Larkin had just been thrown against the wall, locking eyes with Boss Trent.
‘Damn,’ he thought. ‘What a powerful opponent!’
But Trent wasn’t doing great either—he clutched his chest, panting.
At that moment, the door burst open.
“Sir! Are you alright?”
A swarm of people stormed in, surrounding Briella and Larkin.
The leader rushed to the old man’s side, helping him up and pressing a hand to his chest to steady his breathing.
“Sir, are you okay?”
He raised a hand weakly. “I’m fine. Arrest them. I want them alive and intact.”
“Yes, sir! Leave it to us!”
The man turned to his subordinates. “Get them. But don’t injure them.”
Larkin quickly stepped in front of Briella. “Miss, you’ve got the gun. I’ll clear a path—run while you can!”
“What a
Upstairs.Moa and Koa clutched their chests, still reeling.“Brother, did you see that? Uncle Diego actually knows Mommy! We’re doomed! And why did Mommy say she’s our godmother?!”Koa frowned. “Mommy’s reaction was really weird. Let’s sneak downstairs and eavesdrop.”Moa blinked. “No way!”Koa calmed himself, lost in thought.Mommy had never looked that rattled before. Not even once.Something was off.No. He had to go check.What if that old man was trying to hit on his mom?Wasn’t he already married?He hadn’t even gotten rid of the guy trying to steal Mommy last time, and now here came another one!Unacceptable!Koa turned to his sister. “You stay up here. I’ll go take a look.”He crept down, using the wall for support to muffle his steps.Moa pouted to herself
Elsewhere.Briella had gone out early to bring the two little ones home. She hadn’t expected Diego to return from Demerra so soon.“Mommy! Mommy!”Moa bounced into Briella’s arms with glee. “You really came to pick me up!”Koa stood stiffly beside them, his mouth twitching despite trying to act aloof.“Of course. I promised, didn’t I?” Briella smiled. “Now be good—don’t wake up brother Alan or sister Winona. Let’s go.”“Okay!” Moa scrambled down and grabbed her hand, sweet and soft.Koa puffed up his chest, extending his hand proudly. “I want to hold hands too.”Briella laughed and bent down. “You little rascal…”Where did this tsundere attitude come from?As they stepped out of the villa...“Teacher!”“Luna! The legend herself!”
Shadow Division.“District Chief, what brings you here?” The man in black by the door rushed forward to greet him.The man referred to as “District Chief” gave a slight nod. “Is Lord Cassian in?”“He’s inside handling business. Please have a seat first, sir.”The District Chief frowned slightly. “Go in and announce me. I have urgent news.”“Yes, sir.”The man quickly gave some instructions to another guard, then headed inside.The interior was also lined with black-clad guards, row upon row.He passed through a door, arriving at a heavy black panel. He knocked.“Enter.” The voice inside was old, yet strong and commanding.The guard entered, keeping his head low. “Lord Cassian, the District Chief of Solandra has urgent business to report.”A slight shift on the seat.“Let him in
Briella stepped away from the mic, unwilling to spare even a final glance at Paige.She began to leave the stage.Paige trembled violently. Her mind was blank, running purely on desperation.“Briella, who do you think you are?! You don’t have the right! You BITCH! You must’ve seduced the chairman of the BM Group! You’re lying! You can’t be Luna!”She dropped to the floor and grabbed Briella’s ankle.Briella looked down at the hand clinging to her.Her face twisted with disgust.She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and flung it at Paige’s face.Her voice dropped to a threatening whisper.“Let go. Unless you want to die right here.”Zedd finally rushed forward, his eyes bloodshot—he’d heard everything.But the five Elders were faster.“Teacher! Security! Take her away and call the police!”Chaos bro
Briella smirked. “What? Is it really that hard to believe I’m Luna?”Paige snapped. She laughed manically. If things had come to this, she might as well drag Luna down with her.If she couldn’t win, at least she could ruin Luna’s reputation!Facing the audience like a madwoman, she shouted, “That’s right! Luna didn’t plagiarize me! But she did plagiarize someone else! My sister! The Sawyer family’s third daughter! An adopted daughter named Briella!”She cackled, eyes wild. “That lowlife had insane musical talent, even though she was just average-looking! I went to the best music schools, got the best training, and I still couldn’t beat her! But after she died, I took all her sheet music! I rewrote it, and it became mine! Darkness is just a rework of her piece!”“I used to be your biggest fan, Luna! No one knew you like I did! When
Zedd’s face darkened. The Elders looked grim.Then it hit him—a flash of clarity.No wonder that piece sounded so familiar!The music ended abruptly—sharp and final.The stunned silence that followed was louder than any applause.People were too shocked to even move.Finally, someone whispered, “That… that was Luna’s level of mastery. It flowed so naturally—like it was hers from the start.”“But wait… something’s different. She changed it, didn’t she?”“OH MY GOD! That was breathtaking!”“Was that really the original version of Darkness? It didn’t sound quite the same…”“No—it’s better! Luna tweaked Paige’s piece and elevated it. The emotion was on another level! It almost felt like… Darkness was just a derivative work of this!”