Third person's pov 

The house was a flurry of chaos, each brother desperate, combing through any possible lead, any shred of evidence that might point them to Miray’s location. Maps were spread across the table, their phones buzzing with messages as they tried to trace the last places Arthur had taken her. They had searched his house earlier, but it was deserted. Elijah’s jaw was clenched so tight it ached, his hands shaking as he scoured satellite images and search results. Every second wasted felt like a dagger twisting deeper into his chest.

“I’ve gone through everything,” Maxim growled, his voice barely controlled as he slammed his fist onto the table. “Every warehouse, every abandoned lot in the area—nothing. He’s hiding her somewhere we’re not seeing.”

Ethan, pacing furiously, had been texting every contact he had, trying to gather more information. His face was twisted with frustration and fear. “There’s gotta be something we missed. He couldn’t have just disappeared.”

Lorenzo, fresh from a conversation with their lawyer, was leaning against the wall, his breath uneven and his fists balled at his sides. The room felt too small, too suffocating. The frustration, the helplessness—it was all building inside them like a storm about to break.

Suddenly, Elijah’s phone rang, its sharp tone slicing through the frantic atmosphere. His heart stopped for a moment, then pounded violently in his chest as he looked at the screen. The number was unknown, but the dread clawing at his insides told him exactly who it was.

“Fuck,” Elijah muttered, glancing at his brothers as he picked up the phone. His voice trembled with both rage and fear as he answered. “It’s him.”

He put the phone on speaker, and the second Arthur’s voice came through, the room went cold.

“Well, well, Elijah,” Arthur’s voice oozed through the phone, dripping with malice. “Busy trying to find her, are you?”

Elijah’s heart slammed against his ribs, his breath coming out in sharp, furious bursts. “Where is she?!” he demanded, his voice trembling with barely restrained fury.

Arthur chuckled darkly, the sound sending a sickening chill through the room. “You boys are so predictable. Scrambling around like lost little puppies, thinking you can save her. It’s pathetic.”

“Where the fuck is she, you sick bastard?” Maxim snarled, stepping closer to the phone, his fists clenched at his sides, ready to snap at any moment.

Arthur ignored him, his tone light and mocking. “You want to know where she is? Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

For a moment, there was silence on the other end of the line, then they heard it—a soft whimper, broken and pained.

“Elijah…” Miray’s voice came through, trembling with fear. “P-please… please help…”

Her voice was weak, a desperate cry that cut through them like a blade. Elijah’s heart stopped, the sound of her broken plea making his blood boil.

“Miray!” he shouted, his voice cracking. “We’re going to get you out of there, I swear. Just hang on, we’re coming for you!”

But before she could say anything more, Arthur’s cold laugh filled the room once again. “Oh, don’t fill her head with false hope, Elijah. She’s not going anywhere. I own her, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“You fucking coward,” Ethan snarled, his face flushed with rage. “You lay another hand on her, and I’ll—”

“You’ll what, Ethan?” Arthur interrupted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’ll come and save her? You think you’re a hero, but all you’ve done is lead her right back to me.”

“Fuck you!” Maxim shouted, his voice trembling with fury. “You don’t fucking touch her again!”

Arthur’s voice dropped, a low, menacing whisper. “Touch her? Oh, I’ve done more than that. But you don’t need to take my word for it.”

A notification buzzed on Elijah’s phone, and his heart sank. He opened the message, and his blood ran cold when he saw the attachment—marked One-time view only.

His fingers shook as he tapped the message. The video loaded, and the image on the screen made his stomach twist with rage.

Miray was lying on the floor of some dark, abandoned building, her face swollen and bloodied, her body bruised and broken. Arthur stood over her, his boot pressed down on her chest as she whimpered in pain. Her clothes were torn, her arms shaking as she tried weakly to push him off, but she didn’t have the strength.

Arthur's voice was calm, mocking." Tell your brothers what I've told you, Miray. Tell them how much fun we're having."

They watched in horror as Arthur's boot connected woth her ribs, and she let out a scream—a sound that tore through them like shards of glass. She gasped, sobbing for air, her voice barely above a whisper."P-please....stop..."

Arthur laughed, the sound cold and cruel."Oh we're just getting started. Smile for them." 

He slammed her to the ground again, her body hitting the concrete with a sickening thud. She screamed, her voice raw with pain as his boot connected with her ribs, again and again. Blood stained the floor beneath her, and the sound of her broken cries was unbearable.

Then, the screen went black. The video was over.

