Novels by Menah_writes

It was the night before the Gala. The dorm was filled with the smell of hairspray and the sound of girls laughing in the hallway. Lucy tried to stay calm. She carefully took the red silk dress out of its bag and hung it on the wardrobe. In the dim light, the dress was stunning. it sparkled like fire. She brushed her fingers against the soft fabric, making sure there were no wrinkles. Zoe was sitting on her bed, looking at her phone. She looked up and stared at the dress for a long time. "It really is pretty, Lucy," Zoe said. Her voice sounded flat. "Everyone will be looking at you tomorrow." "I just want the night to be over, Zoe," Lucy said. Her head was starting to hurt. "I’m going to the lounge to get some tea. Do you want some?" Zoe waited a second before answering. "Yeah, please." Lucy grabbed two mugs and left. The hot water machine was slow, and she had to wait behind three other girls. She stood there thinking about Jonathan. She had hidden her secret phone under her pil

The University Gala was only three days away. The air on campus had changed; students were talking about nothing but their outfits, their dates, and the guest list. For Lucy, the countdown felt like a tightening rope. Every time she checked her phone, the red tracking dot reminded her that Adrian was watching her every move, she couldn't risk a phone call or a text message to talk to Jonathan. She walked toward the university library, her movements stiff. She knew the security guard was likely watching from a distance, and she knew Adrian would see her location update on his screen. The library was one of her safe zones, so she stayed within the lines.Inside, the library was crowded with students cramming for midterms. Lucy didn't go to her usual desk. Instead, she headed for the bank of public computers near the reference desk. These machines were old and slow, used mostly for looking up book locations in the archives. She sat down at a terminal in the middle of a row.She opened a

Lucy jumped as her phone vibrated against the wooden table in the silent room. She looked at the screen. It was her mother. Since Adrian had installed the tracking app and blocked her unknown contacts, every call felt like a potential explosion. She swiped to answer, her fingers trembling."Hey mom. How are you?" Lucy asked, her voice tight."Lucy! He’s awake!" Martha’s voice was high-pitched. "Your father opened his eyes about ten minutes ago. He’s looking around. The nurses are with him now.""I’m coming right now," Lucy said.She grabbed her bag and ran out of the room. She didn't even bother to check the mirror or change out of her casual clothes. As she burst through the dormitory’s heavy front doors, she saw a black car parked at the curb. A man in a dark suit, one of Adrian’s personal security guards, stepped out and opened the back door. He didn't say a word. He just pointed to the seat.Lucy realized then that the tracking app wasn't the only way Adrian was watching her. He h

Lucy sat at her desk, trying to focus on her notes, but the silence of the dorm room felt heavy. Zoe had left early, claiming she had errands to run for her "mystery man." Lucy took the opportunity to check her hidden folder one last time, sending a quick "I miss you" to Jonathan before deleting the trace.Someone suddenly started banging the door aggressively. Just before she could stand up, the door swung open. Adrian stood in the doorway. His eyes looked bloodshot and he wasn’t wearing his usual polished suit. He didn't say hello, he just barged into the room and kicked the door shut behind him."Give it to me," he said, his voice a low, dangerous growl.Lucy stood up, her legs trembling. "Give you what, Adrian? What are you doing here? You can't just burst into my room.""The phone, Lucy. Now." He held out his hand, his fingers twitching. "I’ve been watching the logs on the family plan. You’ve been active at odd hours. My father’s security team flagged several long outgoing calls

Lucy walked back to the dorm with her head down. The interaction with the professor kept playing in her head. When she entered the room, it was empty. Zoe was out, likely already preparing for the shopping trip or meeting her new boyfriend. Lucy dropped her bag on the floor and climbed into bed without changing her clothes.She pulled out her phone and opened the hidden folder. She called Jonathan."Hey," he answered on the second ring. His voice was warm and calm. "How was the test?""Awful," Lucy whispered, a tear escaping and hitting her pillow. "I fell asleep at my desk last night and missed the last three chapters. I barely finished half the questions. The professor pulled me aside afterward.""Lucy, hey, listen to me," Jonathan said firmly but gently. "One test does not define you. You’ve been through a lot this week. Anyone else would have collapsed days ago. You’re human, not a machine."They talked for a long time. Jonathan told her about a project he was working on. As he sp

Lucy groaned as she woke up, her neck stiff and her back aching. As she blinked her eyes open, she realized she wasn't in her bed. She was still sitting at her desk, her forehead resting on the open pages of her art history textbook. She sat up slowly, rubbing her sore neck. Across the room, Zoe was standing in front of the full-length mirror, blotting her lipstick with a tissue. She was already fully dressed in a stylish knit dress and tall boots."Zoe?" Lucy’s voice was thick with sleep. She glanced at the clock on the wall and her heart stopped. It was 8:15 AM. Her test started at nine. "Why didn't you wake me up? "Zoe didn't turn around. She adjusted her hair in the mirror, her expression neutral. "I saw you passed out pretty hard, Lucy. Honestly, you looked like you really needed the sleep. I figured ten more minutes wouldn't hurt, and then I got distracted getting ready. I thought your alarm would go off eventually.""My alarm was set for six," Lucy said, grabbing her phone. T

