Chapter 19 Nineteen

Chapter 19 Nineteen
Rebelle’s POV

My walk through the hallway felt like I had walked a mile, and for some reason, the farther I got from the library, the more I felt like something was pulling me back. It was beginning to feel like I had left pieces of myself behind in two different places, split between two do men who had no business occupying my thoughts the way they did.

Three nights.

That was all I had before the masquerade, before everything shifted, and yet my mind isn’t sure where it’s supposed to be. It wasn’t the obvious trap or severe, or even the fact that I was still technically a prisoner in a place that could swallow me whole if it decided to.

No.

My mind was stuck on a kiss that burned and another that lingered too long.

I let out a quiet breath as I pushed open the door to my room, stepping inside and closing it behind me with more force than necessary, as if I could shut everything out with it, but it didn’t work.

Of course it didn’t.

Instantly, silence wrapped around me; it was thick and suffocating, the kind that gave my thoughts too much room to grow into something dangerous.

I ran a hand through my tangled hair, pacing once before stopping in the middle of the room.

“This is stupid,” I muttered to myself.

Because it was. Everything about this was stupid…I wasn’t here for romance. I wasn’t here to get tangled up in whatever twisted dynamic the Genovese brothers had going on.

I was here because someone set me up, and my sister had looked me dead in the eye and pretended I didn’t exist. And because somewhere in this mess, there were answers I needed.

But yet.

Without thinking or realizing, my fingers brush against my lips…Then I froze.

Instantly, I drop my hand like I’ve been burned.

“Get it together, Rebelle,” I whispered harshly.

Because if there was one thing I knew, one thing life had drilled into me over and over again, it was this: Attachments were weaknesses…And weaknesses got you killed.

I let out a sigh and finally prepare for bed. After putting on some comfy clothes, I lay on the soft mattress, closing my eyes and trying to let sleep consume me, but it never came

Instead, I was having painful memories of the past. Then Waverly's face appears, seeming cold, completely detached, and unrecognizable.

Then Ezekiel's cold and dangerous voice rings in my eyes, and Asa's unpredictable, knowing smile flashes in my head

And somewhere in between all of it, I began to see fire, chaos, and crowds of faceless people watching me.

Instantly, I jolt awake, exhale sharply as my breathing begins to rise and fall too fast. The remnants of the dream cling to me like a second skin.

For a second, I didn’t move or think; I just listened. The estate was quiet… in fact, too quiet.

My jaw tightened slightly as I pushed myself up, running a hand over my face before swinging my legs off the bed.

“Great,” I muttered. “Now I’m paranoid too.”

But something didn’t sit right, and knowing me, when I get such a feeling, I’ll never ignore it, so I moved quickly, pulled on. Loose shirt and dark pants before slipping out of my room, my steps quieter now.

The halls were dim, the soft glow of the wall lights casting long shadows that stretched across the floor.

It felt empty, but I could still feel a presence, so I turned a corner and stopped suddenly because someone was already there.

Oliver.

Of course, it was him.

He stood near the end of the hall, speaking quietly into an earpiece, his posture rigid, his expression unreadable.

But the moment his gaze snapped to mine, something slight shifted just enough for me to notice.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, his tone neutral.

“Seems like a trend around here,” I replied lightly, though my eyes didn’t leave his.

He studied me for a moment longer than necessary before nodding once.

“Stay in your room tonight.”

I raised a brow.

“That sounds less like a suggestion,” I said.

“It’s not,” he said.

That made something in my chest tighten.

“Why?” I asked.

Then there was A pause, too long to be just nothing.

“Security measures,” he answered finally.

Liar.

I tilted my head slightly, watching him, “What aren’t you telling me?” I asked, raising a brow and folding my arms.

His jaw tightened almost unnoticed.

“Go back to your room, Rebelle,” he orders firmly

That wasn’t an answer, but it told me enough that something was definitely happening. And whatever it was, I wasn’t supposed to know about it. Which, naturally, made me want to know even more.

I held his gaze for another second before shrugging lightly.

“Fine,” I said, but I didn’t move immediately, and he noticed.

Of course he did.

“Rebelle.” He called, and it sounded like a warning.

I smiled slightly, then turned and walked away, but not towards my room.

