Farhid hadn't seen her parents for weeks.
She missed them terribly, and the distance had begun to weigh heavily on her heart. She had tried keeping herself busy, but there were some nights when the silence became too loud and all she wanted was to hear their voices.
Finally, she picked up her phone and called Hammed.
Unfortunately, Hammed was currently on a mission.
"Bro, eight!" Rohan shouted.
Hammed immediately turned his attention toward the four men standing ahead of him.
He raised his weapon.
Four shots rang through the darkness.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The four targets dropped one after another.
Hammed barely reacted. His expression remained calm and focused as he continued moving through the mission.
His earbud suddenly came alive.
"Incoming call from Meri Gul-e-Jan (Flower of My Heart)," his AI assistant announced.
Hammed paused for half a second.
"Connect," he ordered.
The call connected.
At that exact moment, Hammed raised his weapon again and fired another four bullets.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Farhid immediately heard the gunshots through the phone.
There was a small gasp from her.
"Are you okay, sir?" she asked anxiously.
"Of course, darling," Hammed replied as though nothing unusual had happened. "Tell me. It's past midnight. Why aren't you asleep?"
He moved forward while keeping his eyes on the remaining enemies.
Farhid hesitated.
"Well… I want you to take me to where my parents are living. Can you, sir?" she asked softly.
Hammed's expression softened.
"Of course, baby. I'll take you tomorrow morning."
"Thank you."
Her voice became more serious.
"And please don't get hurt. Be careful."
"Yes, jaan (love)," Hammed answered.
The call ended.
The moment the call disconnected, Hammed turned toward the remaining men.
One of them suddenly fired.
The bullet struck Hammed in the arm.
"SHIT!" he yelled, grabbing his injured arm.
"Bro!" David shouted.
Hammed looked down at the blood running from his arm.
"Fuck. How will I explain this to Fari?" he muttered, holding his bleeding arm.
David stared at him.
"Forget explaining it. We need to get you treated first."
Hammed clenched his jaw.
He looked toward the battlefield.
The mission was far from over.
Meanwhile, it was 11:20 p.m.
All the girls were asleep.
The mansion had become unusually quiet.
However, Lily was still awake.
She was lying comfortably in bed with her phone in her hands, texting Nikolai.
"Nikki, why aren't you asleep yet?" she texted.
Across the city, Nikolai looked down at his phone.
Mila was peacefully sleeping in his arms.
He smiled when he saw Lily's message.
"My Bambi isn't in bed with me," he texted back.
Lily smiled.
"I miss you."
She paused before typing another message.
"I miss how your arms are always wrapped around me all night."
Nikolai read the message and smiled.
"I miss the slow, soft kisses. I miss you teasing me all night. My irresistible girl. My sweet sin. I love to commit," he texted.
Lily covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Oh, my beastie king. If I was there, I would have made you beg and crawl to me," she texted.
Nikolai bit his lower lip.
He shook his head with an amused smile.
"And like a good boy I am to you, I will always obey and submit to you," he texted.
Lily smiled warmly at the screen.
"You're always my good boy. Now come on, Nikki. Go to sleep," she texted.
Nikolai stared at the message for several seconds.
"I miss you so bad," he texted.
A moment later, his phone received a voice note.
Nikolai smiled.
He tapped the voice note.
"Nikki, come on. Go to sleep, or should I sing you a lullaby?" Lily asked softly.
Nikolai immediately replied.
"Yes, please."
Lily read the message.
Four minutes later, Nikolai received another long voice note.
He put his earbuds in.
Then he pressed play.
Lily's voice came through softly.
She began humming gently before her lullaby filled his ears.
Nikolai closed his eyes.
As he listened, he imagined Lily lying beside him.
He imagined her gently rubbing his hair, her fingers moving softly through it while her voice wrapped around him like warmth.
Then the lullaby began.
"Close your eyes, my love, and let the night hold you gently. Let the silence wrap around you like my arms around your heart. You have carried so much today, and now you can rest, my love. You are safe with me.
"Let every worry fade away.
"Let every thought become quiet as you drift into my arms.
"I will stay beside you through the darkness and guard your dreams with all the love inside my heart.
"Sleep, my darling.
