The morning sun gleamed off the polished hood of Ronan's second luxury sports car, a sleek, vibrant red model that tore effortlessly through the highway lanes toward Manchester.
As he drove, Ronan frequently divided his attention between the winding road ahead and the passenger seat beside him. He watched quietly as the gentle breeze from the cracked window blew through Liora's soft blonde hair, smiling as the younger girl gracefully brushed the stray curls away from her eyes.
Breaking the comfortable silence, Liora turned her head, her brow furrowing slightly. "Ron, are you absolutely sure it's okay for you to be away from the company today? I thought you were supposed to personally select the new executive secretary this morning."
"Yeah, usually I am the one who handles the final evaluation." Ronan replied smoothly, his tone effortlessly casual. He reached across the center console, gently wrapping his fingers around Liora's hand and lifting it to press a soft, lingering kiss against her knuckles. "But today, I left that disaster to the senior managers. You are infinitely more important to me than any company business, Lio."
As always, Liora's cheeks instantly flushed a sweet shade of pink at Ronan's effortless gestures of affection. She squeezed Ronan's hand back, turning to look out the window to hide her bashful smile.
The rest of the drive passed with very little conversation, a heavy blanket of anticipation settling over the vehicle as they entered the outskirts of the city. As they pulled off the main roads and began stopping to ask locals for directions, Ronan noticed that Liora was growing visibly tense, her posture stiffening with every turn.
"Love? What's wrong?" Ronan asked softly, his voice full of genuine concern.
Liora merely shook her head, offering a small, forced smile to indicate it was nothing. In reality, her chest was tight with a suffocating wave of anxiety. She was deeply terrified of how a wealthy, powerful billionaire like Ronan would react once he laid eyes on her true upbringing, the broken, impoverished little hut he called home.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
The moment the red sports car finally pulled to a stop in front of Liora's childhood home, Ronan's breath caught sharply in his throat. He stared through the windshield in stunned silence, his heart aching as he wondered how it was humanly possible for anyone to survive inside such a tiny, fragile shack.
Turning his head, Ronan saw Liora's nervous face, her wide eyes repeatedly darting over to gauge the billionaire's reaction.
Letting out a soft, sympathetic sigh, Ronan unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted closer. He reached out with both hands, tenderly cupping Liora's face to force the younger girl to look directly into his eyes.
"Look at me." Ronan murmured gently. "Do you know exactly why I love you?"
Liora tilted her head slightly against Ronan's palms, her voice a quiet whisper. "I... I don't really know."
Ronan's eyes softened with a look of profound, unwavering adoration. "The truth is, I don't know the exact reason why I love you either, I just do. I love you with everything I have. That is an absolute truth, and absolutely nothing in this world can ever change it. Not this tiny house, and certainly not your father's poverty."
Ronan gently ran his thumbs across Liora's cheeks, capturing the heavy tears that had already begun to spill over the girl's lashes. "Whether you live inside a broken hut or a royal palace, whether you are dirt poor or incredibly wealthy, you will always be my beautiful bunny angel. But I want you to promise me you'll remember one thing from this day forward: I will never, ever let you live in a place like this again, nor will I ever let you starve. The incredible man who brought my angel into this world for me will never have to suffer a single day of hardship again. Do you understand me?"
Liora let out a fragile, watery sob, a beautiful smile breaking through her tears. "Why do you love me so much, Ron?"
Ronan simply let out a low, fond laugh. "Come here."
Looping a hand around the back of Liora's neck, Ronan pulled her forward, closing the distance between them to press his lips against Liora's in a deeply passionate, reassuring kiss. Liora immediately responded, melting into the warmth of the embrace as her fears completely evaporated.
Honkkkk!
The loud, aggressive blare of a car horn from directly behind them abruptly shattered the romantic moment. Pulling apart with breathless laughs, the two of them turned around to look through the rear windshield.
Michael's car had pulled up right behind them. Emerging from the vehicle were Maya, Ethan, and Sophia. As Ronan and Liora cleared their eyes and stepped out of the red sports car, the four passengers from the secondary vehicle stepped onto the dirt path as well.
Michael and Maya immediately walked forward, falling into step right behind the young couple. Ethan stepped forward to join them, but before he could take two paces, Sophia reached out and firmly grabbed his forearm, pulling him to a sudden halt.
