The next morning, Camille woke up with a heavy weight pressing on her chest. The events of the previous night flashed before her eyes—the kiss, the cryptic message, her missing parents. Her stomach churned with anxiety as she tried to piece together what would happen next.
She tiptoed downstairs, her heart racing, hoping to clear her head. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and warm toast greeted her in the hallway. When she entered the kitchen, the maid was quietly setting out breakfast, avoiding eye contact as if sensing the tension in the house. Camille glanced around, her eyes falling on the three brothers sitting at the long dining table, their faces drawn and tense.
Noah sat at the end, his gaze flickering to hers for a brief moment before looking away, the memory of their kiss from last night hanging in the air between them like a storm cloud. Camille felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn’t forget how safe she had felt in his arms—how, for a moment, everything else had faded away. But that kiss made things infinitely more complicated.
Matthew and Leo were already at odds over her before, and now… now it felt like everything was on the verge of collapsing. She could feel it—the silent tension in the room, the unspoken thoughts swirling in the brothers’ minds.
“Morning,” she said quietly, her voice barely audible as she moved to sit down at the table.
“Morning,” Matthew responded, his voice strained, glancing over at her with a look that was hard to decipher. Leo nodded but said nothing, his eyes dark and unreadable as he stabbed at the scrambled eggs on his plate.
Noah’s gaze lingered on her for a second longer, but he quickly looked away, focusing on his food. Camille’s skin tingled with the memory of his touch, and she found herself struggling to breathe evenly.
The silence between them was suffocating, but Camille knew they couldn’t avoid the truth. Everything had shifted after last night, and there was no going back.
“Where’s your mom?” Camille asked softly, trying to break the ice, though she already knew the answer.
Leo sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “Still in her room. She’s… she’s not doing great.”
Matthew clenched his jaw, his usual calm exterior cracked from the pressure. “We’ll check on her later. Right now, we need to figure out what’s next.”
Camille nodded, her heart sinking as she thought of Evelyn breaking down upstairs. They had all lost so much in such a short time. But she had no time to dwell on it, not with the danger looming over her parents.
Just as the weight of the conversation was starting to press down on her again, her phone buzzed on the table. Camille froze, her hands shaking as she reached for it. The boys watched her closely as she unlocked it, her eyes scanning the new message.
“You have until midnight tonight. Bring the boys, or you’ll never see your parents again. No police. No mistakes.”
Camille’s breath caught in her throat. The air felt thick, her chest tightening as the reality of the situation sank in. The instructions were clear, and the threat was all too real.
“What does it say?” Noah asked, his voice tense.
Camille swallowed hard, her mouth dry as she read the message aloud. As the words hung in the air, she saw the brothers’ expressions shift. Matthew’s eyes hardened with resolve, while Leo’s face darkened with fear and anger. Noah, however, remained silent, his jaw clenched as he processed the gravity of the situation.
“All of us,” Camille whispered, looking up at them. “They want all of you involved.”
“This is insane,” Leo muttered, pushing his chair back and standing up, pacing the room. “What do they want from us? We barely even know what’s going on!”
“They know who we are,” Matthew said quietly, his voice low but firm. “This has to do with Victor. It’s all connected.”
Camille’s mind was spinning, the weight of responsibility settling on her shoulders. Whoever had her parents knew everything—about her, about the boys. She had no choice but to involve them now, whether they wanted to or not.
“We can’t let them hurt my parents,” Camille said, her voice shaking. “I’ll do whatever they ask, but I need you. All of you.”
The brothers exchanged tense glances, their expressions a mix of fear, anger, and determination. Camille could see the unspoken battle in their eyes—each of them was willing to put themselves on the line, but none of them wanted to risk her safety either.
“I’m in,” Matthew said finally, standing up and walking over to her, his hand gently squeezing her shoulder. “Whatever it takes.”
Leo stopped pacing, nodding. “I’m in too.”
Noah, still sitting, looked at her, his expression unreadable. There was something in his eyes—a mix of guilt and protectiveness that made Camille’s heart ache. He didn’t want to put her in danger, but he couldn’t let her do this alone either.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Camille,” Noah said softly. “I’m in.”