Chapter 61— After The Truth
The Obsidian Council headquarters had never felt so crowded.
Or so awkward.
Or so chaotic.
Twenty-four students.
Seven mafia groups.
Ten members of the Obsidian Council.
A hundred truths revealed in one night.
And absolutely nobody knew how to act normally anymore.
---
Jax stood near the entrance.
"We should leave."
Nobody argued.
For once.
---
A convoy of black vehicles waited outside.
The destination—
A massive private estate outside Sydney.
Owned by Jax.
Large enough to house everyone.
Safe enough to hide everyone.
And isolated enough that nobody could overhear what had become the most dangerous gathering in the underworld.
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The cars began filling quickly.
And naturally—
certain people somehow ended up together.
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Car One
Care.
Cole.
Silence.
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The most dangerous silence in Australia.
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For almost ten minutes.
Nothing.
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The city lights moved outside.
Nobody spoke.
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Then Cole finally looked at her.
"So."
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Care looked out the window.
"So."
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Cole almost laughed.
"That's all you're giving me?"
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Care finally looked at him.
"What do you want me to say?"
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Cole stared.
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"A lot actually."
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A pause.
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"You are Phoenix."
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Care nodded.
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"You're Onyx."
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Cole nodded back.
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Both stared.
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Then somehow—
both started laughing.
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Not because it was funny.
Because it was ridiculous.
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Thirty days.
Thirty entire days.
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And neither figured it out.
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Cole shook his head.
"You hid it well."
---
"So did you."
---
A small smile appeared.
---
Then disappeared.
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Cole looked out the window.
"Guess we're both idiots."
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Care actually laughed.
A real one.
---
And somehow—
that felt more shocking than learning she was Phoenix.
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Car Two
Lyra.
Alex.
---
Far less awkward.
---
Far more comfortable.
---
Alex sat beside her.
Arms folded.
---
"So."
---
Lyra immediately laughed.
---
"No."
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"What?"
---
"You can't start with 'so' too."
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Alex grinned.
---
"Fair."
---
A pause.
---
Then he spoke quietly.
"You scared me."
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Lyra looked over.
---
"What?"
---
"When they took you."
---
His voice remained calm.
---
But Lyra knew him.
---
She heard the truth underneath.
---
And her smile softened.
---
"We're okay now."
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Alex nodded.
---
"Yeah."
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Then after a second—
---
"Still not doing cliff dives."
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Lyra groaned.
---
"Oh my God."
---
The argument started immediately.
---
Neither stopped smiling.
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Car Three
Ash.
Percy.
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Silence.
---
Which was terrifying.
Because Percy was never silent.
---
Ash looked over.
---
"You okay?"
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Percy nodded.
---
"Yeah."
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A pause.
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Then—
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"You scared me too."
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Ash blinked.
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"What?"
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"When Care disappeared."
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His voice was unusually serious.
---
"I saw you break."
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Ash looked away.
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For some reason—
that made her chest hurt.
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Percy continued.
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"And I hated it."
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Silence.
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Ash didn't know what to say.
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Neither did Percy.
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Which was new.
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Very new.
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So both stared out opposite windows.
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Trying very hard not to think about why they cared so much.
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Neither succeeded.
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Car Four
JJ.
Keifer.
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Much simpler.
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JJ immediately leaned against him.
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"I'm still mad."
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Keifer blinked.
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"For what?"
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"Being Titan."
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Keifer laughed.
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"You're Phantom."
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"That's different."
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"It really isn't."
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JJ thought about it.
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Then pointed.
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"It is when I say it is."
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Keifer surrendered immediately.
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The smartest decision of his day.
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Car Five
Ace.
Zein.
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The calmest car.
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Both sitting quietly.
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Comfortable.
---
No pressure.
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No drama.
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Just understanding.
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After a while—
Ace spoke.
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"We're all idiots."
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Zein nodded.
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"Agreed."
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A pause.
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"At least we're idiots together."
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Ace laughed.
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Fair point.
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Car Six
Thyme.
Gorya.
MJ.
Ren.
Kavin.
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The Dragon Crown vehicle.
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Which somehow remained the loudest.
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MJ was already making theories.
