Three RiddIe brothers stand face to face beneath the flickering torchlight in their designated meeting place.

Mattheo takes a drag of his cigarette. “So who broke the rules first?”

Tom crosses his arms. “Why assume it wasn’t you?”

Mattheo’s eyes darken. “Because when I break rules, I own it. I don’t sneak around like a snake.”

“Enough,” Marvolo’s voice cuts through the tension. “We said no games. And yet… here we are. Playing the most dangerous one.”

Tom’s gaze flickers. “She kissed me.”

Mattheo lets out a humorless laugh. “That’s funny. She kissed me too. Right before she told me she’s been dreaming of someone she shouldn’t.”

Marvolo raises a brow. “And did she say who?”

“She didn’t have to.” Mattheo’s voice softens. “She said his voice lives in her head like a curse.”

There’s a moment of silence. Then, Tom’s voice slices through it, low and sharp. “She meant you, didn’t she?”.

Tom turns towards his older brother. “You’re her professor, Marvolo. You were the one we were supposed to trust to stay out of this.”

Marvolo barely blinks. “Don’t confuse restraint with innocence. I never claimed either.”

Mattheo runs a hand through his hair, pacing. “This is spiraling. She’s not just under our skin—she’s in our blood. And we’re going to tear each other apart if we don’t—”

“What?” Tom cuts in, eyes burning. “Back off? Pretend she hasn’t already chosen?”

Marvolo tilts his head. “Has she?”

Mattheo’s voice lowers. “Not with her words. But her eyes… her hands… those…those fuckıng lips…she’s giving pieces of herself to each of us.”

Tom’s lips curl slightly. “Then maybe she’s not so innocent either.”

Marvolo’s smile is cold. “Then the rules are gone.”

*Mattheo lifts his gaze. “So, it’s war then?”

Tom’s smirk deepens.

“No,” he says smoothly. “Let’s call it what it is.”

“A hunt.”

He meets both of their eyes.

“And we all want the same prize.”