LOGINAriana POVThe moment Sean said there was another way in, the room changed again. It was not a physical change I could point at, but something in the air shifted, like the control I thought I had was slipping out of my hands. My chest tightened as I stared at him, trying to understand how he could say something like that so calmly."What do you mean another way in?" I asked slowly.Sean did not rush his answer. He stood there like he had all the time in the world, even though everything around us felt like it was about to collapse. That calmness made it harder to trust him."It means exactly what I said," he replied. "Your father did not design a single lock. He designed a system that adapts."Nick stepped forward immediately, his voice sharp. "You’re changing the rules after bringing us here," he said. "That’s not how this works.""It is when the system is still alive," Sean replied.That sentence made my stomach turn slightly. The idea that something my father created was still acti
Ariana POVThe moment the door burst open, everything inside me froze. I did not just see a stranger or another threat. I saw someone I recognized, and that made it worse than anything else we had faced so far. My breath caught in my throat as my eyes locked on him, trying to understand how he could be standing there.It was Sean. For a second, my mind refused to accept it. The same Sean who had been around us, who acted normal, who never once gave me a reason to doubt him. He stood at the entrance now with a calm expression, like none of this was surprising to him."You look shocked," he said, stepping into the room slowly.My chest tightened as I stared at him. "What are you doing here?" I asked.Sean’s lips curved slightly, but it was not a real smile. "The better question is why you’re here," he replied.Nick moved in front of me instantly, his body tense and ready. "You don’t get to flip this," he said. "Start explaining."Sean glanced at him briefly, his expression unreadable. "
Ariana POVThe structure in the center of the room pulled my attention in a way I could not explain. It was not large or flashy, but something about it felt important, like it carried weight beyond what I could see. My chest tightened as I took another slow step forward, my eyes fixed on it while my mind tried to catch up."What is it?" I asked again, my voice quieter now.The man moved slightly to the side, giving me a clearer view. "It’s the core," he said. "The place where everything your father hid connects."That answer did not help much, but it made my heart beat faster. Nick stayed close behind me, his presence steady but tense. "You don’t touch anything yet," he said. "We understand it first.""I don’t think we’re going to get full understanding before something happens," I replied."Then we slow it down," he said."We’ve been trying that," I said, my eyes still on the structure. "It hasn’t worked."Laura stepped closer as well, her gaze sharp and focused. "He’s right about on
Ariana POVThe moment my hand touched the wall, something deep inside the building shifted. It was not loud at first, but I felt it more than I heard it, like a low movement running through the structure beneath my feet. My breath caught as I pulled my hand back quickly, my heart racing as I stared at the wall in front of me.For a second, nothing else happened. Then a sharp click echoed through the room, followed by a slow, grinding sound that made my chest tighten. The wall in front of me began to move, not fully opening, but sliding just enough to reveal a narrow space behind it.Nick stepped closer instantly, his hand brushing my arm. "Are you okay?" he asked."I think so," I replied, even though my pulse was still racing. "I didn’t expect it to actually work.""It was always going to work," the man said from behind us. His voice was calm again, like this was exactly what he had been waiting for.That did not make me feel better. The opening in the wall grew wider, just enough for
Ariana POVThe staircase looked darker than the hallway, and something about it made my chest tighten before I even took a step. It was not just the lack of light. It felt like a line, like once I crossed it, there was no going back to the version of things I understood before.I paused at the top, my fingers tightening around my phone as I tried to steady my breathing. The last message still sat on my screen, and I could not shake the feeling that it was not just a warning. It felt like a promise."You don’t have to do this," Nick said quietly beside me.I turned slightly to look at him, and the tension in his face made something in my chest ache. He was trying to stay calm, but I could see how much this was affecting him."I do," I replied. "If I walk away now, I stay confused. And I’m tired of that.""You could be walking into something worse," he said."I already am," I answered. "At least this way, I’ll know what it is."Mark stepped closer, his voice steady but low. "We go down
Ariana POVThe figure at the end of the hallway did not move, and somehow that made everything worse. It was not fear or hesitation that kept him still. It felt like control, like he knew we would come closer anyway, and he did not need to rush.My chest tightened as I stared at him, trying to make out his face clearly in the dim light. The longer I looked, the more familiar he seemed, but I could not place where I had seen him before. That feeling sat heavy in my stomach. "Who is that?" I asked quietly.Laura did not answer immediately, and that silence made my heart beat faster. She stepped forward slowly, her posture straight, her expression unreadable. "You already know him," she said."I don’t," I replied."You do," she repeated.That did not help. Nick moved slightly in front of me, his body tense and ready. "We don’t go any further until we understand what’s happening," he said.Mark did not argue, but he did not fully agree either. His eyes stayed locked on the man ahead, calc
Sofia and I decided to have a sleepover at her house since we haven't had one of those in a while and it was also the only way of getting Nick out of my head. We decided to watch a marathon of sisters because it's the only show we could agree on watching. Sofia popped down next to me on her comf
I was stuffing my books into my backpack when a sudden knock on the door pulled my attention."I'm coming!" I yelled, as I dragged myself to the door, and pulled it open.I blinked, taking aback on seeing Eve, Nick's mom"Ariana," She faked a smile as she eyed me from head to toe, sizing me up. I r
Nick* * * *I loved this part. I loved meeting the fans, loved the selfies and jokes and words of praises. I loved the look in all of their eyes as they looked at me, it told me that I wasn't just a player, I was part of their lives. And I lived for it.The team and I walked into the crowd a
"She's gay." He blurted out.I narrowed my eyes. "Gay?""Yes, she's involved with some girl, okay! We're just pretending to be a thing because her parents doesn't approve her sexual choices, and I need her father's influence in growing my career."I swallowed. "But that only complicates this... wha