*Trigger Warning: This chapter may contain scenes that some readers may find upsetting.
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When Hazel found out she was finally going to be able to see her nieces and nephews in person and not just through photos and videos, she burst with joy. She was finally going to see her sister again and hold her in her arms after all those years. Alex had kept her informed about their moves, but it was only a few years later that she was able to get back in touch with her sister.
Unfortunately she couldn't go visit her since it was right in the middle of her rise through the ranks of the organization.
She became the youngest president of the organization, but since she was not part of one of the founding families, she had to outwardly share the leadership with Valerie publicly.
Valerie was the head on the surface and she her vice president, but internally everyone knew she was the one running things.
Having taken on responsibilities from the age of 18, she had not been able to reach out to her sister.
But she could count on the help of her president Alex — however his death came as a shock, and she had to take on his responsibilities at 22 years old.
...
Hazel's heart was finally at peace. She was finally holding her family in her arms, and it came as no surprise when she began to be fiercely protective of them.
Her parents and her sister had finally buried the hatchet, and it was time to surround themselves with love and happiness.
The relationship between Hazel and Chloé was quite particular — the children knew she loved them, but they quickly noticed she had a soft spot for Chloé. And Chloé, for her part, was showered with love by Hazel and completely spoiled.
...
The arrival of Ryan in my life felt as though a missing piece of my heart had finally been repaired.
I don't really know how to explain it. She was my breath of fresh air. And I was very protective of her.
She could fall and get back up, but if someone was responsible for that fall, I would make sure my face was the last thing they ever saw.
I don't joke when it comes to her. My siblings had a place in my heart, but she was something else entirely.
She liked to play the big sister and I let her. We could argue over small things but whenever we went too far, we would apologize.
The bond we shared is inexplicable.
I met Ryan at her lowest, and I only ever wanted to see her highs. Her image in that hospital, so fragile, was forever burned into my mind. She was my last conscious thought.
My family knows it. Everyone knew her importance in my heart and my life.
They tend to say that people can pull all kinds of things on me, but my revenge will never equal the hell I would put those who touch her through.
"You know, you're terrifying..." Chloé told me one day.
"How so?" I asked, laughing slightly, finding her expression funny.
I considered Chloé like a sister of the heart.
"You're so joyful all the time that I tend to forget you can be terrifying."
Hearing that I burst out laughing.
"Really!"
"Yes! I don't know how to explain it clearly but some people are rays of sunshine and yet none of them are as terrifying as you when you get angry. I feel like the temperature in the room suddenly changes. I get chills too."
Hearing that, I raised an eyebrow — I really didn't know what to make of it. I told myself it was maybe because Chloé was particularly sensitive to the feelings of those around her.
She often said of Ryan that she was very observant, and yet she herself was very observant in her own way. She was highly attuned to changes in a person, however subtle they might be.
But I kept that moment in mind. I think I understand it, but not really.
"Especially when it involves Harmonie..." she added at the end of our conversation.
I understood that if someone went after Ryan, that so-called shift in atmosphere was even more noticeable. Maybe. Anyway. I'm not sure.
It's true there were many moments when I wanted to go settle things with Ryan's bullies at school, but she wanted to handle it herself — I didn't want to go against her wishes. I couldn't. So I let her do it. I knew she could defend herself.
They were lucky I wasn't in their school. I was at a different school since the one I attended placed a strong emphasis on computer science as part of its curriculum.
Ryan had chosen a more conventional school — what I was studying didn't really interest her.
But that period is part of my many regrets when it comes to my baby sister.
....
I was coordinating certain data related to the mission. It was going to be fairly straightforward, fortunately, and afterward I could go on vacation with my family.
My role was simply to infiltrate their system remotely while the others handled the physical side. Sometimes missions required my presence on the ground as well, but this time that would not be the case.
It didn't take too long between the mission and returning to base.
I received a call — I didn't usually bring my personal phone with me, but exceptionally I had done so today.
As soon as the mission was over, I wanted to let my mother and brothers know we could start packing to go join Ryan and the others.
I was so looking forward to finally being on vacation. I answered the call.
"Yes, Chloé?" I said with a smile on my lips. I was met with silence.
"Hello?"
Silence again.
A strange feeling began to settle deep within me. My smile froze.
And then everything shattered at once as Chloé's trembling voice came through.
"Princess... He killed them. He killed them! He killed them!!!" The trembling voice, faint at first, rose into a desperate scream.
I caught my breath and said, as best I could, "Who killed who, Chloé?"
