Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

Sera noticed the car first.A black sedan parked across from the suburb house two mornings, running windows tinted, engine idling low enough that she almost dismissed it as nothing.She didn't dismiss it.Pixy thought that car had been there since yesterday.Confirmed host: same vehicle, same positionShe kept walking toward campus, refusing to give it the satisfaction of a second glance.By the third morning there were two men standing near it, not even bothering to hide it anymore—dark suits and sunglasses despite the overcast sky, the kind of presence that was meant to be noticed.She marched straight toward them."Can I help you?” she saidThe taller one straightened slightly. "Miss Ashford, Mr. Sterling asked us to keep an eye on things.”"An eye on what things exactly""Your safety""I didn't ask for that.”"Mr. Sterling felt it was necessary given recent events.”She thought of the cellar, the two thieves, and the stranger in the dark disabling grown men without breaking a swea

Grace received the summons the way she always did: a single text with no context, just an address and a time, and the unspoken understanding that showing up wasn't optional.The estate looked the same as always: pristine hedges, polished stone steps, and a house that had never once felt warm despite how much money had gone into making it look inviting.The maid let her in without a word.Tristan's mother was already seated when Grace entered. No tea this time, no pretense of catching up, just a cold appraisal waiting in the older woman's eyes."Sit," she said.Grace sat."You've been quiet lately," Tristan's mother said. "No updates, no progress reports. I find that concerning.”"I've been working on it," Grace said carefully. "These things take time.”"Do they?”"Sera's cautious now, more than she used to be. It's not as simple as just reaching out and expecting her to trust me again.”Tristan's mother studied her for a long moment, the kind of look that made Grace feel like a specim

The scream woke the whole floor. Sera was already halfway to Daisy's room before she'd fully processed, being awake, her feet carrying her down the hallway on instinct alone. She found Daisy sitting bolt upright in bed drenched in sweat, her whole body shaking, chest heaving like she'd just run miles instead of lying still asleep. "Daisy" "Sera," she gasped. "Sera I—" "I'm here. I'm right here.” Sera sat on the edge of the bed, pulling Daisy into her arms, feeling the tremors running through her friend's whole body, not settling even a little. "It was different this time," Daisy said, her voice cracking. "It's always different now, worse.” "Tell me.” Daisy pulled back enough to look at her eyes wide and glassy, still half caught in whatever she'd just witnessed. "I watched you die," she said. The words landed like a physical blow. "You were pushed," Daisy continued, "Off something high, I don't know what a building maybe. There were things below, not people. Something wro

The last of the reinforcements went up on a Thursday, steel supports bolted into the cellar walls, and a proper ventilation system was routed through what used to be a simple storage room, the suburb house slowly transforming into something closer to a fortress than anyone walking past would ever suspect from the outside. Sera stood in the cellar, running her hand along one of the new support beams, still faintly smelling of fresh metal and sealant. "This is more than I ever expected," she said as Julian walked the space beside her, clipboard in hand, checking off the final items on his list. "You needed it done right," he said. "Half measures get people killed.” "I still don't understand why you're doing all this for free, Julian. This isn't cheap.” "Don't worry about the cost.” "I do worry about it.” He didn't answer right away, his attention drifting instead toward the blueprints spread across the makeshift table in the corner of the cellar, the full schematic of the reinfo

Sera called the meeting for that evening; the cellar was cleared of the usual clutter, and chairs were arranged in a loose circle. Daisy, Marcus, Priya, and Wen all gathered around, waiting for her to speak. She'd rehearsed this in her head a dozen times walking down the stairs and still hadn't landed on the perfect words. "Thank you all for coming," she said, simple enough to start with. "You're being weirdly formal," Daisy said. "Should I be worried?” "Maybe a little.” That got a nervous laugh from the group, though it faded quickly once they saw Sera wasn't joining in. "I owe you all more honesty than I've given so far," she said. "Not everything I can give you yet, but more than I have.” She looked around the circle. With Marcus's arms crossed, watchful but not surprised, Priya leaned forward, already curious. Wen was still and attentive, the way she always was. Daisy chewed her lip, clearly bracing herself. "Something is coming," Sera said. "I've known for a while now lo