The Thirteen Shadows / SEVENTEEN FF

Chapter 29: Waiting for Control to Unravel

The next day, Maya was feeling slightly better than the day before. Her body still ached from the tension, but mentally, she was trying to piece together the growing chaos surrounding her. She sat quietly in her room, replaying the events of the past few days, her mind racing with thoughts of Seungcheol's possessive behavior, Jeonghan's unexpected calmness, and the dangerous world she was entangled in.

Suddenly, her phone rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. The number was unfamiliar, but a strange sense of recognition hit her. With a hesitant breath, she answered.

"Ciao Bella," a man's smooth voice greeted her on the other end of the line. "I see you've decided to leave the storytelling to me, explaining things to your friend Aera."

Maya's heart skipped a beat at the voice she knew all too well. "Hi, Uncle Massimo," she replied softly, her voice betraying a mix of relief and apprehension. "I'm sorry for putting you on the spot. A lot of things have happened, and she's the last person I wanted to put at risk."

Massimo sighed on the other end, his voice softer now. "I understand, Maya. But you know you can't run from this forever. I've told you a million times before: you need to come back home, at least to get things in order. These small groups are making unnecessary chaos, and it's starting to reach global news."

Maya felt her chest tighten, her fingers gripping the phone a little harder. "I ran away for a reason, Uncle," she replied, her voice firmer now. "I'm not fit for this. I wasn't meant to lead anything."

"You are the current heir, whether you like it or not," Massimo pressed, his tone becoming more serious. "It's better to lead them yourself than to let them throw you under the bus when the time comes. Do you have a boyfriend? An alliance could be good, you know."

Maya bit her lip and sighed, trying to muster the courage for what she was about to say. "Here goes nothing," she muttered under her breath before speaking. "Well, here's the thing, right? The reason I sent Aera away is that... I'm currently being held by the 13 Shadows."

There was a beat of silence on the other end, followed by a sharp intake of breath. "What?" Massimo's voice was louder, sharper. "Maya, what are you saying? Are you serious?"

"I didn't do anything wrong," Maya quickly clarified. "They think I'm just a regular person. I saw them eliminate a traitor, and now their leader won't let me go. His reasoning is that I'm 'intriguing.'"

There was a long pause before Massimo responded, his tone now filled with a mixture of disbelief and frustration. "Maya... everything is falling into your hands without you even noticing. You have no idea how deep this goes."

Maya's mind raced. She knew her uncle had connections—he had always been involved in the darker side of the world, the side that she had desperately tried to escape from. But hearing him say this made her realize that she was far more entangled in this dangerous web than she thought.

"Uncle Massimo, I can't leave," she finally said, her voice trembling. "Even if I wanted to."

Massimo's tone softened again. "Don't worry about that," he said calmly. "I'll make a plan. Just keep them in the dark like you've been doing. You're doing well so far. We'll talk again soon."

And with that, the call ended.

Maya lowered her phone, staring at the screen blankly. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her mind felt like it was spinning out of control. No matter how hard she tried to escape this life, it was clear that her past wasn't something she could simply run away from. The world she was born into, the responsibility she had been avoiding, was slowly catching up to her. The 13 Shadows might see her as a powerless, intriguing girl, but her bloodline—the legacy she had tried to leave behind—was far more dangerous than they could ever realize.