"Ethan, are you absolutely sure about doing this right now?" Sophia asked, her voice laced with heavy disbelief and worry.
"Yes, Sophia." Ethan sighed, looking toward the small hut with a solemn expression. "It is infinitely better for Liora to discover the reality of her birth directly from her father's mouth, rather than hearing the cold facts from us."
"But... it's going to make her so incredibly heartbroken." Sophia whispered, her eyes downcast.
Ethan let out a heavy, sorrowful breath, gently resting a hand on his younger sister's shoulder. "Even if it breaks her heart, Sophia... she has to face the truth eventually."
. . . . . . . . . .
Together, the group quietly walked up the path and entered the cramped interior of the small house. Finding the rooms completely empty, they peered out the back window and spotted Liora's father out on the small plot of farmland, sitting flat on the dirt as he painstakingly worked the soil.
A bright, mischievous grin instantly broke across Liora's face. Turning back to the group, she placed her index finger firmly against her lips, signaling for them to remain absolutely quiet.
Stepping out into the yard on her tiptoes, Liora quietly sneaked up behind the older man. "Dad!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, violently lunging forward and jumping onto her father's back.
The older man let out a loud, terrified yelp, jumping nearly out of his skin as the onlookers inside the house burst into a chorus of amused laughter.
Once the initial shock wore off, Liora's father was profoundly stunned by the sudden presence of so many visitors. Liora threw her arms tightly around her father's neck, holding him in a long, emotional embrace as happy tears welled in her eyes. The older man held her just as tightly, his face full of paternal warmth.
Watching the sweet interaction from the doorway, Sophia bit her lower lip raw and cast her eyes down toward the floor, a crushing weight of anxiety settling into her stomach as hse wondered how Liora would survive the devastating truth about to be dropped on her.
Despite the fact that Liora's father only recognized his daughter, Sophia, and Ethan, he graciously welcomed the three unfamiliar faces into his impoverished home without a single shred of hesitation. The group filed into the modest space that served as a living room, carefully finding spots to sit down until the entire area was filled. After brief, polite introductions were exchanged, the atmosphere in the room instantly shifted, turning heavy and suffocatingly serious.
Ethan was the first to break the silence. Taking a deep, stabilizing breath, he looked across the room and locked eyes with the older man.
"Uncle... the time has officially come." Ethan said, his voice dropping into a grave tone. "Liora needs to know the absolute truth about her past."
The moment the words left Ethan's mouth, Simon's (Liora's father) face drained of all color, turning a sickly, ghostly pale. He instantly dropped his head, staring fixedly at his worn hands.
Liora's brow furrowed in deep confusion. She looked back and forth between his father and Ethan, a sudden realization hitting her. "What truth? Ethan... did you already know something about me?"
"Yeah, I did." Ethan confessed softly, offering a sympathetic look. "But I firmly believed it would be best if you heard the reality of your birth from the man who raised you."
Confused and increasingly anxious, Liora turned her gaze entirely back onto Simon. "Dad? What is he talking about?"
"D-Daughter..." Simon choked out, his voice trembling violently as he kept his eyes glued to the floor.
"Yes, Dad, I'm listening. Please just tell me." Liora urged, her heart beginning to race against her ribs as her curiosity turned into a blind panic.
Simon closed his eyes tightly, a heavy tear spilling down his weathered cheek. "I am... I am not your biological father, Liora."
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Liora violently flinched at the declaration, the words striking her like a physical blow. She froze in her seat, the air completely leaving her lungs. "W-What... what did you just say?"
Liora shook her head in sheer, unadulterated disbelief, completely unable to process the words coming out of her father's mouth. Beside her, Ronan was equally paralyzed with shock by the sudden confession, but his protective instincts instantly flared to life. Reaching over, he firmly grasped Liora's trembling hand, squeezing it with immense love and reassurance to keep her anchored.
"I am so incredibly sorry for keeping this hidden from you for all these years, my sweet girl." Simon sobbed, his shoulders shaking as the tears flowed freely down his face. "Ethan insisted that the proper time would eventually present itself... and to be completely honest, I-I was just a coward. I was so terrified that the moment you discovered the truth, I would lose my precious daughter forever. I simply didn't possess the courage to tell you. But I know deep down that a secret like this cannot remain buried in the dark forever."
Hearing the profound sorrow in the old man's voice, Liora didn't care about the lack of shared blood. She burst into heavy, agonizing tears, breaking away from Ronan's grip to fling herself across the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around Simon's neck.