---
Ren was criticizing them.
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Kavin was criticizing both.
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Gorya was trying not to laugh.
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Thyme was pretending he wasn't amused.
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Nobody believed him.
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Not for a second.
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Car Seven
Matt.
Mia.
Race.
Allison.
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The peaceful group.
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Mostly.
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Until Matt accidentally mentioned Sydney traffic.
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Which somehow turned into a forty-minute debate.
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Nobody understood how.
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Including Matt.
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One Hour Later
The convoy finally left the city behind.
---
Roads became quieter.
---
Buildings disappeared.
---
Trees replaced concrete.
---
And then—
everyone saw it.
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A mansion.
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Huge.
---
Massive gates.
Endless grounds.
Private security.
Multiple wings.
---
Even after everything—
people still stared.
---
Percy's voice echoed first.
---
"WHY DOES EVERYONE WE KNOW OWN A MANSION?"
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Nobody had an answer.
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Not even Jax.
---
The gates slowly opened.
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The convoy entered.
---
And for the first time since the gala—
everyone arrived somewhere together.
---
Not as separate groups.
Not as rivals.
Not as strangers.
---
But as something else.
Something new.
Something temporary.
---
A fragile alliance.
---
And as the mansion doors opened ahead of them—
none of them realized that this brief peace would be the last calm moment before the real reason behind the Obsidian Council finally revealed itself.
---
The mansion was enormous.
But somehow—
everyone still ended up in the same living area.
---
Groups formed naturally.
People moved around.
Conversations started.
Laughter returned.
---
For the first time since the gala—
things almost felt normal.
---
Almost.
---
Because on one side of the room—
a certain problem was developing.
---
And his name was Cole.
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The Reunion Nobody Expected
Care had finally relaxed.
A little.
Not much.
Just enough.
---
Years of distance.
Years of silence.
Years of unanswered questions.
---
And now—
her old friends were standing right in front of her.
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Jax laughed.
"You're still impossible."
---
Care rolled her eyes.
"You literally haven't changed."
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Derek immediately high-fived her.
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"That's because we're perfect."
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"Delusional."
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"Perfect."
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"Delusional."
---
Jax laughed.
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Care laughed too.
---
Across the room—
Cole saw everything.
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And something inside him immediately became annoyed.
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For absolutely no reason.
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None.
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Definitely none.
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Then Derek casually wrapped an arm around Care's shoulders.
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Like it was natural.
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Like they had done it a thousand times before.
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Which—
to be fair—
they probably had.
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Care didn't even react.
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Because she was used to it.
---
And somehow—
that made it worse.
---
Much worse.
---
Cole's jaw tightened.
---
Slightly.
---
Very slightly.
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Alex immediately noticed.
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Of course he did.
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"Oh no."
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Cole looked at him.
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"What?"
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Alex pointed.
---
"The look."
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"What look?"
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"The one where you're pretending you're not annoyed."
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Cole blinked.
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"I'm not annoyed."
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Alex burst out laughing.
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Three Predators Notice
Unfortunately—
they weren't the only ones.
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Keifer noticed too.
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Then Ace noticed.
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Then Thyme.
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And suddenly—
three extremely dangerous mafia leaders became the most annoying people in Australia.
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Keifer followed Cole's gaze.
---
Saw Derek.
Saw Care.
Saw the arm.
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Then slowly looked back at Cole.
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"...interesting."
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Cole immediately knew.
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"No."
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Ace smirked.
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"Oh, absolutely yes."
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Thyme crossed his arms.
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"He's jealous."
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Cole stared.
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"I'm not."
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All three spoke together.
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"Sure."
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The Teasing Begins
Keifer pointed toward Care.
---
"So which one is the problem?"
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Cole blinked.
---
"What?"
---
"Derek or Jax?"
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Ace added helpfully.
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"My money's on Jax."
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Thyme nodded.
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"Same."
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Cole looked like he wanted to throw them out of the mansion.
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"Neither."
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Keifer grinned.
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"Derek has his arm around her."
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Cole looked.
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Immediately regretted looking.
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Ace nearly laughed himself unconscious.
---
"Oh, that's definitely bothering him."
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Thyme nodded.
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"Very much."
