The tension in the room thickened the moment Cyrus stepped in. His eyes locked onto mine, a predatory gleam flashing within them, and for a moment, I felt the familiar weight of being trapped. But this time, it wasn't Riven's grip that held me in place. It was Cyrus's dangerous calm.
Cyrus (with a sly smile):
"Don't mind me. I'm just here to make sure things don't get too… boring."
Riven's gaze flickered from me to Cyrus, his jaw tightening. "What do you want, Cyrus?"
Cyrus chuckled softly, his posture leaning lazily against the doorframe. "I think we both know what I want. The question is, what do you want?"
His words hung in the air, a challenge between the two of them, but I could sense that neither was willing to give in. They were two sides of the same coin, both powerful, both destructive.
But I wasn't sure who was more dangerous.
Me (calmly):
"I don't have time for games."
Cyrus's eyes sparkled with amusement as he took a step closer, his eyes never leaving mine. "Oh, sweetheart, you're in this game whether you like it or not. And you're going to have to make a choice soon."
I narrowed my eyes, already feeling the pressure mounting inside my chest. "What do you mean by that?"
He smiled wider, his sharp teeth gleaming. "You're caught between two men, each with their own agenda. You think you can just walk away from us both? Think again."
I turned to look at Riven, but he remained silent, his expression unreadable. I couldn't tell if he was waiting for me to react or if he had already decided this was my battle to fight alone.
Me (speaking slowly):
"I'm not playing anyone's game."
Cyrus's gaze softened, though it didn't lose its edge. "Oh, but you are. And you don't even realize the price you'll pay. There's always a price, (Y/N)."
My heart pounded in my chest, the meaning of his words sinking in deeper than I wanted to admit.
I was already paying a price.
But what was it? What would it be?
Riven (finally speaking, his voice cold):
"You should leave, Cyrus. Now."
But Cyrus didn't move. He stepped further into the room, closing the distance between us. His presence was unsettling, but I stood my ground. I had no choice.
Cyrus:
"You don't get to control this, Riven. Not anymore."
Riven's eyes flared with something dark, but before he could respond, I cut in.
Me:
"Enough. I'm not your pawn, and I won't be anyone's plaything."
Both men fell silent, the air between us crackling with tension. Cyrus smirked, clearly amused by my outburst. But Riven… Riven looked like he was wrestling with something far more dangerous inside him.
Cyrus (smiling):
"Do you really think you have a choice in this, (Y/N)?"
I swallowed hard, my voice coming out more fragile than I wanted. "I do."
Cyrus raised an eyebrow, stepping closer still. "No, you don't. You think you can outrun us, but you're already tangled in our web."
I turned to look at Riven, my chest heavy with the weight of everything that had happened. My gaze softened for a brief moment, but then I shook my head. "I don't want to be part of your game anymore, Riven."
His eyes darkened. "You never had a choice."
Me (quietly):
"I did."
Cyrus chuckled darkly, his eyes glinting with malice. "We'll see about that."
Later that night, as I lay in bed, I couldn't shake the feeling of being trapped. The walls seemed to close in around me, and no matter how hard I tried to push them away, they remained. Riven's words, Cyrus's threat, all swirling in my head like a storm.
The truth was, I didn't know how to escape them. Not without losing myself in the process.
I could still feel the weight of Riven's obsession, the suffocating control he tried to exert over me. But it wasn't just Riven anymore. It was Cyrus, too. They both had pieces of me now, and no matter what I did, they were never going to let me go.
But I wasn't going to break. Not yet.
I had to find a way out. A way to keep my soul intact.
But what if there was no way out?
The next day, as I walked through the mansion, I found myself unable to focus on anything. My thoughts kept drifting to the conversation from the night before. Both men, equally dangerous, equally obsessed. It was as if I was caught in the eye of a storm that I couldn't escape.
I needed answers.
I headed toward the library, hoping to find something — anything — that would help me understand what I was dealing with. The walls were lined with ancient books, and the air smelled like dust and secrets.
I ran my fingers along the spines, not really looking for anything in particular, until a strange sensation stopped me in my tracks.
A book caught my attention. It was old, its cover worn, the title barely visible. But there was something about it that felt like a sign. A pull, like the book was calling to me.
I took it off the shelf and opened the pages, my fingers trembling as I read the first few lines.
The words felt familiar. They spoke of dark deals, of bloodlines cursed by power and obsession. Of a legacy that could never be undone.
And then, I saw his name.
Riven.
[End of Chapter 23]