Back at Sora's house, his mother stood by the window with a tight, practiced smile as she spoke into her phone.
"Yes, my son has agreed to get engaged to the Joon family's son. So we have an agreement now… right?"
Her voice was sweet, gentle—perfectly motherly.
Then it changed instantly. Cold. Sharp.
"I've done everything you asked. Now give me the money. I want my one hundred thousand dollars so I can disappear."
The voice on the other end remained calm, almost bored. "You'll get the money soon. Just lay low."
"Lay low?" she snapped. "Are you joking? You told me to kill Sora's real parents because I looked like her. Then you told me to stage a kidnapping with the twin so it would look like he ran away. And now you want me to stay here and let that useless kid get engaged? What else do you want from me?"
"You'll get the money soon," the voice repeated.
The line went dead. She slowly lowered the phone, teeth grinding together.
"Damn it… how long do I have to keep pretending?"
For a moment, silence filled the room. Then she laughed softly.
"Well… at least I got everything I wanted. Just a little longer. Once the money comes, I'll leave for Italy and never come back."
She lit an expensive cigarette and inhaled deeply, smoke curling around her face.
"Still… pretending to be someone else is kind of fun," she murmured. "Maybe I should kill Liam first since he's the eldest… then Sora after that."
Her lips curved into a cold, twisted smile.
"Oh right… I should check on that kid."
She walked toward the basement wall and slid a key card from her pocket. A hidden panel beeped softly, and a metal door slowly slid open.
The air below was damp and suffocating. Each step down the stairs echoed. Rows of small cages lined the corridor. Inside them were children. Thin, Dirty, Starving.
Some weakly begged for food. Others simply stared forward with hollow, lifeless eyes. Tiny fingers clutched the bars, trembling.
She didn't even look at them. Their suffering meant nothing. She walked straight to the last cage. A faint, shaky voice came from inside. "Mom…"
She stopped.
Behind the bars sat Liam. Bruised, Pale. Barely conscious.
Dried blood stained his lips and nose, and fresh needle marks dotted his arms. The slow poison she had been injecting into him was already working.
"Mother… why are you doing this?" he whispered weakly. "Why…?"
She calmly lit another cigarette.
"I told you before," she said flatly. "I'm not your mother. Your real mother is dead. My name is Sofia Red."
Liam's eyes trembled. "Then… what about my father?"
She crouched and lifted his chin with one finger.
"I killed them both," she said casually. "You people had something I never had—a happy family. So I took it away."
Her smile widened.
"Now I have everything. This house. This life. Even you calling me 'mother.'"
She laughed softly, almost sweetly. "I'm your mother now."
Around them, the other children whimpered quietly.
"They're only six to ten years old…" Liam rasped. "Why keep them? Why do this to them?"
Her eyes turned icy. "Because I want them to suffer like I did."
Before he could react, she pulled out a syringe and stabbed it into his neck.
"Do you know what this is?" she whispered. "It damages the vocal cords. Soon you'll be mute… just like the others."
She shoved him back onto the floor and walked away without another glance.
At the top of the stairs, she dialed another number.
"Is everything ready? Good. I'm heading to the Joon family now. Once the engagement contract is signed, we'll decide the next step."
She ended the call and smirked.
"Well, Liam… if you hadn't discovered who I really am, none of this would've happened. And I'm only just getting started with you."
Later, at the Joon house, Sora stared at Ren with disbelief.
"What? You must be sick."
"Of course I'm sick," Ren replied quietly. "I need you, Sora."
"Move. I have something important to do."
Ren immediately stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "And what exactly is so important?"
Sora froze. His mind went completely blank.
"The important thing is… I… well…" Nothing came out.
He muttered under his breath, "Come on… think of something. God, help me out here…"
Ren crossed his arms, towering over him. "Answer me."
Before Sora could speak again, Ren suddenly staggered. His body swayed.
Then he dropped to his knees.
"Hey—what's wrong with you?" Sora rushed forward. "Are you okay? Does your head hurt? Should I call a doctor?"
Ren had always suffered from terrible headaches. Sometimes he even forgot things—who he was, where he was.
"Say something," Sora said anxiously. "You're scaring me."
Ren kept his head lowered. For a moment, he didn't move. Then suddenly—His hand shot out and wrapped around Sora's throat.
Sora gasped. Ren slowly lifted his head. His eyes were dark. Empty, Cold.
"I'm going to kill you," he said quietly.
To be continued.
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