AIDEN POV:MORNING AFTER
The first thing Aiden felt was the quietness of this place.
Not the cheap, broken kind of quiet from his neighborhood ,where silence always hid something wrong , but the deep, polished kind that lived in expensive places. It settled over him like a warm sheet. The room smelled faintly of cedarwood and something sharper he couldn't place. Clean. Cold. Expensive.
He blinked up at the high ceiling, the sheer white curtains, the sunlight spilling across the black marble floors.
Right.
Lucas Luther's estate.
His chest tightened.
'From this day forward… you are Familia.'
Lucas's voice from last night replayed in his head ,deep, cold, almost gentle in its finality.
Aiden swallowed hard. Every time he thought he understood what he'd stepped into, the realization hit him again he was in a mafias estate. Actually inside it. Sleeping in a room that probably cost more than his father's entire shop.
His hand drifted to his arm ,the place Kellan had grabbed him when pulling him out of that alley. He remembered the heat of his grip, the anger in his jaw, the way he'd lifted him like nothing.
The memory alone made Aiden's stomach flip.
Before he could overthink more, a knock sounded. Soft. Polite.
"Mr. Aiden?" a voice called. "Mr. Luther requests you in the study."
Aiden sat up so fast he almost slipped off the bed.
"Y-Yeah ....coming!"
His heart hammered. He ran a hand through his hair, forced himself to breathe, and tried to walk like someone who belonged in a mansion , not like someone who was about to throw up on the rug.
He stepped into the hallway.
This was real.
And it was only the beginning.
Neo had been pacing for ten full minutes.
He kept checking his phone, ten missed calls from his mother. Three voice notes. One text that said nothing except:
Where are you?
His chest tightened painfully. He hated lying to her. She'd already lost too much in life, and he'd always promised he'd never put her in any position to worry again.
And now?
He'd disappeared for days and only sent vague messages like "I'm okay" and "I'm with a friend."
He rubbed his forehead with the heel of his palm.
"God… this is bad."
Footsteps approached towards him slow, measured, heavy in a way that didn't need to announce danger. It just existed.
Matteo.
He walked past, a mug of black coffee in hand, but paused when his eyes flicked toward Neil.
"Troubled?" Matteo asked, voice low and smooth.
Neo blinked. "Is it that obvious?"
Mattel took a silent sip. Then
"Lies don't disappear, kid." His eyes sharpened, unreadable. "They wait. They grow teeth. Handle them before they bite."
Neo froze.
It wasn't a loud advice.
Not warm.
Not comforting.
But it hit so deeply he didn't move for a full five seconds after Matteo continued walking.
For the first time since stepping foot into this estate…
Neo felt seen.
"Excuse me sir sorry to bother you" a lady wearing a maid outfit who looked like she was in her early 40s spoke "n-no please you are not" Neo said waving his hands in defense "sir luther request you in the study" "study?.. me?" "yes please this way" neo followed her and met Aiden in front "You too" he asked "mmh" Aiden replied as they were left alone in front of the study
The doors opened.
Aiden stepped in right behind Neo, and stopped breathing for a moment.
Lucas sat behind a massive obsidian desk like a king on a throne. Not dramatic ,just natural. His posture straight, one hand on the desk, the other holding a thin silver pen. The morning sun hit the side of his face, making his expression look carved from steel.
Kellan leaned against the wall near the window , training clothes, damp hair, knuckles still bruised. His gaze flickered toward Aiden once… then away.
Aiden almost choked on air.
"Sit." Lucas's voice cut through the room like clean glass.
They obeyed.
Lucas didn't waste time.
"Training begins. Not today. Not tomorrow but soon,You will receive new personal IDs and security codes. School will definitely continue you will learn to balance both. The Familia does not accept excuses."
Neo straightened subconsciously.
Aiden tried to, but it felt like his spine had turned to jelly. Then he raised his hands to speak "training? Like gym? Or trainingike guns and-"
"Guns" Kellen said simply. And Aiden exhaled sharply "oh"
Lucas continued, tone steady
"Today, both of you will return home and speak to your parents. Tell them you have a job. Tell them enough to erase suspicion… but not enough to expose the Familia."
A pause.
"And Pia," he added, eyes flicking toward Neo, "remains uninvolved. She is to stay clean."
Neo nodded a little too quickly.
Then Lucas turned his eyes to Aiden.
Cold. Measuring.
Not cruel.
Just… aware.
"And you," Lucas said, "need to hear this."
