THE MORNING THAT BEGAN WITH CHAOS
Everyone was having breakfast when Nathan prepared to leave for his wedding in New York with Teresa.
Mila was on a video call with him.
"Hi, Mil!" Teresa greeted her cheerfully.
"Hiii, TT!" Mila replied, waving at her before walking out of the room.
Everyone continued eating.
Satyam was still asleep.
Kenan was eating when his phone suddenly rang.
"Hello?" he answered, his mouth still full.
The moment he heard the voice on the other end, he spat his food out in shock.
"MAMA!?" he exclaimed, coughing.
Everyone looked at him.
"I… I am—WAIT!!!" he shouted, grabbing his keys.
The entire table burst into laughter as Kenan hurried away.
"Mama, hold on! Stop counting!!!!" he yelled while running out of the room.
Yulian stared after him in disbelief.
"What the fuck was that?" he asked.
Nikolai calmly continued eating before answering.
"Well, Kenan's mother is a strict woman, and she's Turkish. That means she's extremely strict and disciplined when it comes to her children. Otherwise, they get beaten and punished, even when they're all grown up."
"Oh," Yulian replied.
Nikolai was feeding Anhad, who was now one year old, along with her twin sister.
He continued feeding them as if nothing unusual had happened.
FOUR DAYS LATER — THE RETURN TO SCHOOL
Four days later, Lilith's school fully resumed.
She sat with her group project members, staring at the work in front of them.
"Gosh!" Vasilisa exclaimed as she lay on the floor.
Zeno groaned in frustration.
Bianca lowered her head.
Anja was in her office while Lilith sighed.
"So, Lily, your place tomorrow?" Brown asked.
"Yeah," Lilith answered.
As Anja passed them, Diana gave her a dirty look.
"Bitch," Diana whispered.
Anja smirked.
She continued walking, leaving the students behind.
THE LITTLE PRINCESSES AT NIKOLAI'S OFFICE
Meanwhile, inside Nikolai's office, the girls were watching the view through the window.
Nikolai was reviewing some papers.
Nyxara carefully tapped the glass with her little hands.
"Sweetie, back away from the glass," Nikolai said while continuing to read.
Nyxara removed her tiny hands and cooed.
Tasnim yawned.
"Baby, yum?" Nikolai asked her.
She crawled toward him and nodded.
He immediately put the papers down and picked up her bottle.
"Here you go, angel," he said, handing it to her.
Tasnim made a little thank-you sign with her hands before drinking her milk.
Her sisters were resting in the miniature crib nearby.
Nikolai looked at them affectionately, making sure they were comfortable while he continued working.
NOLAN'S FIRST TEETHING EMERGENCY
Inside Nolan's office, Berlina was asleep.
She had cried throughout the entire night, and Nolan had tried everything he could think of to get her to sleep. Even his gang had been involved in trying to calm her down.
Now, exhausted and desperate to understand what was happening, Nolan was searching for information about why babies cried at night.
He read through different possibilities.
Illness.
Teething.
Separation anxiety.
Other causes of discomfort.
He stared at the information before standing up and carefully checking Berlina's mouth.
He noticed a tiny white tooth emerging from her gums.
Just one.
Berlina whined in her sleep.
"Yo, David," someone called as he entered.
"How is she?" David asked.
"She's growing her baby teeth. According to what I searched, teething can be very painful for babies when their teeth are coming out," Nolan explained.
Berlina whined again, her little face scrunching up.
Olivia entered the office holding something in her hand.
"Hey, here. This is for Lina. You know her teeth are coming out. Roisa made her papa stressed all night with her crying, so I ordered this. You roll it along her jaw to ease the pain. Teething is painful for them," Olivia explained.
Berlina suddenly began crying.
Nolan quickly took the item and gently rolled it along her little jaw, trying to soothe her.
"Shhhhh," he whispered.
Her sobbing gradually calmed.
She gripped his finger tightly.
"Boss, here," Horace said as he brought her pacifier over.
He placed it in her mouth.
Berlina sucked on it gently.
Nolan patted her softly, watching until she became comfortable again.
THE MIDNIGHT NOODLES
At 1:34 a.m., Nikolai, Lilith, and all the girls were asleep on the bed.
Mila was holding Lily's hand while sleeping peacefully.
