"You’re going to spill the beans about Alexander and Alpha. You’ll make sure everyone knows what’s really up."

Aylin stepped back and wiped her tears. "You’re right. I will."

Her face showed a fierce determination. "I’ll start looking for Mehmet Demir. If he’s still around, he might have some info that could confirm Alexander’s part in this."

"We’ll get everyone on board," Zayden assured. "Leo, Reyes, even Liam. We’ll track down Mehmet."

Aylin nodded and turned back to her computer. "Once we find him, everything is going to come crashing down."

*****

Ayla walked across the nicely kept lawn, her textbooks held close to her chest, a shy smile on her face.

Her first day had gone... surprisingly well. The placement test was tough but doable. The other students seemed nice, especially Emma, and the campus was beautiful.

For the first time in weeks, Ayla felt almost like herself again.

Maybe I can make this work, she thought. Maybe I can have a normal life again.

She headed to the main gates, where Liam was supposed to meet her, casually guarded by two of Zayden’s men who were dressed like regular students.

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the quad.

Ayla was mentally going over her notes when she looked up and froze.

There was a man standing by the fountain. He looked older, maybe in his late fifties, with gray hair and a weathered face. He was chatting on his phone, blending in like anyone else.

But Ayla recognized him.

The realization hit her hard.

Memories she had buried came rushing back with vivid clarity.

Her dad’s home office, fourteen years ago. Ayla was nine, coloring on the floor behind her dad’s desk while he worked.

Her mom was there too, sitting across from her dad, showing him some papers. Her voice was excited and urgent.

"Marcus, check out these transactions. They go straight to—"

The door swung open, and in walked a man. The same man, a younger version, but with the same face and cold stare.

"Alexander," her dad said, clearly surprised. "Didn’t see you coming today."

"Change of plans," Alexander replied with a smooth tone. "Sibel, can I borrow you for a sec? There’s something in the car that I could use your help with."

Her mom shot a glance at her dad, who nodded. "Go on. We can finish this when you get back."

Sibel grabbed her papers, smiling at little Ayla. "Be good for Daddy, okay, sweetie?"

Twenty minutes later, there were screams, yelling, and her dad bolted out of the office.

Ayla followed, feeling small and scared, clutching her stuffed bear.

Her mom was on the living room floor, convulsing. Alexander was next to her, acting like he was helping, but Ayla knew better.

She had seen him put something in her mom’s water glass. She had seen him hand it to her with a smile. She had seen her mom drink it without a clue.

"Heart attack," Alexander said as the paramedics rushed in. "So sudden. She just collapsed."

Her mom’s eyes found Ayla’s, wide with fear and understanding. Her lips moved, forming the words, "Run. Hide."

Then she went still.

"Natural causes," the doctors later said. "Cardiac arrest. Nothing anyone could’ve done."

But little Ayla knew better. She had seen it all.

Watching her mom die traumatized her so deeply that her young mind buried the memory, as if it had never happened.

"He’s the one," Ayla whispered, her textbooks slipping from her numb hands. "He killed her. He poisoned her. I saw—"

The world felt like it was tipping.

Images raced through her mind, her mom’s scared eyes searching for hers in those last moments,

Alexander’s cold efficiency as he handed over the poisoned water, the way her mom tried to warn her, even as she was fading.

Lies. All lies.

Ayla’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. Her vision narrowed. Her breath came in quick, painful gasps.

"No," she said softly. "No, no, no."

The man by the fountain turned, and for a split second, they locked eyes across the quad.

He recognized her?

He knows I remember.

Then Ayla’s legs gave out.

She fell onto the grass, her mind going blank to protect itself as everything faded away.

The last thing she heard was Liam calling her name as he ran toward her.

Then there was nothing.

*****

Liam was pacing in the waiting room like a restless animal, his phone pressed to his ear.

"She just passed out," he told Aylin, his voice filled with worry. "One second, she was fine; the next, she was on the ground. The guards and I got her here as fast as we could." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"We’re on our way," Aylin replied as she grabbed her coat. "Which hospital?"

"St. Catherine’s. Emergency entrance."

"Ten minutes," Aylin promised before hanging up.

Liam shoved his phone in his pocket and kept pacing. The guards were nearby, looking just as anxious.

What happened? Liam thought desperately. She was totally fine this morning. What changed?

Twenty minutes later, with traffic awful, Aylin rushed through the doors, Zayden right behind her.

"Where is she?" Aylin asked.

Liam pointed toward the examination rooms. "They took her back. No news yet."

Aylin tried to push through the doors, but a nurse stopped her. "Family only.

"I’m her sister," Aylin said firmly.

The nurse took a quick look at her clipboard, nodded, and stepped aside.

Aylin rushed in, with Zayden and Liam tagging along, even though the nurse said only family was allowed.

They found Ayla behind a curtain, all hooked up to monitors and still out cold. A middle-aged doctor who looked pretty capable was going over some charts nearby.

"Are you family?" the doctor asked Aylin.

"Yeah, I’m her sister. What’s going on?" Aylin said, her voice full of worry.

The doctor’s face got serious. "Your sister had a major nervous breakdown. Her vital signs are stable now, but when she came in, she was in really bad shape. Her heart rate was way too high, she was hyperventilating, and she didn’t respond at all to anything around her."

"But why did this happen?" Aylin asked.