POV: DamienWe ran for the stairs at the end of the hall. Silas kept firing from the ceiling. Bullets smashed the mirrors around us. Sharp pieces of glass flew through the air like rain. One piece cut my cheek, but I didn't stop."Go! Go!" I yelled.We burst through the door at the end of the hallway. It led to the very top of the bell tower. It was a wide, open space with huge bells hanging from the wooden beams. The wind blew through the open stone arches. Below us, the city looked small and gray.I looked around for Silas. The room was empty."Where is he?" Sera asked. She was leaning against a beam, trying to catch her breath.Suddenly, a shadow dropped from the ceiling above.Silas landed on his feet like a cat. He didn't have his rifle anymore. He held a long, silver blade in one hand and a pistol in the other. He looked messy. His suit was torn, and his hair looked wild. The calm mask he always wore was finally gone."This is it, Damien," Silas said. He pointed the gun at my ch

## **CHAPTER 128 — “The Hall of Mirrors”****POV: Damien**The stairs to the bell tower were narrow and dark. My boots clicked against the stone. I held my gun out in front of me. Sera followed close behind. I could hear her breathing fast but she didn't stop.We reached a heavy wooden door at the top. I pushed it open with my shoulder.Inside was a long, wide hallway. It was strange. The walls were covered in tall, old mirrors. Some were cracked. Some were dusty. There were dozens of them. I saw myself everywhere I looked. I saw Sera, too. It was hard to tell where the real hallway ended and the reflections began."Stay close to me," I whispered. I took her hand. Her palm was sweaty. "Don't look at the glass. Look at the floor."We started to walk. The only sound was our footsteps. Then, a speaker hidden in the ceiling turned on.A woman started to sing a soft, sweet lullaby.Sera stopped moving. Her hand shook in mine. "That’s her," she whispered. "That’s my mother’s voice.""It is

POV: DamienWe lay together in the dark. Our breathing was slow."We survive," she whispered."That is the only rule for tomorrow. We survive.""We survive," I said as I kissed her hand."Get some sleep," I whispered. I watched her close her eyes. Soon the both of us fell asleep. —————————The morning air in the mountain was cold and sharp. I woke up before the sun was fully up. Sera was still asleep beside me. I stayed still for a moment, just listening to her breathe. I knew that by tonight, the world would be different. Either Silas would be dead, or we would be.I got out of bed and dressed in my dark tactical gear. I checked my belt, my knife, and my handgun. When Sera woke up, she didn't say much. She dressed in the dark clothes we had laid out the night before. We went to the main hub of the fortress. Gideon was standing by the heavy steel door. He looked like he hadn't slept at all. He had a bag of food and water ready for us.I walked up to him. He looked at me, and I saw t

POV: DamienThe plan was different now.I looked at Sera in the dim light of the room. For days, I tried to hide her away. I wanted her in a safe corner where the world could not touch her. But she was right. Silas was never going to stop. He followed us everywhere. The only way to end this was to use the one thing Silas wanted most to lure him into a trap."If we do this," I said. My voice was low. "You aren’t hiding, we have to keep him focused on you that he will forget to look anywhere else."Sera nodded. She picked up a small knife from the table. She ran her thumb along the edge. "Let’s give him what he wants."We trained for the next three hours without mercy.I taught her how to survive a man twice her size. I showed her the soft spots on a body. “Again,” I ordered.I stepped behind her and locked my arm around her neck tightly. My arm pressed against her throat, just enough to scare her not hurt her.“If he grabs you like this, don’t pull away,” I growled in her ear. “Lean b

POV: DamienThe monitors in the war room usually showed nothing but the quiet white snowy mountains But this morning, every screen was lit up playing a tape.Luca was typing so fast and his face was pale. "Boss, you need to see this. Silas isn't hiding anymore. He’s gone loud. He wants the whole world to watch."I walked over to the main console. On the center screen, a news report from the city was playing on a loop. The words at the bottom were bright red: SENIOR COUNCIL MEMBER KIDNAPPED.It was Moretti, One of the oldest men on the High Table. He had survived wars and assassins for thirty years, but someone had snatched him from his own home in broad daylight. His guards were all dead on the grass."He’s started a live stream," Luca whispered. He looked like he wanted to throw up.The screen flickered, and the news was cut off. A grainy video started playing instead.I recognized the room immediately. It was a basement in the old shipyard— the same place where Silas had kept Ser

CHAPTER 122 — “The Quiet Between”POV: SeraThe locket felt heavy in my palm.I was sitting on the edge of the bed in the small, stone-walled room we shared. The fortress was silent now except for the sound of the generators. My father was asleep in the next room, but I couldn't even close my eyes. Every time I did, I heard that scratchy recording of my mother’s voice.Silas was out there in the dark, and he was still using my own heart against me. The door creaked open and Damien stepped in, his silhouette blocking the light from the hallway. He looked exhausted.He didn't say anything. He just sat down on the edge of the bed next to me."I can't stop thinking about it," I whispered, my voice shaking. "How he held onto her things for all these years. It’s like he was always planning to break me."Damien reached out, his large hands covering mine. He gently opened my fingers and took the locket, setting it on the small nightstand. Then, he took both of my hands in his."Look at me, Se