Aurelius POV:
How… how did this happen?
I muttered under my breath, staggered. My hands trembled as a cold shiver crept up my spine. My chest tightened — and for a brief, rare moment, my vision blurred.
No… this can't be.
This is a trap. It has to be. It's a goddamn setup meant to throw us off, to weaken us.
I felt Lucien's quiet sobs somewhere behind me, but my mind was a storm — everything twisting, colliding, shattering.
Aurora… my little sister.
Half-sister or not, she was family. I swore to protect her. And now… this.
I clenched my jaw, swallowing hard.
Then Callista's voice cut through the haze.
"You're right," she said softly, glancing up at me. "This could be a trap… or something bigger. But there has to be a hint somewhere, right?"
I looked at her — this strange, stubborn girl who never backed down even when she had no idea what she was walking into. I could tell encouragement wasn't something she was naturally good at… but she was trying.
And oddly, it worked.
I drew in a steady breath.
"Yeah," I muttered, my voice low but firm now. "There's always a hint. No one leaves a message like that without slipping up."
She turned back to the laptop, fingers flying over the keys, scanning through codes and surveillance logs.
I straightened, wiping my face with a hand, forcing my emotions to the background.
Whoever did this… they messed with the wrong family.
And I'll make them regret it.
Suddenly, Marcus burst into the room, his face pale, breath ragged.
"Sir—! We found… more evidence. And… a body."
Everything inside me froze.
A body.
My stomach twisted, dread knotting in my chest.
"A… a girl," Marcus added, his voice breaking.
For a second, I couldn't move — every possible scenario flashing through my head, the worst ones louder than the rest. I was trembling again, damn it.
But then —
"I found something else," Callista called from behind the laptop, her voice steady, sharp. Her eyes met mine, glowing with something fierce and relentless. "Go. I'll dig deeper."
That look in her eyes — unshaken, determined — sent a jolt through me. My heart stuttered, a strange flutter I quickly crushed down. Now wasn't the time.
I gave a curt nod. "Don't get reckless."
Without another word, I spun around, following Marcus out, my steps hard and fast, the tension in the air thick as the guards closed in around us.
I won't let her be gone.
Not Aurora.
Not my family.
The cold rage in my chest burned hotter as we reached the courtyard, floodlights illuminating the scene ahead.
Meanwhile…
Lucien, barely six, stayed behind. The tears he'd shed earlier were drying, though his little face was still flushed and his eyes puffy. But now… something new sparkled in those watery blue eyes.
He stood by Callista's side, fascinated.
The way her fingers danced across the keyboard, how the screens filled with shifting code and flickering data — it was magic to him. His small, blue eyes reflected the rapid flicker of text, wide with awe.
"Whoa…" he whispered, his voice soft, shaky, but filled with wonder.
His brown hair curled gently around his face, still slightly damp from his earlier tears. The sadness, just for a moment, lifted as he watched her.
"You're… really cool, Miss Callista," he said shyly.
She smirked a little, not looking away from the screen. "Stay close, kid. This might get messy."
Lucien nodded eagerly, inching closer like a loyal little shadow, his fear momentarily replaced by admiration.
Back outside…
Aurelius arrived at the courtyard, floodlights casting harsh shadows over the scene. His stomach turned.
Marcus pointed toward the covered form on the ground.
"We don't have a positive ID yet — but…" Marcus hesitated, dread written in every line of his face.
Aurelius crouched down, his throat tight.
It better not be her. It can't be.
As he reached for the edge of the cover — his pulse thundered.
Then—
"Sir, wait!" one of the guards shouted.
Aurelius froze.
The guard held out something — a small, delicate silver chain, tangled and bloodstained.
His heart stopped.
It was Aurora's.
Meanwhile at Callista side...
Callista's eyes narrowed as a new window blinked open on the screen.
Finally…
A shaky, grainy CCTV clip played — a small girl, no older than six, walking hesitantly down one of the side hallways of the estate, near the west wing. Long, wavy brown hair. Pale skin. Delicate steps, like she was either hiding… or lost.
"Lucien," Callista called softly, not peeling her eyes from the screen. "Come here a sec."
The little boy padded closer, his blue eyes wide and glimmering with both fear and hope.
"Is this… Aurora?"
Lucien leaned in, and when he saw the girl on the screen, his breath hitched. His eyes watered instantly, a tear slipping down his cheek.
"T-That's her! That's my sister!" he cried softly, his voice breaking, though there was something like fragile joy flickering there. "It's Aurora…"
Callista exhaled, a small knot of relief untangling in her chest — but only for a second.
Another video popped up.
Same timestamp.
Different wing.
And there — the same girl. Walking calmly past the back courtyard. Same dress, same hair.
What the hell…
She clicked on another alert from a different camera — front gate, same time.
The same girl again, being led by someone whose face was obscured by a hat.
Her stomach dropped.
