Chapter 179: Impasse
On the evening of the fourth day—the same day they’d gone on the helicopter tour—their cars were finally ready. Ephyra walked out holding Lyle’s hand... or rather, it was Lyle gripping hers tightly, as if he wasn’t going to let go. He led her to the front passenger seat of the car. The bodyguard opened the door, and Ephyra slid in; Lyle followed, settling in beside her.
Knowing it was going to be a long ride, Ephyra had already connected her AirPods to her phone. She intended to play the sound of rain—something that always lulled her into sleep. She planned to lean against Lyle’s arm, not just for her own comfort but so he could relax with her scent close by. She wanted them both to be at ease for the trip. And besides, the quiet would give her time to think.
Her mind inevitably circled back to their relationship. As far as the legal side of things went, they were essentially divorced already. That had been in the agreement they signed before marriage. The question now wasn’t whether they were "married" in name, but whether they would stay together in some other way—not husband and wife, but still... together. That was the choice she needed to make.
She was pulled from her thoughts when she felt him bury his face against the crook of her neck, inhaling softly. His voice was low in her ear.
"What are you thinking about? You’re too still to be asleep."
Ephyra smiled faintly, resisting the urge to laugh at how his breath tickled her skin. She shifted her head to the side and hummed in contentment. "I’m trying to fall asleep, but my mind’s full. I’m in that almost-asleep state."
"What is in your mind?"
"You mean, ’what are?’" she corrected, then sighed. "A lot. College is coming up and I still haven’t picked a major. Then there’s Malia, Orla, and Cyran—I haven’t told them everything yet, and I need to before school starts. I don’t want to hide anything from them, especially if I’m going to have to decide on our relationship. There’s also my family’s secrets, my origin..." She hesitated before adding in her mind, And the assassination of Eira Kingston.
Lyle sighed and kissed her temple. Then he tilted her chin up with a finger so she had to meet his eyes.
"College—pick something you’ll enjoy. Don’t pressure yourself. You won’t even need it for what we do. As for your friends, last time they didn’t blame you or leave you. If you show them you chose this life and you want it, they’ll support you. And for your family’s mystery, I told you before—if you can’t figure it out, contact Jania. She’ll help without telling me anything. So stop thinking so hard. Focus on us."
That was exactly what she’d been thinking about.
Ephyra gave a small nod. "I didn’t want to, but... I’ve heard you. Thank you." She leaned in, kissing him lightly. Lyle’s arms tightened instantly, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss.
When they pulled apart, she gave him a sleepy smile and curled back into his arms. Her eyes closed, the hum of the car making her feel weightless.
Maybe she didn’t need to think about anything at all. Maybe she’d already made her choice a long time ago.
⸻
Canada — Alberta Foothills
Snow was falling in steady, deliberate sheets across the landscape, blurring the horizon where the cloud-heavy sky met the ground. The roads were edged with white, the air cold enough to freeze the lungs. Beyond the town’s outskirts stretched the forest—dense, dark evergreens bowing slightly under the onslaught of snow.
At the heart of the forest, a high-tech visibility barrier shielded the mansion from the view of any drones or passing aircraft. It couldn’t block the falling snow, though, and that only made the place look surreal—partly hidden in a blur of white, partly revealed in glints of glass and steel. The structure itself looked like something from the near future: sleek black metal frames, entire walls made of reinforced glass, balconies lined with transparent railings, and roofs angled at pointed, deliberate slopes. Bright light glowed from within, a stark contrast to the frozen wilderness surrounding it.
"Aerona, you called for me?" Aurora opened the door to her sister’s suite. The outer room resembled a sitting area, with a rectangular holographic table glowing softly at its center.
Aurora glanced around, not spotting her sister, so she walked forward—her heels muffled by the thick rug—and pushed open the bedroom door.
Aerona sat in a low armchair beside an old crib. Silver hair spilled over one shoulder as she carefully sorted through a box of photos and small toys. She was dressed in a crisp shirt tucked into wide-legged pants.
Aurora, wearing a fitted dark jumpsuit, stepped closer. She recognized the crib immediately—Ephyra had once slept in it during the short, fragile time they had together.
Aerona looked up at her and smiled, beckoning her over. Aurora’s lips curved faintly as she crossed the room and leaned in. Aerona held up a photo.
It was one Harley had taken—Ephyra mid-wail, her tiny fists clenched and face scrunched, clearly upset because her mother wasn’t there.
"She looks so chubby and cute here... I wonder what she looks like now." Aerona’s voice softened as she traced the image with her fingertips.
"Does she look like a slender, confident young woman? Or maybe an average teenager—average height, long red hair, a beautiful smile? Or... maybe a reclusive girl with a blank expression, stunning nonetheless?"
Aurora laughed under her breath. "So, whatever personality your daughter ends up with, she has to be beautiful? Seriously, Aerona."
"I know she will be. Her dad was handsome, and I look good, so of course she will be."
Aurora just shook her head with a small smile, and they continued flipping through the photos.
When they’d gone through the last one, Aurora set it aside, sighed, and pulled her sister into a sideways hug, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"I’m sure she’s alright. And happy."