Aiden swallowed.
"Whoever injected you… wasn't random." Lucas leaned back slightly. "That compound is used only by Darian's network."
The world went silent.
Aiden's heart stopped. His fingers trembled on his knees.
Darian.
The man who wanted him dead.
Neo swore under his breath.
Kellan's jaw tightened. He pushed off the wall, expression dark.
Everything felt suddenly much bigger.
Much scarier.
Much more real.
Lucas continued speaking, calm as ever, but Aiden barely processed the rest until:
"Kellan," Lucas said, "you will monitor Aiden for the time being."
Aiden's head snapped toward him. "Monitor? As in..... babysit??"
Kellan blinked once.
No emotion.
No shift.
Just:
"As in make sure you don't run into another alley screaming."
Aiden's face burned instantly.
Neo choked on a laugh.
Kellan almost...almost...smiled.
Aiden wanted the floor to open and swallow him.
The meeting ended with Lucas telling them to head downstairs to go home. The door closed behind them.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Neo exhaled shakily. "Aiden… I'm scared."
Aiden surprised himself with how quickly he responded.
"Me too."
Aiden just stared at the ceiling dramatically "we are going to die" "we are not" Neo muttered "we are they said guns" Aiden turned to him "I can't even open a bottle of Coke without it spilling how do I hold a weapon?" Neo sighed "you almost died maybe this isn't a bad idea" "ugh!" Aiden groaned into his palms "this is so stressful I didn't even finish my assignment" neo cracked a tiny smile despite himself.
Neo looked at him.
Aiden held his gaze, voice lower. "But listen....we stick together, okay? Whatever happens. Ride or die."
Neo's eyes softened. He nodded. "Ride or die."
They bumped fists ,small, but grounding.
They needed it.
They headed toward the entrance.
Lucas waited there, hands clasped behind his back, presence filling the corridor like a quiet storm.
"Tell the truth," he said simply. "Not all of it."
Elena the head maid appeared from the side, giving them a neatly packed bag of food and a small medical kit.
Her smile was soft too soft for a place like this.
"Be safe."
Aiden's throat tightened.
From upstairs, Matteo and Ethan leaned against the railing ,watching ,unreadable, curious, silent.
Just before Aiden stepped outside, Kellan's hand closed gently around his wrist.
Aiden froze.
Kellan leaned close, not enough to touch, but enough that Aiden felt the warmth of his breath.
"If anything feels wrong… call me," he said quietly. "Even if it's a whisper."
Aiden's heart absolutely disobeyed the laws of nature.
He nodded way too fast.
Kellan's gaze lingered for half a second,then he let go
Neo's pov
Neo stood in front of the door to his house, the weight of everything pressing on him. He exhaled shakily, lifted his hand, and knocked once.
He didn't even get a full breath in.
The door flew open.
His mother stood there ,hair messy, eyes swollen, hands trembling as if she'd been holding fear for too long. The moment she saw him-
"Neo…?"
Her voice broke.
Then she was on him.
She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him lightly, tears already streaming down her cheeks.
"WHERE have you been?! Do you know how many times I called you? Do you know—"
Her voice cracked into a sob. "I thought something happened to you- I couldn't sleep-I-"
Neo wrapped both arms around her, pulling her into the tightest hug he could give.
"I'm sorry, Mom… I'm so sorry…"
She hit his back once.
"Don't 'sorry' me! You think I'm your mate?! You think I'm your schoolmate?! Neo, I'm your MOTHER!"
He almost smiled because it was such a her-thing to say.
But guilt hit him harder.
"I know. I know. I should've come home sooner."
She pulled back to look at him, cupping his face with shaking hands.
"Did someone hurt you? Are you in trouble? Tell me, Neo— look at me. LOOK at me."
Her voice shook. "If something is wrong, I will fix it. Just tell me."
Neil swallowed hard.
He couldn't tell her the whole truth.
Lucas's warning echoed in his head.
So he told her just enough.
"I got… a job."
Her brows shot up.
"A job?"
"Yes- a real one. With someone who… really needs help. It pays well, I know you told me not to help you but I couldn't just sit and watch you do everything on your own so i-I had to do something I had to get a job I had to lift up some burden away from you, I couldn't watch you come home every night looking so tired so I had to do this for you for me and for pia and I hope you understand And it's safe."
"Safe? That you don't tell me where you go that you made me worried sick you made me so anxious I almost called the police neo I don't care what the job is as long as you're okay as long as you tell me the truth you don't keep secrets for me you don't make me worried I'm your mother" she whispered, searching his eyes for lies.
