(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Toni's House...
Danny unfolded the bond papers carefully, his fingers trembling as his eyes scanned the words.
At first, it didn't make sense—
Some kind of legal jargon, a property deed.
But then, as the sentences sank in, his eyes went wide.
"____"
The paper slipped lower in his hands.
"This… this can't be."
Toni leaned closer, concern flashing in her eyes.
"What is it?"
Danny swallowed hard, his voice a whisper.
Gulp~
"It's from… my parents. My birth parents. It says… they left me a resort. Out in Hobbs Spring… deep in the West Virginia hills."
His mind went blank,
"____"
A ringing in his ears drowning out everything else.
A resort? From people he barely remembered?
It felt unreal, like a cruel trick.
Toni gently pried the papers from his hands.
Her own eyes widened as she skimmed the bold title—
"Property Deed and Transfer of Ownership"—
And the names written at the bottom.
"Danny… this looks official."
She looked at him again.
Danny was grinning now, wide and unguarded, his teeth flashing like a child's.
Grin~
"____"
For once, he looked happy—
Hopeful even.
But Toni's gut whispered something different.
Something about this was wrong.
Way too convenient.
Way too perfect.
She forced a smile, not wanting to crush his moment.
Instead, she folded the paper neatly and set it aside.
"Well… maybe this could change everything."
Inside, though, her thoughts raced.
'If this deed was real, why now? Why here? And if it wasn't… who wanted Danny to believe it?'
Later,
She decided, she'd call her brother—
Quietly.
He could dig into Hobbs Spring, into the property, and into whoever was behind this.
For now, she let Danny have his joy,
Even if her own smile was only skin-deep.
That afternoon...
Danny could hardly sit still.
He tucked the folded deed carefully into his jacket pocket and left to meet his friends, eager to share the good news.
His steps carried a lightness Toni hadn't seen in him for months.
The moment the door shut behind him,
Toni's smile faded.
"____"
She pulled out her phone, hesitating only a second before scrolling to her brother's number.
Rod picked up on the third ring.
In the background,
She could hear faint laughter and music—
He was out with his girlfriend.
"Toni? Everything okay?"
She lowered her voice, glancing at the door as if Danny might walk back in.
"I need you to check something for me. Danny… he just got handed this deed. Says it's from his birth parents. Some resort out in Hobbs Spring, West Virginia. It doesn't feel right, Rod."
There was a pause on the line,
"____"
Then Rod's calm voice came back.
"Alright, don't panic. Send me pictures of the document. I'll see if it's real or just some scam."
Toni exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"Thank you. I'll send them now."
She spread the papers across the coffee table,
snap! snap!..
Her hands a little shaky as she snapped photo after photo.
Her phone buzzed with each image sent—
Front page, signatures, legal stamps, every corner of the document.
When the last one went through, she sat back, staring at the bond papers as though they might shift under her gaze.
On the other end,
Rod's voice came again, steady but laced with concern.
"Got 'em. I'll dig into this tonight. Don't say anything to Danny yet. We need to be sure."
"I know,"
Toni whispered, biting her lip.
Her eyes drifted toward the window,
Where the afternoon sun spilled across the window.
"Just… be quick. Something about this doesn't feel right."
She ended the call and sank back into the couch, unease twisting in her gut.
Danny's smile from earlier flashed in her mind,
But all she could think about now was the name written in bold ink across the deed:
Hobbs Spring Resort.
Meanwhile,
Danny was practically glowing as he pushed open the creaky door of the pub.
The warm chatter, clinking glasses, and faint hum of classic rock on the jukebox washed over him like a welcome embrace.
Bryan, his old friend and the manager, was behind the bar polishing a glass while Jillian moved gracefully between tables, balancing drinks with ease.
"Danny-boy!"
Bryan grinned the moment he saw him step in.
"Back to your usual haunt, huh?"
Danny grinned wide, sliding onto his favorite stool—
Grin~
The one at the corner of the bar where he could see both the door and the pool table.
"Wouldn't miss it, brother. Give me the usual."
Bryan poured his drink without another word, setting it in front of him with a practiced motion.
Danny took a long sip,
Hiss~
"____"
Letting the burn settle in before exhaling with satisfaction.
Bryan leaned against the counter, arms folded.
His keen eyes studied Danny's expression.
"You look like a man who just hit the jackpot. What's got you grinning like you robbed a bank?"
Danny chuckled, drumming his fingers against the counter.
Chuckle~
"Better than that. You won't believe it—I just found out I own some property. A resort, out in West Virginia."
Bryan blinked, raising his brows.
"____"
"A resort? Since when are you a hotel tycoon?"
Jillian, overhearing as she passed by with a tray, stopped mid-step and turned toward him.
"Wait—what did you just say?"
Danny sat up straighter, excitement bubbling in his voice.
"I'm serious. Some folks tracked me down, said my birth parents left me a place in Hobbs Spring. They even handed me the deed. It's mine."
Bryan let out a low whistle, exchanging a look with Jillian.
Whistle~
"____"
"____"
She set her tray down and leaned on the counter beside them.
"That… sounds incredible, Danny. But… are you sure it's real?"
Danny waved a hand dismissively, though a flicker of doubt passed across his face for a split second.
"It's all in the papers. Stamps, signatures, the whole resort. I mean, I can't believe it myself, but… feels like fate, you know?"
Bryan studied him a little longer, then clapped him on the shoulder with a grin.
Grin~
"Well, whether it's fate or not, we're celebrating tonight. Drinks on the house."
