The crickets played their sweet melody, filling the night with music. The chill outside was intense, but Nasai remained unaffected by the cold. She sat on the bench outside the house, waiting patiently for her beloved sister.

  Time seemed endless as she fiddled with the fabric of her dress, her legs swinging rhythmically against the ground. She didn’t know what mood Yuna would be in, but all she wanted was to make things right.

  A few minutes passed before she heard the creak of the gate. Without a second thought, she rounded the small garden surrounding the house to meet her sister face to face.

  “Nasai…” Yuna froze when she saw her, tears suddenly welling in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  Seeing her sister in that state, Nasai couldn’t hold back her own sobs. As she moved closer, crystal tears traced the outline of her gentle face.

  “It’s alright. Sisters support each other, they’re there for everything, and they help one another. There’s nothing to forgive. If anything, I should apologize for not being more understanding,” she replied as they embraced each other.

  “We really need to stop being so sentimental,” Yuna said, pulling back and scratching her head, a bit embarrassed. “By the way, this weekend, our company is hosting a masquerade.”

  “A masquerade?”

  “Yeah, you know, with masks and formal attire,” Yuna explained, gesturing to match her words. “It’s for the acquisition of the new company.”

  “A new company?”

  “A long story… What I’m saying is, I’d love for you to come with me.”

  “But I don’t have anything to wear…” Nasai said, glancing up thoughtfully.

  “We’re going shopping tomorrow with Carol. Don’t worry about it,” Yuna finished, taking her younger sister by the hand as they headed back inside the house.

  ━━━━━━???━━━━━━

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  At the same time, calm reigned in the home of the mysterious man with golden hair. Nick lay barefoot on the floor, feeling the subtle sensations of a world saturated with contradictory emotions. With his eyes closed, he tried to stabilize the currents swirling within him, when the front door opened.

  “Belle, are you back?” Nick asked.

  “Can’t you see me coming in?” she replied, setting her keys down on the entry table.

  “Oh, right!” he responded playfully, sitting up on the floor to look at her.

  “Enough jokes. Did you find her?”

  “Who?”

  “Stop joking around. We need to locate her. Without her power, we won’t be able to face the darkness encroaching on our realm,” she admonished, frowning.

  “Why should we drag her back to that kind of life? Aren’t we being selfish by forcing her to return?”

  “Forcing her? Ilfirin, you know perfectly well that the longer she stays in this realm, the more her life is at risk. Her body isn’t built for this world.”

  “I’m going to take a shower,” Nick said, shaking his head with a hint of frustration as he got up from the floor. “Care to join me?”

  ━━━━━━???━━━━━━

  An entire day had passed, and the night reigned alongside the fierce rain. As usual, calmness prevailed in the Dokovic mansion. A faint light glowed from one of the bedroom windows.

  Unlike the storm outside, joy and good humor filled the atmosphere within. Annie, trying on countless outfits for the upcoming party with Sussy, who was seated on the bedroom sofa watching her, felt different. It was as if her deepest wishes might actually come true.

  “You seem really excited about the party. This is the fourth dress you've tried on,” Sussy remarked, happy to see her friend in such high spirits.

  Sussy was one of the most recent converts of the Dokovic brothers. After a twelve-hour shift at the hospital, she had been mugged at gunpoint, nearly losing her life in the process. But Vincent’s intervention had saved her. Since then, even as one of the lower-ranking members of the clan, she helped out as much as possible, considering the others her family.

  “This could be my chance to get back with Patrick,” Annie replied, animated.

  “Forget it… you only shared one kiss, and it was ages ago,” Sussy advised, emphasizing “ages.” “All you get from him are cold shoulders.”

  Annie was painfully aware of how Patrick treated her. She knew that the kiss, which had sent thrills through every inch of her and transported her to places she'd only dreamed of, had happened centuries ago—at a time when Patrick was not exactly himself. Yet, her feelings for him were as vivid as lightning at its most brilliant, and although she had tried a thousand times, she couldn’t bring herself to let them go.

  “…I can’t,” she replied with a lump in her throat, sitting down at the edge of the bed. “If it weren’t for him, I’d be dead now!” Annie finally burst out, breaking into heartbreaking sobs.