The fire crackled in the dimly lit study, casting flickering shadows against the towering bookshelves. Mattheo sat rigid while Barty’s voice still echoed in his head.

"Your child isn’t just a child, Mattheo. It’s something special. Something they all want. It’s only a matter of time before they come knocking ... And when they do, they won’t be asking nicely."

He exhaled sharply, shaking the thought away as the heavy wooden door groaned open. Tom stepped inside.

"Did you know?" Mattheo asked.

Tom cocked his head, his smirk unreadable. "What exactly are we talking about here, little brother?"

"The child. It’s not normal, is it?" Mattheo snapped.

Tom’s smirk faltered. "You spoke to Barty?"

"Did you know?" Mattheo pressed again.

Tom sighed. "Not at first," he admitted. "I simply thought Sever*s wanted you de4d because you dishonored his name... Bu something about it didn't fit."

Mattheo’s eyes narrowed. "And why not? He hates me."

But Tom shook his head. "Because it is too much emotion for a man like him. So I looked into it. And do you know what i found? You committed the greatest cr!me a man like you could commit."

Mattheo tensed. "What are you talking about?"

"You created something that wasn’t meant to exist," Tom stated.

"You’re talking a load of-...," Mattheo snapped. "I just—"

Tom cut him off with a sharp glare. "Had your fun? Thought you could be with her and walk away? No consequences?"

Mattheo’s breath hitched. "I didn’t do anything wrong!"

Tom’s expression hardened. "Oh brother, you did everything wrong. This child is a mistake. A flaw in nature. An anomaly. It was never meant to be conceived because it disrupts the balance."

Mattheo swallowed hard. "Then what am I supposed to do now?"

Tom’s gaze didn’t waver. "I want you to understand what you have done and you need to be ready for what’s coming. Because with your bl00d and hers combined..." A pause. A smirk. "There are no rules." His voice dropped to a whisper. "And no limits."

And Mattheo wasn’t ready.