THE DEVIL'S INVITE

THE DEVIL'S INVITE
The rope binding Luther’s wrists might’ve looked loose from a distance, but Adrian had made sure it was tight enough to restrict any sudden movement. Still, I didn’t trust him—not for a second. Not after what he confessed. Not after what he did to my father. But we needed him—for now.

His face glistened with sweat, the bullet wound in his thigh bandaged hastily, but still bleeding through. Adrian had tied it off with a spare strip of cloth, just enough to keep him alive. Barely.

I watched him carefully as he dialed Victoria’s number. Adrian stood at his side, arms crossed. Ethan hovered nearby, tension stiff in his posture, ready to yank the phone away if things went south.

“Speaker,” I ordered. Luther glanced at me, then tapped the screen.

The call rang once. Twice.

Then Victoria’s voice crackled through the speaker. “This better be important, Luther.”

He coughed once for effect. “It is. There’s been a situation. At the estate. Security breach. I think someone’s been trying to get into the west wing.”

A pause.

“What?” Her tone shifted—irritation mixed with suspicion. “Then deal with it. That’s what I pay you for.”

Luther’s eyes met mine. He gave the slightest nod. “I did. But I think… you need to see it for yourself. It’s not just any breach. It might be them. Her.”

Silence again. Then a quiet, calculated breath. “You think she’s alive?”

“I don’t just think,” Luther said. “I’m sure. If I’m right… this ends tomorrow night. But only if you show up. In person.”

“I have more pressing things to handle, Luther,” she snapped. “You can’t expect me to drop everything—”

“Then lose your legacy,” he cut in. “Lose the empire you’ve built. It’s your call.”

Another pause. This time longer. I imagined her sitting in her office, nails tapping against polished mahogany, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Fine,” she said at last. “I’ll be there.”

The line went dead.

Adrian took the phone and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

Luther grunted. “Told you I could deliver.”

I said nothing.

A few minutes later, we guided him out of the house. Ethan had already pulled the truck around, engine idling, headlights off. The night was thick and still, only the chirping of crickets filling the silence.

We opened the back door and shoved Luther inside. Adrian climbed in after him. I moved to the passenger seat beside Ethan.

Ethan glanced over his shoulder, raising a brow. “Yhep, this is definitely bad guy material. So what are we doing with this one?”

I turned slightly. “He’s going to take us to Victoria.”

Ethan’s eyes widened. “Willingly?”

Adrian smirked. “It’s not like he has a choice. He knows we’ll kill him if he plays games.”

Ethan gave a sarcastic chuckle, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel. “Alright. But watch him. His evil aura is… unsettling.”

Luther, tied and slouched in the backseat, gave Ethan a sideways look and said, “Don’t worry. If I wanted you dead, you would be.”

Ethan blinked, dead silent. Then turned slowly toward me. “Sophie… please remind me why this lunatic is in our car and not in a ditch?”

I looked out the windshield, heart pounding. “Because he’s our ticket. And tomorrow night, we end this.”

Ethan gave a slow nod and shifted the gear. “So… where to now?”

I turned to face them, voice low and steady. “The Blackwell Mansion.”

The truck pulled off into the night, headlights cutting through fog as we sped toward what might be the last act of this war.

The ride to the outskirts of the city felt longer than it actually was. Ethan drove with the windows half down, the cool wind whipping against our faces. My eyes stayed fixed on the road, but my mind was racing far ahead.

The Blackwell Mansion.

It had once felt like a dream—a palace towering over everyone and everything. But now, all I saw was the graveyard of secrets buried under layers of marble and lies.

“You think she’ll come?” Ethan asked after a while, glancing at me.

“She’ll come,” Adrian answered before I could. His voice was heavy with certainty. “Victoria never passes on a chance to prove she’s still in control.”

“She’s already declared you dead, you know,” Ethan added, glancing at Adrian in the rearview mirror. “Held a whole press conference this afternoon. Said you’d been kidnapped by enemies of the Blackwell family. Gave the media just enough breadcrumbs to turn public opinion in her favor.”

I turned slightly in my seat, my voice clipped. “She’s setting the narrative. If she gets to the finish line first, our truth won’t matter.”

“Which is why we beat her there,” Adrian muttered.

“But how?” Ethan pressed. “A press conference isn’t enough. She’s tightening her grip. Every second she stays in power, she buys more silence. More fear. More leverage.”

Adrian looked out the window. “We expose her. In real time. I still have friends on the board. Some still loyal. We bring them proof. Show them what she’s done—what she’s covered up.”

I thought about Luther, sitting behind us in silence, eyes closed like he was on a nap instead of a one-way trip to the end of his career.

“And what if she doesn’t fall?” I asked. “What if they side with her anyway?”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Then we burn the whole thing down.”

No one spoke for the next few miles.

Luther opened his eyes slowly, smirking. “Feels like we’re preparing for war.”

“We are,” I replied.

Adrian tossed him a bottle of water.

“You’re going to take us into that mansion tomorrow,” Adrian said, his voice devoid of emotion. “You’ll lead her in. We’ll intercept her. We’ll confront her in front of the people that matter.”

“And if I don’t?” Luther challenged.

Adrian leaned in. “Then you’ll die with the rest of her lies.”

Luther scoffed. “Big talk from a man who only just woke from a coma.”

I stepped forward. “Let’s get one thing straight—this is your last chance at redemption. You can walk away from this alive, or we can leave your body in that mansion as a final message to Victoria.”

He studied me for a long moment.

“She’ll kill all of you,” he said finally. “You know that, right? She’s more dangerous than you realize.”

“Then she’ll finally have a worthy opponent,” I said coldly.

Later that night, Adrian and I stood outside beneath the stars. The air was sharp, filled with the hum of insects and the scent of pine.

“You think we’ll make it through tomorrow?” I asked.

Adrian stared into the distance. “I don’t know. But I’m done living in the shadows. If I go down, I want it to be for something that matters.”

I looked up at him, and for a second, the chaos faded. “You matter.”

He turned to me, eyes dark and unreadable. “And you… you turned my world upside down.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I know.”

Silence stretched between us. But it wasn’t awkward. It was… real. Weighty. A fragile thread of peace before the coming storm.

Inside, Luther stirred restlessly. Ethan checked the security feeds again and made sure the truck was fully gassed and hidden under the camouflage netting.

By night, we’d be back in the Blackwell mansion. Only this time, the masks would be off.

And if everything went to plan… we’d end it all.