Inheritance Redefined

Chapter Twenty-Four

Thalia closed the journal. "That's how this all began. I'd spent years searching for the mystery woman after reading Verena's journal, but she had left no trace. I had all but given up, until recently. When I got a call from Orion where he talked about a new girl at Viremont with our eyes."

She stepped to the mantel and picked up a photograph. A surveillance shot, blurry, but striking. A girl with platinum hair and eyes that didn't match.

"She attends Viremont. And she's living with the Calvieros."

Leonidas's jaw clenched. "The Calvieros?"

"Yes, she's the new stepdaughter of Alessandro Calviero." Thalia said. "Her name is Elara."

"I ordered a DNA test the moment I got close enough. I used a strand of her hair. The results came back positive two days ago."

Thalia met their eyes, voice thick with meaning.

"She's yours, Leonidas. Your daughter. Orion's twin."

---

The Calviero estate had never felt so full.

After a security sweep, a medical check, and Alessandro personally ordering every weapon on the property locked in safes for the night, the mansion settled into a tense but oddly peaceful stillness.

Except for Olivia, who was pacing in front of a massive marble fireplace, phone pressed to her ear.

"Yes, Mom, I'm fine," Olivia said, exasperated. "Yes, we were held hostage. Yes, I'm eating enough. Yes, there are boys here."

Pause.

"No, Mother, they didn't kiss me, they saved me. It was like a John Wick movie with cheekbones."

On the other end, the unmistakable voice of U.S. Senator Margaret Cameron screeched, audible even to those nearby.

"I told you not to associate with the mafia–"

"I told you it's a given that most of my friends would be in the criminal world when you sent me to Viremont, Mom!" Olivia shouted back.

Anastasia snorted from the plush couch, hugging a pillow. "Tell her I said hi. And that if she has any enemies she wants 'reassigned,' I'm available after movie night."

Elara was squished between Anastasia and Olivia, buried under a blanket fortress. The Calviero brothers had claimed the armchairs like thrones. The Vasiliev boys lounged on the rug like lions. Zane, Remi, Max and Adrian sat at various angles of disbelief. Someone–probably Elias–was hogging the popcorn bowl.

"So," Anastasia said with the weight of a queen announcing war, "we're watching Twilight."

"No, we're not," Dante replied immediately.

"Yes, we are," Olivia said sweetly, already turning on the TV.

Raffaele sat forward, squinting. "Is this the one with the sparkly vampires or the shirtless werewolves?"

"Both," said all three girls, completely serious.

There was a beat of silence.

"This is a trap," Nikolai muttered.

"No, this is a masterpiece," Anastasia corrected with a wide smile.

---

"Why is she always biting her lip?" Matteo asked, genuinely confused. "Does she need a chapstick?"

"It's acting," Anastasia whispered like it was sacred information.

Mikhail stared. "That's not acting. That's a vitamin deficiency."

Remi leaned toward Zane. "Is this a horror movie or…?"

"No," said Elara dreamily, "it's a love story."

Zane blinked. "Where's the love? She looks like she wants to punch him."

"That's the tension," Olivia said seriously.

Elias frowned. "Wait–he's sniffing her now?"

Max was actually leaning forward now. "Does he have allergies? Is this why he's so angry all the time?"

---

Edward sparkled.

"BRO." Nico stood up. "I can't. He's glittering. Why is he glittering?"

"Is he a Pokémon?" Zane asked wide-eyed.

"This man has been alive for a hundred years and goes to high school. That's the real horror." Luca scowled.

"So he could date teenage girls legally. Vampire loophole." Dante deadpanned.

"You people have no soul," Elara whispered, clinging to a pillow. "This is a beautiful love story."

"She said she'd die for him after two weeks," Raffaele said, pointing. "Two. Weeks."

"Even I wait longer before punching someone in the face for love." Matteo said in disbelief.

"Do you?" Salvatore asked.

"…Sometimes."

---

"Is he going to bite her?" Nikolai asked.

"No," Olivia said softly, smiling. "He's not going to bite her."

"Oh yeah," Adrian added with deep sarcasm. "It's all about the restraint."

"This explains everything about you three," Thiago muttered, looking genuinely disturbed.

"Don't you dare insult Edward Cullen," Elara warned, "in this house–"

The door creaked open.

Three terrifying men stepped into the room–Alessandro Calviero, Henrique Moreira and Sergei Vasiliev–exuding power like cologne and expecting danger.

They paused.

On the screen, Edward was playing the piano. Bella stared at him like he was the sun.

There was silence.

Alessandro blinked slowly. "The hell are you watching?"

Henrique frowned. "Is this a…vampire romance?"

Sergei stared at the screen, then at his sons. "Mikhail. Explain."

Mikhail raised both hands. "I didn't vote for this."

Then came Isabella, gliding in with a glass of wine and an absolutely wicked smile.

"Oh, this is nothing," she said lightly. "In the sequel, one of the werewolves imprints on a baby."

All the men stared at her in horror.

"What the–"

"It's a wolf thing," Olivia added helpfully.

"Like werewolf soulmates," Anastasia said, grinning.

"With an infant," Elias clarified, looking emotionally injured.

Alessandro turned to leave. "I'm canceling the power to this entire wing."

"This world has finally gone to hell." Sergei added, shellshocked.

---

"Can we watch New Moon now?" Elara asked hopefully.

A collective "NO!" came from all the boys.

Anastasia pressed play anyway.