Strings of Fate

Betrayal

The library was silent, save for the soft rustle of turning pages and the occasional creak of worn leather bindings. Jason and I had been combing through the archives for what felt like hours, the musty scent of old books growing more familiar with each breath. My eyes skimmed over faded text, but nothing stuck. My mind was elsewhere—on Ivan, on the unanswered texts, and the frustrating silence from Jazmin.

Jason sat across from me, his posture relaxed but his brow furrowed in concentration as he scanned the contents of an ancient-looking tome. The table was littered with books, notes, and various printed articles on the founding families of the city—Frasseu, Vossa, and Eldric. They were the powerhouses that shaped everything, their influence running so deep it was almost impossible to separate them from the government or economy.

Jason tapped a pen against the table as he scrolled through pages of information on his laptop. "So, Frasseu and Vossa are pretty much best friends, huh? That's not surprising. They've been working together for generations—Vossa controls all the libraries and museums, while the Frasseus basically run everything else."

I nodded, flipping through an old article detailing the Frasseu family's rise to power. "It makes sense. Frasseu supplies the wealth, and Vossa shapes the culture. They're in each other's pockets."

"And then there's the Eldric family," Jason added with a smirk. "They're not even pretending to be anything other than criminals."

The Eldrics were notorious, the kind of family people spoke of in hushed tones, afraid of crossing them. Supposed mafia bosses, they controlled most of the city's underground dealings—illegal gambling, smuggling, you name it. Despite this, they had never been touched by the law, their power just as entrenched as the Frasseu and Vossa families, if not more so in certain circles.

I frowned as I scanned through a profile on one of the Eldric members. "Eldric hates both the Frasseu and Vossa families. Looks like there's been bad blood for centuries."

Jason leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing. "Makes sense. The Frasseu family has always been at the top, and the Vossas are their right hand. If the Eldrics ever wanted to take real control of the city, they'd need to get rid of the other two."

I nodded, my fingers tracing the lines of text in front of me. The connections between these families weren't just about money and power—they were ancient, woven into the very fabric of the city. I could feel it, the weight of history pressing down on us as we dug deeper.

"We'll need to be careful," I said, biting my lip. "If the Frasseu and Vossa families are that close, getting too cozy with one might alert the other. And if the Eldrics hate them both, we might be able to use that to our advantage."

Jason's eyes flickered with interest. "You're thinking we can stir up some tension between them?"

I shrugged, flipping to another page. "It's a possibility. If the Eldrics are as powerful as we think, they might be the key to figuring out what the Frasseu family is hiding. Or at least, they'll have the motivation to help us."

Jason nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Alright. Let's focus on Vossa for now. They're the intellectuals, the keepers of history. If anyone has records on the red string or the founding families' involvement with it, it's them."

I turned back to my laptop, pulling up a search on Tobias Vossa, the current head of the Vossa family. His name had come up several times in our research, but I hadn't paid much attention to him until now. When his profile picture loaded on the screen, I felt my breath catch.

Tobias Vossa was... striking. The kind of man who could command a room with just a glance. Tall, with sharp, angular features, red hair that fell effortlessly across his forehead, and piercing gray eyes that seemed to hold secrets of their own.