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Cole pinched the bridge of his nose.
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"I hate all three of you."
---
"That's not a denial."
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"Not even close."
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Meanwhile...
Across the room—
the girls had formed their own circle.
---
Which was somehow even louder.
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JJ.
Zein.
Nova.
Aparna.
Emma.
Pria.
Ash.
Christi.
Juliet.
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A terrifying combination.
---
Especially because Pria had discovered JJ.
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And JJ had discovered Pria.
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Which meant nobody else got to speak.
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Ever.
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Pria pointed dramatically.
---
"AND THEN SHE SAID WHAT?"
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JJ slammed the table.
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"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I SAID!"
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Ash looked delighted.
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"OH MY GOD YOU TWO ARE THE SAME PERSON."
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Nova sighed.
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"You all have too much energy."
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Zein nodded immediately.
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"Agreed."
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The two exchanged a look.
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Aparna immediately pointed.
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"See?"
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Emma looked up from her tea.
---
"They even react the same."
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Christi laughed.
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Juliet nodded.
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"It's honestly creepy."
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Nova and Zein looked offended.
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Which only proved the point.
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The Calm Ones
Emma sat quietly.
Watching everyone.
---
Occasionally smiling.
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Mostly observing.
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Exactly the type of person Lyra liked.
---
Which explained why Lyra was currently sitting beside Emma discussing books.
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While Christi and Juliet had somehow become protective older sisters for both Lyra and Ash.
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Nobody knew how.
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It just happened.
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Back To The Problem
Cole looked up again.
---
Mistake.
---
Huge mistake.
---
Because now—
Jax and Care were laughing.
---
About something old.
Something personal.
Something only they understood.
---
And Cole suddenly hated not knowing.
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He hated it a lot.
---
A disturbing amount.
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Keifer nearly fell off the couch.
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"OH HE'S GONE."
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Ace laughed.
---
"Completely gone."
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Thyme nodded seriously.
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"No recovery possible."
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Cole glared at them.
---
Three men immediately looked away.
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Still laughing.
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Care Notices
Eventually—
Care looked over.
---
And immediately found Cole.
---
Standing there.
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Looking annoyed.
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Again.
---
She frowned.
---
Walked over.
---
"What happened?"
---
Cole blinked.
---
"Nothing."
---
Care stared.
---
"You're making that face."
---
"What face?"
---
"The annoyed one."
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"I'm not annoyed."
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Care looked behind her.
---
Then at Jax.
Then Derek.
Then back at Cole.
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A pause.
---
A very long pause.
---
And suddenly—
understanding appeared in her eyes.
---
Dangerous understanding.
---
The kind that should never appear.
---
Especially not around Lyra.
Because Lyra immediately noticed too.
---
And started choking on her drink.
---
Alex nearly dropped his phone.
---
Ash looked between them.
---
Then gasped dramatically.
---
"NO WAY."
---
Cole immediately knew.
---
This was about to become everyone's business.
---
And unfortunately—
he was absolutely right.
---
The Sydney mansion had become chaos.
Not dangerous chaos.
Not mafia chaos.
Just...
twenty-four people living together chaos.
Which somehow felt worse.
---
The next few days passed surprisingly peacefully.
No attacks.
No emergencies.
No Obsidian Council secrets.
No wars.
---
Just people.
Talking.
Laughing.
Existing together.
---
And somehow—
that created its own problems.
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Care & Cole
The first attempt happened at breakfast.
---
Care had somehow escaped the noise.
Rare.
Very rare.
---
She sat alone in one of the garden areas.
Coffee in hand.
Morning breeze.
Silence.
---
Then Cole appeared.
---
Naturally.
---
Neither questioned it anymore.
---
Cole sat down.
---
For once—
no arguments.
No competition.
No rivalry.
---
Just comfortable silence.
---
"Peaceful."
Cole said.
---
Care nodded.
"Suspiciously."
---
A small smile appeared.
---
Then—
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"CARE!"
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Scarlett.
---
Running.
Fast.
---
Both turned.
---
Scarlett stopped beside them.
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"There you are."
---
Care blinked.
"What happened?"
---
Scarlett immediately grabbed her arm.
---
"We need help."
