"Oh my god, did you hear what happened in the beginners' class?" Angel whispered. She was one of the girls in the advanced class at the Master Ballet Studio, and her eyes flicked to the friends flanking her sides.
"Wait, what happened?" asked the girl with slightly orange hair, her wide brown eyes full of curiosity.
Angel shook her head, lowering her voice even more. "You know my little sister is in that class with the new mute girl, right? I heard she was almost kidnapped."
"Wait...what?"
Angel nodded, lips tight. "Yep. You heard me. I don't know all the details, maybe Stacy and Calista do but Amanda told me her bodyguards stopped the guy just in time. Said they even had to rip the door open."
Eunice's eyes grew wide like saucers. "Oh my god, that's crazy."
"Yeah, but don't go around telling anyone," Angel warned. "Miss Reneta told her students not to spread it. But you know Amanda—she can't keep anything to herself." She gave each of her friends a sharp look, and they all nodded just as their instructor called the class to order.
But while Angel warned her friends to keep quiet, she didn't realize it was herself she should've been warning—because not even an hour later, she was whispering the same story to someone else.
And soon, the news about the mute girl in the beginners' class being almost kidnapped had spread through the entire studio. It didn't stop there—it reached the ears of Melanie and Jaden.
Melanie pushed the studio doors open as she and her friends stepped outside.
"I mean, who would want to kidnap that mute thing? It makes no sense," Sophia said with a giggle, like it was some kind of joke. Melanie's lips curled into a smirk.
But Jaden, walking just behind them, wasn't laughing. His eyes scanned the area, hoping to catch sight of Genesis with her friends, hoping all of this was just a stupid rumor.
"What's so funny about that?" he asked coldly, his gaze hard as he fixed it on Sophia, Maya, and the other girls who had been giggling. The laughter died on their lips instantly.
Sophia laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. "No, we didn't mean it like that..."
Melanie stepped in quickly, sliding an arm around Jaden's waist. "Don't mind them," she murmured. "They think everything's funny."
She shook her head like she disapproved of them, but inside, she was laughing too. Her friends could see right through her. They knew exactly what she was doing—pretending, trying to play the supportive act for Jaden.
He didn't respond. But he didn't even brush her hand off. His gaze shifted to the left, landing on Stacy and Calista surrounded by a few girls. Genesis wasn't with them. Still, he couldn't just ignore it—not until he knew for sure. He needed to hear it from someone who had been there.
Without a word, Jaden pulled away from Melanie. She opened her mouth to say something, but he didn't give her the chance. He was already rushing toward the other girls, leaving her standing there, stunned, her mouth slightly open.
"What's he doing? Why is he going over there?" Maya asked with a frown.
Melanie didn't answer. She just stared after him, watching as he reached the group. The worry was written all over Stacy and Calista's faces.
But Melanie didn't see that. All she saw was Jaden slipping away from her—and somehow, toward Genesis.
A girl who wasn't even there.
A girl who, unknown to Melanie, was already married.
But logic didn't matter right now. Not when jealousy had already taken over.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes darkening with rage, and spun around without a word.
"Where are you going, Melanie?" Sophia called after her.
Melanie didn't turn around. Her stiff posture was answer enough.
Sophia sighed. "Well... here we go again." She muttered the words under her breath as she and the others—boys included—hurried after her.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the driveway, Jaden stood in front of Stacy and Calista, who both looked pale and shaken.
"Yes," Calista said softly. "It happened. It's not just some rumor. We don't know all the details. We were in class when Miss Reneta took her out to meet this guy who said he was her brother... and then suddenly, there was a commotion."
"We ran out," Stacy added, her voice trembling, "and found her in one of her bodyguard's arms—like a doll. She wasn't moving. Her eyes were open but... blank. The guy tried to take her away in a car, but the guards stopped him just in time."
Jaden's fists clenched at his sides. "Is she… okay?"
"We don't know," Calista whispered, her voice tight with worry. "She wasn't responding when they carried her out. She just looked so... lost."
Jaden's jaw locked. The image of Genesis—silent, unmoving, broken—cut deeper than he expected. She was always quiet, yes, but there was a light in her. Who would want to hurt someone like her?
"Who was that guy?" he asked, his voice sharp.
Stacy shook her head. "We thought he was her brother. That's what Miss Reneta said. But Daisy told us Genesis doesn't have a brother. She was right. That man lied."
"He almost got away with it," Calista added bitterly. "If the guards hadn't shown up when they did… and he still got away. He wasn't caught."
Jaden exhaled slowly, his hands curling into fists again. "I need to see her."
"We don't even know where she is," Stacy replied. "They took her home, I think, but no one's really sure."
Jaden paused, thinking hard. "Do you have her phone number? Or her address?"
"I have her number, but not her house," Calista said, blinking. "Wait… you want to go see her?"
He didn't answer right away. Then, with quiet resolve, he said, "Yes. Let's go."
Meanwhile…
Inside the sleek black car speeding toward the Blackwood estate, Damon held Genesis tightly against him, his arms locked around her as if to shield her from the world. Her heart was still beating—faint, but there. She hadn't moved since he picked her up.
Leonardo drove in tense silence, his grip on the wheel like iron. Every muscle in his body was coiled with fury.
"I'm calling the doctor. And Kieran," Damon muttered, pulling his phone from inside his jacket. "And the head of security. We're going to find that bastard… and he won't live to regret this."
Leonardo didn't speak, but the grim set of his jaw said more than words could.
As the estate gates slowly opened before them, Genesis stirred.
It was subtle—a faint shift in her weight, a twitch of her fingers—but Damon felt it immediately. He looked down, relief flashing in his eyes.
Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
Tears welled at the corners of her eyes, catching the light.
She blinked once.