ANMELDENSERPENT TERRITORY“This is insane and magnificent,” the doctor mumbled to himself.Hearing this, Cordelia yanked his hair back and slammed his head onto the table, pinning him there as she watched him cry out in pain.“Magnificent? You have got to be shitting me. You told me her body would listen once her memories changed. So tell me, why the fuck does she still flinch at other men’s touch?”“I’m sorry, Madam. I… I’ll fix this. I just need more time. A week, and all will be done.”“Twenty-four hours.”“Madam, with all due respect… th-that is not possible. It could lead to severe complications. The subject could go into shock or develop a severe mental disorder.”Cordelia scoffed. She swiftly pulled out her gun and shot him twice in the head. Everyone flinched at the sound except the Serpent members. Blood stained her dress. Dropping the gun, she turned to the second doctor.“Twenty-four hours. That’s the number of hours you have to choose whether you live or not.”The doctor trembled.
CARLOSThe ticking of the wall clock echoed through the screen-lit room, each sound more dreadful than the last. They were cruel reminders of every second she had spent there.It had been a week, five days, and twenty-three hours with constant nightmares and the backward slide of his sanity.The walls he had spent six years building to gather the broken pieces of himself were failing fast.He no longer saw himself as the one they tore apart each day. He saw her. Kyla. Being treated the same way he once was.“Hey, man,” Michael’s voice echoed through the speaker. “He’s here.”The door hissed open as Carlos stepped into the room. Across from him sat his therapist. The old man straightened at the sight of Carlos, lips parting slightly.The room grew tense and silent.“I see you’ve gone back, without my knowledge,” Doctor Ethan said. “Now all I see in your eyes is the man from six years ago.”“That’s not why I called you,” Carlos muttered, his voice low and stripped of warmth. “You’ve kno
~Paris~Chelsea shut her novel with a deep sigh.“Mom, we should go back.” She shot a look at Helen, who was cooking.“She will answer. Relax, Chels.”“Relax?” Chelsea snapped. “It’s been over a week and Kyla hasn’t responded to my texts, which is so unusual. Three days is the maximum we ever go without talking, and now not only do I feel something is wrong, she has never been like this.”“It’s probably the clinic she’s trying to set up,” Helen said calmly. “I have a friend who went through the same process and barely had time for anyone for a month.”“Mom,” Chelsea said sharply as she stood. “We’re her only family. Aren’t you at least a little concerned?”“I am concerned. I just don’t think going back is the next option. Call Mike.”Chelsea groaned softly. “Look, I understand you’re not completely over what happened in New York, but how about we leave the past in the past and focus on finding a way to communicate with Kyla, because I’m freaking out.”Chelsea dialed Michael’s number f
KYLA Kyla paced the room, fingers clenched, palms sweating, breath shaky. It had been a week since she woke up locked inside the room she suddenly found herself in.The last thing she remembered was the violent blast, then everything went blank.She knew this was not Carlos's doing. He would never lock her up. Which left her with only one conclusion.She was in the Serpent territory. Cordelia had her. And if she did, was Carlos even alive?Kyla exhaled slowly. He better be alright or she was going to lose her mind.Meals and water were slid in through the lower door opening. Kyla always sniffed them first to check for anything strange.The first rule Vee taught her was to save her strength and stay calm. If she wanted to escape, she needed her energy. Her gentleness would also make the enemies lower their guard.Finally the door opened. A bald man stood at the entrance and signaled for her to follow. Kyla did so without question. Cordelia must have sent for her.There was no natural
The silence in the room was defeaning, shrouded with tension. “I’m not your enemy, Carlos,” Taylan finally said cautiously.“You killed John Harper. You exposed Kyla’s identity on the dark web. And here you are claiming you’re not my enemy? You want to know what I think about that? Let these cuffs loose.” Carlos raised a brow.“Carlos, I… I know I’m shit.”“You work for the Serpent.”“No.” Taylan shook his head. “It was my twin brother who was involved. When he was killed along with my parent, a French woman showed up with ‘evidence’ that John Harper did it. I was depressed, messed up, blinded by anger. All I wanted was revenge. And she wanted to give that to me. If I helped her.”Carlos gave a humorless chuckle. “Bullshit.”“She gave me the title my twin carried. The Whisperer. Since I wasn't as skilled as a hacker, she assigned me small tasks. I found John and his daughter… and I started my revenge. After exposing Kyla, I sabotaged John’s car. Cordelia covered every track of mine.”
Cordelia lit a cigarette. Calm as ever, she took a drag and exhaled slowly.“I was there when it happened,” she said, eyes distant as if watching an old nightmare replay in front of her. “Father forced me to watch it from a wheelchair. I had just come out of a coma. He said it was punishment… for falling in love with a hunter and causing half of the empire to crumble.”Kyla froze, the pieces connecting in her mind like shards slicing her open.The truth hit her like a blow. She didn’t want to believe it—any of it.Her face was soaked with tears. She shook her head, eyes burning as she stared at Cordelia. The aged devil who dared to call herself her mother.“Are you saying…” Kyla’s voice cracked. “I was… a victim of the Serpent? And they are the reason I’m like this?”“As a mother, I couldn’t bear it,” Cordelia replied softly. “I cried until my chest ached. When John broke the perimeter, I told the doctors to save you immediately. And thankfully, you came back to life before he found y
"She's asleep," Micheal said, stepping out from the private cabin.Carlos hummed, eyes closed as he listened to the soft hum of the private jet.They were heading back to New York."Do you think she'll talk?" Micheal asked, referring to the girl Makoto gifted Carlos.It's still a baffle how they st
KYLAKyla struggled to keep her breath steady as she wiped the red wine stain from her dress. She was damn sure Aurora was behind this, and for what account exactly? She didn’t even know Carlos had a fiancée, and the thought of it made her sick in a weird kind of way.The door creaked open, and Au
Kyla was lying on the couch, hands above her head like he commanded. Her heart was painfully beating against her rib like it was about to burst in anticipation.When Carlos appeared in dark trousers and a red shirt, Kyla almost whimpered.Why is he dressed up when she'd literally seen him naked a m
KYLAMidnight snacks had always been her favorite. It was a habit she'd picked up since high school. It's like an alarm automatically pulling her out of the bed and heading downstairs for one.Ice cream was her favorite.Except this night... She saw the unexpected.A muscular hot devil in glasses l







