I Don't Understand

Mia's mind raced as Elias's words hung in the air. She could barely breathe, trying to comprehend the weight of what he had just said. "M-My bloodline?" she stammered, her heart thudding in her chest.

Elias stood up slowly, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that sent chills down her spine. "Yes," he said quietly. "Marco didn't just target you because of who you are. He targeted you because of what you are. Your family's lineage is key to his vision of 'Project Paragon.' It's not just about control—it's about creating a new world order through genetic manipulation and legacy."

Alexander's jaw tightened, his hand instinctively reaching for Mia's, pulling her closer. "What do you mean by 'new world order'? What does he want with her bloodline?"

Elias took a deep breath, clearly conflicted, but he spoke. "Marco believes that humanity is doomed, that society as it exists is flawed beyond repair. His solution was to reshape humanity by controlling its genetic future. He started with a select few families—families he believed carried the perfect genetic makeup to evolve into something superior. Mia's family was one of them."

Mia's stomach churned, the pieces falling into place in the most horrific way. Her family, her bloodline... she had always known there was something unique about her ancestry, something that set her apart, but this? This was a nightmare.

"I don't understand," Mia said, her voice barely a whisper. "Why me? What was so special about my family?"

Elias met her gaze, his face filled with regret. "You are the last in a long line of people Marco had been tracking for years. Your family's genes hold a combination of traits he's been trying to perfect—traits that he believes will unlock the next stage of human evolution. He's been building an army, or rather, a new kind of human race. You, Mia, are the key to completing his work."

Mia could feel the ground slipping from beneath her, her hands shaking. She turned to Alexander, who was now seething, his jaw clenched tightly. "How could he do this? How could he manipulate an entire family like that?"

Elias lowered his eyes. "Marco's obsession with control goes beyond power. He believes that the human race needs to be 'cleansed'—a new generation of people born from perfected genetics. He needed someone with your bloodline to create the final, perfected model. The other families he targeted were just stepping stones for him to reach that goal."

Mia's breath caught in her throat. "But why is it so important now? Why me?"

Elias hesitated. "Because the right conditions for his final experiment were never present until recently. Your family's genetic makeup holds something Marco needed—an unknown factor that would allow him to manipulate the genetic evolution on a broader scale. And now… you're pregnant."

The words hit Mia like a ton of bricks. Her mind raced as the truth sank in—her pregnancy wasn't just a new chapter in her life; it was a catalyst for something terrifying. She was carrying a child that would unlock the very thing Marco had been striving for all these years.

Elias's eyes darkened. "The moment you became pregnant, Marco saw an opportunity to complete his vision. The genetic legacy he's been cultivating for years... it's now in you and your child. And that child is the culmination of Project Paragon."

Mia couldn't breathe. The child she was carrying—her child—was part of Marco's twisted plan. She turned to Alexander, her eyes filled with panic. "What does that mean? What will happen to our child?"

Alexander's grip tightened around her, his voice low and protective. "No one will lay a finger on our family. No one."

Elias sighed, his voice strained. "You may not have a choice. Marco won't stop until he has what he wants. And the truth is, you can't run from this. His reach is too vast."

Mia looked up at Alexander, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for any of it."

"I know," Alexander whispered, kissing the top of her head. "But we'll fight. We will protect you and the baby, Mia. Whatever it takes."

Elias's eyes flickered with something—sympathy? Regret? He stood silent for a moment, before nodding gravely. "I didn't come here to just hand you the truth. I came because Marco will stop at nothing to get to you. He's already moving his pieces into place. But if you're willing to fight back, if you're willing to help, there's a way to defeat him—one last chance to stop him before his plan goes too far."

Mia's heart raced as she held Alexander's hand tightly. "What do we need to do?"

Elias's expression was somber. "You'll have to take him down at his core—find the heart of Project Paragon, and dismantle it. But doing that requires getting into his private facility, the one where his research is happening. It's heavily guarded, but there's a way in. I have the intel you need. But you'll need to act quickly, and you'll need help."

Victor, who had been silently watching from the corner, stepped forward. "We'll be ready. No matter what it takes, we'll bring Marco to the ground."

Alexander's expression was cold, his voice laced with anger. "This ends now. We stop him. We end this once and for all."

Mia nodded, though her heart was heavy with uncertainty. The plan to stop Marco was clear now, but the stakes had never been higher. Her child—their child—was at the center of it all. She had to protect the little life growing inside her, but how could they possibly defeat Marco when the very thing he sought was in her womb?

The road ahead was uncertain, and the fight would be long. But Mia knew one thing for certain—she would never back down. She would fight for her family, for the future, and for the child she carried.