My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 404

Chapter 404: Chapter 404 BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS

JUDY’S POV

The first thing I noticed that morning was the noise.

OTS was never quiet. There was always movement, voices, the low hum of something being built, negotiated, planned.

Even in Lucian’s absence, we had managed to hold that rhythm together. Not perfectly. Not without friction. But intact.

This was different.

Voices raised too high. Footsteps too fast. The kind of tension that didn’t belong to routine—it belonged to disruption.

I paused halfway down the corridor, files tucked under my arm, my instincts tightening. My heart pounded, a sense of dread prickling beneath my skin.

A shout echoed from the main hall.

I didn’t think; I moved.

By the time I reached the central floor, the space was crowded.

Members had gathered in loose clusters, some standing, some edging back, others pushing forward in agitation.

The usual order—the invisible lines that kept OTS functioning—had fractured.

At the center of it all stood a group of five I didn’t recognize.

They stood too comfortably in a place that wasn’t theirs, their posture relaxed in a way that suggested ownership rather than intrusion.

Their clothes were travel-worn but smart, their gazes sharp and assessing, as if they were measuring what belonged to them.

My grip tightened on the files.

“Who the hell are they?” Roxy whispered, sliding up beside me.

“No clue,” I muttered.

“I need to have a word with security,” she mumbled. “Just because Lucian’s not around doesn’t mean—”

“Not security,” I said, dropping my voice low. “Call Sera.”

She turned to me, brows arched. “You don’t think—”

“That this is the problem she warned us about?” I sighed. “I hope not.”

Roxy nodded and slipped out of view.

One of the strangers stepped forward.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, his presence cutting clean through the noise without needing to raise his voice.

“Who’s in charge here?” he asked.

Every conversation faltered. There was shuffling and a lot of side-eying. But no one stepped forward.

I frowned, craning my neck around the crowd.

Where were all the senior members?

Finn’s words from dinner echoed in my mind. ‘This morning, they pulled together a group of undercover operatives. Short notice. High clearance.’

Could it be—

“Is there no one in charge here?” the stranger reiterated.

I didn’t realize I had moved until I stepped forward and heard myself say, “I am.”

That couldn’t be further from the truth, but someone had to take charge of...whatever this was.

The stranger’s blue-eyed gaze slid to mine, sharp and assessing.

Then a smile touched his mouth.

“Good,” he said. “That makes this easier.”

“Makes what easier?” I asked, keeping my voice level.

“The transition,” he replied.

I blinked. “Transition?”

“We’re here to take possession of OTS.”

The words hit like a crack of thunder.

For a second, everyone was too stunned to react.

Then the room erupted.

“What?”

“Get the hell out!”

“Who do you think you are?”

“Take possession?” I repeated, my voice cutting through the rising chaos. “You walked into a secured organization and decided to claim it? Who do you think you are?”

He didn’t flinch.

He actually fucking shrugged.

“We didn’t decide anything,” he said calmly. “Your leader did.”

The noise faltered again, and my stomach dropped.

“Watch your words,” I snapped.

His amusement didn’t waver.

“Lucian Reed,” he said, “sold OTS to us. Signed. Approved. Finalized.”

“That’s a lie!” someone snapped.

“Lucian would never—”

“Get them out of here—”

“He wouldn’t abandon us,” another voice cut in, louder, fiercer. “Not like this.”

I felt it too, that instinctive rejection.

Lucian had built OTS from scratch. This place bore his blood, sweat, and tears. There was no way he would sell it.

Definitely not like this. Not without giving us prior notice.

“Enough,” I said, stepping forward.

I flipped again. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

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