All Chapters of The Night Before Christmas: Chapter 81 - Chapter 83

Aria’s POVThe basement did not feel like a room. It felt like a decision.Cold concrete beneath me. Damp air clinging to my lungs. A single bulb humming overhead, flickering just enough to remind me that even light could be unreliable.My wrists burned.The rope had been tied too tightly the first time. When I struggled, it tightened further. My shoulders ached from being forced behind me. My legs were bound at the ankles. I had counted the cracks in the wall three times. Counted the seconds between the guard’s footsteps. Counted my own breaths when panic threatened to swallow me whole.Time did not move here.It stretched.It mocked.The door opened.I didn’t look up immediately. I had learned that looking up too quickly gave him satisfaction.“Still stubborn?” Evans’ voice drifted down the steps.I lifted my head slowly.He looked composed. Almost cheerful.There was something cruel about cheerfulness in a place like this.“I have news,” he said, holding up his phone.I said nothin

Desmond’s POVThe estate announced itself long before we reached the gates.Not through splendour, Aviel Beckham was too intelligent for vulgar displays of wealth, but through intention. The road narrowed deliberately as it approached the property, forcing vehicles to slow down. The trees were arranged in symmetrical formation, not wild growth but cultivated presence. Even the silence felt curated.“She wants control of the atmosphere,” I said quietly as the car rolled forward.“She wants theatre,” Aria replied.No.Aviel did not waste energy on the theatre.She built architecture.The gates opened before we reached them.No guard stepped forward. No intercom crackled to life. The message was unmistakable.You are expected.James’ voice filtered through the comm in my ear. “Thermal readings confirm three active bodies inside. One adult female. One adolescent male. One child.”David?So she had brought him into this.“That’s deliberate,” I murmured.“She wants legitimacy,” Aria said,