登入Karla closed her mouth, but her eyes were blazing with something....anger, defensiveness, desperation, some combination of all three."Your brother," Victor continued, his dark eyes, eyes that Karla had inherited and that now looked at her with unmistakable disappointment, "has made it very clear that if you continue to contact Lyra, if you continue to interfere in her life, there will be consequences. Serious consequences.""But Father, I was only....""Karla," Victor said, and his voice dropped lower, became more dangerous. "You crossed a line today. A line that I did not think you would be foolish enough to cross."Karla's chin lifted slightly, a gesture of defiance that she couldn't quite suppress."What line?" she asked, her voice tight. "I called my sister. Is that not allowed?""No," Victor said simply. "It's not. Not when you called her with the specific intention of manipulating her. Not when you called her to undermine her relationship with your brother. Not when you called
"How is Lyra?" Victor asked, his voice shifting slightly. There was genuine concern there, genuine paternal worry for the girl who had grown up as his daughter, who had lived in his home, who he had cared for until the truth of her origins had come to light. "Is she doing okay over there?""She's fine, Father," Damien said flatly. "She's with me. She's exactly where she needs to be."The possessiveness in those words was unmistakable.Victor heard it. He understood it. And despite everything—despite the unnaturalness of their connection, despite the scandal, despite all the reasons he should object—he recognized something in that possessiveness that felt right. Like his son was finally claiming what was his. Like Lyra was finally where she belonged."Just make sure Karla stays off her," Damien continued, his voice taking on an edge that sounded almost like a threat. "Or I won't be as polite as I was before."It was a promise delivered in the coldest possible tone.Victor understood ex
She nodded and carefully climbed off his lap, trying not to trip. She smoothed down her dress, checked her reflection in the window to make sure she was presentable, and then she walked toward the private lounge bathroom to freshen up.Behind her, she didn't see the shift in Damien's expression.She didn't see his eyes go cold.She didn't see the way he leaned back in his chair, his jaw clenching as he processed everything he'd heard during that call with Karla.Damien sat in the silence of his office, running through the conversation in his mind. He'd heard every word his sister had said. Every manipulation, every lie twisted with just enough truth to make it believable. Karla had been surgical in her approach, using their mother's love against Lyra, making her question whether his mother could truly accept them, planting seeds of doubt about whether coming home would result in another devastating separation.It was brilliant, he had to admit.And it was absolutely unacceptable.Beca
Damien's eyes were absolutely black.His jaw was clenched so tightly that Lyra could see the muscle working beneath his skin. His hands were curled into fists on the armrests of his chair, and every single line of his body radiated a kind of controlled fury that made her stomach twist."Mom called you last night," he said again, and his voice was low and dangerous, "and you didn't tell me?"Lyra opened her mouth to respond, but the words wouldn't come."I..." she started, but the excuse died on her lips. Because what could she say? That she'd forgotten? That it had slipped her mind? Both options sounded pathetic, even to her own ears."She called you," Damien continued, his dark eyes never leaving her face, "and instead of telling me, I had to find out through Karla. Through a conversation where my sister was actively manipulating you into doubting coming home.""Damien, I....""Do you understand what that means?" he asked, his voice cutting through hers like a blade. "Do you understa
She didn't hesitate. She never did when he gave her a direct command.With trembling fingers, she tapped the accept button and then the speaker button. She set the phone down on the desk between them."Hi, Lyra!" Karla's voice came through bright and cheerful....suspiciously cheerful, if Lyra was being honest with herself. "I'm so glad you picked up! How are you?"Lyra exchanged a glance with Damien. His expression was unreadable, but she could feel the tension radiating off him in waves."I'm... fine, Karla," Lyra said carefully. "What's going on? It's very early in the morning.""I know, I know," Karla said, and her voice took on a sympathetic quality that immediately put Lyra on edge. "I just wanted to check in on you. I heard that Mom called you last night."Lyra's stomach dropped."How did you...""She mentioned it to me this morning," Karla said, cutting her off smoothly. "And Lyra, I just wanted to reach out because I was worried about you. I mean, Mom calling you after all thi
All she could think about was Lyra.Lyra coming home.Lyra taking back the studio.Lyra reclaiming her place in their mother's heart.Lyra getting everything.Again."No," Karla whispered to herself, her voice barely audible over the sound of products falling and breaking. "No, absolutely not."She grabbed the last item on her vanity...a jar of expensive face cream, and threw it with all the force she could muster.It hit the wall and exploded, leaving a thick smear of white cream running down the pale surface like a wound.When she was done, her vanity was nearly empty. Her room looked like a disaster zone, products everywhere, some of them broken, all of them wasted.She stood in the middle of it all, breathing heavily, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.The anger was still there, burning just as hot as before, but now it was focused. Channeled. Transformed into something that could be used.Karla looked around at the destruction she'd created and felt a dark sense of satis
Lyra set her phone down with shaking hands and stood up.Her legs felt weak, her body hypersensitive. Every movement of fabric against her skin made her gasp.She walked to the full-length mirror in her room and looked at herself.Her hair was disheveled from the flight and the stress. Her face was
Lyra stared at her phone screen, her heart still racing from the encounter in the hallway.DarkVeil: Welcome home, little one. Did you miss me?Her fingers trembled as she typed back.LyraNight: How did you know I got to New York? I didn't tell you I was flying home.The three dots appeared immedia
Her phone screen glowed accusingly in the darkness, her shameful confession staring back at her. With shaking hands, she minimized the app and clutched the phone to her chest, heart hammering so hard she thought it might break through her ribs.Footsteps on the stairs.Light, measured and feminine.
Lyra's fingers trembled as she typed, the blue glow of her phone the only light in her darkened bedroom.LyraNight: I thought about him again today. God, I'm so fucked up.She held her breath, waiting. The three dots appeared almost immediately....her anonymous stranger always responded, no matter