Meanwhile, at Gloria's mansion, Gloria yawned as she came downstairs looking for something to eat.
She was hungry.
When she entered the kitchen, she found Valen smoking while preparing noodles.
"No smoking in my house, sir," she said.
He chuckled and blew out the last breath of smoke.
"Sorry, Kiwi," he replied.
"Why are you up?" Valen asked.
"Hungry," she whispered.
"Lucky for you, I was just about to eat everything," he said, reaching for another bowl.
"You don't have any food left, so just eat this."
He handed her a bowl of spicy noodles.
The large bowl was filled with spicy red-colored noodles that looked perfectly cooked and were covered in a delicious sauce. Sitting on top of the noodles were several plump steamed momos, their soft folded wrappers suggesting a tasty vegetable or meat filling.
Beside the momos were two beautiful sunny-side-up fried eggs with bright, runny yolks and slightly crispy golden edges.
Gloria took the bowl and began eating slowly.
To her surprise, it was delicious.
Very delicious.
"Oh wow," she whispered.
Valen glanced at his phone and opened it, reading something while she ate.
Jerome came downstairs.
"What are you guys doing?" he asked.
"She's eating. I'm busy with work," Valen answered.
"Oh, well then, carry on," Jerome said before leaving them alone.
Valen looked at Gloria.
He had noticed the way Jerome stared at her.
"He likes you," Valen remarked.
Gloria scoffed.
"Goodnight, sir. You have meetings from ten until four," she informed him.
"Nah-ah," he replied.
"What?" Gloria asked.
"I'm not going. I'm tired of working for now. I'm resting. I'm on a break," he announced.
She blinked at him.
"Enjoy," he whispered into her ear, making her blush.
He was about to leave when Gloria spoke again.
"I haven't forgiven you for the pain you caused, for those words, and for all those years," she said.
Valen stopped.
He turned toward her.
"I know, Kiwi. I know you hate me. I know you didn't want to come closer to me again. You're more than angry with me, and I accept whatever punishment you're going to give me."
He paused, his expression becoming darker.
"But remember this: I will kill whoever comes between us again, just like the first girl."
Gloria stared at him.
"But she had an accident?" she asked.
Valen smirked.
"What do you think?"
She fell silent.
"Goodnight, angel," he said again before leaving.
Gloria sniffled while continuing to eat.
However, two people had been listening to their conversation.
Rodion and Cornelia.
Cornelia quickly covered Rodion's mouth.
"They have history together," she whispered.
He nodded.
"We'll find out," he whispered back.
"Let's go," she said, crawling away quietly.
WAKEY, WAKEY, BIG MAMA
Zorina was sleeping peacefully.
Her long hair was scattered across the bed, and she was hugging her plushie.
Aram came out of the bathroom, cleaning his hair.
He walked toward her and leaned close to her ear.
"Wakey, wakey, Big Mama," he whispered.
Zorina was deeply asleep.
He tapped her face gently before changing into clean clothes and heading downstairs.
Ten minutes later, he returned with a tray of food.
Zorina was still asleep.
He placed the tray on the table.
"Wake up," he said.
She whined in her sleep.
"Five more minutes, Daddy," she murmured.
Aram chuckled.
"Alright. Your breakfast is on the table," he told her.
"Hmhmhm," she murmured sleepily.
He left the room.
GOOD MORNING, BERRIES!
"Good morning, Berries!" Lily exclaimed.
She gave each of the girls kisses.
They giggled and clapped their hands, delighted by their mother's affection.
Lilith smiled at Nyxara.
"Nyxara, wake Dada up," she instructed.
"Hmmm!" Nyxara replied.
She crawled toward Nikolai, who was sleeping peacefully.
"Dada! Dada! Dada! Dada! Dada! Dada!!!!!!!" she shouted.
Then she sat directly on his face.
Lilith giggled.
Nikolai groaned.
His little daughter's bum was resting on his face.
"Dada!" Nyxara repeated.
He began laughing.
"Good morning to you too, princess," he said.
She giggled at him.
Nikolai stared at her suspiciously.
Suddenly, he noticed something.
"Did you just poop on me!?" he exclaimed.
Nyxara giggled even harder.
Lilith burst into extremely loud laughter.
Nikolai frowned as he carefully picked Nyxara up and carried her into the bathroom to clean himself up.
