London was rainy and grey. Inside the Blackwood HQ, the atmosphere was even colder.
Kieran was in a boardroom, destroying a rival company's CEO with just words.
Kaelen stood by the window, looking at the rain. He looked exhausted. Without the "Vanilla Scent," his insomnia had returned with a vengeance.
"I hate this country," Kaelen muttered. "It smells like old tea and pollution. When can we go back?"
"24 hours," Kieran replied, checking his watch. "We finish the deal, we fly back. And then... we go to the 40th Floor."
They had no idea that back home, their "Prize" was about to be broken.
The University Library (The Mistake)
Elian felt light. The Twins were gone. Sebastian (the weird building manager) hadn't returned.
He sat in the library with The Squad, finishing an assignment.
"I need to print this," Elian whispered. "I'll go to the basement lab. The printers here are jammed."
"I'll come with you," Liam offered, adjusting his glasses.
"No, sit," Elian smiled, putting on his fake glasses. "It's just five minutes. Plus, Who is going to eat me? The librarian?"
Elian grabbed his bag and walked out.
He didn't notice three shadows detaching themselves from the wall and following him.
The basement corridor was dimly lit and empty.
Elian hummed a tune, turning the corner toward the computer lab.
Suddenly, a hand clamped over his mouth.
"Mmmph!"
He was yanked backward. His bag fell to the floor.
Three senior students—Mark, Jason, and Eric (Gabriel's rich friends)—surrounded him.
"Look at you," Mark sneered, shoving Elian against the wall. "Walking around like you own the place just because you changed your clothes."
"Let me go," Elian gasped, clutching his chest. "I didn't do anything to you."
"You embarrassed Gabriel," Jason spat.
"And Serena has been crying for days because you ignored her. You think you're too good for them?"
They dragged him toward the Old Storage Room.
"No! Please!" Elian struggled, digging his heels in. "Not in there! It's dark!"
They didn't care. They threw him inside.
The room was pitch black, smelling of mold and dust.
Mark grabbed a bucket of dirty mop water from the corner.
"You need to wash off that attitude, Sterling."
SPLASH.
Icy, filthy grey water crashed over Elian.
It soaked his oversized beige sweater. It drenched his hair, making the black dye run slightly. It splashed over his fake glasses, blinding him.
Elian fell to his knees, shivering violently. "Stop... please..."
"Pathetic," Mark laughed. "Stay here and think about your status. You are nothing."
SLAM.
CLICK.
The heavy iron door was locked from the outside.
"Help!" Elian screamed, rushing to the door, banging his fists on the metal.
"Open the door! It's dark! I can't breathe!"
The darkness swallowed him.
Elian slid down the door, curling into a tight ball. His phobia of dark, enclosed spaces (Claustrophobia) triggered instantly.
He couldn't see. He was wet. He was cold.
"Declan... Noah..." he sobbed, his voice breaking. "Someone..."
The Rescue
Fifteen minutes passed.
In the library, Jax checked his watch.
"He said five minutes. It's been twenty."
Chloe frowned, putting down her lipstick. "Elian is never late. He respects time."
Liam stood up immediately. "Something is wrong. Statistically, the basement has zero signal."
The Squad ran.
They reached the basement corridor.
Ren pointed at the floor. "Look."
Elian's canvas bag was lying in the middle of the hallway, contents spilled out. His sketchbook was torn.
"ELIAN!" Jax roared, his voice shaking the walls.
They heard a faint, weak pounding coming from the Storage Room.
Thump... Thump...
Jax didn't wait for a key. He was the Rugby Captain, a mountain of muscle.
He stepped back and rammed his shoulder into the old door.
CRACK.
He hit it again.
BANG.
The lock gave way. The door swung open.
The light from the hallway flooded the room.
Elian was huddled in the corner, shaking so hard his teeth were chattering. He was soaked in dirty water. His fake glasses were crooked. He looked small and broken.
"Elian!" Milo gasped, covering his mouth.
Jax rushed in and scooped Elian up in his arms like he weighed nothing.
"I got you," Jax whispered fiercely. "I got you, Teddy Bear. You're safe."
Elian buried his face in Jax's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Dark... it was so dark..."
The Brother's Rage
They carried him out to the campus lawn.
Chloe wrapped her expensive designer coat around Elian without a second thought.
"Who did this?" Liam asked, his voice scary calm. "I will hack their academic records and delete their existence."
"I called Noah," Ren said, holding his phone. "He is on campus."
A black sports car screeched to a halt nearby.
Noah Sterling jumped out. He wasn't the calm businessman like Declan; he was the hot-headed fighter.
He saw his baby brother. Wet. Shivering. Crying.
Noah's face went deadly pale.
"Elian?" Noah ran over, falling to his knees beside the bench. "Who touched him? WHO TOUCHED HIM?!"
"We found him locked in the basement," Jax said, his fists clenched. "Seniors."
Elian reached out a trembling hand. "Noah... home. I want to go home."
Noah picked Elian up, carrying him to the car. He looked at Jax and the Squad.
"Find out who did this," Noah growled, his eyes burning with fury. "And tell me their names. I will bury them."
He drove away, speeding toward the Sterling Mansion (not the condo—he wasn't letting Elian stay alone tonight).
An hour later.
Sebastian Cole sat in the security room of The Obsidian Tower.
He had received an alert: [Subject Elian Sterling: GPS Left Campus. Moving to Sterling Mansion.]
"Why is he going to the Mansion?" Sebastian frowned. "He lives here."
He hacked into the University Security Server (a standard procedure for the Blackwoods).
He rewound the footage to 45 minutes ago.
He watched the screen.
He saw Elian walking alone.
He saw Mark, Jason, and Eric grabbing him.
He saw them dragging him into the dark room.
He saw Mark laughing with the bucket.
Sebastian's expression didn't change, but his fingers paused on the keyboard.
He zoomed in.
He couldn't see Elian's face clearly—it was covered in hair and water, But he saw the Cruelty.
He saw the fear.
"The Boss isn't going to like this," Sebastian whispered. "He isn't going to like this at all."
He downloaded the video file.
He attached it to an encrypted email.
Subject: URGENT - Incident Report: Elian Sterling.
Priority: Critical.
He hit SEND.
In the middle of the celebratory dinner for the merger, Kieran's phone vibrated.
He checked it casually.
Then he stopped.
He watched the video.
His grip on the champagne glass tightened until—
CRASH.
The glass shattered in his hand, shards cutting his skin. Blood dripped onto the white tablecloth.
The entire room went silent.
Kaelen looked at him. "Kieran? What is it?"
Kieran didn't speak. He slid the phone across the table to Kaelen.
Kaelen watched the video.
He saw Elian—his Elian, his Vanilla—being dragged, thrown, and drenched in filth. He saw the terror in his body language.
Kaelen stood up. He flipped the heavy oak table over with a roar of pure, animalistic rage.
"DEAD!" Kaelen screamed, his voice echoing like a demon. "I WANT THEM DEAD!"
Kieran stood up, ignoring his bleeding hand. His face was a mask of icy death.
"Prepare the jet," Kieran ordered the terrified staff. "We are leaving now."
"And Sebastian," Kieran spoke into his earpiece, his voice trembling with suppressed violence. "Find those three students. Do not let the police touch them. Keep them for us."
The Kings were coming home. And they were bringing hell with them.