Pia sat beside Neo on the bed, her eyes puffy but not really because sis was clearly doing her dramatic fake cry.
Neo stared at her.
"Pia… there's literally no tear on your face."
Pia sniffed aggressively. "Emotional dryness."
Aiden snorted, clinging to Neo's left side. "Honestly? Same."
Neo rolled his eyes, but the smile finally softened his whole face.
Pia suddenly lunged forward in full hug mode, dragging Aiden with her.
Both of them sandwiched him.
"You scared us!" Pia murmured.
"You really did…" Aiden whispered.
Neo hugged them back, finally letting out a real breath.
"I'm fine. I swear. Kayla checked me. I just… need rest."
Aiden still looked guilty.
"I should've protected you. I should've-"
Neo cut him off gently, thumb brushing his cheek.
"Aiden. You did enough. You kept Pia safe. You didn't leave me. That's all that matters."
Aiden's throat bobbed. "…Okay."
The door opened,bLucas entered.
Instant authority.Instant silence.
Instant Luther energy.
"Your rooms are ready," he said calmly. "Settle in. Neo, Pia I'll call your mom and explain why you're staying here tonight."
Neo nodded.
Lucas turned to Aiden.
"You call your parents. Tell them you're staying over with a school friend or say that your boss held you you'll stay in the apartment in the office. Make it believable."
Aiden nodded immediately. "Yes, sir."
Lucas was about to leave when
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was an Unknown number. He glanced at it.
Then answered.
His voice stayed calm. "Who."
A beat.A quiet breath.
Every muscle in his body went still.
A voice on the other end said,
"We need to talk.Privately,nNo harm intended.Just the something related to Darian."
Lucas's eyes narrowed."Who is this?"
The voice chuckled softly.
"Cealan."
And just like that the call ended.
Lucas stared at his screen for half a second then slipped the phone into his pocket like nothing happened.
He left the room,then went to his study, shut the door, and pulled out a slim black file. A file that held up every details about neo everything.He dialed Mrs. Uther with the same calm a surgeon uses before cutting.
"Good evening, ma'am," he said, warm, respectful. "This is Lucas Luther. I'm Neo's boss."
Pause.
"Yes he's alright, ma'am. I needed him urgently for a last-minute business presentation due tomorrow, and he insisted on bringing Pia so she could help organize things for him."
Another pause.
"I'll personally drop them off tomorrow morning. They're both safe with me ma'am.... have a great evening ma"
He hung up, closed the dossier, straightened his shirt, and walked out like he was heading into a battlefield he already planned to win.
Lucas arrived at the address Cealan had sent earlier a half-open rooftop restaurant, dim lights, scattered laughter, clinking glasses, and a mix of sober and drunk strangers blending into the night. He scanned the place once, expression unreadable, then walked toward a booth tucked slightly away from the main crowd.
Cealan was already sitting there, legs crossed, posture relaxed like he owned the damn place.
Lucas slid into the seat opposite him, calm, collected, the picture of deadly elegance.
"Who are you, and what exactly do you want?" Lucas asked plainly.
"I came because you mentioned Darian. That's it."
Cealan didn't flinch. He just tilted his head, staring at Lucas with a look that was bored yet calculating.
"I know…" he said.
"I also know your Familia had a little… incident today."
Lucas's eyes narrowed by a fraction barely noticeable, but Cealan caught it.
Then Cealan dropped it casually:
"Look, you don't know me, but I know you very well, brother-in-law."
If the situation wasn't dangerous, the look on Lucas's face would've been comedic.
"In-law? Who? Me? Are you insane?"
Cealan only smiled and leaned back further, like he was enjoying a private joke.
"My name is Cealan. You may not have noticed me before, but I was at several meetings.You… just never look around long enough."
Then he said it the words that made Lucas freeze. "You have something. Or rather… someone I find thoroughly interesting.
You might find the word Princess familiar, right?"
Lucas was on his feet so fast the table shook.
His jaw clenched, eyes sharp, murderous.
He remembered exactly where he'd heard that word.
During training with Neo and Aiden Ethan had gotten a call.
That call.This man.And Ethan lied.
Lucas's voice was low, lethal.
"Stay away from him."
Cealan's smile grew, lazy… wicked.
"So you do remember. Good.
But relax, I'm not here about my love life.
We're here to talk business."
Lucas didn't sit.
He just glared down at him.
"Business?"
"Yes," Cealan said, drumming his fingers casually.
"Something you're already planning.
Something big… something dangerous."
Lucas frowned.
"And how would you know that?"
Cealan's eyes darkened.
"Because I was there when Ethan got shot. I saw it. And I didn't like seeing my Princess bleed.
So I'm planning to make sure it never happens again."
Lucas stared at him,Long. Cold. Calculating.
"Are you asking me to join forces with you?"