"He... he... Damien... he killed Hazel and H... ma baby... he killed them." Chloé's piercing screams resonated in the deepest part of Princess.
She felt the oxygen grow thin, her grip on the phone tightened until it cracked. Tears began escaping from her eyes.
She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
A high-pitched ringing invaded her consciousness and her hearing.
Someone had taken the phone from her hand, saving the device in the process. Not a single member of her team dared approach her to comfort her or do anything else.
The person who had taken the phone heard another voice on the line — not Chloé's — and that member learned that Chloé had fainted.
Harmonie and Hazel's condition was critical — the family needed to prepare for the worst.
The impact of the crash had been violent, their lives hanging by a single thread.
The person relayed all of this to Princess and the members of her team.
The situation was critical. They had to act fast.
Princess closed her eyes, wiped her tears with her sleeve, then slowly reopened them — it was as though someone else had taken her place.
She appeared calm, but no one dared go near her.
A smile formed on her face as though nothing had happened. She instructed one of the members to make sure her mother had been notified and another to prepare the private jet for her departure.
When she wasn't smiling she gave the impression of being lost in her thoughts, but their instincts told them a monster was lurking within, ready to pounce on everything, especially their prey.
She had snapped her last shred of restraint.
...
The news of their accident had spread to everyone. The grief of those close to them was devastating. Cassandre had collapsed, but Valerie's reminder to take care of her daughter gave her just enough strength to hold on — barely.
Valerie was at a loss but someone had to take on the terrible role of the person keeping the sinking ship afloat — she could not abandon it, it was her responsibility.
Cassidy was elsewhere, she seemed not quite present. The situation felt unreal to her. Grace had broken down in tears. Corine was deep in her own headspace — this trauma was too much for her adult self.
No one was spared from this terrible news. Understandably so — a loved one in such a situation was a nightmare, but there were two of them. Two loved ones in such a situation. There were two.
The family arrived. Hazel's parents were there as well, accompanying their eldest daughter. Not a single pair of eyes was dry. Everyone was in a terrible state.
Cassandre's parents arrived to take Adélaïde, Corine, Liam, Alexandre and Cassidy — who was completely out of it despite her protests.
"No... no... I haven't apologized yet... no... no!!"
She had to be sedated. She was hurting herself, and they decided it was best for her to be hospitalized in the meantime.
Adélaïde was asleep but even in her sleep she could be heard sobbing. Despite her young age, the adults understood she knew something terrible had happened to her Dada.
Cassandre's parents promised they would come back the next day with the children.
Valerie went to handle the organization's affairs, trying to escape reality. Sylvia had taken back control of the sinking ship.
Chloé was also sedated but had to be hospitalized since her condition required attention. Those who remained could not move on and do something in the meantime. It was impossible.
The notable absence was Princess.
Edmund and Diane, Hazel's parents, seemed to have suddenly aged by several years. Nifah was no exception.
...
He heard footsteps approaching his position, growing closer and closer.
From the sound, he could count 5 people.
But the closer the footsteps got, the more the sound indicating that number dwindled — the door was opened. And standing between the two people who had pushed it open, there she was.
Dressed in combat gear, the sound of her boots hitting the floor was like thunderclaps that each person felt deep in their core.
He was impressed but put on a façade.
"You truly are my finest creation, Daria." He said in a triumphant and proud tone.
She said nothing. She observed the man who had self-proclaimed himself king, seated on his makeshift throne.
She found him utterly ridiculous.
She lowered her gaze — the self-styled king thought she had finally understood her place and smiled victoriously.
But he did not know her well enough. She was simply choosing — choosing the best way to rid herself of this despicable sperm donor.
She raised her head back up and returned his smile. Damien felt a shiver run through his entire body and the fear he had tried to contain finally revealed itself in his eyes.
And he knew he was not going to get out of this the way he intended.
...
The next day
They were all present when the doctors came out of the operating block.
One of them approached the family and tried to speak but their voice broke. The doctor behind them who had accompanied them took over.
"The hearts of both patients stopped on multiple occasions and we did our utmost to keep them alive. The patient I was treating, Harmonie, was the less critical of the two — due to the driver's protection transferring the majority of the impact onto herself."
The other doctor continued. "However both conditions were critical. We did everything we could, but I regret to inform you of the death of Hazel and the brain-dead state of Harmonie. We unfortunately hold no hope for her to regain consciousness."
"We offer our sincerest condolences."
Time seemed to freeze before everyone collapsed — physically, mentally, or both — one after another, in the face of this terrible news.
No. No. Life could not be this cruel to their families. It was not possible.
But reality was there — and it was unacceptable.