Neo forced a small smile.
"Yeah. It's really good, Mom. I just… had to stay over to get started properly and I'm sorry for making you worried I promise it will never happen again it's just that my boss wanted me to really understand how the company works and I wanted to tell you but I did not know how to do it so he told me... yes he told me to tell you the truth tell you everything so I just had to come clean I'm sorry"
She wiped at her tears, staring into his face like she was checking he wasn't a hallucination.
"You should've told me. What if— what if something bad happened? How am I supposed to sleep without knowing where you are?"
He hugged her again, forehead pressing into her shoulder.
"I promise. I'll never disappear like that again."
Her arms tightened.
"Good. Because I will hunt you down myself."
A small laugh escaped him.
Then—
A blur ran from the hallway.
"NEOOOOOOOO!!!"
Pia launched herself at him like a missile.
He almost toppled.
"You LEFT me! I was already planning your funeral! I picked your outfit and everything!"
Neo snorted. "You WHAT?"
"I chose black because it's slimming," she sniffed dramatically. "You're welcome."
He burst into laughter, genuine, warm, the first real laugh since being dragged into Lucas's world.
Pia pulled back, staring closely at him.
"Where were you? Did someone kidnap you? Wait, blink twice if you were kidnapped."
Neil cupped her head.
"No kidnapping."
She squinted.
"That's exactly what someone who was kidnapped would say."
He sighed softly.
"Pia… I can't tell you everything, but you know what this is all about Aiden's is involved now and this is more bigger than we expected I can't tell you everything because I made a promise to lucas that you're going to be the only one clean among everybody so you just have to understand and trust me but you forever be our emotional support ,so I can't really tell you everything and I hope you understand."
She went still.
Neo continued gently.
"But it's not because I don't trust you. It's because I need you safe. Please understand that."
Pia held his gaze for a long moment.
Then she nodded — small, mature, heartbreaking.
"Fine. But if you ever vanish again, I will break into your workplace and drag you out by your ear."
"Good to know," Neo whispered, pulling her into another tight hug.
Aiden's pov
Aiden's street felt smaller than ever.
He stood in front of his house, took a breath, and opened the door quietly,
"AIDEN?!"
His mother's voice exploded like a grenade.
Before he could turn, she flew out of the kitchen towel still in her hand.
"Aiden! Where have you BEEN?!"
She smacked his arm.
Then smacked his shoulder.
Then smacked him again.
"OW- MOM! STOP-"
"You disappeared! You didn't answer my calls! Do you want to KILL me?! Am I raising a ghost?! Do you think I'm a stone?!"
She was crying.
Aiden immediately felt small.
His dad appeared behind her, arms crossed, trying to look angry but failing because his eyes were too relieved.
"Young man," his dad said slowly, "if you do that again… I will— I will—"
His voice shook.
He couldn't even finish the threat.
Aiden's chest pulled tight.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I really am."
His mother grabbed his face with both hands.
"Are you hurt? Did someone touch you? Did someone—"
"No! No, I swear, I'm fine."
"Then WHERE were you?!"
Deep breath.
Aiden shifted awkwardly.
"I got… a job."
The silence was immediate.
His dad blinked.
"A… job?"
His mom blinked.
"You?"
Aiden glared weakly.
"Wow. Thanks for the support."
His mom grabbed his ear.
"Don't give me attitude! I gave birth to you, I know you!"
Aiden yelped.
"Ow— okay, okay— let go!"
She released him only when his dad cleared his throat.
Aiden continued
"It's a real job. With someone serious. A proper boss. He— he's very strict. And the work hours are weird but… it's good. It pays."
His mom's face softened instantly.
"It pays?"
"Yes."
She placed a hand over her chest.
"Aiden De'vitale- if you are lying to me-"
"I'm not."
His father stepped closer.
"Son… I'm proud. But also… confused. Since when do you… work?"
Aiden rubbed the back of his neck.
"I just… needed to grow up. Try something new."
His mom touched his cheek, voice cracking again.
"Next time… please just tell us. I almost lost my mind."
Guilt hit him again — deep and sharp.
He hugged both of them tightly.
For a moment, he allowed himself to forget the alley, the injection, the fear, the danger.
But Kellan's voice still echoed in the back of his mind:
'If anything feels wrong… call me.'
Aiden inhaled slowly.
Yeah.
Things were changing.
And this was only the first thing.