Cealan shrugged.
"Not necessarily. But if we happen to aim at the same targets… a little clash is inevitable.
I'm giving you a heads-up, so if we cross paths, it won't be messy for both of us."
Lucas finally smirked a dangerous, intrigued smirk.
He liked this madness.This arrogance.
This sharp thinking."I'll think about it."
He turned to leave.
Cealan's voice followed him, soft but loaded
"Keep my Princess safe."Lucas paused.
His jaw flexed.He didn't turn around.
But he answered voice low, almost protective:
"…I will."
And then he walked out.
The tension in the air didn't drop.
If anything, it thickened two predators circling the same battlefield… for the same thing.
Lucas walked into the mansion with a calm fury that made the entire atmosphere vibrate. His face was blank, but his aura? Deadly. Controlled. Ice-cold rage.
The moment he stepped past the foyer, he didn't even remove his coat.
He just barked
"ETHAN!"
His voice boomed through the house so violently even the chandelier trembled. Conversations stopped. Chairs scraped. Doors opened. The whole Familia froze.
Ethan appeared at the top of the staircase, shoulders stiff, eyes wide a mix of fear, confusion, and that "oh God what did I do again?" energy.
Elena stepped out from the hallway, brows furrowed.
"Lucas… is everything okay?" Lucas didn't even look at her.
His eyes were fixed on Ethan.
Predatory. Disappointed. Lethally calm.
"Ethan," Lucas said, voice low and heavy.
"Do you have anything you want to say to me?"
Ethan blinked rapidly, visibly lost.
"S–say to you? N-No. I don't… I haven't-"
Lucas's jaw flexed.
"Oh. You don't."
Now everyone's eyes were on Ethan.
Aiden froze halfway down the hall. Neo paused beside Pia.
Matteo whispered "oh hell no" under his breath.
Ethan looked around desperately everyone staring and grew even more confused.
"Lucas, I swear, I don't know—"
Lucas cut him off.
Sharp. Cold. Loud enough to slice air.
"So the PRINCESS has nothing to say to his family?"
Dead.Silence.
Ethan's soul left his body, went to London, and didn't come back.
"P–Princess?" his voice cracked horribly.
In a flash faster than any of them had ever seen him move in his post-injury weakness Ethan teleported down the stairs and stood right in front of Lucas, eyes wide with horror.
His voice dropped to a shaken whisper only Lucas could hear:
"Not here… please."Because Ethan knew.
He knew Lucas didn't bluff.
He knew Lucas could expose everything in front of everyone.
Lucas's breathing stayed calm. Controlled. Calculated.
He turned sharply and walked toward his study. Ethan followed like a terrified cat.
The door shut behind them with a heavy thud.
Lucas leaned on his desk. Hands gripping the edge.
Voice low. Controlled. Deadly.
"Start talking."
Ethan's throat bobbed while Lucas's eyes locked onto his.
"Everything. Now." And Ethan,Ethan broke.
All that fear, all that guilt, all that secrecy he had been holding onto
It all came crashing out of him like he was possessed, confessing sins he'd been running from.
Ethan stood in front of Lucas like a kid caught stealing the crown jewels.
Hands shaking. Breath uneven. Eyes glossy not with tears yet, but with pure fear.
Lucas folded his arms.
"Talk."
Ethan's mouth opened… closed… opened again.
He ran a hand through his hair and finally
"Okay....okay...fine! I'll tell you everything!"
The words burst out of him like a dam snapping.
He started pacing.
"I didn't tell you because...because I knew how you'd react!"
His voice cracked.
"You'd go crazy, you'd start planning ten murders at once, and you'd end up getting half the world interrogated-"
Lucas didn't blink.
"Ethan."
One word. Sharp."What. Did. You. Do."
Ethan stopped pacing.
Chest rising and falling fast.
And then
It all spilled out.
"Cealan....okay? Cealan. He...he called me first. Months ago."
Lucas's jaw locked, but he stayed silent.
Ethan swallowed hard.
"He… he kept calling me 'princess.' I hated it. I blocked him, he found another number. I threatened him, he laughed. I hung up, he called Lucas's burner THE ONE ONLY THREE PEOPLE HAVE Lucas, he somehow always found me."
Lucas's eyes darkened, but he held his anger.
Ethan kept going, shaking now.
"I didn't want to tell you because… because he wasn't threatening me. Not directly. He just… watched. Observed. Mentioned things that happened during missions he SHOULDN'T have known about."
His voice dropped.
"And I didn't want you to worry. You already had too much going on."
Lucas stepped closer.
"You lied to me to protect me?"
Ethan's eyes widened, panic exploding in them.
"I...I didn't want you to think I was weak! Or stupid! Or careless! I didn't want to disappoint you AGAIN!"
His voice broke.Hard.