"Wait… what?" Callista muttered, her fingers moving faster now. "This—this doesn't make sense. Unless…"
Lucien noticed her frown and tugged at the sleeve of her hoodie. "W-What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure yet, kid…" she said under her breath. "Either your sister has a twin you didn't know about… or someone's playing a really dangerous game here."
Lucien's eyes widened. He quickly grabbed the nearest phone off the desk and with trembling fingers, dialed Aurelius.
Meanwhile…
Aurelius, still at the scene with Marcus and the guards, answered immediately.
"Lucien? What's wrong?" His voice was tight, still raw from the earlier fear.
"B-Brother!" Lucien cried, his voice high and urgent. "Callista found her! I mean—she found videos… but it's weird! You need to come back, now! Please!"
Aurelius stiffened. "What do you mean weird?"
"She'll explain! Just come back!"
Aurelius didn't hesitate. "I'm on my way."
He dropped the bloodstained chain into Marcus's palm and spun on his heel, barking orders.
"Secure the perimeter — no one leaves this estate until I say so. And lock down the west wing."
"Yes, sir!"
Aurelius stormed off, his heart pounding again — this time with a sick kind of dread.
What the hell was happening?
Back in the study
Callista replayed the overlapping clips, lining them up side by side. Her face was stone cold now, mind racing.
This wasn't just bad camera sync. This wasn't a glitch.
Someone had duplicated Aurora's image… or had lookalikes.
And whoever it was — they were inside.
"Got you…" she muttered darkly.
Lucien watched her, equal parts terrified and amazed.
Just as Aurelius burst back into the room.
"What is it?" he demanded.
Callista didn't even look away from the screen.
"Watch this," she said, pulling up the side-by-side footage.
And as the same little girl appeared in three places at once…
Aurelius's face darkened. His hands curled into fists.
"This is a setup," he growled.
Callista nodded. "And whoever did this is good. Real good. But not good enough."
Lucien gripped Aurelius's hand tightly, his little voice quivering.
"B-Brother… what's gonna happen to Aurora?"
Aurelius knelt, placing a firm hand on Lucien's shoulder. "We'll find her. I swear it."
Callista closed one last program and turned to face them, determination flashing in her eyes.
"I've got a lead. But it's buried deep — and if I follow it, it might trigger something. A silent alarm… or worse."
A tense silence settled between them.
"Do it," Aurelius said grimly. "We've already crossed that line."
Callista cracked her knuckles, eyes sharp as blades.
"Alright then. Time to kick the hornet's nest."
She hit enter.
The screen flickered black — then a new window opened. A single word flashing on screen.
WELCOME BACK
Aurelius and Callista stared, both recognizing the danger.
"It's them," Aurelius muttered. "They're watching us."
Aurelius's jaw clenched as the word "WELCOME BACK" pulsed coldly on the screen. His pulse thundered in his ears.
He looked at Callista — her face was pale but focused, eyes darting across the code like a soldier scanning for landmines.
But his thoughts weren't on the screen anymore.
They were with the bloodstained chain Marcus had found.
The lifeless girl they'd discovered near the old garden shed.
No… it can't be…
He muttered, voice barely audible but raw with panic,
"Whose body is that…?"
His chest tightened.
"Where's the real Aurora?"
The sickening possibility gnawed at him like a poison — had they planted a body to make them believe she was dead? Or worse… was Aurora somewhere still alive, suffering, waiting for him to save her?
He gripped the desk's edge until his knuckles turned white.
He'd seen death before. Faked deaths too.
This was no accident.
Lucien, still holding his hand, looked up anxiously. "B-Brother…?"
Aurelius forced his breathing steady, kneeling beside Lucien.
"It's not her. I don't believe it," he said firmly, his voice low but certain. "Your sister is alive. And I'll prove it."
Callista glanced back over her shoulder, softening just a little.
"You might be right," she admitted. "The data's too perfect — whoever did this wanted you to find that body. It's staged."
She pulled up the last surveillance clip again, pausing on the blurry figure leading the little girl away.
"Look at this."
She zoomed in.
The girl's hand — clutching a small, worn-out plush rabbit.
Lucien gasped.
"Mr. Buttons! Aurora never lets go of Mr. Buttons!"
Aurelius's eyes darkened.
"Then that means… she was still alive when this was taken."
Callista nodded, heart pounding. "Exactly. And this guy—" she pointed at the blurred figure "—this isn't one of yours. No estate staff. I ran facial mapping against your employees. No match."
Aurelius rose to his full height, his expression deadly calm, cold fury in his veins.
"Then I'll burn this estate to the ground until I find out who it was."
Lucien clung to his brother's side, terrified but trusting.
Callista gave a grim, approving nod.
"Good. Because I think I just cracked part of the encryption trail they left behind."
She typed rapidly.
A new location pinged.
Coordinates.
Not far… but outside the estate walls.
Callista smirked a little. "Well… guess we found where the rabbit hole leads."
Aurelius's gaze locked with hers — a storm behind his sharp eyes.
"Gear up," he ordered.
"We're bringing her home."
End of Chapter 7.