"W-What are you even saying, Dad?" Liora wailed, burying her face into the older man's shoulder. "Y-You are my dad! Absolutely no one in this entire universe can ever take that title away from you! I-I don't care about what happened twenty-two years ago. I don't care who my biological parents are! But-"
Liora gently pulled back from the embrace, reaching down to firmly grasp Simon's rough, wrinkled hands, holding them against her chest. "I remember everything, Dad. I remember a long time ago, when we had absolutely nothing, you worked yourself to the bone to raise me with these exact hands. I-I am the sole reason you have lived a life of such intense hardship and exhaustion. You sacrificed everything you had for me. So how on earth can you say you're not my real dad, Dad?!"
As Liora's heart-wrenching cries echoed through the small shack, heavy tears filled the eyes of everyone sitting in the room. Even Ronan found his vision blurring as he watched the girl he loved display such beautiful loyalty.
Slowly, Liora lifted Simon's rough palm, pressing it tenderly against her own tear-stained cheek. "Even if you say it a million times, it will never change anything. I am your daughter, and you are my dad. That is all that matters to me. I love you so much, Dad."
"I-I love you too, my beautiful girl." Simon wept openly, leaning forward to press a deeply loving, lingering kiss against the top of Liora's blonde head.
The two of them remained locked in a tight embrace for several minutes, the room entirely silent as the onlookers allowed the father and daughter to grieve and process the heavy emotional weight. Finally, Liora slowly pulled away, using the back of her hand to wipe the remaining moisture from her cheeks as she settled back onto the floor.
"T-Then... who exactly were my biological parents, Dad?" Liora asked softly, her voice trembling with a lingering sense of dread. "What happened to them all those years ago?"
Simon let out a long, ragged sigh, steeling himself for the tale. "Let me explain everything from the absolute beginning."
The entire room shifted forward, leaning in with bated breath as the old man prepared to speak.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
"I am speaking of the exact events that took place twenty-two years ago." Simon began, his eyes glazing over as he mentally transported himself back to the most terrifying night of his youth. "This is the story of the exact night I met you, Liora."
"To begin with, my original hometown is not here in Manchester. I was born, raised, and spent my youth in a deeply isolated region of Oakham. You all know how incredibly rugged and unforgiving that terrain is; the population is sparse, and the few families who manage to live there are entirely impoverished. Yes, I was desperately poor back then. My own father had been brutally killed by a wild predator when I was just a boy, and the vast majority of the land out there is nothing but dense, suffocating forest. My mother passed away a few years later."
"When I was a young man, I managed to scrape together a living by setting traps to hunt wild animals in the deep woods, selling the pelts and meat inside the city. That was the only way any of us survived out there. Typically, I would venture deep into the thickets during the day to set my snares, because the dangerous predators only emerged during the twilight and midnight hours. But on that specific day, it was already late evening by the time I returned from the city after selling my hunt. I rushed out into the shadows to set my traps before total darkness fell. I have absolutely no concept of what time it was when I finally gathered my things to head back home."
Simon's hands began to shake slightly at the memory. "On my way down the mountain path, a sudden, blinding flash of brilliant blue light violently erupted from the dense tree line a few yards away. Driven by pure, reckless curiosity, I crept through the undergrowth to see what was happening. What I witnessed the moment I peered through the brush instantly made my blood run cold."
"W-What did you see?" Ronan asked, his deep voice slicing through the room.
"There was a massive, perfectly circular gateway hovering in the center of the clearing." Simon recalled, his voice dropping into a terrified whisper. "It was glowing with an intense, shimmering blue aura. Standing directly in front of the vortex was a deeply strange, elderly man dressed in ancient clothing, wielding a massive, ornate staff in his hands. But what truly struck terror into my soul was the second entity in the clearing. I knew with absolute certainty that the creature was not a human being. It was entirely engulfed in a swirling cloud of dense black smoke, wearing a heavy dark cloak, and its eyes were glowing a sickening, vibrant shade of green."
Simon took a shaky breath. "It was clear that the two of them were locked in a catastrophic, supernatural battle. I threw myself behind a massive oak tree a short distance away, freezing in absolute terror. I couldn't comprehend a single thing that was happening before my eyes; as they clashed, explosive beams of colorful light were detonating across the clearing, shattering the trees. Suddenly, the monstrous entity in the cloak halted his assault. He turned his head, sniffing the air, and violently lunged into the darker corners of the forest, dragging out a young human man by his collar."