THE SUPREME MATRIARCH'S DECREE
Lilith sat with the Nocturne Matriarch and joined a call with the mafia leaders of her territories.
She sat confidently while the leaders waited for her announcement.
"I am changing the name of the territories," Lilith declared.
One of the men immediately responded.
"But the name has been here for ten years now, Ma!"
Lilith's expression remained calm.
"I AM CHANGING THE NAME TO THE NOCTURNE TERRITORIES. I have also introduced new laws. I hate disobedience and disrespect," Lily announced.
Nearby, Nora sharpened the blades while Xander hacked into the dark web.
Lilith leaned back in her chair.
"Are we clear?" she asked.
One of the men laughed.
"You are just a woman. You can't rule us. We are men, and you simply cannot change the name!" he declared.
The others laughed with him.
Lilith giggled.
But her giggle slowly transformed into a darker laugh.
The men fell silent.
"You stupid old man," Lilith said coldly. "I give you two minutes to run for your life. If you don't, and I get to you, I will use you as an example of what happens when someone insults me and what this tiny woman can do."
She tilted her head.
"Your time starts now. Come on, run!"
The men suddenly became frightened and quiet.
Lilith began counting.
"Tick-tock. Tick-tock."
Then they heard gunshots.
"What the HELL!?" another man shouted.
Lilith giggled.
The men began mumbling among themselves.
"OI! SHUT UP!" she ordered.
They immediately fell silent.
"Good. Now, the Varyagin territories shall henceforth be called the Nocturne Territories. Are we clear?"
They answered her.
"Good," she said.
She ended the call.
GOLD, SILVER, AND THE NOCTURNE MATRIARCH
Lilith was counting money when Eris approached her.
"Boss," Eris said, showing her the guns.
"Hmm?" Lilith answered without looking up.
Zorina leaned against the wall.
"Z?" Lilith called.
"Yes, Boss?" Zorina replied.
"The shipments?" Lilith asked.
"Marina is on her way with the new ones," Zorina answered.
Aram stared at her.
Thalia blew out cigarette smoke.
"Did you get them?" Xander asked.
"Yeah, here, Boss," she replied.
The box was opened.
Inside were gold bars and silver coins.
Maddison grinned excitedly.
"Calm down, Maddie," Lily said.
"Aww," Maddison replied with a pout.
"Ready, Boss?" the Nocturne Matriarch asked.
"Yes, I am," Lilith answered.
Everyone stood up and bowed their heads.
"Our Boss! Our Supreme Matriarch!" they declared.
Lilith remained seated in her chair.
She smirked.
NORA'S PROPOSAL
Nora was cleaning her gun when Kishore entered.
"Hey, baby," she greeted him.
He immediately pulled her into a hug.
"What is wrong, love?" she asked.
Kishore sighed.
"It's my graduation party dance, and there's this girl I rejected. Now she's all over me like crazy. She told the whole school not to go with me to the dance. Honestly, I don't even want to go," he confessed.
Nora listened quietly.
She gently placed his head against her chest and comforted him.
Kishore looked up at her.
"Will you go to the dance with me?" he asked.
"Of course, my baby," Nora replied.
She paused.
"Under one condition."
"Anything," he promised.
Nora took a black box and opened it.
Inside was a silver-white ring with his name engraved on the side.
She looked into his eyes.
"Will you marry me?" Nora asked.
Kishore stared at the ring in disbelief.
"You're… proposing to me?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Wait! We men are supposed to do that, but why are you doing it to me?" he asked sadly.
Nora smiled gently.
"Because you're my baby, and you deserve the best of the best. I love you so much, darling. Let me spoil you forever, hmm?"
Kishore blushed.
Nora slipped the ring onto his right hand and kissed it.
"Yes, I will marry you," he answered.
He kissed her deeply before pulling her into a warm embrace.
For a moment, the worries about the graduation dance disappeared.
All that mattered was the promise they had made to each other.
THE YEARS HE COULD NEVER GET BACK
By midnight, almost everyone was asleep.
Nikolai and all the girls were sleeping peacefully.
Lilith, however, was still awake, studying late into the night and working on the family's festival schedules.
Meanwhile, Xeno was awake too.
Ayla was sleeping beside him.
She turned in her sleep before opening her eyes.
When she realised that the bed was empty beside her, she sat up.
Xeno was standing by the window.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" she asked as she approached him.
