????? ??????? ????? | ?

I looked up at him, my eyes pleading for some hope, some comfort, but he said nothing. Instead, he smiled gently, pulling me closer, resting my head against his shoulder.

"Don't worry, cuginetta. Everything's going to be alright. She's going to survive!" he whispered, his hands rubbing soothing circles on my arms. (Baby cousin)

I snapped upright, panic raging through me. "What do you mean she's going to survive? Is there even a chance she won't?"

Vince's smile faltered, his breath hitching as he pressed me back against him. "No, no, no... of course she will. She has to," he lied so quickly it made my heart twist with pain.

But I knew. I knew he didn't believe it either.

Lies. So many lies!

Valeria was trapped in a nightmare, and I was helpless to pull her out.

--Aiden's P.O.V--

I paced the length of Noah's office, my fists clenched tight enough to bleed. How the hell had we forgotten?

The box. The box with her custody papers inside! Our most precious shield, stolen, and now a weapon pointed straight at us.

The thought of Valeria, my sister's best friend, trapped and hurt, and us powerless to help was eating me alive.

Noah's plan was clear: save her without being caught by the MS Mafia.

Our ruthless enemy.

They wanted our empire, our lives. But they'd never gotten close... until now. Now, with our baby sister back, they'd found our only weakness. I was itching to rip them apart with my bare hands, to make them regret the day they crossed us!

"Can you stay still for one second?" Chris asked from behind me, his voice low but edged with frustration.

"How the fuck do you expect me to stand still when our baby sister's life is on the line?" I shouted, slamming my fist into the table.

Noah spun his chair around, his glare sharp enough to cut steel. When Noah glares like that, you don't argue. I dropped into a chair, my breath heavy with defeat.

Then the door burst open. Enzo stormed in like a hurricane, shutting it hard behind him. His usually calm demeanor was shattered, replaced by wild fury and desperate fear. He loved this family like his own, he had to.

"How the hell did you all forget the papers were stolen?" he roared, glaring at every one of us, his voice raw with disbelief.

We swallowed hard. All of us. He was right. We had forgotten.

Enzo cared more than any of us. More than Nefeli's own brothers. And I felt it, deeply. The way he came rushing in, the urgency in his voice, the worry in his eyes. He wasn't just concerned. He was genuinely shaken. Protective. Focused. And meanwhile, we had let it slip. We forgot about the one thing that mattered most, the one piece of paper that could tear her away from us. We failed her. That realization settled in my chest like a weight I couldn't shake. I felt embarrassed. Guilty. Useless. We were supposed to be the ones keeping her safe. But in the end, it was Enzo who stepped up when it counted. And that truth hurt more than I expected.

We were the worst brothers imaginable...

Chris, Noah, and I exchanged looks, regret carved deep in our eyes.

Noah, though, was a fortress. Cold. Emotionless. Like he'd swallowed all pain to shield us. But I knew the truth. Noah was hurting more than any of us. Punishing himself for failing us all.

"Stop the blame game..." Noah said, voice hard, arms crossed. "What's the plan? We can't let Valeria die."

"Nefeli will never forgive us. And she's not even involved..." Chris muttered, rubbing his temples.

"There's only one option" Enzo said, locking eyes with us.

My heart stopped. Yet, he was right...

"We go in. Into their building."

___________________________________________

Thank you so much for your love so far, I really hope you are enjoying this story!!

Comment what do you think so far about the story??

What will happen next??

Did you guess what the box had inside?? Tbh I thought I had written to the chap what it had inside 😅

What do you think about her brothers forgetting about it??

I am so incredibly sorry about the small chap, but it was the best thing I could do considering that Greece is rn in the middle of a snowstorm and I don't have electricity since Feb 15 so I write it as fast as I could. I am uploading the chap on Feb 18 with data but I am not sure when it's gonna be up so please lemme know when it is up. I am still sorry about the short chap 😊💕

Who is your favorite SECONDARY character??

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Pleeeeeease!!

Lots of love, Nefeli 💕