Night had fallen over the Xentras mansion, enveloping it in an elegant and dangerous silence. In one of the less-traveled corridors, behind a dark wooden door, Helena spoke quietly with her husband, Dmitri.
"We can't keep ignoring him," Helena said, arms crossed. "John is too… convenient a variable."
Dmitri leaned against the wall, serious, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Convenient for what, exactly?"
Helena stared at him.
"To eliminate Camila from the inheritance competition."
Dmitri didn't respond immediately. The word eliminate hung in the air, heavy and ambiguous.
"I'm not talking about direct violence," Helena continued. "I mean using John as a catalyst. Camila's love for her son is already creating tension. If managed correctly, it can be turned against her."
"You're suggesting turning him into a weakness," Dmitri murmured.
"Exactly. Camila has always been strong, beloved… untouchable. But now she's protecting something she doesn't fully understand. That exposes her."
Dmitri exhaled slowly.
"John isn't an ordinary pawn."
"No," Helena admitted. "And that's exactly why it works. Nobody suspects someone who seems incapable of feeling anything."
The door creaked slightly.
"That's the lowest thing I've ever heard you say."
The voice of Max, the middle sibling, cut through the air like a knife. He was standing in the doorway, face tense, fists clenched.
Helena spun around sharply.
"How much did you hear?"
"Enough," Max replied, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "You're talking about using a child to destroy a mother. When did you cross that line?"
Dmitri took a step forward.
"Don't meddle in what you don't understand."
Max let out a dry laugh.
"Don't understand? I understand perfectly. It's always been like this with you, Helena. Everything is strategy, everything is calculation. People are just pieces."
"Don't dramatize," she replied. "Camila isn't a saint. She plays too."
"But not like this," Max said, raising his voice. "She doesn't use someone vulnerable as a weapon, much less a child from our own family!"
Helena looked at him coldly.
"John isn't vulnerable. He's dangerous precisely because he doesn't react like the others."
"John is a child," Max growled. "And he's your damn son, Helena!"
Dmitri intervened, now visibly upset.
"Lower your voice."
"No," Max responded, stepping closer. "I'm tired of hearing you talk about Camila as if she were an obstacle. She has earned every inch of respect she has. And John has too."
Helena gritted her teeth.
"Your sentiment blinds you."
"And your ambition rots you," Max replied without hesitation.
The air grew dense, thick with tension that could no longer be hidden.
"If you try to move a single piece against Camila using John," Max said, eyes blazing, "you'll have me standing in your way."
A slow clap echoed from the shadows of the adjoining corridor.
"Look at that… the whole circus."
Romeo stepped out of the darkness. His usual mocking smile was gone. His expression was hard, his gaze sharp.
"Romeo…" Helena muttered, uncomfortable.
"No, no," he interrupted. "Don't call me that in that fake tone. I'm not in the mood for jokes."
Dmitri watched him suspiciously.
"Since when do you eavesdrop on private conversations?"
Romeo stepped forward.
"Since you decided to talk shit behind everyone's back," he said, his voice cold and cutting. "Using my son? You really think you're that clever?"
Helena frowned.
"Watch your language."
Romeo smiled without humor.
"Watch your intentions. What you're doing is disgusting."
The silence was absolute.
"Listen, Helena," Romeo continued, "I've always known you to be dominant, controlling… but this is no longer strategy. This is cowardice."
Dmitri took a threatening step.
"Don't push it."
"Or what?" Romeo faced him without hesitation. "Are you going to intimidate me too? You're not talking to one of your subordinates here, you damn dog."
Max stepped beside Romeo, forming a clear line.
"You're playing with fire," Max said. "And you won't do this without consequences."
Helena glared at both of them, furious.
"You two have always been the same," she spat. "Idealistic, naive. In this family, that comes at a price."
Romeo leaned slightly toward her.
"Listen carefully, scum," he said, low and venomous. "My wife doesn't need protection from snakes like you. And my son is not your tool. Put that in your head before it blows up in your face."
The air turned icy.
"Enough."
A deep, authoritative voice resonated from the end of the corridor.
Everyone turned.
The patriarch of the Xentras family stood there, accompanied by Camila. His gaze swept over everyone, stopping especially at Helena and Dmitri.
"I've heard enough," he said. "These conversations end here."
Camila looked directly at Helena, not with resentment, but with firmness.
"If you have opinions, keep them to yourselves," the patriarch continued. "In two days we will have the family dinner. That is when you speak. Not in corridors, not in secret."
Silence slowly broke. Tensions eased, though they did not vanish.
"Leave," he ordered. "And remember: this family faces things head-on, not from the shadows."
One by one, they began to disperse.
But everyone knew one thing:
The dinner to come would not be peaceful.
And John, without even knowing it, was already at the center of the board.