Chapter 006 (Adam)

Lila sat up in bed and leaned her back against the headboard. It was a strange dream, unlike anything she had experienced before, and that mysterious word remained stuck in her mind.

She tossed and turned in her new bed, unable to fall back asleep. The room was as vast as her entire old apartment put together, and instead of the silk sheets comforting her, they felt like they were burning her skin.

She sighed in frustration and got out of bed. Maybe a glass of cold water, or some fresh air—anything to calm the storm in her head.

But the moment she opened her bedroom door, a strange sound reached her. At first, she thought it was just her anxious imagination, a trick from her troubled mind. But the sound came again—louder, closer.

A growl. No… a roar.

Her bare feet barely touched the ground as she crept toward his room, step by step, as if walking on broken glass. She pressed her ear against the door, and her heart stopped for a moment. The sound was coming from inside.

She held her breath. Suddenly, the palace felt like a trap, its walls closing in on her, pushing her toward that door. Then the door burst open violently.

She froze in place. Her mind screamed: *Run!*

But her legs wouldn’t move. And when her eyes met his—two storms of wild fury—the only thought in her head was: *What is the truth about Ryan?*

His hot breath scorched her skin, damp with drops of his sweat. A sharp sound scraped his throat in a growl that made the feeling in her legs disappear. She felt like a leaf tossed around in a deep pit filled with his overwhelming presence.

“Why are you standing in front of my room?”

Ryan’s voice came out rough and angry, cutting through her thoughts like a whip.

She trembled and took a shaky step back, her mouth opening, but no words came out. What could she say? That she heard a growl coming from his room?

Her terror grew when he slammed his fist into the doorframe, and his sharp gaze pierced her like an arrow.

“Not even a full day has passed, and you’re already annoying the hell out of me.”

His voice was low, but sharp as a knife. Every word felt like a warning.

“Remember this, Lila. You’re a guest here.”

He moved closer until her back hit the cold wall. His presence was overpowering, sucking the air out of her lungs.

“And you're not merely a guest... you're a guest I will never tolerate.”

His voice dropped to an angry whisper.

She looked into his eyes, searching for a reason, an explanation—anything. But all she found was hostility.

She had never been weak, never helpless. So why now—why in front of him specifically—did she feel like all her strength had completely abandoned her?

“I will never acknowledge you as my sister, Lila.”

His husky, masculine voice made her heart leap between her ribs, and her own voice got stuck in her throat.

“I don’t want you as my brother either, Ryan.”

She whispered in a hesitant tone, her eyes unsteady on his. Every few seconds, she stole glances at his full lips.

He leaned over her like a bent tree trunk, trapping her between his strong arms like steel bars.

“Yeah, Lila. Hate me. And run away.”

He whispered in her ear, and his hot breath sent a powerful shiver down her spine.

“Ryan…”

Lila moaned, her eyes closed.

Ryan gasped and opened his mouth near her neck. His sharp fangs and strong teeth slowly grazed her delicate skin. He wanted to bite her hard, wanted to teach her, to own her… His body jerked backward and he pressed his palm over his mouth, stifling a groan of desire and pain.

“Go back to your room. Now!”

Lila was terrified by his frightening voice—a tone she had never heard before, as if he weren’t human.

She ran out of his room, clutching her nightgown tightly against her chest. Her trembling body betrayed her fear.

The moment her feet touched the floor of her own room, she felt a false sense of safety, and all her energy drained away.

Lila collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily, her body burning, sweat dripping down her skin.

“What the hell was that? His voice… I… felt like my bones were shaking.”

She hugged herself tightly, her mind unable to stop asking questions.

Lila looked at the nightstand, where there was a photo of her mother and father—her old family before her father died after years of battling illness.

She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face between them. She couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t even close her eyes. It was impossible after what she had been through.

Her mind kept replaying the roar and Ryan’s voice screaming in that inhuman tone. Her body jerked as if she were reliving it again and again.

