11 days ago...
Aurelius was on the edge. Panic gripped him so fiercely that his breath came in shallow, frantic gasps. It was 3 a.m., but the weight of the night felt endless. His mind raced, his heart pounded — and yet, there he was, unable to stop moving, unable to stop searching.
Beside him, Callista sat, her eyes heavy with dark circles, a deep crimson tint beneath them. Fatigue had claimed her, but determination kept her fingers dancing across the keyboard. She had been at this for hours, tirelessly searching, analyzing, and digging for any shred of evidence that could lead them to Aurora.
Then, amidst the endless streams of data, she found something. A symbol. Familiar, hauntingly so. It triggered something deep in her memory — but where had she seen it before?
A teasing grin formed on her lips. She poked Aurelius' cheek, trying to lighten the moment, despite the mounting tension. "Do you know this symbol?"
His reaction was immediate, as though the question had struck a nerve. His eyes, which had been flickering with exhaustion just moments before, darkened, a cold and chilling shift in his gaze. It was as if the predator lurking inside him had suddenly emerged, sharpening his focus.
He replied, his voice icy, monotone, and filled with something far deeper than simple recognition. "Yes."
The single word lingered in the air, pregnant with meaning. Callista met his gaze, realizing that this symbol was far more than just a clue — it was something that tied directly into the mystery they had been unraveling, and something Aurelius knew far more about than he was letting on.
She narrowed her eyes, her teasing demeanor faltering, replaced by a quiet curiosity. "What is it?" she asked, her voice quieter now, more serious.
But Aurelius didn't answer. His eyes seemed to cloud over with thoughts he wasn't ready to share, and the heavy silence stretched between them.
Aurelius snapped back to the present, blinking as if he'd been momentarily lost in his thoughts. He flinched as Callista's face came closer, her words piercing the air with frustration.
"Hello, Aurelius! You alive there? I still have exams, and my exams this morning are completely alive, so ANSWER ME, FIANCE!" she practically shouted, her voice sharp and laced with irritation. She moved closer, her presence a sudden challenge in his personal space, trying to intimidate him.
"Lucky for you, you're graduated already, but I AM NOT. AND LUCKY FOR YOU, all you're going to focus on now is being your father's chick," she added with a biting edge.
Aurelius stared at her, still caught off guard by her boldness, but then a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips — despite himself, her fire had a way of drawing him in. He exhaled slowly, letting the tension in his body ease.
"Alright, alright," he muttered, shaking his head, his voice a mixture of frustration and amusement. "I'm here. You don't need to shout at me."
His gaze flickered to the screen, eyes narrowing as he finally processed what she was showing him. The symbol. The one that had triggered a flood of memories he wasn't ready to confront just yet. He couldn't help it, though—his posture straightened, and a sharp edge entered his tone.
"You want answers?" He sighed. "Fine. That symbol? It's linked to my family's past—more specifically, a dangerous faction we've tried to avoid for years." He turned back to her, his eyes serious, no longer hiding the coldness creeping into his expression. "And as for your exams, you should focus on them. But trust me, you won't have to worry about that much longer."
Callista blinked, still hovering close, not quite understanding. She crossed her arms. "What do you mean, 'won't have to worry about that'? You can't just pull me into this mess, Aurelius."
He met her gaze head-on, his expression unwavering.
"I'll explain everything, but for now, the most important thing is finding Aurora. And the symbol is the key."
Callista stared at him, frowning as she tried to process it all, but she knew one thing for sure: this engagement—this mess—was far from over.
Aurelius tensed as her words cut through the air like shards of glass, each one sharp and deliberate. Callista's voice dropped, cold as ice — no teasing now, no playful scowls — just pure, unfiltered frustration.
"Hey…" she said, the word laced with frost. "You. You're the one who started this in the first place. I'm stuck here because your father let me stay for a night — hoping I could sleep. But guess what? I didn't. Not. Even. A. Wink."
She stepped closer, fire in her chest and ice in her tone. "You didn't even let me leave your gaga estate. I've been stuck here, losing sleep, hacking systems, running on coffee fumes trying to find your sister — your problem."
Her eyes narrowed. "And now you're standing there saying I should focus on my exams? Hold on, fiancé." She stabbed a finger toward his chest. "I only have one body, and one mind. If you really mean that, if you seriously think I should just focus on my exams, then LET. ME. LEAVE. RIGHT. NOW. I should be studying, not solving your bloody family crisis."
