Riley had been loved by her adoptive parents. They weren’t wealthy, but they gave her sothing far more valuable than money—a ho, a family, a future.
But the people she was about to call?
They were the reason she had been taken in by that loving couple in the first place.
Her real parents had never seen her as a daughter—only as a pawn, a bargaining chip in their endless sches. A bank if they run out of money.
In the original story, they had tried to extort money from Riley when they found out that she was together with Ethan, and when that failed, they had kidnapped her, hoping to ransom her off to the highest bidder.
And Ethan.
Ethan had saved her. He had stord in, shattering the nightmare with his presence. It was the mont everything changed, the mont Riley realized that . . . he was the one.
That happening had been the catalyst of their marriage and they live happily ever after.
But now, in this altered story, Riley was about to willingly invite those sa monsters back into her life.
Her finger pressed the call button before she could change her mind.
The phone rang. Once. Twice.
Then a click.
The silence on the other end was deafening. A slow inhale. Then a voice.
"Well, well," the man on the other end drawled, amusent laced in his tone. "Look who finally rembered where she ca from."
Riley’s throat tightened. The voice was familiar—too familiar. Leon. Her older brother. Or at least, that’s what he claid to be.
"I need a favor," she said, her voice icy and firm. She would not let them hear her hesitation.
Leon chuckled. "A favor? After all these years? Oh, sweetheart, you’ve got so nerve. Last I heard, you were living the dream. Rich n wrapped around your little finger, high society at your beck and call. And now you co crawling back to us?"
"I’m not here to reminisce," Riley snapped, gripping the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I need a job done. A clean one."
Leon was silent for a mont. Then, a low whistle. "Now this is interesting. You must be real desperate if you’re coming to us instead of your knight in shining armor."
Riley closed her eyes, forcing herself to stay calm. "Can you do it or not?"
"Depends," Leon said lazily. "What’s the job?"
Her nails dug into her palm as she whispered the na.
"Celeste Hart."
For a mont, there was nothing but silence. Then Leon laughed—deep and slow, the kind of laugh that sent a shiver down her spine.
"Oh, this just got good," he said, sounding genuinely delighted. "And what exactly do you want us to do with this ’Celeste Hart’?"
Riley hesitated, just for a second. Not because she doubted herself—but because this was the final step. There would be no turning back.
Then, she exhaled.
"Take her. Make her disappear."
Leon humd in thought. "You want her gone for good? Or do you want her to suffer first?"
Riley’s lips curled into a smile, dark and hollow. "I want her to know what it’s like to be powerless. I want her to feel helpless, just like I did. And then . . . when she’s broken, when she’s begging to be saved—"
She paused, tilting her head.
"Then we’ll see."
Leon let out an impressed whistle. "Well, sis, I gotta say, I didn’t think you had it in you. You’ve grown up. Looks like our blood still runs inside you, after all. We’ll handle it. But . . ."
His tone darkened.
"You know our price."
Riley swallowed hard. Of course, she knew. There was always a price with them.
Still, she forced herself to keep her voice steady. "Na it."
Leon chuckled. "We’ll discuss it later. But for now? Consider it done."
The call ended with a click.
Riley lowered the phone from her ear, her heart pounding in her chest.
She had done it.
She had unleashed the demons she once tried to escape.
And now, there was no going back.
=== ===
Days had passed since Celeste had been admitted to the hospital, yet not once had Alexander visited her since the first ti.
Not even a glimpse.
Ethan Carter, on the other hand, had co several tis. But she had refused to see him. The nurses had ntioned him hovering around like so tragic, lovesick fool, but she didn’t care. He wasn’t the one she was waiting for.
Alexander had arranged for her to stay in the ultra-exclusive VVIP suite, complete with round-the-clock care and enough dical tests to make her feel like so rare specin under observation. The bed was softer than clouds, the food looked like it belonged in a Michelin-starred restaurant, and yet—none of it mattered.
Celeste sat on the bed, arms crossed, lips pursed in a deep pout as she scowled at absolutely nothing.
"What the fuck is he doing?" she muttered under her breath.
That Alexander.
Did he just give up on her? Was he off sowhere with Riley right now?
Her stomach twisted at the thought.
No. That didn’t make sense. He wouldn’t have put her in this ridiculously expensive room, wouldn’t have run all these never-ending tests, if he didn’t care.
Right?
"Unless . . ." She bit her thumb, her mind spinning. "Unless he got back together with Riley and now he’s just feeling guilty about ."
Her eyes widened.
"No. No, no, no! That can’t be right. I planned everything! I followed the right route!"
She was sure of it. Everything had been perfect. There was no way she had miscalculated.
Celeste huffed, arms tightening around herself as she lay back against the pillows, glaring up at the ceiling. He’d better have a damn good excuse for making her wait this long.
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps outside made her sit up so fast she almost knocked over her water glass.
Her heart leaped. Finally.
He was here.
A smug smirk curled on her lips. As expected.
Celeste threw herself back down on the bed, yanked the blanket over her body, and dramatically turned to face the other side. If he thought she would welco him with open arms after all this ti, he had another thing coming.
He’d have to grovel first.
The door opened.
She felt it—the presence standing near her bedside. Yes, yes, good, feel guilty. Feel terrible for making wait.
She held her breath, waiting for his deep voice to call her na.
But . . . sothing was off.
She frowned under the covers.
Why wasn’t he saying anything? Why wasn’t he trying to wake her?
And—why did it sll like bleach?
A strange unease crawled up her spine. Slowly, she peeked one eye open.
Her heart dropped.
Who the hell is that?!
Standing in front of her was not Alexander.
It was a woman—a stranger. Dressed in a hospital cleaning uniform.
Celeste’s brain short-circuited for a mont.
"What?" she blurted, sitting up so fast the blanket flew off. "Wait—who are you?!"
The woman said nothing. Just smiled.
Celeste’s stomach churned. This isn’t right.
"Soone was just here a second ago," she said, eyes darting around the room. "And my room was already cleaned. What are you doing h—"
Pain.
A sharp prick against her neck.
Her vision blurred instantly.
Oh, shit.
Her limbs felt like lead, her thoughts turning sluggish. Her body wasn’t responding.
This is definitely not Alexander.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
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