It was 3:17 a.m.
I was half asleep when the mansion changed.
Not sound.
Not light.
Energy.
Karl felt it too.
He sat up instantly, eyes sharp, body alert—like a predator sensing another predator stepping into his territory.
“What is it?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer
Then—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow. Mocking applause echoed from downstairs.
A voice followed. Lazy. Amused. Dangerous.
“Well… this place still smells like control.”
My breath hitched.
Karl stood up, calm but deadly.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
Before he could leave, the bedroom door opened on its own.
No knock.
No permission.
A man leaned against the frame like he owned the world.
Messy dark hair.
Sharp jaw.
A smile that didn’t promise safety—it promised chaos.
His eyes flicked to me.
“Oh,” he said, grinning. “So this is her.”
Karl’s voice dropped to ice.
“Friedrich.”
Friedrich Casanova walked in slowly, hands in his pockets, completely unarmed—
Which somehow made him more terrifying.
“Relax, brother,” Friedrich said. “If I wanted blood, you’d already be cleaning it.”
I swallowed.
He looked at me again, openly curious.
“You don’t look broken,” he said. “That’s new.”
“Don’t talk to her,” karl snapped.
Friedrich laughed softly.
“So it’s true. Karl Casanova got married.”
He circled the room, eyes never leaving mine.
“Tell me, little wife… does he still think love is ownership?”
“Enough,” karl warned.
Friedrich stopped inches away from him.
“You brought her here,” Friedrich said quietly. “Germany. Your house. Your rules.”
His smile faded.
“That’s not protection,” he continued. “That’s a cage.”
Silence slammed between them.
I felt karl tense.
Friedrich turned to me suddenly.
“Blink twice if you’re here against your will.”
“Friedrich,” karl growled.
I surprised myself by speaking.
“I’m not a prisoner,” I said. “I’m… figuring things out.”
Friedrich studied my face carefully.
Then—he smiled again. Softer. Sharper.
“Good answer,” he said. “You’re smarter than I expected.”
He straightened and looked at karl.
“But listen carefully, brother,” Friedrich said, voice turning deadly calm.
“If you ever cross the line from protector to destroyer—”
He leaned closer.
“I won’t come for your empire.”
A pause.
“I’ll come for you.”
The room felt like it stopped breathing.
Karl didn’t blink.
“You always did like threats.”
Friedrich chuckled.
“And you always liked pretending you’re unbreakable.”
He glanced at me one last time.
“Nice meeting you,” he said. “We’ll talk again.”
Then he turned and walked out.
No guards stopped him.
No alarms rang.
Because Friedrich Casanova didn’t break into places—
He arrived where he was already expected.
I looked at karl, my heart pounding.
“Who exactly is he?” I asked.
Karl exhaled slowly.
“The brother who reminds me what I could become… if I ever lose control.”
Somewhere deep inside me, a frightening thought formed:
Friedrich wasn’t here by accident.
And this—
This was only the beginning.
Write a comment ...