Chapter 42: The Reunion

Lucio stilled, staring at her as if he hadn't heard her right.

"You… want to come with me?"

Steffy nodded, eyes flicking with anticipation as she waited for Lucio's response.

However, Lucio's jaw tensed. "You might ruin the plan."

She let out a soft sigh, stepping closer until she was just inches away from him. "I don't have any reason to ruin you or your big plans," she said, her voice low, almost intimate.

Turning away, she walked toward the open window, staring at the glittering night sky. A small smile played on her lips, but it held no warmth.

"I want revenge, too," she murmured. "For the betrayal my own family inflicted on me."

Lucio was silent for a while.

"Steffy," he said quietly, "we both know that you're a traitor, too."

She closed her eyes for a brief moment. "Yes," she admitted. "By falling in love with you."

Lucio took a slow breath.

Steffy turned back to him, her eyes sharp. "But what my father did to me—to us—was worse. He raised me to be his heir, his Alpha Don. But the moment I became inconvenient to him, he tossed me aside like I was nothing." Her hands curled into fists. "And now Elizabeth is dead. She was the only one who truly believed in me. And now, she's gone."

Lucio's arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back into his warmth. He pressed his lips to the back of her neck, a slow, deliberate kiss. Steffy shivered at his touch.

"So," Lucio murmured against her skin, "you're hungry for revenge."

Steffy nodded, leaning into his embrace. "I know you understand where I'm coming from, Lucio."

He exhaled, tightening his hold on her. For a long moment, they stood there in silence, wrapped around each other, and lost in their own thoughts.

"When this is over," Steffy whispered, "you'll have to marry me, Lucio."

Lucio chuckled, the sound deep and rich in her ears. She frowned, pulling away to look at him. "What's so funny?"

His eyes danced with amusement as he said, "I'll marry you, yes—but I won't leave the Dragons."

"What?" she said, her voice dangerously low. Lucio shrugged as if it were the most casual thing in the world.

"Then that means I can't be with you," she said coldly, stepping back. "That means our child and I will leave without you."

Lucio's expression shifted instantly. His eyes widened.

Steffy crossed her arms. "I'm pregnant, Lucio."

Silence stretched between them, thick as smoke. Lucio took a step back, running a hand through his hair. "Wait… Me? A father?" He let out a hollow laugh, pacing back and forth like a man unraveling.

Steffy's stomach twisted. She had expected shock, maybe even confusion, but not this.

"You don't look happy," she said quietly.

Lucio stopped pacing. His expression hardened.

"Of course, I'm not happy," he muttered. "This child will ruin everything I've planned for the Brotherhood. I'm still building my empire, Steffy."

Her heart dropped.

Lucio ran a hand down his face, his breath uneven. "I don't know… I need to think. But Steffy—" He looked at her then, his eyes cold and sharp. "You should prepare for the worst. Because at any moment, I might decide that you need to get rid of it."

Steffy's blood turned to ice.

Lucio turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard the walls shook.

A sharp, shattered gasp left her lips. Her hands trembled as she reached for the mirror, staring at the woman reflected at her.

Her own eyes gleamed, shining brighter than ever. "I can't believe he said that," she whispered.

"Now is the time to go, Tiffany. You've been rejected again."

"Lucio is nothing but a coward. He always has been. And your father and Yuan? They don't deserve the luxurious life they still enjoy."

Hearing that, Tiffany's breath quivered.

Yes. They had taken everything that was rightfully hers. And if she were to keep this child, she would have to get it all back.

Slowly, she moved toward the bed, pulling out a small waist bag from underneath it. She unzipped it, revealing a golden key nestled beneath a stolen gun.

Her smile turned crooked. Lucio thought she had given him back the key, but she had given him the fake one. Now, it's only a matter of town before she was able to escape the guards stationed outside her door.

"We're done with this shit, aren't we, Tiffany?"

Tiffany nodded.

"Men will never again dominate you."

She moved quickly and quietly toward the window leading to the back lawn, where the guards smoked lazily. They were fully unaware of what was about to unfold.

Tiffany dropped down silently, crawling through the grass until she reached the clearing. Then she ran.

Her heart pounded, not with fear—but with liberation. Her feet carried her faster, faster, as the wind cut across her face. She screamed—hard. 'This is it.'

The war had begun.

And she would burn them all down.

***

Marie jumped at the sharp, repetitive knocking on the door.

Her chest tightened.

It had been a week since the Dragons had released her, dumping her in this tiny apartment. She had been given strict orders—no visitors, no contact with anyone.

No one knew where she was. No one but Steffy. But Steffy hadn't come.

By this time, the knocking grew louder.

Marie's hands shook as she approached the door, gripping a wooden chair leg as a weapon.

"W-who's there?" she called, trying to sound calm.

"Marie Joyce, it's me."

Her breath caught. That voice…

With fumbling fingers, she unlatched the door, yanked it open…

Their lips crashed. The kiss was hungry and desperate, fueled by weeks of fear and longing.

"Oh, God," Steffy breathed between kisses. "Thank God those bastards kept their word. I would have burned them alive if they had hurt you."

Marie's shirt hit the floor.

"They hurt me enough," she muttered, "but I'm alive."

Steffy's fingers brushed over the scars Charlotte left behind, her gaze darkening.

"I'll kill her for this," she promised.

Marie grabbed her face. "Sshh… Just stay with me tonight."

"Yes, Marie Joyce. I'm not leaving you again."

And with that, they drowned in each other's arms.

Later, as they lay tangled together, Steffy whispered the truth.

"I've started a war, Marie. The Alphas. The Dragons. I have no choice but to fight."

Marie stared at her. "This is suicide."

Steffy smirked. "Maybe. But I refuse to die a prisoner."

"B-but Steffy—"

Marie's words never left her mouth as a loud banging at the door interrupted them.

Indeed, the war had already come knocking at the door.