"I was too far away to hear the words they were screaming." Simon whispered, a look of profound horror crossing his face. "But the monster raised his hand, wrapping his fingers tightly around the young man's throat and squeezing with immense force. Slowly, the poor man's face turned completely pale, his eyes rolled back, and he died right there in the dirt. But the most horrific thing happened next, in the midst of that brutal execution, a young, heavily pregnant mother came sprinting out of the brush. She wailed in agony, trying desperately to throw her body over the fallen man... but the cloaked monster didn't show a single shred of mercy. He turned his wrath onto her, and she suffered the exact same brutal fate as her husband."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Simon swallowed hard, his voice cracking with emotion. "I couldn't believe the horror unfolding right before my eyes. Horrified by the slaughter, the elderly man with the staff channeled a massive wave of energy, casting a powerful spell that forcefully blasted the monster backward, sending him flying across the clearing. In that tiny window of time, a brilliant, blinding sphere of pure blue light suddenly erupted from the old man's chest. I couldn't see the exact shape of the object, but it was a radiant, glowing stone. The artifact floated through the air and violently shot downward, sinking directly into the body of the fallen, unconscious pregnant woman."
"It all happened within a matter of seconds, right before the monster could recover. Immediately after sealing the stone inside her, the elderly man threw himself backward into the swirling blue circle, and the portal instantaneously vanished into thin air. The green-eyed monster scrambled to his feet, letting out a furious roar as he tried to pursue him, but the gateway was gone. Within the next second, the creature completely dissolved into the shadows, vanishing from the clearing entirely."
"For nearly half an hour, a suffocating, dead silence filled the forest." Simon continued, his frame trembling. "I could faintly make out the still, broken silhouettes of the young man and woman lying in the dark dirt. I was completely paralyzed, frozen to the spot by a primitive fear after witnessing such supernatural slaughter. But just as I gathered the courage to turn around and run for my life, a weak, agonizing groan suddenly echoed from the center of the clearing."
"I didn't possess the bravery to step out from behind my tree." Simon admitted, his tears falling fresh. "But as the pained groans began to increase in frequency and intensity, my human conscience overtook my fear. I forced my legs to move and ran over to the clearing. When I dropped to my knees beside them, I realized the pregnant mother was still barely clinging to life, her body writhing in intense agony. She was going into labor right there in the dirt."
"I was a young hunter, I had absolutely no medical knowledge, and I couldn't think of a single thing to do. The poor woman clutched my shirt, crying out with the very last ounce of her strength, begging me to save her child. Somehow, through pure instinct and adrenaline, I managed to successfully deliver the baby. But the absolute moment the infant was free, the mother's strength completely failed, and she passed away right beneath my hands. I still remember the exact feeling of that tiny, fragile baby crying frantically in my arms. My daughter... yes, that was my precious Liora."
Simon wiped a stray tear from his eye, his gaze full of profound love as he looked at Liora. "Neither the mother nor the father possessed a single spark of life left in them. There was absolutely no way I was going to leave a defenseless, newborn infant stranded in the middle of a haunted, blood-stained forest. A fierce determination settled over my heart right then and there, I resolved that this baby belonged to me, and I would protect and care for her with every single ounce of my strength for the rest of my days. I gathered Liora against my chest and ran straight back to my hut. I grabbed every single cent of the money I had spent my entire youth saving, packed a small bag, and fled the town under the cover of night."
"Because the baby was too weak to even cry properly, it was incredibly easy for me to board a transport and slip away without anyone growing suspicious of a lone man carrying a newborn. I traveled straight to Manchester. The moment I arrived, I rushed her into the emergency room and handed her over to the doctors, because she was severely premature and dangerously small. The nurses placed her inside an incubator and carefully monitored her health for about a month. During that time, I secured a small apartment nearby and worked three different manual labor jobs simultaneously to earn a stable income. And that is exactly how I raised my beautiful baby... even though she didn't share a single drop of my blood."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Throughout the entirety of the harrowing explanation, the room had been too hyper-focused on Simon's words to notice a terrifying anomaly occurring right beside them.
Liora's entire body had begun to shake with an unusual, violent intensity. Her breathing had turned shallow and rapid, her skin losing all of its natural color as a cold sweat drenched her clothes.
