– Luca’s POV

The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen as Luca moved around, pouring himself a cup while Ava sat at the dining table, lazily kicking her legs. Damien was at the counter, going through some business reports on his phone, his other hand idly drumming against the marble surface.

It was an ordinary morning.

Or at least, it should have been.

But Luca couldn’t shake the unease curling in his gut.

He glanced at his phone again, frowning. It had been over twenty-four hours since Valarie last called him. That wasn’t normal.

His sister was always careful, always made sure to at least check in—even if it was just a brief message. But this time… nothing.

He dialed her number again. Straight to voicemail.

Luca bit his lip, his fingers tightening around the phone.

"Something wrong?" Damien’s voice was low, sharp with attention, as he looked up from his work.

Luca hesitated before sighing. "Val hasn’t called since yesterday."

Damien arched a brow. "She’s probably busy."

"That’s what I thought at first," Luca murmured, staring at the screen. "But I just called her office. She’s not there either."

Damien’s expression darkened slightly, but he kept his voice even. "She’s on an undercover mission, right? Maybe it’s taking longer than expected."

Luca exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I know. But she always finds a way to check in—always. Even if it’s just a single text. Something feels… off."

Ava, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up. "Maybe she just got caught up in work. Auntie Val is cool! She can take care of herself, right?"

Luca forced a smile at Ava’s innocent confidence, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Damien studied him for a moment, then set his phone down and moved closer, resting a firm hand on Luca’s lower back.

"Valarie is strong," Damien said quietly. "You know that. She’s handled worse."

Luca swallowed, nodding. "Yeah… I know."

But the bad feeling wouldn’t leave.

And deep down, he knew—something wasn’t right.

******* – Damien’s POV

Damien was in his office, flipping through reports when his phone vibrated. He barely glanced at the screen before answering.

“What?” His voice was sharp, impatient.

Then he froze.

The name flashing on his screen was one he never expected to see again. One that belonged to a past he’d buried long ago.

Sebastian Vasiliev.

For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick and heavy. Then Damien’s grip on the phone tightened.

“I never thought I’d hear from you again,” he said coldly.

Sebastian’s voice came through, smooth yet laced with something… off. “Didn’t think I’d ever have a reason to call you, Volkov.”

Damien leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable, though his muscles coiled with tension. “And yet, here we are. Get to the point.”

Sebastian exhaled, slow and controlled. But Damien knew him too well. There was something lurking beneath the surface—something urgent.

“It’s about Valarie.”

Damien’s body went rigid.

“What about her?”

“She’s at my estate,” Sebastian said, his voice quieter now. “She was ambushed by Mikhail’s men. She fought, but she was outnumbered. I got to her before worse could happen.”

Damien’s blood turned to ice.

Luca.

Damien stood abruptly, already moving. “Is she alive?”

“She’s alive.” A pause. “She passed out. Exhaustion and grief.”

Grief.

A dangerous storm brewed in Damien’s chest. “What the fuck happened?”

Sebastian hesitated, just for a second. “Elijah’s dead.”

Damien stopped in his tracks.

Luca’s going to break.

He forced himself to stay composed. “And Mikhail?”

“Escaped.”

Of course he did.

Damien clenched his jaw. He would deal with that bastard later. Right now—

“Luca needs to see her.”

Sebastian’s tone didn’t change. “That’s why I called.”

Damien exhaled, trying to control the fury bubbling beneath his skin. “We’re coming.”

He hung up without another word, already moving toward the door.

Luca was still in the kitchen, staring at his phone, lost in thought.

Damien’s voice was firm but careful. “We need to go.”

Luca looked up, frowning. “What? Why?”

Damien took a breath, knowing this would shatter him. “It’s Valarie. She’s at Sebastian’s estate.”

Luca went completely still.

“And Elijah…” Damien hesitated for only a second before saying it. “He’s gone.”

Luca’s phone slipped from his fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud. His lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

Damien caught him before his legs gave out.

**** Luca’s POV

The world blurred.

Luca barely heard Damien’s words—just the name.

Elijah.

Gone.

His chest caved in, a sharp, suffocating pressure pressing against his ribs. His vision swam, and suddenly, he was on his knees, gasping for air.

No.

Not Elijah.

His throat tightened painfully, a strangled sob escaping before he could stop it. His hands trembled as he gripped the fabric of Damien’s shirt, clinging to him like a lifeline.

Damien didn’t speak, just held him firm. Strong arms wrapped around him, grounding him against the overwhelming wave of grief threatening to consume him.

“He—” Luca tried to speak, but the words choked in his throat. “He can’t be—”

Damien’s grip tightened.

“I know.”

Luca buried his face against Damien’s chest, his sobs coming in harsh, uneven breaths. He felt like he was breaking apart, shattering into pieces he could never put back together.

Elijah had always been there. His brother-in-law, his friend. A constant, steady presence. Someone who never wavered, never faltered, even in the worst moments.

Gone? Just like that?

Damien’s hand slid up, fingers threading through his hair in a rare, soothing gesture. “I know it hurts.” His voice was low, firm. “But Valarie needs you, Luca.”

Luca tensed.

Valarie.

She had to be falling apart. She and Elijah had been inseparable. If he was feeling this much pain, then she…

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to breathe. He couldn’t fall apart. Not now.

Damien pulled back slightly, his dark eyes steady. “We’re going to her now. She needs us.”

Luca nodded, even though he still felt like he was suffocating.

Damien helped him up, keeping an arm around his waist until Luca found his footing.

He wiped his face, chest heaving, and forced the words out. “Let’s go.”

****

– Damien’s POV

The gates loomed ahead.

Sebastian’s estate.

Damien hadn’t set foot here in two decades. Not since the world split them apart—brothers-in-arms turned enemies by blood, by power, by the inevitable decay of alliances in their brutal world.

He had promised himself he’d never return. That whatever history they had was buried beneath the weight of their rivalry, beneath the blood spilled between them.

And yet, here he was.

For Valarie.

For Luca.

For the ghosts of the past that refused to stay buried.

As the car rolled to a stop, Damien stepped out, his polished shoes crunching against the gravel. He tilted his head, eyes scanning the familiar structure, the towering pillars, the perfectly sculpted gardens—untouched by time, yet different.

A strange feeling lodged in his chest. Not quite nostalgia, not quite regret. Something else. Something he refused to name.

He remembered the training grounds behind this estate. The nights he and Sebastian spent honing their skills, sparring under the moonlight, pushing each other to the edge of exhaustion.

The laughter.

The blood.

The brotherhood.

All of it shattered the moment their families turned against each other. They had been forced to choose, ripped apart by the same empire they once vowed to conquer together.

Now, they stood on opposite ends of the chessboard.

A bitter smirk tugged at Damien’s lips. The irony wasn’t lost on him. His lost brother had called him back—not for power, not for war, but for family.

That alone spoke volumes.

As he walked up the steps, the heavy doors swung open before he could knock.

And there he was.

Sebastian Vasiliev.

His mirror image in another life.

The air thickened with unspoken words, with years of tension wrapped in something deeper—something dangerous.

Damien exhaled slowly.

The past was dead.

But the ghosts still lingered.