The room was filled with a suffocating silence as the brothers stood frozen, their eyes glued to the now blank screen. For a moment, no one moved, no one spoke. The rage inside them was too overwhelming, too violent.

Then, Elijah exploded.

“FUCK!” he screamed, slamming the phone against the table so hard it cracked. “I’m going to fucking kill him!”

Maxim punched the wall, his fists pounding into the drywall with such force that his knuckles bled. “I swear to fucking God, if he touches her again—”

“I’ll tear him apart,” Lorenzo growled, his eyes burning with fury. “I’ll fucking end him.”

Ethan’s entire body shook with rage, his breath coming out in ragged bursts. "I'm going to kill him." his voice dangerously low.

Arthur’s voice suddenly returned through the phone, cool and mocking. “You boys always did think you were so strong, didn’t you? But you’re just like her—weak, useless, and easy to break.”

“Where the fuck are you?!” Elijah shouted, his voice trembling with fury. “You fucking coward!”

Arthur chuckled, the sound sending chills down their spines. “You’re not going to find me. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get more updates. After all, this is just the beginning. She’s got so much more to suffer.”

Elijah’s fists clenched so tight his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. “When we find you,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous, “you’re going to wish you were never fucking born.”

Arthur’s laugh was cold, cruel. “Come and get her, if you think you’re man enough. But by the time you do… well, let’s just say she won’t be the same sweet little girl you remember.”

The line went dead.

Elijah stood there, breathing heavily, his fists trembling with rage. The room was suffocating with the weight of their helplessness, the image of Miray’s bloodied face burned into their minds.

Maxim turned, his voice low and filled with fury. “We’re going to find that son of a bitch. I don’t care how long it takes, I don’t care where he’s hiding. We’re going to get her back, and once we do, I’ll rip that motherfucker apart.”

Lorenzo nodded, his eyes dark with determination. “That fucker doesn’t know what’s coming for him.”

Elijah’s jaw was tight, his heart pounding with violent anger. “We’re not going to stop until she’s safe,” he said, his voice cold and hard. “And when we find him, we’ll make sure he pays for every fucking thing he’s done to her.”

They shared a look of deadly resolve.

This wasn’t over.

---

The air in the dimly lit room was thick with tension. Elijah, Maxim, Ethan, and Lorenzo sat huddled around the table with their closest friends, trying to piece together a plan, frustration evident in their expressions. They had already tried going to the police, but it had been useless. No one was willing to help them; it seemed their father had paid off more people than they thought.

“I knew the cops wouldn’t do shit,” Maxim growled, leaning over the map on the table. His fists were clenched, and his eyes were filled with barely contained rage. “It’s been hours, and they haven’t even called us back. We’re on our own.”

Elijah paced back and forth, the tension radiating off him. “We can’t waste more time,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Arthur’s going to hurt her again. If we don’t find her soon, I don’t know what he’ll do to her.”

Lorenzo stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall as he studied the satellite images of the outskirts. “We need to think like him. Where would he take her? Somewhere isolated, somewhere no one would hear her scream.”

One of their friends, Nate, stepped forward, pointing to an area deep in the woods. “There’s an abandoned warehouse here. It’s off the grid—no power, no surveillance. I’d bet anything that’s where he’s got her.”

Ethan’s eyes lit up as he checked the location on his phone. “That’s it. It’s not far from where we last tracked him. We head there now.”

Elijah nodded, determination written across his face. “We’ll split up. We take our cars, go in quietly. If he hears us coming, he’ll run with her, and we can’t risk that. We surround the place and cover every exit.”

Their friends nodded, grabbing the flashlights and weapons they had hastily gathered. Time was ticking, and the tension among them was suffocating.

“Let’s go,” Elijah said, his voice filled with quiet fury. “We’re getting her back.”

The two cars pulled up to the edge of the dense forest, headlights off, and the brothers and their friends stepped out, their boots crunching softly against the dirt. The dark woods loomed around them, thick and silent. Elijah’s pulse raced in his ears as they approached the warehouse, its shadow barely visible between the trees.

The moonlight cut through the branches, casting eerie shadows on the ground. The place was run-down, windows cracked, the porch steps warped with age. They crouched low, moving as quietly as they could toward the house, their breaths shallow and their hearts pounding.

Lorenzo looked at the others, giving them a sharp nod. “We go in slow. No mistakes. We find Miray and get her out of there.”

