The Invitation

Broken diamonds lay upon the black marble floor that reflected the chandelier light. Power, money, control, fear, everything screams inside the penthouse. No one here dares to say a word without permission.

Men in black suits stood at every entrance with guns hidden beneath tailored jackets. The city stretched below the glass walls like prey beneath a throne. A throne is a symbol of the Moretti Empire.

And in the middle of it all sat Aiden Moretti.

King of the underworld.

He lounged lazily across the leather sofa; one arm stretched over the backrest while a cigar burned slowly between his fingers. Expensive rings glinted beneath the dim gold lights. His expression remained calm, coldly handsome, and terrifyingly relaxed. It was as if he hadn't just ended a few lives.

He is the kind of man who could order a city burned down while sipping whiskey. And people would thank him for it.

Across from him, his brothers occupied the room like predators in their own territory.

Lucien sat cleaning blood from a knife with a white cloth.

Damian leaned against the bar counter, drinking expensive wine.

Roman scrolled through financial reports while casually approving the destruction of three rival businesses through text.

And Victor?

Victor was laughing.

Because in his hand was a cream-colored envelope.

"A reunion invitation," he said mockingly.

The entire room went silent for one second.

Then Aiden chuckled.

Low.

Dangerous.

Amused.

"High school?" Damian scoffed. "Those idiots are still alive?"

Victor opened the envelope dramatically.

"Ten-Year Reunion Gala," he read. "Hosted by Saint Augustine Academy. Formal attire required."

Lucien snorted.

"Formal attire. Cute."

Roman didn't even look up from his phone.

"They probably want donations."

"They absolutely want donations," Victor agreed. "Apparently the school's going bankrupt."

That finally made Aiden laugh. A real laugh this time. Dark amusement echoed through the massive penthouse.

Saint Augustine Academy.

The same school where teachers trembled around him even back then. Where students worshipped him. Where girls followed him like desperate little things. They hope he will choose one of them as his future, as the empire's future, as his queen.

Isabella Vale once stood beside him in the same place.

The memory surfaced briefly before disappearing beneath years of arrogance and power.

Victor suddenly smirked.

"Oh."

Damian noticed immediately.

"That look means trouble."

Victor waved the invitation lazily.

"Guess who is listed under the alumni committee?"

Lucien glanced over. Then barked out a laugh.

"No fucking way."

Roman finally looked up.

"A name?"

Victor grinned.

"Isabella Vale."

The room exploded into amusement.

Damian nearly choked on his drink laughing. 

"Sweet little Isabella?" he mocked. "Still alive?"

Lucien leaned back with a cruel grin.

"She used to follow Aiden around like a lost puppy."

"Correction," Victor said smugly. "She used to follow all of us around."

"She was annoying," Damian muttered.

"She was loyal," Roman corrected flatly.

Silence.

Then Lucien scoffed.

"Same thing."

Aiden remained quiet.

His gaze stayed fixed on the burning city outside. But the mention of Isabella dragged old memories from places he rarely touched anymore. A girl with soft eyes and stubborn determination. Always carrying books against her chest. Always trying to stop their fights.

Always looking at him like he was something human. Back before blood stained his hands permanently. Back before the empire. Back before fear became the only language he respected.

Victor laughed again.

"She actually signed the invitation personally."

He flipped the card dramatically.

"To all my old classmates. I hope life has treated you kindly."

Damian made a disgusted face.

"She always talked like that."

Lucien smirked cruelly.

"Bet she became a teacher or something pathetic."

"No," Victor said thoughtfully. "She probably married a broke office worker and now spends her days packing lunchboxes."

Roman gave a small, humorless smile.

"She always was weak."

That word settled heavily in the room.

Weak.

Isabella had always been weak.

Too soft.

Too emotional.

Too kind for people like them.

And kindness didn't survive in their world.

Aiden finally spoke.

Cold.

Dismissive.

"She was never meant to stand beside us."

The room quieted immediately.

Because when Aiden spoke, everyone listened. He took the invitation from Victor and looked at Isabella's signature.

Elegant handwriting.

Still neat.

Still delicate.