"Yeah..."
"So why did you call for me?"
Aerona’s expression grew serious. "I’ve been thinking... the longer Ephyra stays in the dark about our family, the worse it might be for her—and for us. Especially since we’ve already started working against the Carver family. If they’re smart enough to connect any dots, they could start digging. And if they find out she’s linked to us... I don’t want her in danger. I want her to know the truth as soon as possible, so I can protect her if anything happens. Better still—we’d be together."
Aurora frowned. "It’s too early. Remember our plan—we can’t drag Ephyra into this. Not yet. Besides, the Carvers can’t tie anything to us. To the world, we’re dead. There’s no way they’d think to connect her to us."
"But what if they do, Aurora? What if? You know how vengeful Peter Carver is—he’d do anything to avenge his son. And Ephyra is only eighteen. I don’t want her hurt."
Aurora’s voice was firm. "Aerona, I know you’re worried about her, but there’s no reason to be. Your emotions are clouding your judgment. Breathe—deep breath in, deep breath out. Remove that thought from your head that Peter Carver would harm her. Nothing, absolutely nothing, will harm Ephyra as long as we’re alive. You need to believe that."
Aerona nodded, accepting her sister’s words but her voice was firm. "But the longer she’s in the dark, the more opportunity there is for something to go wrong."
"She has Donna. If anything happens, Donna will contact us immediately. And remember—on her eighteenth birthday, Donna told us she was happy. That means she has people around her. She’s thriving. There’s no need to worry. No one, not even Peter, can connect us to her."
"They might be with her, but that doesn’t mean they can protect her. At least if she knew about the fall of the Vale family, and that the Carvers and Thorne were responsible, she’d be more guarded." She said, her cold expression mixed with intense hatred.
Aurora hesitated before answering. "I get it. But have you considered what will happen when she learns what happened to her father? And if you’re going to worry about anyone—it shouldn’t be Peter Carver. He’s nothing compared to Asher Thorne. Remember—he was the mastermind behind..." She stopped herself. "Never mind. I don’t want to think about it. Just trust me. We have people stationed around both families. If they make a move, we’ll know. And the second there’s a hint of danger toward Ephyra, I’ll bring her in myself. Do you understand me?"
Aerona exhaled slowly. "Alright. But I still think she should know sooner."
"Then what exactly do you have in mind?"
Aerona stood and began pacing. "First, I’ll find out exactly what her situation is—everything. Then I’ll decide if Harley should get the key to her."
Aurora nodded. "Alright. I can do that."
Aerona pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. Ephyra is just like my own daughter."
——————
Kiara, her dark hair fanning out in the warm water, reclined in the center of the round tub. The soft blue LED light beneath the waterline cast a glow on her skin, turning every ripple into liquid sapphire. Her head rested lazily against the smooth stone edge, one hand cradling a tall glass of champagne, the other holding a half-burned cigar between perfectly manicured fingers.
Slow, sultry music played through hidden speakers, its bass a subtle pulse in the air. Kiara hummed under her breath, exhaling a thin ribbon of smoke toward the high ceiling before taking another unhurried sip of champagne.
"Master," a woman’s voice called from beyond the bathroom door. It was muffled by the thick stone walls, but loud enough to hear.
Kiara didn’t answer. She simply shifted her gaze toward the door for the briefest moment before looking away again, her humming continuing without pause.
"We tried to dig deeper into Ephyra Allen," the voice went on, "but we didn’t find anything else."
The bathroom fell quiet again except for the faint crackle of her cigar’s ember and the low, steady thrum of the music. The messenger waited, but the silence stretched yet, the female didn’t say a word about it being uncomfortable.
Kiara swirled the champagne in her glass, watching the pale gold liquid catch the blue light. She didn’t speak. Instead, she leaned back further into the water, letting the heat soak into her skin. Her expression never changed—relaxed, almost bored—as if the report she’d just heard was nothing but background noise.
Only after another drag from her cigar did she finally answer, her voice smooth.
"How can a person change that much? It just so happens that she got hit the night Eira Kingston was shot by Earl... and fell to her death."
She squinted at the ceiling, then took a long, slow drink of her champagne.
"Do you think there is a connection, Master?" the voice asked from beyond the door.
"What do you think?" Kiara replied. She tipped the glass back, finishing the last of the champagne, then stubbed her cigar in the black crystal ashtray on the tub’s edge before sinking deeper into the water, letting it lap lazily at her shoulders.
"I cannot say anything regarding your—"
"It wasn’t a question," Kiara interrupted coolly. "It was a thought I said out loud."
"Then what do you want me to do, Master?"
Kiara’s tone was low, almost unbothered. "It seems we are at an impasse. So... why don’t we do something fun?"
"What is that, Master?"
Without answering, Kiara rose from the tub, water cascading down her skin in silver sheets. She stepped onto the dark stone floor and crossed to the rainfall shower, its misted glass blurring her outline as she slipped inside. The water poured over her, steaming against the cool tiles.
"I would love to meet this... ’very brave’ Ephyra Allen," she said, her voice carrying easily over the hiss of the shower. "So... we will be going to New York City."
"I will start making arrangements, Master."