The estate felt different at night, a bit more alive. So I kept to the quieter paths, the ones that I had learned over time. The ones that kept me out of direct sight while still giving me a clear view of everything around me.

And then suddenly I hear low, familiar voices. I slow my steps, pressing myself lightly against the wall as I listened.

“…not waiting three days,” Ezekiel’s voice came through first, sounding edged with something darker. “We move now.”

“And walk straight into whatever they’ve planned?” Asa’s voice followed, calm but no less dangerous. “That would be unlike you.”

There was a pause.

“You think I care about their plan?” Ezekiel shot back. “If there’s a threat, we eliminate it.”

“And if the threat is baiting you?” Asa countered smoothly.

There was a tense silence, so i leaned just slightly closer.

“Then we use it,” Asa continued. “We let them think they’re in control.”

“And risk her?” Ezekiel’s voice dropped lower.

Something in my chest tightened.

Her.

Me.

“I don’t risk things I can control,” Asa said.

“That’s the problem,” Ezekiel snapped. “You think you can control everything.”

“And you think you can destroy everything,” Asa replied coolly.

There was another silence, and it was thicker this time. And without realizing, I held my breath.

“Three nights,” Asa said finally. “We play along. Then we end it.”

“And if something goes wrong?” Ezekiel questions.

Thus, my heart skipped a beat as I leaned closer to hear the response.

“It won’t,” Asa responds calmly.

The certainty in his voice should have been reassuring, but it wasn’t, because I have lived long enough to know that thing: nothing ever went exactly according to plan.

I shifted slightly, then suddenly the floor creaked.

Damn it.

The silence on the other side of the wall was immediate. It was sharp and aware.

“Someone’s there,” Ezekiel said.

Shit.

I didn’t wait. I moved quickly and quietly, but unfortunately, not fast enough.

The door behind me opened just as I turned the corner, footsteps following quickly.

“Rebelle.”

His voice… he was close, so I slowly stopped moving because running would only make it worse.

I turned back just as Ezekiel stepped into view, his gaze locking onto mine instantly, sharp and searching.

Behind him, Asa appeared, far more composed, but his eyes…his eyes missed nothing.

“Well,” Asa said softly, “this is interesting.”

I crossed my arms lightly, forcing a calm I didn’t fully feel.

“I could say the same.”I blurt out.

Ezekiel didn’t look amused.

“What did you hear?” he asked firmly.

Straight to the point.

Of course.

I tilted my head slightly, “Enough.” I respond with a slight frown.

His jaw tightened, “Be specific.”

So I stepped closer instead, “or what?” I challenged quietly.
The air around us shifted again. It was always like this with him, tense and unpredictable.

“Rebelle,” Asa cut in smoothly, stepping forward just enough to ease the edge before it could turn into something worse. “Curiosity is dangerous in this house.”

“So is lying,” I shot back.

His lips curved slightly, “Who said we were lying?” He says, and I held his gaze.

“You’re planning something,” I said. “Something you don’t want me involved in.”

Ezekiel let out a quiet, humorless breath.

“You’re already involved.” He deadpans

Well, that… wasn’t what I expected.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

But neither of them answered immediately; instead, there was silence, and that told me everything.

Instantly, a slow, uneasy feeling settled in my chest,

“What aren’t you telling me?” I pressed.

This time, Asa stepped closer, maybe too close. His fingers brushed lightly against my chin, tilting my face up just slightly.

“Would you believe me if I told you we’re trying to keep you alive?” He says softly as we lock eyes.

My breath caught because I had heard those words before, from his brother.

And somehow that made it worse.

“I don’t need protecting,” I said, quieter now.

“No,” Ezekiel said from behind him, his voice low and certain, “but you need to start listening.”

I looked between them. There was a bit of tension between us, unspoken things hanging in the air.

And the way both of them were watching me like I was something they couldn’t afford to lose. And for the first time, that didn’t feel like control; it felt like something else. Something that made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t understand.

“Three nights,” I said slowly.

Asa’s gaze flickered slightly.

“Yes.”

And I swallowed, “Then what?” I asked

There was a pause as I glanced between them, and then Ezekiel spoke.

“Then everything burns.” He says firmly