It irritated him for some reason.

It was as if time had failed to preserve anything about her.

"She wanted equality," Aiden said calmly. "Remember that?"

Damian laughed loudly.

"Oh God."

Lucien grinned wickedly.

"She used to argue with us constantly."

"She cried when we beat that senior half to death," Victor recalled with amusement.

Roman smirked faintly.

"She called us monsters."

Aiden's expression remained unreadable.

"She thought love could change people."

Silence.

Then he laughed softly.

Not warmly.

Not kindly.

Cruelly.

"How embarrassing."

Victor sprawled dramatically across the couch.

"I still remember when she demanded you stop Father's operations."

Damian burst out laughing again.

"She really thought Aiden would abandon an empire for her."

"She thought she mattered," Lucien corrected.

That sentence darkened the room. Because it was true.

Once upon a time, Isabella truly believed she mattered to them.

Back then, the Moretti brothers were dangerous already, but not untouchable yet. Rich heirs with violent tendencies. Sons of monsters inherit an empire dripping with blood. And Isabella.

She had stood in the middle of them fearlessly. Trying to pull humanity from wolves. A stupid mistake. Eventually power grew. Money multiplied. Bodies piled higher. And the gap between them became impossible to ignore. One night changed everything.

A charity gala.

Isabella arrived wearing a simple black dress while women around them dripped in diamonds and political influence. People laughed quietly behind her back. The brothers noticed. And instead of defending her,. They felt ashamed.

Ashamed of her simplicity. Of her softness. Of her humanity. That night Aiden looked at her and finally realized something horrifying. She looked ordinary.

And powerful men could not afford ordinary things beside them. So, he destroyed her himself before the world could mock him for loving her. The memory returned vividly now.

"You're embarrassing me," Aiden had said coldly that night.

Isabella stared at him like she'd been shot.

"Aiden..."

"You don't belong here."

Silence.

Pain.

Confusion.

Then Lucien added mercilessly,

"You were fun when we were younger, Bella. But look around."

Damian smirked.

"Do you seriously think someone like you can stand beside us?"

Roman's silence had hurt worst of all.

And Victor,

Victor laughed.

The brothers had watched her break apart as a unit.

Like a pack.

Aiden remembered her trembling hands. Remembered tears she tried not to show.

Remembered the exact moment she realized none of them loved her enough to choose her instead of power.

Then she left and never came back. Now, years later. Here they were again.

Kings.

Untouchable.

Feared across continents.

And Isabella?

Probably nothing.

Aiden tossed the invitation onto the table carelessly.

"Insect," he muttered.

Victor grinned.

"Still angry?"

"No," Aiden replied calmly. "Just uninterested."

Damian smirked.

"You think she will come running if she sees you again?"

Lucien laughed.

"She probably still loves him."

Roman finally closed his phone.

"Women like her don't move on easily."

Aiden leaned back lazily.

"She will look exactly the same."

"Weaker probably," Victor added.

"Older," Damian said cruelly.

"Still pathetic," Lucien finished.

The room filled with quiet amusement. Outside, thunder rolled over the city. A storm is approaching. Aiden picked up his whiskey glass slowly. Amber liquid reflected in his dark eyes.

"She wanted fairness," he murmured. "The world doesn't work that way."

Nobody argued. Because fairness truly didn't exist in their world.

Only power.

And they had all of it.

Victor suddenly grinned mischievously.

"We should go."

Damian blinked.

"To the reunion?"

"Yes."

Lucien smirked immediately.

"Oh, that sounds entertaining."

Roman's expression sharpened thoughtfully.

"The entire school would panic."

Victor laughed.

"Exactly."

Aiden stayed silent for several moments.

Then slowly. A dangerous smile appeared on his face.

Cold.

Arrogant.

Beautiful.

"Fine."

The brothers grinned instantly.

Aiden stood from the sofa, towering over the room with terrifying presence.

"Let's revisit the past."

Thunder cracked outside violently.

And somewhere far away. A woman named Isabella Vale had absolutely no idea that the devils she once loved were about to walk back into her life.

The devils also have no idea what is actually coming for them.