567: HOW MESSY

ARIEL'S POV Stepping into our once-pristine mansion, we were greeted by chaos. Furniture was overturned, shattered glass littered the floor, and scratches and dirt now marred walls that had once boasted beautiful art and photos. Luke and I exchanged glances, our eyes meeting in silent understanding. Whatever had happened here, it wasn’t an accident. This was a targeted attack. “Marcus, how long were you out?” Luke asked, concern evident in his voice. “Maybe 30 minutes, sir,” Marcus replied. “They didn’t kill me, so I had to make an escape, and when I came back, this was what I saw." "Okay, I'm glad nothing bad happened to you," Luke placed a hand on Marcus'shoulder. "You may go." Marcus nodded and walked away. As we explored our home's wreckage, I felt violated, and fear crept through me. “Still absurd; I wonder who would do this." "We don’t know yet,” Luke responded. “But we will find out. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” We made our way to the kitchen, which had also been