---
"With what?"
---
"Aparna and Pria nearly started a civil war."
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Care sighed.
---
Cole laughed.
---
Scarlett immediately began dragging Care away.
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"Come on."
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Care looked back once.
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Cole shook his head.
---
There went breakfast.
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Attempt Two
Later that afternoon.
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Library room.
---
Quiet.
---
Almost empty.
---
Care entered.
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Found Cole already there.
---
Of course.
---
"Studying?"
---
"No."
---
"Then?"
---
Cole lifted a book.
---
"Looking intelligent."
---
Care laughed.
---
Actual laughter.
---
Cole looked oddly pleased.
---
Then—
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"COLE."
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Christi's voice.
---
Both froze.
---
Christi appeared at the door.
---
Alex behind her.
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"We need your help."
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Cole sighed.
---
"What now?"
---
Christi pointed.
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"Juliet and Percy are arguing."
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Alex nodded.
---
"It's getting worse."
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Cole stood immediately.
---
"How bad?"
---
"Furniture might be involved."
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"Wonderful."
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And just like that—
another conversation died.
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Meanwhile...
Lyra and Alex had their own problems.
---
Namely—
everyone.
---
Every single person.
---
---
One evening—
they finally managed to escape.
---
Garden.
Sunset.
Quiet.
---
Alex sat beside her.
---
Lyra smiled.
---
Finally.
---
Peace.
---
Then—
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"LYRA!"
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Pria.
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Running.
---
Behind her—
Juliet.
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Behind Juliet—
Christi.
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And somehow—
Nova.
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The four arrived like a natural disaster.
---
Alex closed his eyes.
---
Lyra started laughing immediately.
---
Pria pointed dramatically.
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"We found you!"
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"Congratulations."
Alex deadpanned.
---
Nobody noticed his suffering.
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JJ & Keifer
Even established couples weren't safe.
---
One night—
JJ and Keifer escaped to one of the balconies.
---
Rare privacy.
---
Very rare privacy.
---
JJ leaned against the railing.
---
Sydney lights below.
---
Keifer beside her.
---
Peaceful.
---
Comfortable.
---
Then—
---
The balcony door opened.
---
Juliet entered.
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Followed by Pria.
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Both carrying snacks.
---
Both talking loudly.
---
Neither noticed the couple immediately.
---
Pria stopped.
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"Oh."
---
Juliet stopped too.
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"Oh."
---
Silence.
---
JJ narrowed her eyes.
---
Keifer sighed.
---
Pria smiled.
---
"Were we interrupting something?"
---
JJ pointed toward the exit.
---
"Leave."
---
Juliet laughed.
---
Pria laughed harder.
---
Neither left.
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Ash & Percy
These two somehow had the opposite problem.
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They never planned to spend time together.
---
Yet somehow always ended up together.
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Kitchen.
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Movie room.
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Hallways.
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Garden.
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Everywhere.
---
One afternoon—
they were sitting together on the mansion stairs.
---
Just talking.
---
Nothing special.
---
Then Percy said something stupid.
---
Ash laughed.
---
Really laughed.
---
And Percy froze.
---
Because—
he liked hearing that.
---
Way more than he should.
---
Neither acknowledged it.
---
Neither dared.
---
So both immediately changed the topic.
---
Like cowards.
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The Others
Ace and Zein had become comfortable.
---
Mia and Matt somehow spent hours talking.
---
Race and Allison were always together without realizing it.
---
Thyme and Gorya remained inseparable.
---
Even Nova noticed.
---
"They're basically attached."
---
MJ nodded.
---
"Always have been."
---
Nobody disagreed.
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Late Night
The mansion slowly quieted.
---
Lights turning off.
---
Conversations fading.
---
People retreating to rooms.
---
For a brief moment—
everything felt normal.
---
No masks.
No code names.
No secrets.
---
Just friends.
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Old friends.
New friends.
Unexpected friends.
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The kind of bond built through deserts.
Mountains.
Chaos.
Danger.
Truth.
---
And none of them realized—
that these peaceful moments were becoming memories.
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The dangerous kind.
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The kind they will remember later.
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Because sometimes the happiest chapters appear right before everything changes.