She was standing perfectly upright, her dress untouched by a single speck of dust. She looked bewildered, her hands reaching out as if to touch a ghost that had already vanished. She breathed heavily, her eyes searching the room for the man who had pulled her from the jaws of death.No one had seen Zane. No one saw the black blur that had snatched her and deposited her in safety before the first shard of glass hit the floor. He was back in the shadows, a silent guardian once again.Sophia looked at Clara, and her face was pale. She knew it hadn't been an accident. And she knew that someone, somewhere, had just tried to kill her.The theater was a scene of pure madness. Security guards scrambled through the aisles, and white dust from the ceiling drifted down like ghostly snow.But in the center of the chaos, Clara Lancaster stood stillShe stood exactly where Zane had placed her, her breathing shallow but her eyes wide and piercing. Sophia, who watched all the chaos unfol,d didn't

The air in the old boiler room was filled with the smell of rust, coal dust, and old grease. Massive iron pipes snaked across the ceiling like the ribs of a giant beast, hissing with steam. In the center of the dimly lit room, Mr. Henderson stood waiting. His eyes were bloodshot, and his skin looked like gray parchment. He had reached the edge of his sanity.A sharp click of heels on the concrete floor announced Chloe’s arrival. She stepped into the room, holding a silk handkerchief to her nose to block the smell. She looked at the dirty surroundings with pure disgust."This is pathetic, Henderson," Chloe snapped, her voice dripping with arrogance. "You said you found evidence? Where is it? I don't have all day to spend in this dungeon. Bianca is already breathing down my neck about the theater disaster."Henderson didn't move. He stood in the shadows, his hands hidden in his pockets. "There is no evidence, Chloe. I lied to get you here."Chloe froze, her eyes narrowing. "You what? Yo

The hospital doors hissed open as Lorenzo Rossi stepped out into the bright afternoon sun. He was paler than usual, his movements stiff, but the fire in his eyes had returned. He leaned heavily on his cane; he was getting discharged today.The nurse tried to offer, but he waved her away with a snarl of disgust.Beside him, Mrs. Rossi clutched her designer handbag, her face a mask of worry. She reached for his arm, but he shrugged her off. He was back in the world, and he had an empire to run. However, the moment he stepped into his waiting black limousine, his lead security detail handed him a tablet."Sir," the man said, his voice trembling. "You need to see this. It happened an hour ago."Lorenzo stared at the screen. His grip on the tablet tightened until his knuckles turned white. He watched the viral clips of the school broadcast. He saw his daughter’s face on every news channel, labeled as a criminal and a fraud. Then, a news alert flashed across the bottom of the screen: Bianca

He turned on his heel, his cane clicking furiously against the floor as he stormed out. Bianca, Jada, and Chloe followed him, their faces burning with a mix of shock and humiliation.As they stepped out into the main hallway, the bell rang. The doors to the classrooms swung open, and hundreds of students spilled out into the corridor. Usually, the crowd would part for Bianca; usually, people would bow their heads or offer fake smiles of admiration.Not today.The hallway felt miles long. As the four of them walked toward the exit, a heavy silence followed them. Students lined the walls, watching. Some whispered happily, their faces bright with the realization that the three tyrants were finally gone. Others looked on with pity, seeing the disheveled hair and smeared makeup of the girls who used to act like goddesses.Bianca kept her head down, her heart pounding with a heat she had never felt before. It was the heat of pure, concentrated shame. Then, her eyes caught Clara.She was s

Myria looked up, the candlelight reflecting in her dark pupils. "The Lancasters humiliated me, and I will do anything in my power to destroy them. I will give you what you seek."The three girls exchanged looks. Myria immediately began the ritual. The air grew so thick with the scent of ozone and decaying vegetation that Chloe and Jada had to cover their mouths to keep from gagging. Myria moved with a frantic, jerky energy, her shadow dancing across the ceiling like a giant, multi-limbed insect.In the center of the room sat a cauldron made of blackened iron, resting over a fire that burned blue.Myria reached into the dark recesses of her shelves, pulling out jars filled with things that defied nature. She threw in Nightshade petals that had never seen the sun and roots of the Mandrake that looked like tiny, screaming human figures."To break a mind that has been mended," Myria chanted, her voice dropping into a guttural register, "we must unweave the silver threads of the soul."S