The hours passed slowly, as if the sun refused to rise. As soon as morning broke and light filled her room’s balcony, she quickly packed her bag and slipped out of the palace before she could run into Ryan again.

She got into her car—a Ferrari that Mr. Myers had given her as a gift—and drove away calmly and steadily, in complete contrast to her heart, which felt like it was about to explode from fear.

The moment she passed the palace walls, she let out a deep breath of relief, not realizing she had been holding it the whole time.

The long drive gave her enough time to gather her scattered thoughts. She reached New York before noon, and the first place her feet took her was Adam’s workshop—her childhood friend and keeper of all her secrets.

She couldn’t remember exactly when they became friends; maybe they had been friends for longer than she could recall. But she remembered every moment of happiness or sadness they had shared.

Lila stood at the open door, watching Adam’s back. He was completely absorbed in painting his new canvas: a wide field of wheat stalks and a beautiful woman holding a baby.

They looked like they belonged to high society. The sun lit up their faces with a warmth that Lila felt as she watched the painting come to life.

“What’s up, Lila? Why are you standing so far away?” Adam asked in his calm, soothing voice without turning around. Lila laughed awkwardly.

“You always know it’s me. I want to know how?”

“I can feel you, Lila. You have a different pulse from everyone else,” he whispered, then turned to her with a bright smile. Lila felt shy and looked at the painting, avoiding his handsome face.

“Who’s the woman in the painting? You paint her a lot. Is she your girlfriend?” She finally looked at him, her tone sounding almost like an interrogation. “I’ve never seen her before.”

Adam looked into her eyes, and his smile faded into deep sadness. “She’s my sin. My only sin. I can’t stop. I have to remember her over and over so I don’t forget her… or my sin with her.”

Lila felt a strange feeling she couldn’t describe to herself. Was it sadness? Jealousy?

“Is that your child together?” she asked hesitantly, clearly afraid of the answer. Adam laughed and took her hand, leading her to the couch. He poured her a glass of water.

“You’re so innocent, Lila. Just because I paint a child doesn’t mean it’s mine. Don’t worry, when I have a child one day, you’ll be the first to know.”

Lila frowned and drank the whole glass in one gulp. “So… what about the sponsor for your art exhibition?”

“Ah, that guy… I couldn’t reach him. As you can see, no one believes I’m the famous painter. I look like a beggar.”

“A handsome beggar,” Lila whispered, then cleared her throat awkwardly. “Hmm, I can handle it. At least… we can make use of this sudden marriage of my mom’s.”

“Lila, didn’t you sleep last night? Your face looks tired and your eyes are red. Did that guy bother you?”

“Oh, you always catch me. No, it wasn’t Ryan. I had a weird dream, and I heard a word in a language I’ve never heard before… Râ… Râmiki.”

Adam looked at her sharply—more sharply than she had ever seen on his face—then quickly put his calm smile back on. “Do you remember what I told you, Lila?”

He opened a small box on the table and took out three pieces of chocolate. Lila laughed and took them from him. “Yes, yes, every day before bed I eat your chocolate to erase the day’s exhaustion.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s what I missed.”

Adam smiled at her and gently patted her hair. They talked for hours about work and her plan to use Ryan and Mr. Myers to get closer to the rich crowd. When the sun began to set, she decided to return to the palace before her mother got worried.

Strangely, there was no sign of Ryan. She passed by his room; the silence inside suggested he wasn’t there.

She sighed, entered her room, and after a relaxing evening routine, she ate a piece of chocolate and lay down on the silk bed.

Sleep quickly wrapped around her mind, and without resistance, she fell into a deep sleep.

As the night grew darker, the balcony door opened and a strange man entered.

His appearance was not human: long pointed ears and a tall, giant-like build. He gently touched her hair with his long fingers. Glowing magical threads emerged from her ear, twisted around themselves, and formed a small sphere.

It was the memory of the dream, and another memory about Zane. The stranger closed his hand around the memory and destroyed it. Lila’s body jerked for a moment, then went still.