Ronan was the first to notice the sudden distress. "L-Liora?!" he shouted in a panic.
He immediately lunged across the space to catch her, but before the words could even leave her lips, Liora's eyes rolled back into her head, and her limp body collapsed heavily into Ronan's arms, completely unconscious.
"L-Liora? Baby? Please open your eyes!" Ronan pleaded frantically, his heart dropping into his stomach as he gently patted Liora's pale cheeks, desperately trying to rouse her. The rest of the group scrambled out of their seats, rushing over to crowd around the unconscious girl in a panic.
"I believe she is suffering from a catastrophic panic attack." Maya analyzed sadly, her face full of profound sorrow as she reviewed her vitals. "Her mind simply couldn't process the sheer trauma of what she just heard. How could any human being possibly handle a revelation like that? She just discovered that her biological parents were brutally murdered on the exact night of her birth."
Following Maya's urgent suggestion to help regulate her breathing, Ronan carefully lifted Liora into his arms, carrying her across the small room and laying her down onto the modest bed. Ronan quickly climbed onto the mattress beside her, pulling Liora's trembling body tightly against his chest, wrapping his powerful arms around her in a fierce embrace while whispering soothing words into her ear to calm her racing heart.
Nearly thirty agonizing minutes ticked by before Liora's eyelids finally fluttered open. But the moment consciousness returned to her eyes, a look of profound, paralyzed horror filled her gaze. Her chest was heaving violently, her respirations completely abnormal and frantic.
"Shh... baby, please calm down. Take a deep breath for me. Everything is going to be okay, I'm right here." Ronan murmured desperately, gently rubbing his hand up and down Liora's side to ground her.
But Liora didn't seem to hear him. Her mind was spinning at a terrifying speed as the pieces of a completely different puzzle locked into place. "That... that young couple..." Liora stammered frantically, her voice a broken, hollow gasp as she stared into vacancy. "M-My biological mom and dad...?"
The onlookers exchanged deeply confused glances, completely lost. "What are you talking about, love?" Ronan asked softly, leaning down.
"R-Ron... the tragic couple from your corporate history archives..." Liora rushed out, her chest heaving as she looked up at Ronan with wide, desperate eyes. "The young couple who were maliciously framed for treason inside your company twenty-two years ago... that was them, wasn't it?!"
The sudden realization struck the room like lightning. A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the shack as the horrifying connection became clear.
Still breathing at a dangerous, hyperventilating pace, Liora turned her wide, hopeful gaze toward the rest of the group, begging for someone to deny the reality. "Please... t-tell me-"
Sophia stepped forward, her eyes filling with fresh tears as she looked down at her friend with a heavy heart. "Please try to calm your mind, Liora... but yes. Those two individuals... they were your true biological mother and father."
The definitive confirmation was the final blow to Liora's fragile psyche. The sheer, overwhelming weight of the cosmic tragedy crushed her remaining strength, and her eyes instantly slipped shut as she fell completely unconscious against Ronan's chest once more.
"Liora!!" Ronan screamed, his voice cracking with a raw, agonizing panic.
In that exact split second, something inside Ronan's soul violently snapped. Driven by an overwhelming, primeval urge to protect his soulmate from any further emotional destruction, a terrifying change washed over him. Ronan's irises violently transformed, glowing a fierce, menacing, and supernatural shade of deep ruby red.
The air inside the room instantly grew ice-cold, and a suffocating aura of absolute death radiated from his frame, causing the warriors around him to gasp in genuine terror. He looked completely unhinged, ready to instantly slaughter anyone who dared to cause even a fraction of discomfort to the host of the Blue Gem.
"R-Ronan, please listen to me, it was just a severe panic attack!" Maya stammered frantically, raising her hands in surrender as she took a cautious step back. "C-Calm your energy down! None of us meant to inflict any harm on her!"
But Ronan was completely deaf to her logic. He tightened his powerful arms around Liora's limp body, shielding her entirely from the world.
Before anyone could take another step, a massive, explosive flash of brilliant red light violently detonated inside the room, illuminating the walls for a fraction of a second. The next moment, the light vanished, and Ronan and Liora had completely disappeared from the shack without leaving a single trace behind.
Maya let out a long, exhausted sigh, dropping her shoulders in defeat. "Liora's mind simply couldn't handle all of that horror at once."