memories. Her eyes reddened.
Ace took a step forward, unaware of the mental storm inside her.
But Artemis saw it.
"Back off!" Artemis shouted.
Too late.
Lyric screamed. A deep, animalistic cry tore from her throat. She grabbed the IV stand next to her and hurled it across the room. The metal crashed against the wall.
Nurses screamed from outside. The guards rushed in.
Lilian, tears streaming down her cheeks, crawled to her. "Lyric… stop… please…"
But Lyric's mind was lost to the past.
Liam was gone.
And someone wore his face.