Dinner at the Whitmore estate was unusually quiet. The long mahogany table stretched endlessly, golden chandeliers bathing it in light. Zayden’s sharp eyes never left his sister as she delicately spooned soup into her bowl.
Zayden (lightly, masking suspicion):60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZ1FiF8Zxl
“Why did you go to HBS today, little one?”
Zaylee’s hand trembled, just slightly, before she lowered the spoon. Her lips curved into a practiced smile.
Zaylee (softly):60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACar91c7gt
“I met an old school friend. We studied together in Switzerland.”
Zayden’s gaze hardened. He could smell a lie even in silence. And yet, he said nothing. He had already heard from his men—her shadows, her guards—were ambushed, beaten to death near Harvard Business School. Whoever she met was powerful enough to erase CCTV footage and wipe paparazzi pictures.
Zayden (masking his thoughts, voice calm):60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1ZmwlCCrs
“Alright, little one. Eat your food.”
But inside, his chest ached. She’s no longer my little sister. She’s growing into her own world… and I don’t know who waits for her there.
That night, in her room, Zaylee lay on her silk sheets, heart racing. She replayed the moment in the corridor, the way his rough voice had softened when he whispered it—“Ayle.” No one had ever called her that. She rolled on her pillow, giggling like a girl who’d tasted love for the first time.
Meanwhile, at the Hawke estate, Alaric was sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling like a man drunk on memory. Every detail of Zaylee’s presence replayed in his mind—the warmth of her hands, her smile, that one word she left him with.
He didn’t even hear Alana calling his name.
Alana (snapping, shaking him):60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeGjwEGqQH
“Alaric! I’ve been calling you for ages!”
He blinked, returning from his dream. For Alana, her brother’s distracted smile was a knife twisting in her chest. She had always been obsessed with him, deeper than obsession—sick, consuming. But to Alaric, she was nothing more than his little sister. He never knew the truth.
For reality was darker: Alana wasn’t his blood at all. She was the legal heir of the Hawke patriarch, while Alaric was an adopted outsider the patriarch adored more than his own kin. The patriarch’s favoritism had always been cruel to Alana. It was Alaric who was tasked with the illegal empire, while Alana watched from the shadows, jealous, broken, and consumed by forbidden hunger.
And it was Alana who years ago had slipped a drug into his drink, forcing him into a night he never remembered, stripping him of innocence. Since then, Alaric’s descent into women, lust, and chaos had been nothing but her poisoned doing.
Later that night, Alaric sat in his room, restless. He facepalmed suddenly.
Alaric (grinning to himself):60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZt3f37Eh3
“Idiot… you forgot to ask her number…”
He laughed, hysterical, slapping his forehead, then smiling, then groaning again. He had never been like this in his life.
At the doorway, Rhinya—another adopted child of the Hawke patriarch, one who kept her distance from the filth of the family—leaned against the frame, watching. First she stared, then she burst into laughter.
Rhinya (teasing):60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjf3GHxjjiu
“Brother, what are you doing? Smiling, then crying, then facepalming—are you mad?”
Alaric (snapping):60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0Fb93FnXX
“Shut up.”
Rhinya (grinning, stepping closer):60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGo5cjfkceJ
“…Are you in love? Tell me.”
For once, Alaric didn’t smirk, didn’t hide behind arrogance. He simply smiled faintly… and nodded.
Rhinya’s eyes widened, then softened into joy.
Rhinya:60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOplP7LXdC
“Finally… you deserve this.”
But in the shadows outside the door, Alana had heard everything. Her nails dug into her palms until they bled.
Alana (inwardly, trembling with fury):60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6n0XRO7S6B
He… fell in love with someone. Whoever she is… she’s doomed.
and then Add to home screen.