The De Luca estate never truly slept.
Even at midnight—
lights still glowed faintly through distant wings of the mansion.
Security patrols rotated endlessly beyond the iron gates.
Servants moved quietly through marble corridors.
Meetings continued behind closed doors.
And somewhere beneath all that elegance—
the machinery of the underworld continued turning.
But tonight—
Seraphina walked those halls alone.
Silent.
Restless.
The conversation with Adrian lingered inside her mind like poison wrapped in silk.
Too many things refused to connect properly.
oo many missing pieces.
Her brothers remembered nothing.
Then suddenly—
they remembered everything again.
No confusion.
No fractures.
As though the missing memories had never existed.
And worst of all—
nobody questioned it.
Which meant either:
they truly remembered nothing strange…
or someone had altered the situation so perfectly that even suspicion disappeared with it.
Seraphina hated that second possibility.
Because deep down—
she already knew who was capable of it.
She entered the eastern archive room quietly.
One of the oldest chambers within the estate.
Floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with records, mission reports, surveillance logs, and family histories.
Only direct bloodline members had unrestricted access here.
Moonlight filtered faintly through narrow windows.
Dust drifted softly through the silence.
Seraphina approached the large central desk slowly.
Pulling open several locked drawers one after another.
Searching.
Carefully.
If her brothers had truly been found at the estate gates—
there would be reports.
Security logs.
Medical records.
Vehicle movements.
Something.
Hours passed quietly.
Paper after paper.
Document after document.
Nothing.
Not one official recovery report existed.
No entry logs.
No security breach notices.
No mention of Dante or Luca returning.
It was as if their disappearance—
and return—
had both been erased completely.
Seraphina leaned back slowly in the chair.
Her chest tightening faintly.
Because the deeper she searched—
the stranger it became.
Then she noticed something.
One missing file.
A security archive folder labeled:
'North Gate – Recovery Operations'
Empty.
Not misplaced.
Removed.
Intentionally.
Her eyes darkened immediately.
Only very few people possessed authority to alter archive records directly.
And one of them—
was her father.
*********
Lord De Luca's office sat beneath the western wing of the estate.
Not above.
Below.
Deep beneath layers of guarded corridors and coded entrances.
Like the true center of the family preferred darkness over sunlight.
Two guards bowed immediately as Seraphina approached.
Neither stopped her.
No one stopped a De Luca heir.
The heavy doors opened slowly.
And the scent of old leather and cigar smoke greeted her instantly.
Her father sat behind an enormous black desk.
Reading reports beneath low amber lighting.
Even seated—
he carried overwhelming presence naturally.
The kind powerful men spent lifetimes trying to imitate.
He looked up as she entered.
Not surprised.
Almost like he had expected this conversation already.
"…You're awake late."
Seraphina closed the door behind her quietly.
"…You removed the archive files."
No denial.
Her father simply leaned back slightly in his chair.
Watching her carefully.
"…Straight to the point tonight."
Her eyes narrowed faintly.
"…Why?"
Silence settled briefly.
Heavy.
Measured.
Her father folded his hands calmly.
"…Some information creates unnecessary complications."
"That's not an answer."
A faint smile touched his lips.
Small.
Dangerous.
"…No. It isn't."
Seraphina stepped closer.
Emotion controlled carefully beneath calm.
"…My brothers disappeared."
Another step.
"…Then suddenly returned."
Another.
"…You kept it from me."
Her father's gaze remained steady.
Not defensive.
Not guilty.
Simply—
calculating.
"…You were already under pressure," he said quietly.
"…The alliance journey. The Valerians. The attacks."
"That still doesn't explain why you hid it."
A long silence followed.
Then finally—
her father stood.
Slowly.
The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately.
Because Lord De Luca standing before someone always felt like a warning.
He walked toward the large window overlooking the underground training grounds.
Hands behind his back.
Thinking.
"…Do you know the first rule of leadership, Seraphina?"
She didn't answer.
"…Information is more dangerous than weapons."
His reflection stared back coldly through the glass.
"…And timing determines whether truth becomes protection…"
A pause.
"…or destruction."
Seraphina watched him carefully.
Because moments like this reminded her exactly why entire underworld syndicates feared her father.
He finally turned toward her again.
"…Your brothers were found at the estate gates."
Silence.
"…Two days ago."
Her breath stopped faintly.
Two days?
"But…"
Her voice lowered slowly.
"…I woke yesterday morning."
Her father nodded once.
Calmly.
"…Which means you remained unconscious for nearly a full day after they returned."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Because that timeline changed everything.
She remembered the branch estate.
The library.
Adrian.
The night they spent together.
But according to this—
an entire day had vanished afterward.
Gone.
Her mind raced instantly.
What happened during that missing time?
Who brought her home?
Why leave her unconscious outside the gates?
And why did Adrian disappear without explanation afterward?
Her father watched the realization settle across her face silently.
Then added quietly—
"…Whoever returned you…"
A slight pause.
"…wanted us to know they could enter De Luca territory without resistance."
Seraphina's stomach tightened.
Because that sounded less like a rescue—
and more like a message.
Neither spoke for several long seconds.
Then finally—
"…Father."
Her voice lowered carefully.
"…Do you know who took me back?"
Lord De Luca's expression remained unreadable.
Too unreadable.
Then—
"…No."
But something inside Seraphina told her—
that wasn't entirely true.