For a long, thick second, there was only silence between them — the sound of computer keys still humming faintly in the background, the glow of screens reflecting the tension in the room.
Aurelius stared at her, something unreadable flickering in his storm-dark eyes. His jaw clenched, and for the first time, his perfectly controlled mask cracked — just slightly.
"…You're right," he finally muttered, voice low. "You should've never been dragged into this."
But he didn't step aside.
Because deep down, both of them knew — neither of them could turn back now.
Callista let out a long, exhausted sigh, brushing a hand through her messy hair as she tried to steady the storm inside her. Her eyes dropped to her watch — 3:45 AM.
"Great…" she muttered under her breath. "I have to balance the time to study and sleep… for my health."
Without another word, she reached into her pocket, pulled out a small USB drive, and held it out to Aurelius. The air between them was heavy — frustration, exhaustion, tension — but her voice was calm now, controlled.
"Take this," she said. "It's everything I dug up about that symbol. The connections, names, transactions… all of it. I'm not done with your sister's case yet."
She glanced toward the door, grabbing her purse from the table. "I have friends at my school — they're good, as good as me. I'll call in a few favors. They'll help dig deeper… locations, the people behind it, the boss… everything."
Without waiting for a reply, she walked toward the door, heels clicking softly against the floor. No drama this time. No teasing. No turning back.
She pulled out her phone and dialed. "Get the car ready. I'm going home."
By the time the driver arrived, she was already waiting outside, leaning against the front gate of the estate with weary eyes and a heart still pounding from caffeine and adrenaline.
The sleek black car pulled up, and Callista slid inside, the door closing quietly behind her. The estate's lights faded into the distance as she left — heading home, to her mansion, to her life, to her exams… and to a mess she never asked for, but somehow couldn't walk away from.
She barely had time to close her bedroom door when her phone buzzed.
"Father" it read.
With a groan, she answered. "Yes?"
His voice was firm, commanding — not angry, but not warm either. "Come to my office. Now. Before you leave for school. There's something I need to discuss with you… about the Valemont."
Her fingers froze around the phone. She stared at the wall.
"…What?"
"Don't be late. This is important."
Click.
Callista stood in silence, the phone still pressed to her ear long after the call ended.
Callista stood outside her father's grand office door, her pulse in sync with the ticking clock on the hallway wall. She adjusted her uniform collar and smoothed her hair, trying not to look like she had pulled an all-nighter.
She knocked once.
"Come in," her father's voice answered, steady and cool.
She stepped inside. The room was bathed in soft morning light cutting through the floor-length windows. Her father, impeccably dressed in a navy suit, stood behind his desk, not looking up yet.
"You called?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.
He gestured to the chair across from him without a greeting.
Callista sat, crossing one leg over the other, arms folded. "Make it quick. I have an exam."
He leaned forward, hands clasped. "This is about the Valemont family."
Her gaze narrowed. "What about them?"
"You're already involved with Aurelius," he said plainly, "and now with their internal affairs. You're smarter than this, Callista."
Her brow twitched. "Excuse me?"
"I don't trust them. And frankly, I don't trust your position around them. Their bloodline is dangerous. The father, Victor Valemont, has enemies in every corner of power. If you continue digging, they'll notice. And you're not ready for the kind of enemies they attract."
Callista stood up, voice quiet but firm. "Too late for that, don't you think?"
He looked up at her sharply. "I'm warning you."
She tilted her head slightly. "No, you're too late. I've already chosen to help find his sister. I'll continue. And if I'm smart enough to get tangled in this, I'm smart enough to get out of it too."
The tension in the room hung thick between them, but her father said nothing more.
Callista gave a small bow and turned to leave, her shoes clicking against the polished floor.
She exited the mansion, the weight of the conversation pressing heavy on her shoulders.
8:45 AM.
The campus gates came into view, bustling with students. She stepped out of her car, clutching her bag and the half-finished bottle of vitamin water she barely remembered drinking. Her heels tapped against the stone tiles, head down, mind racing.
She paused at the main hallway and took out her phone.
A message from Aurelius.
"Update me when you're done. We need to move fast."
But just as she started to type her reply, something on the campus bulletin board caught her eye. A strange sticker—a symbol. Familiar. Too familiar.
The same one from the USB.
It wasn't just part of a digital trail anymore.
It was here.
On campus.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached toward it—
End of Chapter 10.