Chapter 48
Marius
The ride is suffocating. Five hours trapped in the backseat of a G-Series, tension thick enough to slice with a blade. The only sound besides the hum of the engine and the occasional bump in the road is her voice—low, steady, completely in control.
She sits in the passenger seat, angled toward David, her attention entirely on the quiet discussions they’re having. Updates filter in over her phone, over the radio, from men already at the destination.
“We’ll put them in the East Wing,” David murmurs.
“There should be enough space. And the others?” Seri asks, eyes flicking to her phone as another update comes through.
“Temporary placements are already secured. We’ll assign rooms when we get there.”
“The ones still in shock?”
“Some of the women on-site have volunteered to help settle them.”
“Good.”
Not once does she turn around. Not once does she acknowledge us.
My jaw clenches, and I grind my teeth against the irritation boiling in my chest. She talks about placement and safety like she runs a kingdom, like this is just another night of work. And maybe for her, it is.
This isn’t the same woman who sat across from me at Sigma Phi parties, pretending to be just another college student. This Seri—this woman—is something else entirely.
Powerful. Revered. Respected.
And it pisses me off.
She hasn’t asked what I think. Or what any of us think. Seri took control without hesitation, dismissing us like we’re just along for the ride. Like we’re irrelevant.
I glance at Tyrone and Damon. Tyrone’s face is unreadable, but I know him well enough to see the calculations behind his stare. Damon, however, looks less composed—his frustration mirroring my own.
I hold out for as long as I can, but I’ve never been one to sit in silence when something needs to be said.
“Where are you taking them?” I finally ask.
She barely reacts. “Home.”
That’s it. No explanation. No elaboration.
Damon leans forward. “And where exactly is home?”
A pause. “You’ll see.”
I exhale sharply through my nose. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I’m giving you.”
Damon looks ready to snap. “Damn it, Seri—”
She turns slightly, finally, and the sheer weight of her gaze shuts him up.
Damon’s jaw locks, but he leans back.
The access road to the property stretched on forever, the kind of winding dirt path that forced vehicles to slow down, a natural deterrent for anyone trying to approach in a hurry.
By the time the vineyard came into view, the sky had started to lighten, dawn’s first gold-and-lavender streaks casting long shadows over the sprawling land. Rows of grapevines sloped in neat lines, stretching towards the mist-covered hills in the distance.
Then the farmhouse came into view.
It was nothing like what I had expected.
A two-story, white-paneled structure with dark green shutters and a wide wraparound porch. The kind of house meant for a family, not a underground syndicate’s hidden stronghold. The faintest curl of smoke rose from a chimney, the golden porch light still glowing against the early morning haze. Flower pots hung from the beams, and two rocking chairs sat side by side, as if waiting for someone to come home.
It was a picture. Something warm. Something soft. Something… impossible.
David pulled the car up in front of the steps, killed the engine, and sat for a moment, fingers gripping the steering wheel.
Then Seri turned to look at us for the first time in five hours.
"From here on out, there will be nothing but truth." Her voice was steady, but there was a weight behind it, something heavy and final. "But that goes both ways. If you betray me—if you betray what’s behind this door—"
Her hand flexed once. Controlled violence. A promise.
"I will kill you."
Then she opened the door, climbed out, and walked up the steps.
Marius exhaled slowly.
Damon and Tyrone exchanged glances behind him, but neither said a word.
For the first time since meeting her, Marius wasn’t sure what they had just stepped into.
The moment Seri pushed open the door, chaos erupted.