Arius PV
"We're losing."
Cassius's words hit me like a slap in the face. He was right, and I hated it.
We stood in the destroyed ballroom, covered in dust and blood, watching the cops arrest the wrong people. The real crooks had won even while being dragged away in handcuffs.
"No," I said, my voice harder than steel. "We're not losing. We're just getting started."
Selene looked at me with those amazing green eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I mean they made one big mistake. They think destroying our families will make us weak." I looked at her, then at Cassius, then at all the chaos around us. "But they just gave us the strongest reason in the world to fight back."
My phone buzzed with a text from my father: "Come home instantly. Don't talk to anyone."
But I didn't move. Something important was happening here, and running away wouldn't fix anything.
"The news is already calling us terrorists," Selene said quietly. "How do we fight that?"
"With the truth," I said. "We find out who really planned this. We prove our families are clean. And we make sure everyone knows it."
Cassius smiled bitterly. "You make it sound easy. But who's going to believe us? Two families that hate each other suddenly working together? Nobody will buy it."
"Then we make them buy it."
Before anyone could ask what I meant, Lady Valeria appeared beside us. Her face was pale but determined.
"Selene, we're going. "Now."
"Mother, wait—"
"No waiting. The cops want to question all of us. Our lawyer says not to say anything until he comes."
"But we can't just run away," Selene argued. "People need to know the truth about what happened here."
"The truth?" Lady Valeria's voice was bitter. "The truth is that someone just tried to kill both our families, and now the whole world thinks we did it to each other. The truth is that everything we've worked for is falling apart."
I stepped forward. "Lady Valeria, with respect, running away will only make us look more guilty."
She turned those sharp amber eyes on me. "And why should I listen to you, Arius Blackwood? This whole mess started because you couldn't stay away from my daughter."
Her words hurt because part of me wondered if she was right. If I hadn't asked Selene to dance, would the masked men still have had their perfect moment to spring their trap?
"Mother, that's not fair," Selene said. "Arius saved my life tonight. And so did Cassius."
"Cassius did what any family member should do. But Arius..." Lady Valeria studied my face. "What I want to know is why a Blackwood would risk his life for a Moonstone."
The question hung in the air like a dare. Everyone was looking at me - Selene, Cassius, Lady Valeria, even some of the police officers nearby.
Why had I sheltered Selene? Why had I thrown myself into danger for someone who was meant to be my enemy?
The honest answer scared me.
"Because she's not my enemy," I said finally. "She never was."
Selene's eyes widened. Cassius made a choking sound. Lady Valeria looked like I'd slapped her.
"How dare you—" she started.
"She called to warn me," I continued, knowing I was probably making everything worse but unable to stop. " A Moonstone tried to save a Blackwood's life. How can someone who does that be my enemy?"
"You called him?" Lady Valeria spun to face Selene. "You called Arius Blackwood?"
Selene's face went red, but she lifted her chin firmly. "Yes. I overheard something at home. Someone talking about making trouble at the gala. I thought he should know."
"What did you overhear?" Cassius asked sharply.
"I... I'm not sure. It was late at night. I heard voices in Father's study, but I couldn't make out the words clearly. Something about 'making sure both families pay' and 'tonight is great.'"
My blood went cold. "Someone in your house was part of this?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Or maybe someone was listening in on our phone calls."
Lady Valeria grabbed Selene's arm. "We are going. Right now. Before you say anything else that wrecks what's left of our family."
But before they could take a step, my father appeared with his own team of protectors.
"Arius," he said in his command voice. "Step away from them."
"Father—" "Step away. Now." The stress in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Both families were facing each other like armies about to fight. Other people in the hall stopped what they were doing to watch.
This was it. The moment that would decide everything.
I could obey my father, walk away from Selene, and let our families continue their war while the real criminals laughed at us from jail.
Or I could do something that would change everything forever.
I took Selene's hand.
"No," I said to my father. "I won't step away."
His face went white with shock and rage. "You're choosing them over your own family?"
"I'm choosing to do what's right."
"What's right?" Father's voice got louder. "What's right is protecting our family name! What's right is not getting involved with people who tried to destroy us!"
"The Moonstones didn't try to destroy us tonight, Father. Someone else did. Someone who wanted us to keep hating each other so much that we'd never figure out the truth."
"The truth," he said calmly, "is that you're a fool."
Those words hit me like a physical blow. My own father was calling me a fool in front of everyone.
But then Selene squeezed my hand, and I felt stronger.
"Maybe I am a fool," I said. "But I'd rather be a fool who fights for what's right than a smart man who lets innocent people get hurt."
That's when my phone rang.
I almost didn't answer it, but something made me look at the screen.
Unknown number.
My heart started racing. Was it the same person who had called to warn me before?
"Answer it," Selene whispered.
I put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear.
"Hello?"
A distorted voice, artificially disguised: "Very touching, young Blackwood. But you're all missing the point."
Everyone in the ballroom went silent.
"Who is this?" my father asked.
"I'm the guy who's been watching both your families for years. Waiting for the perfect time to destroy you both."
"We caught your men," Lady Valeria said. "Your plan failed."
The voice laughed. "Did it? Check the news again. See how the world is responding to tonight's events."
I pulled up the news on my phone. The stories were even worse now:
"BLACKWOOD-MOONSTONE VIOLENCE ESCALATES" "POLICE INVESTIGATE FAMILY TERRORISM" "SHIPPING COMPANIES CALL FOR GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION"
"Your businesses are finished," the voice continued. "Your names are destroyed. Your families will never recover."
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Want? I already have everything I want. But I'll make you a deal."
My stomach dropped. "What kind of deal?"
"Meet me tomorrow night. Midnight. The old pier where both your families used to dock ships. Come alone - both of you. Young Blackwood and young Moonstone."
"No," both our dads said at the same time.
"If you don't come," the voice said calmly, "I'll share evidence that will put both your families in prison for crimes you never committed. Evidence that will convince any jury you're guilty."
"You're bluffing," Cassius said.
"Am I? Check your email in five minutes. You'll see a sample."
The line went dead.
We all stared at each other in stunned silence.
Then Selene's phone chimed with a new email.
She opened it, and her face went white.
"What is it?" I asked.
She showed me the screen. It was a photo of my father shaking hands with one of the masked guys.
But I knew it was impossible. My father had been fighting those guys, not working with them.
Which meant someone was very good at making fake proof.
And if they could fake one picture, they could fake a hundred.
"We have to meet them," Selene said quietly.
"Absolutely not," Lady Valeria snapped.
But I was already smiling. "She's right. It's the only way to end this."
"It's a trap," my father warned.
"Everything's been a trap," I said. "But this time, we'll be ready for it."
I looked at Selene, and she looked back at me. In her eyes, I saw the same determination I felt.
Tomorrow night, we were walking into trouble.
But we were walking into it together.