The engine of the black sports car roared like a beast, but inside, the atmosphere was suffocatingly quiet.
Noah Sterling drove with white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Every few seconds, he glanced at the passenger seat.
Elian was curled up in a ball, wrapped in Chloe's coat. He was still shivering, his teeth chattering. The dirty water from the mop bucket had dried on his skin, leaving him smelling like old floor cleaner.
"We're almost there, Elian," Noah said, his voice unusually soft. "Just breathe."
"It was so dark," Elian whispered, staring at nothing. "Like a coffin."
Noah's jaw tightened. He slammed his foot on the accelerator. I will kill them. Whoever did this, I will tear them apart.
The car screeched to a halt in front of the massive Sterling Estate.
Noah didn't wait for the staff. He jumped out, ran to the passenger side, and pulled Elian out.
Elian's legs gave way.
"I got you," Noah grunted, lifting Elian into his arms effortlessly.
He kicked the front door open.
"MOM! DAD!" Noah shouted, his voice echoing through the grand hall.
Eleanor Sterling was in the drawing room having tea. Richard Sterling was reading a file. Adrian was descending the stairs, texting.
They all froze when they saw Noah walking in, carrying a soaked, trembling Elian.
"Elian?" Eleanor dropped her teacup. It shattered.
She ran to them. She touched Elian's wet, cold face. "Oh my god. What happened? Why is he shaking?"
"Some bastards at the University locked him in a dark storage room," Noah spat out, his eyes burning. "They dumped dirty water on him."
Richard Sterling stood up slowly. The file in his hand crumpled. The stern businessman looked at his youngest son—the one he used to think was a brat.
Now, he just saw a broken child.
"Get Dr. Miller," Richard ordered the butler, his voice low and dangerous. "And call Declan. Tell him to come home. Now."
Adrian rushed down the stairs, looking horrified. "Elian? Hey, look at me. It's Adrian. You're okay."
He took off his own expensive cashmere scarf and wrapped it around Elian's wet hair. "We're here."
The Warmth
Half an hour later.
Elian was in his old bedroom. He had been given a hot bath to wash off the filth. Now, he was dressed in soft, warm flannel pajamas.
He sat on the bed, holding a mug of hot chocolate, but his hands were still shaking too much to drink it.
The entire family was in the room.
Eleanor was sitting on the edge of the bed, drying his hair with a towel. Her eyes were red.
"My poor baby," she whispered, kissing his forehead. "I should have never let you move out."
Declan (who had rushed home from a meeting) stood by the window. He was on the phone.
"I don't care if they are Senators' sons," Declan said into the phone, his voice icy. "I want their names. I want their parents' financial records. I want them expelled by tomorrow morning."
Grandpa Arthur sat in the armchair near the bed. He tapped his cane on the floor.
"Elian," the old man spoke.
Elian looked up.
"You didn't fight back," Arthur noted.
"There were three of them," Elian whispered. "And... it was dark. I couldn't breathe."
Arthur's expression softened. He reached out and patted Elian's knee.
"You survived. That is fighting enough. Now, let us fight for you."
Elian's phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Adrian picked it up. "It's your friends. 'The Squad'?"
Elian nodded weakly. "Let me talk to them."
He put the phone on speaker.
Jax's voice boomed out. "Teddy Bear! Are you okay? Is he safe, Noah?"
Noah leaned over. "He's safe, Jax. He's in bed."
Chloe's voice came next, sounding tearful. "Elian, I swear, I am going to burn Mark's car. I don't care if I go to jail. Orange is my color anyway."
Milo added, "I already tweeted about 'Bullying in Elite Universities' without naming names... yet. It's trending."
Liam interrupted calmly. "I have already submitted an anonymous report to the Dean with the timestamps of the incident. Statistically, they cannot deny it."
Elian smiled. A small, genuine smile.
"Thanks, guys," he whispered. "I'm okay. My family is here."
"We love you, Elian!" they shouted in unison before hanging up.
Eleanor looked at Elian with surprise. "You have... good friends."
"I do," Elian leaned back against the pillows. "They saved me."
Later that night, the house was quiet.
Declan and Noah were downstairs, planning legal action and revenge.
His parents were in their room.
Elian lay in his warm bed, staring at the ceiling.
He thought about the Original Book.
In the original story, when Elian was bullied, his family would say: "You probably started it. Stop causing trouble."
He would have cried alone in his condo.
But today...
Mom cried for him.
Dad called the doctor.
Declan left work.
Noah carried him.
Adrian gave him his scarf.
Elian touched his chest.
"I changed it," he whispered, tears slipping from his eyes. "I'm not the villain anymore. I have a family."
He felt safe. He felt loved.
For the first time since he transmigrated, he felt like he truly belonged in this world.
He closed his eyes and drifted into a peaceful sleep, surrounded by the safety of the Sterling Fortress.
Meanwhile...
He had no idea that a jet was tearing through the sky, carrying two demons who were coming to burn the world down for him.
But for tonight, Elian was just a boy loved by his family.