He looked away, blinking fast.
"After everything… after how many times you've pulled me out of messes… I didn't want you to feel like I was dragging you into another one."
Lucas stared at him.
Ethan finally let out the guilt he'd stuffed in his chest for too long.
"And then today when they almost got you all… and after Neo… and everything… I realized maybe Cealan wasn't watching me."
He breathed shakily.
"Maybe… he was waiting for something. Or someone."
Lucas lowered his chin, eyes narrowing.
"Why didn't you tell me he called you 'princess'?"
Ethan squeezed his eyes shut.
"Because I knew EXACTLY how you'd react."
Lucas's voice softened.Barely.
"And how do you think I'm reacting now?"
Ethan finally looked at him.
Small. Scared. Exhausted. "…you're angry."
Lucas shook his head once.Slow.
"No."
He stepped closer."I'm furious."
Ethan's breath caught.
Lucas placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder firm, grounding."But not at you." Ethan blinked.
"…You're not?"
Lucas exhaled sharply. "You think you disappointed me by hiding something?"
Ethan stayed silent, eyes glassy.
Lucas squeezed his shoulder gently.
"Ethan. You have never disappointed me by being scared. You only disappoint me when you try to face monsters alone."
That broke Ethan.Completely.
His shoulders shook first.Then his hands.
Then everything.
A choked sob escaped before he could hold it back.
He covered his face with his hands, trying not to fall apart, but failing miserably.
Lucas pulled him into a hug one arm around his back, the other behind his neck.
Tight. Protective. No-nonsense.
"It's okay."
His voice was low, firm, but gentle.
"You're safe. I've got you."
Ethan sobbed into his shoulder, shaking like a terrified child.
Lucas held him until he could breathe again.
Ethan had finally stopped crying, at least enough to breathe without shaking.
He wiped his face with the back of his hand, refusing to look directly at Lucas because embarrassment was eating him alive.
Lucas sat back against the desk, arms folded, eyes locked on him with that deep, unreadable glare Ethan hated.
"So."
Lucas said slowly.
"You want to tell me something else?"
Ethan frowned.
"Huh? I already told you everything."
Lucas tilted his head.
"Except the part where you've clearly developed… something." Ethan blinked.
Hard.
"Excuse me?" Lucas didn't blink.
"Feelings."
Ethan's whole soul paused.
"FOR WHO?!"
Lucas gave him the most bored, deadpan stare known to mankind.
"Don't act stupid. I'm talking about Cealan."
Ethan's face twisted into scandalized horror.
"FEELINGS FOR CEALAN?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Lucas shrugged, way too calm for the madness he was causing.
"You didn't block him."
Ethan froze.
"I.....I tried-" "No," Lucas interrupted, pointing a finger at him.
"If you really wanted him gone, you would've blocked every number, changed every line, and thrown your phone into the Atlantic."
Ethan opened his mouth
Closed it, Opened it again but Nothing came out.
Lucas smirked slightly.
"You didn't stop him from calling you 'princess' either."
Ethan turned red."I DID stop him-"
"Did you?" Lucas raised a brow.
"Because I know you. If you hate something, you kill it. You erase it. You set it on fire. But this?"
He leaned in a little. "This went on for months."
Ethan stuttered.Like actually stuttered.
"T-that doesn't mean anything! He's just annoying! I.... I don't LIKE him!"
Lucas hummed.
"He's not that bad-looking."
Ethan nearly combusted on the spot.
"LUCAS?!"
Lucas shrugged again, unmoved.
"Just saying. Tall, dangerous, controlled, annoyingly confident. The type you'd normally avoid."
His eyes sharpened.
"Which is exactly why you're falling."
Ethan slapped his palm on his forehead.
"I'm NOT falling!"
He pointed at Lucas aggressively.
"And even if I WAS which I'm NOT you don't get to just SAY it like that!"
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Relax. I saw him today."
Ethan froze again. "…you WHAT?"
Lucas nodded casually, like he wasn't dropping a bomb. "We met. In person."
Ethan's stomach dropped through the floor.
"Where? What did he say? What did YOU say? Did he try anything? Did you did you threaten him?"
Lucas kept it as vague as murder.
"It was business. Nothing else."
Ethan squinted suspiciously. He knew his brother.Too well.
Whenever Lucas said "business," it usually meant blood,planning blood or threatening someone into possibly losing blood
But Ethan was drained.
He didn't have the energy. He sighed, nodding slowly.
"…Fine. I trust you." He turned toward the door.
"I'm going to shower. And then sleep for ten years."
Lucas watched him leave tired, embarrassed, but lighter.
The door clicked shut. Silence filled the study.
Lucas leaned back in his chair, exhaling through his teeth.
Cealan's words replayed in his head like an echo he couldn't shake.
"We're aiming for the same thing."