He continued looking outside.
"Thinking," he replied.
"About what?" Ayla asked.
"Riley," Xeno answered.
"What about her?" she asked.
"The years we spent apart. How I missed everything. Her first steps, her first word, her ear piercing, her first day at school, parents' meetings at school… every single thing," Xeno confessed.
Ayla stood up and yawned.
"Not really. You were always there," she told him.
He turned toward her.
"Her first word was Dada," Ayla explained.
Xeno stared at her.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yes. She found our collage pictures, pointed at you, and said Dada countless times. If I took the picture away, she started crying."
He listened silently.
"Her first steps happened when she was crawling and saw your picture. She happily placed both her hands on the floor and started walking."
Ayla paused.
"No matter how much I tried to make her hate you, she still loved you, even though you were never there for her."
Xeno lowered his head.
Ayla approached him and took his hand.
"Don't blame yourself. You are surrounded by snakes, so nothing is real. Everything is a lie. So now, come back to bed and sleep," she told him.
She gently pulled him toward the bed.
He followed her.
Once they lay down, he wrapped his arms around her.
Slowly, he fell asleep.
Ayla remained beside him, holding him close.
HAPPY WEEKEND!
"Happy weekend!" Mila announced.
The guards were chasing her through the hidden mansion.
She giggled loudly as she ran away from them.
ARINA'S CRAVINGS
Inside another part of the mansion, Arina was five months pregnant.
It was her fourth month of the pregnancy journey in the family's ongoing timeline.
Ella gently tucked her mama's bump.
Ethan was looking for baby names while rubbing Arina's belly.
"All done," Ella announced.
"Thank you, sweetheart," Arina replied.
Ella picked up her iPad and began learning about babies.
Arina turned toward Ethan.
"I want pickle juice and black chocolate, please," she requested.
Ethan chuckled at her.
"Of course, princess," he replied, leaning forward to kiss her.
THE GROUP PROJECT AT LILITH'S MANSION
Meanwhile, Lilith was with Nistarini, who was teaching her about the clans, territories, villages, and their histories.
Amelia entered the room.
"Boss, the group is at the gate," she announced.
Lilith waved her hand, signalling for Amelia to lead them inside.
Amelia nodded and walked away.
THE FIRST VISIT TO THE MANSION
"Whoa!" Vasilisa exclaimed as they arrived.
"Damn!" Brown remarked.
"This way, please. Drop your bags here for a search," the guard instructed.
Diana stared at everything around her while the guards searched their belongings.
The main door opened.
"Goodness!" Raul exclaimed.
They looked around in amazement.
Amelia came forward.
"This way. Lilith's mansion is up ahead," she explained.
They followed her.
"Wait! Aren't those the twins?" Brown asked, looking toward the neighbouring properties.
"Yes, they live here. That's Gloria's mansion, Kesian's mansion, and the twins' mansion. Each is inside the private estate," Amelia explained.
They continued walking until they reached the giant door.
It opened.
They entered the mansion.
Diana scanned the entire place.
"Damn," Zeno murmured.
Then they saw a family photograph of Lilith with her eight brothers.
Nearby was another photograph of Lilith in her wedding gown, with Nikolai holding her in his arms and facing her lovingly.
Everyone stopped.
"Nobody knew this was a wedding?" Brown asked.
"It's a pre-wedding photo," Amelia explained.
"That was a lie they believed, so she's getting married?" Monica asked.
"Yes," Amelia replied.
They stared at the photograph.
Lilith was in her husband's arms, looking at him with affection while he held her close.
The image captured a private moment of love that the world outside had never truly understood.
The students exchanged surprised looks.
They had known Lilith as their classmate, their group project partner, and the young woman who sat among them at school.
They had never imagined that the same girl had a husband, seven daughters, an enormous family estate, and a life filled with secrets powerful enough to change the fate of entire territories.
As they continued staring at the photograph, questions began forming in their minds.
Who was Nikolai Devereaux?
Why had Lilith hidden her marriage?
And what else had their classmate kept from them?
None of them knew that the woman they had come to study with was also the Supreme Matriarch of the Nocturne Matriarch Group, the Queen of KAALANDHAKSHINI, and the leader whose word could command entire territories.
Their visit had only just begun.
And the secrets inside Lilith's mansion were far more extraordinary than any of them could have imagined.