The pub filled with Danny's laughter as Jillian shook her head,
Though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
As Danny soaked in the moment,
Bryan sliding him another drink and Jillian leaning in close to listen, the door of the pub banged open.
Vic stomped in, looking exasperated, running a hand through his messy hair.
"For the love of God, Danny—can't you shut your hands up? You called me ten times in the last hour!"
Danny, already halfway through his second glass, turned with a wide grin that stretched ear to ear.
He spread his arms as if he'd been waiting for this exact moment.
"Vic, buddy! You're just in time. You won't believe this— I own a resort now. Out in West Virginia. My very own damn resort!"
The words hung in the air.
"____"
Vic froze, his brows knitting together in disbelief.
Then, slowly, he turned toward Bryan with a deadpan look.
"Tell me he's not high."
Bryan snorted, struggling to keep a straight face.
Snort~
"If he is, then I'm serving the wrong stuff behind this bar."
Jillian rolled her eyes but smirked, watching the banter unfold.
Smirk~
Danny just laughed harder, thumping his glass on the counter.
"No joke, fellas. It's real. Got the papers and everything. Danny D… resort owner. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
Vic shook his head, muttering under his breath, but his eyes flicked between Danny and Bryan, searching for any sign this was a prank.
"A resort… you? This better not be one of your drunk stories, man."
Danny leaned in, his grin unshakable.
Grin~
"Swear on every pint in this place—it's mine."
Bryan chuckled and raised his hands in mock surrender.
Chuckled~
"I tried doubting him too, Vic. But he's convinced. Either he struck gold or he's about to get himself into something bigger than he thinks."
Vic dropped heavily into the stool next to Danny, groaning.
Sigh~
"Great. Just what we needed. Danny with real estate."
The whole bar laughed,
But behind Bryan and Jillian's smiles lingered the same unease they'd shared before Vic arrived.
As the laughter at the bar died down,
Danny was busy explaining how he'd "already started planning the grand opening party" with wild gestures that nearly knocked over his glass.
Jillian humored him with nods, though her eyes darted once to Bryan, uncertain.
Nod~
Vic leaned back on his stool, watching his friend with a mixture of pity and concern.
Then, waiting for Danny to get lost in one of his rambling daydreams about hot tubs and ski lodges, Vic tugged Bryan by the arm and pulled him a step away from the counter.
Keeping his voice low, he muttered.
"Tell me you don't actually believe this crap."
Bryan crossed his arms, trying to play it cool.
"I didn't at first. But he showed me some paperwork earlier. Looked legit enough."
Vic frowned.
Frown~
"Legit enough? Bryan, this is Danny we're talking about. Guy once paid fifty bucks for a 'genuine Rolex' that turned green after two days. If someone's waving property deeds in front of him, I'm betting it's a scam."
Bryan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
Sigh~
"I know, man. Jillian and I were thinking the same thing. But he's so damn excited about it—I couldn't just shoot him down without being sure."
Vic's eyes narrowed,
His gaze flicking back toward Danny,
Who was now miming how he'd stand at the front desk of his resort.
"Yeah, well, excitement's not gonna mean much if he's in debt up to his eyeballs or worse. We need to find out who's selling him this dream."
Bryan gave a small nod.
Nod~
"Already on it. Toni's checking into the documents. If they're fake, she'll sniff it out."
Vic let out a humorless chuckle.
Chuckle~
"Good. Because if Danny's being played, I'm not about to sit here watching him toast to his own downfall."
Bryan glanced at his friend again,
The weight of Vic's words pressing down on him.
Danny looked so damn happy.
But happiness and gullibility often walked hand in hand.
Meanwhile...
Mystic Falls...
Outside the Salvatore Boarding School,
The night was quiet—
Too quiet.
The forest surrounding the campus swayed in the cold breeze, shadows stretching unnaturally under the pale wash of moonlight.
At the edge of the woods,
Aponi stood motionless, her dark cloak brushing against the damp grass.
Her eyes gleamed faintly,
Reflecting both patience and hunger.
She tilted her head, sensing the faint hum of magic from within the school grounds.
A ritual was underway.
Rafale had started the blood rite just as planned.
The spell was cruel and deliberate:
It would siphon the life force of the chosen boy, twisting his vitality into raw energy that would anchor itself into the very soil.
Soon, the Salvatore School would no longer be a sanctuary.
It would be transformed into a hotspot of dark power—
A battlefield where bloodshed and conquest would come easily.
Aponi's lips curved into the faintest of smiles.
"____"
She could already feel the surge, like a storm on the horizon.
Her hand drifted to the dagger strapped to her thigh—
A vessel she had long sought.
The Malivore Dagger.
Once she possessed it,
The final pieces would fall into place.
And then there was him.
Landon Kirby.
Her amber eyes narrowed, a flicker of curiosity in her otherwise icy expression.
Malivore wanted the boy.
Why, she didn't fully understand.
But she had learned long ago that Malivore's desires were never without reason.
If the creature saw value in Landon, then Aponi would make sure he didn't slip away.
She exhaled slowly, scanning the treeline as if expecting someone—
Or something—
To arrive.
A crow cawed in the distance, then silence.
Only the low, steady thrum of Rafale's ritual filled the air.
"Soon,"
she whispered to herself, her voice like silk wrapped around steel.
"The battlefield will be ours."
The wind shifted, carrying the faintest echo of chanting.
The ground beneath her feet trembled ever so slightly.
The ritual was beginning to take hold.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
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