They crept up to the front of the house, their eyes scanning the surroundings. Elijah motioned to Nate and two others to circle around the back, cutting off any possible escape route.

Just as Elijah raised his hand to knock, a sound caught his ear—something faint, something desperate. He froze, his breath catching in his throat.

“Wait,” he whispered, his eyes snapping up to the second-floor window.

There, illuminated by a sliver of moonlight, was Miray. Her face was pale, streaked with blood and tears, and she was banging desperately on the glass. Her bruised hands pounded against the window as her muffled screams echoed in the still night air.

“Elijah!” Miray cried, her voice cracking with terror. Her eyes were wide, frantic, as she banged harder against the window, her knuckles raw and bloody.

“Miray!” Elijah shouted, his voice breaking as he saw her.

“Up there!” Ethan hissed, pointing toward the window as they all looked up, hearts racing.

But before they could react, Arthur appeared behind her, yanking her roughly away from the window. Her scream echoed in the night as he dragged her back into the shadows.

“NO!” Maxim roared, slamming his fists into the door, trying to break it down. “He’s got her! We have to get in there!”

The brothers rushed the door, pounding on it as hard as they could, but it wouldn’t budge. Elijah’s heart raced in his chest as the minutes ticked by like hours.

“Fuck this!” Lorenzo shouted, grabbing a heavy rock from the ground and smashing it against the door. With a loud crack, the wood splintered, and the door gave way.

They burst into the warehouse, but the place was eerily silent, only the sound of their rapid breathing filling the air. They moved swiftly, their flashlights darting through the dark rooms, searching for any sign of Arthur or Miray.

“He’s gone!” Liam shouted from the back room. “The back door’s open—he ran with her!”

Elijah’s heart pounded as they bolted through the back door and into the dark woods. His eyes scanned the thick trees, searching for any sign of movement.

“There!” Ethan yelled, pointing ahead. Through the trees, they could see Arthur dragging Miray deeper into the forest, her legs stumbling as she tried to fight him off.

“Move! Move! Move!” Elijah shouted, the adrenaline surging through him as they sprinted through the trees, their feet pounding the ground as they closed the distance.

Arthur glanced back, his face twisted with rage as he saw them approaching. He yanked Miray harder, dragging her stumbling form over the rough terrain. “You’re not taking her from me!” he snarled.

Miray’s sobs echoed through the trees, her body weak and battered. “Please... stop...” she cried, her voice barely above a whisper.

They were gaining on him, the gap between them closing fast, but just as they thought they had him, Arthur whipped out a gun. He spun around, grabbing Miray and pressing the barrel to her temple.

“Back off!” he screamed, his voice wild. “I swear to God, I’ll fucking kill her right here!”

The brothers froze, their breath coming out in ragged gasps as they stared down the barrel of the gun. Elijah’s heart felt like it was about to explode in his chest.

“Don’t do this, Arthur,” Elijah said, his voice shaking. “You don’t have to do this. Just let her go.”

Arthur’s face twisted into a sick smile, his grip tightening on Miray as she whimpered, tears streaming down her bruised cheeks.

“You think you’re in control here?” Arthur spat. "She'll never be free from me."

Maxim’s fists trembled with fury, his voice barely controlled. “Let her go, you fucking coward.”

Arthur’s eyes gleamed with malicious glee. “Coward? You think I’m afraid of you?” He pressed the gun harder against Miray’s head, and she whimpered in fear.

The brothers stood frozen, the air thick with tension. Every second felt like an eternity.

Then, with a sudden move, Arthur threw Miray to the ground, her body crumpling as she hit the dirt. Maxim rushed forward but before he could reach her, Arthur fired a warning shot into the air, causing Miray to flinch.

"Stay the fuck back!" He shouted, backing away into the trees, the gun still aimed at Miray.

"Miray!" Lorenzo shouted, rushing forward towards her. He knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he pulled her into his arms. "It's okay, we've got you. You're safe now."

Ethan's jaw clenched,"We're gonna find him. I promise he won't hurt you again."

Maxim's eyes darkened at the sight of her wounds.

He ripped his shirt, using it to staunch the bleeding from one of her gaping injuries. A promised burned within him: he would make Arthur suffer far worse than he had made Miray suffer.

As the other brothers comforted Miray, their friends and Elijah raced after Arthur, but he vanished into thin air, slipping through their grasp. Elijah felt a fierce determination to hunt Arthur down, but for now, his sister needed him more than anything else. He would face Arthur later; right now, he had to be there for Miray.