"Sleep beneath the moonlight, knowing that you are cherished more than words could ever say.
"Let your tired soul breathe, and let your beautiful heart become peaceful tonight.
"Imagine my hands softly holding yours.
"Imagine my voice whispering that everything will be alright.
"You do not have to be strong right now.
"You do not have to carry the world tonight.
"Just close your eyes and rest, my love, while the stars watch over you and the moon sings softly above you.
"May your dreams be warm.
"May your sleep be deep.
"May your heart feel lighter when morning comes.
"And if you wake in the middle of the night, remember that somewhere in the quiet, my love is still wrapped around you like a blanket, keeping you warm.
"So sleep now, my handsome love.
"Let yourself drift away into the sweetest dreams.
"And know that you are loved.
"You are wanted.
"You are precious.
"And you are never alone.
"Goodnight, my love.
"Sleep peacefully until the morning finds you."
Lilith's voice faded.
Nikolai's eyes slowly closed.
The exhaustion finally took over.
He fell asleep.
"Goodnight, my dearest love," Lily whispered.
On the other side of the phone, Nikolai smiled in his sleep.
Morning arrived.
The girls were still asleep.
Lily was already awake.
She yawned and rubbed her eyes.
"G… good morning," she murmured.
"Morning, L… Lily," Cassia replied sleepily.
She yawned again.
Soon after, the others began waking up as well.
Lily leaned against Gloria's shoulder.
The girls slowly got out of bed.
They brushed their teeth, washed their faces, fixed their hair, and eventually made their way downstairs.
"Girls, breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Faith called.
The girls giggled at one another as they entered the dining area.
"Good morning, my beautiful ruin."
Lily's phone vibrated.
She looked down.
Nikolai had texted her.
"How was your night, my lovely crown?"
She smiled.
"Good morning, my little puppy. Mama had a great night," she texted back.
The girls gathered around the table.
"We're all booked at the spa and salon for Thursday, right?" Tatiana asked.
"Yeah," Lily replied.
"And I'm getting a new piercing!" Moiri announced excitedly.
"Hair color!" Gloria added.
"Of course."
"Perfume," Wiktoria said.
"New makeup!!!" the girls shouted together.
They burst into laughter.
Lily showed them the latest brand she had discovered.
Soon, the entire table became filled with conversations about beauty appointments, hairstyles, makeup, perfume, piercings, and everything they wanted to do.
They continued giggling while eating and booking their appointments.
Meanwhile, inside the hidden mansion, Mila yawned.
Nolan was carrying her downstairs.
"Morning, Dada," Mila said sleepily.
"Good morning, sunshine," Nikolai replied.
He kissed her cheeks.
"Up?" he asked.
Mila nodded.
Nikolai smiled.
"Today is Monday. It's Lily's match."
Sohan immediately grinned.
"Oh no, Baba. You're gonna yell at her today."
Reyan laughed.
"Did I yell at you boys during your matches?"
The boys suddenly stopped.
They looked at one another.
"Baba, when you were in prison, you made a video call at Zafraan's game. She yelled at you so hard he won the game," Farhan reminded him.
"And also when I lost the game, even though you were far away, I got punished and still won another game," Karim added.
Everyone laughed.
Suddenly, Nikolai's phone rang.
"Mimi, it's Mama," he said.
Mila's eyes immediately lit up.
Nikolai answered.
"Hi, Mama!" Mila exclaimed.
"Hiii, my little star. How was your night, my baby?" Lilith asked.
"Nighty otay, Mama," Mila replied.
Lilith smiled through the phone.
"Lily, when is the match?" Arina asked.
"By ten!" Lily answered.
"Are you ready, Mihu?" Sohan asked.
"YES, BABAAAAAA!" Lilith shouted playfully.
Everyone laughed.
"Oh, Lord," Anika said, laughing.
"Here, Mumma," Ethan said as he handed her a plate.
"Aww, thank you, Meri Baccha (my child)," Karim said.
Ethan rolled his eyes.
Arina laughed at them.
The morning continued peacefully.
At 9:48 a.m., Lily put on her shoes.
She was ready.
She had been training with her team, The Invictus.
The team had finished training, and now the stadium was filled with students.