"No need to clash." "Keep my princess safe."
Lucas ran a hand through his hair, jaw tightening.
After a long moment, he picked up his phone.
Dialed the number.
Cealan answered on the second ring.
"Missed me already?"
His voice smooth, mocking.
Lucas didn't waste time. "Fine."
He said.
"We work together."
A low chuckle came from the other side.
"Good choice, Luca."
Lucas clenched his jaw but didn't respond.
"Send me the details."
He hung up without waiting.
The war had officially begun.
And for the first time…
Lucas wasn't fighting alone.
Lucas' study glowed with only one dim lamp. The entire estate was quiet,but his mind was far from sleep.
His phone buzzed again.
Cealan.
Another file. Another document. Another blueprint.
Lucas clicked it open, and his brows lifted just a bit.
Darian's estate layout.The security layers.
Guard rotations.Camera blind spots.
Every vehicle license plate.
The entire schedule of every person in that damn mansion.
Cealan wasn't playing.
"You work fast." Lucas murmured into the audio call.
Cealan's voice came smooth and unbothered.
"You work faster. I'm just matching pace."
Lucas leaned back in his chair. "This is all of them?"
"Everything," Cealan replied.
"And Lucas… half of these men? Kill them. Don't leave them injured. They will come back."
Lucas smirked."Already planned to."
"Good. Then we'll get along just fine."
Cealan sounded way too pleased.
"Now… about Darian himself-"
For hours, they tore through every angle together.
Who takes the east wing.Who shoots first.
Where to trap Darian.Where to bleed him.
How to silence guards without alerting cameras.
What room they'll corner him in.
How to make him scream the longest.
Their minds matched like two devils shaking hands in hell.
At one point Cealan laughed quietly.
"You're more ruthless than I expected."
"And you talk too much," Lucas muttered, but he didn't hang up.
They stayed on call until the clock hit 3AM.
When Lucas finally ended it, he inhaled deeply the kind of inhale that came before war.
But first… he needed to check on someone.
The hallway was dark when Lucas padded silently across it.
Neo's room door wasn't even fully closed careless, tired, or trusting… Lucas didn't know which.
He stepped inside. Neo was curled on the bed, blanket half kicked off, hair in his face, breathing soft and uneven from exhaustion.
Lucas didn't even think he just moved.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
And gently, gently brushed his fingers across Neo's cheek, pushing a stray strand away.
Something inside him twisted. Too warm.
Too protective.Too dangerous.He froze.
He shouldn't be doing this.He began to stand
But neo's hand shot out in his sleep, weak but desperate.
His fingers wrapped around Lucas' wrist.
Lucas stopped.
Neo blinked awake, eyes hazy and soft.
"Don't… go."
His voice was tiny, broken from crying earlier.
Lucas swallowed.."You're safe. I was just checking on you."
Neo's eyes glassed.
"Thank you… for everything today."
Lucas just stared at him that fragile trust, that tired smile, those eyes that looked at him like he wasn't the monster he was planning to be tonight.
They talked quietly.Little things.Soft things.
Neo thanking him, apologizing again, Lucas silencing him gently.
When Neo's eyelids drooped, Lucas finally slipped his wrist free.
He stood slowly. Neo's voice came again, almost asleep.
"…goodnight, Lucas…"
Lucas shut his eyes for a second.
Then left before he did something stupid .
Ethan had barely stepped out of the shower when he saw Cealan's name on his phone screen.
He froze.
Then he answered. "What did you tell Lucas."
No greeting.Pure anger.
Cealan didn't even sound surprised.
"Hello to you too, princess."
Ethan nearly threw his phone.
"Stop calling me that! Why did you go to him? Who told you to say ANYTHING?! I didn't give you permission!"
Cealan chuckled.
"You don't control me."
Ethan made an offended choking noise.
"You YOU told him everything! Do you know how embarrassing that is?!"
"You're cute when you're mad."
"I AM NOT..... STOP SAYING NONSENSE"
Cealan cut him off calmly.
"I told him because I had to. He's involved. And I needed him to know why Darian is going to die."
Ethan's anger wavered.
"…still. You shouldn't have"
Cealan's tone softened, dangerously.
"I'm not letting anything happen to you again."
Ethan's heart did a gymnastic flip.
He inhaled sharply but forced his voice flat.
"That's not.. that doesn't mean....urgh I'm still mad."
Cealan hummed.
"Mm. Your voice shakes when you lie."
Ethan actually shut his eyes and prayed for strength.
"I hate you." "No, you don't."
Ethan bit his lip.
"…I'm hanging up." "Goodnight, princess."
"STOP CALLING ME...."
Cealan ended the call first.
Ethan stood there, breath uneven, face flushed, furious at how one man could annoy him this deeply
And how his heart wouldn't stop beating way too fast.