Chapter 3 THE NETWORK OF DARKNESS

1. NADINE

Tonight felt colder than usual. Nadine sat on the edge of her bed, her hands trembling as she tried to lift the cup of warm tea she had just made. The unease settled in her chest, refusing to fade since the incident at campus earlier that day.

That message...

"Don't go home alone tonight."

She had already deleted it from her phone, hoping that doing so would erase her fear as well. But the words kept echoing in her mind, like a whisper clinging to her ears, reminding her that she was never truly alone.

Nadine reached for her phone and typed a message to Lucas.

Nadine: Are you sure Adrian is still in prison?

The message was sent, and within seconds, her phone vibrated. Lucas was calling.

She picked up immediately. "Lucas..."

"What happened? Did something else happen?" His voice was filled with concern.

Nadine bit her lip. "I feel like someone was following me today. And I got a strange message."

Silence.

"Look outside your window," Lucas finally said.

Nadine slowly stood up, her body stiff. Carefully, she pulled back her bedroom curtain and peeked outside.

The street was empty.

There was no one there.

But her instincts said otherwise.

"There's no one there," she whispered.

"Close your curtains and lock your door," Lucas said firmly. "I'm going to investigate something. I promise, I won't let him touch you again."

Nadine nodded, even though Lucas couldn't see her.

But deep down, she knew-Adrian had never truly left.

2. ADRIAN

From the screen in his dimly lit room, Adrian watched everything.

Nadine, standing by her bedroom window. Lucas, speaking to her over the phone.

A smirk played on Adrian's lips.

How sweet. Lucas thought he could protect Nadine, as if he could actually stop him.

But Lucas had already lost before this game even started.

Adrian had planned everything flawlessly.

He had paid the right people-those powerful enough to create the illusion that he was still locked behind bars. No one knew that he had been free for a long time, moving in the shadows, pulling the strings that controlled everything.

And now, Nadine was falling deeper into his game.

It wouldn't be long before she was completely his.

3. LUCAS

Lucas threw his phone onto the table and leaned back in his chair. He could feel the anger boiling inside him.

He knew something was wrong.

Ever since Adrian had been imprisoned, everything had seemed... too easy. A man like that wouldn't just give up.

Lucas opened his laptop and started searching for the latest news on Adrian.

Everything was the same-reports on his arrest, the court trial, and the fact that he was locked up in a maximum-security facility.

But something didn't add up.

Lucas scrolled through Adrian's company financial records and found something suspicious.

There had been massive transactions over the past few months-transactions that shouldn't have been possible for someone behind bars.

Lucas clenched his fists.

He didn't want to scare Nadine any further, but he had to find out whether Adrian was truly still behind bars-or if he was already free, watching from the shadows.

4. QUEEN DIOR

Queen Dior sat inside her car, staring at her phone screen.

She had just read a message from Lucas.

Lucas: I need to investigate something about Adrian. I need your help.

Queen bit her lip. Lucas always came to her when there was a problem. Always relied on her.

And every time it happened, her heart ached a little more.

She hated seeing Nadine in danger. Nadine was her best friend.

But she also couldn't ignore the jealousy creeping into her every time Lucas showed how much he cared about Nadine.

Queen had always known that her feelings for Lucas were wrong. But she couldn't control them.

And now, she was faced with a dilemma.

Should she help Lucas, even if it meant watching him fight for Nadine again?

Or should she finally fight for her own feelings?

Queen took a deep breath.

In this game, she knew one thing for certain-someone was going to get hurt.

And she could only hope it wasn't her.