"Here you go, Lily," Nino said.
Lily's hair had been tied into a tight bun.
"Mhaira?" Riyana called.
"Hi, Mumma!" Lily exclaimed.
She immediately hugged her mother.
"Your father is here. Everyone is here too. He is excited about this game way too much," she said.
Yamini looked at Riyana.
"Excuse me, ma'am. You look familiar," she said.
Riyana looked at her and smiled.
"Maybe," she replied.
Yamini smiled.
"So, my dearest baby, good luck. And oh, have some kheer, sweetie."
She gently fed her daughter kheer before kissing her forehead.
"Good luck, my baby," she said.
She then walked out.
The atmosphere inside the stadium grew louder.
"Girls, it's time!" Mrs. Gyda announced.
"YES!" they shouted together.
They all stepped onto the field.
Lily looked around.
Then she saw her family.
Mila was waving at her.
"Mama!" Mila called.
Nikolai immediately looked at her.
He had already warned Mila not to call Lily Mama outside, or she would be in trouble.
Nikolai wore his black mask.
Sohan wore one too.
They had concealed their identities and themselves from the crowd.
Nikolai looked toward Lily.
"Come on, Bambi. I trust you with everything. Win this."
Lily smiled.
The whistle blew.
The match began.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Ivelle was sitting outside.
She was due today.
Inside the private wing, the nurses were preparing everything for her delivery.
The wind blew through her soft brown hair.
Ivelle gently rubbed her bump.
Someone approached and sat beside her.
"Good morning. Ready for babies?" he asked.
It was Alexio.
Ivelle looked toward him.
"I owe you a lot, sir," she said.
She stared at the sky.
"I feel like death should take me, but it's running away from me."
Alexio nodded.
"Let it keep running," he replied.
Ivelle looked at him.
"You don't know me. All this is out of pity. After this, I'm back to square one, and nobody would want to work with me. That man and his wife have alerted all the stores. Not one will hire me."
"Not all, actually," Alexio said.
Ivelle looked at him.
"There's this hotel of mine. I own many of them. I went through your file. You applied online."
He looked at her.
"It's actually presentable."
Ivelle blinked slowly.
Her eyes met his silver-gray ones.
"T… thank you, sir," she whispered.
Alexio smiled.
"And I can watch the kids for you while you work. My boys too."
Her eyes began watering.
"Don't cry."
He continued speaking calmly.
"And also, don't worry about the hospital fees or anything. This is a family hospital. All the doctors know me, and they also know the family I work for."
Ivelle placed a hand over her bump.
Then her expression suddenly changed.
"I think I just p… p… peed on myself," she whispered.
Alexio looked at her.
"No. Your water just broke. You're going into labor now."
He immediately stood.
He began folding his sleeves.
"Nurses!" he called.
He helped Ivelle stand.
Suddenly—
"AHHHH!"
She screamed.
The nurses rushed toward them.
Alexio immediately lifted her into his arms and rushed her toward the delivery room.
"Boss!" the guards called.
Alexio carefully placed Ivelle down.
Dr. Violet entered.
Dr. Liv followed.
Dr. Kelvin came in.
Dr. Clara entered last.
Alexio held Ivelle's hand.
"You need to leave, Alexio," Dr. Clara said firmly.
Alexio looked at Ivelle.
She was holding his hand tightly.
"The pain… b… but—"
"Please step out. We are here. Don't worry," Dr. Violet reassured him.
Alexio stared at Ivelle for another moment.
Then he slowly released her hand.
He walked outside, taking heavy steps.
"Boss, please sit," his guards said.
Four men stood outside.
They were Bastian, from Greece; Mordren, from Northern Russia; Zarek, half American and half Russian; and Aurex, half Spanish and half Italian.
The four guards remained close to Alexio.
Inside the delivery room, Ivelle's labor began.
Outside, Alexio sat silently.
The sounds coming from the room made him tense.
He looked toward the closed doors.
He had no idea what the next few hours would bring.
But one thing was certain.
Ivelle was no longer facing the world alone.
And somewhere else, inside a roaring stadium, Lily was fighting for victory.
The day had only just begun.
And before the sun disappeared, everything could change.