Chapter Five

Could Adriel have possibly taken action? No, that's so soon. Or the loan sharks? No, she had cleared all her father's debts. 

Nyla quickly dialed her father’s number with shaking fingers to erase her confusion.

The phone rang twice before he answered, sounding far too cheerful for a man whose house had just been emptied.

“Dad? Where are you? What happened to our things?” She burst out. 

There was a brief pause on the other end, then his familiar sigh. “Nyla, calm down. I can explain.”

“Explain?” she echoed, pacing the small empty living room. Her footsteps bounced off bare walls that used to hold family pictures. “You sold everything, didn’t you? You gambled it away again.”

“No,” he said quickly. “I didn’t gamble anything. I sold some of the properties, yes—but not for the reason you think.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Then what reason could possibly make sense?”

Another pause.

“I’m getting married.”

The words dropped like a stone into water.

For a long moment Nyla couldn’t speak.

“You’re… what?”

“Married,” he repeated gently. “I’ve met someone, Nyla. A wonderful woman. She’s been helping me get back on my feet. That’s why I sold the house. We’re moving in with her.”

Nyla pressed a hand to her forehead.

This couldn’t be real.

First Adriel Stetson turned out to be her masked tormentor, now her father was suddenly getting remarried without even telling her?

“Dad, you can’t be serious,” she whispered.

“I am. And I want you to meet her. I’m sending you the address. Please come.”

Before she could argue, her phone buzzed with a new message.

An address and it is the most expensive estate in the city. 

……….

The cab dropped her off in front of a towering iron gate.

Nyla stepped out slowly, staring.

The house in front of her wasn’t just big—it was massive. A modern mansion with gleaming windows, wide balconies, and a driveway that looked like something out of a magazine.

Her father was standing near the entrance, waving nervously.

“Sweetheart!” he called.

She walked toward him, still trying to process everything.

“Dad, what is this place?”

He smiled awkwardly. “This is… home now.”

Before she could respond, the front door opened and a woman stepped out.

Tall, elegant, dressed in a cream-colored dress with perfectly styled hair.

“Nyla, this is Miranda. My fiancée.” Her father said proudly,

Miranda smiled warmly. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Nyla forced a polite smile, shaking her hand.

There was something familiar about the woman, but she couldn’t place it.

Maybe she had seen her somewhere before. Or maybe her mind was just too overwhelmed to think straight.

“I… didn’t know Dad was seeing anyone,” Nyla said carefully.

Miranda gave a soft laugh. “It all happened quite fast, dear. But I adore your father.”

Nyla glanced at him, still in disbelief.

Just yesterday they had been struggling to pay bills, and now he was standing in front of a mansion talking about marriage.

It felt like she had stepped into someone else’s life.

As Miranda began explaining excitedly about rooms and arrangements, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway interrupted her.

Nyla turned to see a sleek black car rolling in and parked beside them. She watched carefully and her heart stopped as the door opened.

Adriel Stetson stepped out without a mask or shadow, just him.

For a split second, Nyla was sure she was hallucinating.

He straightened his jacket and walked toward them, completely calm and completely composed.

Her first thought was panic.

He followed me.

He found me.

He’s here to cause trouble.

Anger flared inside her as he approached, and she prepared herself for a confrontation.

But then something unbelievable happened.

Adriel walked right past her.

“Mom,” he said casually.

Nyla froze.

Mom?

Miranda turned with a bright smile. “Adriel, you’re home early.”

He kissed her cheek. “Meeting ended sooner than expected.”

The world tilted.

Nyla slowly turned to her father. “Dad… why is he calling her Mom?”

Her father blinked, confused by her expression. “Oh, right. I forgot to mention. Miranda has a son.”

Adriel’s gaze finally landed on Nyla.

Recognition flashed in his eyes.

Shock.

Then irritation.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered under his breath.

Nyla felt like the ground had opened beneath her feet.

“No, no, no, no.” She whispered. 

Her father looked between them. “Wait… you two know each other?”

Adriel crossed his arms. “Unfortunately.”

Miranda laughed lightly. “That’s wonderful! You already know each other.”

Wonderful?

Nyla felt anything but wonderful.

This couldn’t be happening.

The masked mafia lord. Her high school bully.

The man who had threatened her only hours ago was about to become her stepbrother.

“I can’t do this,” Nyla said suddenly.

Before anyone could stop her, she turned and hurried down the driveway.

“Nyla, wait!” her father called.

But she didn’t stop. 

She couldn’t.

She quickly stopped a taxi which drove her back to their old house or what used to be their house.

The place looked abandoned now, quiet and lifeless.

Nyla sat on the front steps and let the tears finally fall.

“Mom,everything is falling apart.” She whispered to the empty air.

She wrapped her arms around herself, remembering better days—family dinners, laughter, a time when life made sense but now nothing did.

Hours passed before a familiar car pulled up and her father stepped out, looking tired and worried.

“There you are,” he said softly, sitting beside her.

“I needed to think,” Nyla replied.

He nodded. “I know this is a lot. I should have told you earlier.”

“Yes, you should have.”

He sighed. “Miranda makes me happy. She’s kind, Nyla. And she wants us to be a family.”

“And Adriel?” she asked bitterly.

Her father frowned. “What’s wrong with him?”

Nyla hesitated.

There were too many things she couldn’t explain.

“He’s… complicated,” she finally said.

“Well, families usually are,” he replied gently. “But we can make this work. Together.”

She looked at him and saw how hopeful he looked and how desperately he wanted a fresh start.

Slowly, Nyla nodded.

“Okay, I'll try.” She whispered. 

Immediately, Nyla entered the car and they returned to the mansion.

Getting there, Miranda greeted her warmly at the door.

“I’m glad you came back,” she said sincerely.

Nyla managed a small smile. “I’m sorry for running off.”

“It’s perfectly alright. Big changes are scary.”

Adriel stood a few feet away, watching her with an unreadable expression.

Miranda squeezed Nyla’s hand. “Welcome to the family.”

Family.

The word echoed in Nyla’s mind as she glanced at Adriel.

He gave her a look that clearly said this was far from over.

As Miranda showed her to a luxurious new bedroom, Nyla sat on the edge of the massive bed and stared around the new home. Nothing seems right, her entire thoughts were consumed with the dangerous secret hanging between her and the one person she least expected to ever see again.

What would living here be like?

With Adriel Stetson under the same roof?

Nyla exhaled slowly.

“Definitely a disaster,” she murmured.