"Mom's up to something."

My eyes glanced over the banister that looked over the large entrance to our house. Mom had thrown a business gathering but the closer I looked the more I realised something. These weren't my moms business partners.

They were my dads.

Over the last two days since our mom came back she had explained a lot to me. She told me all about Davis and how she had taken him on at the same age I am now. How she had gotten thrown into this world and that she was far deeper in it that any of us had first thought.

She had taken on the world when she was my age and now she ruled everything. From her own empire to working along side my dad in the background. She was in the middle of it all and everyone here knew it.

From my advantage point I could clearly see the respect these people had for my mom. They weren't greeting her like she was the wife of one of the most powerful men in the world.

No they were greeting her like she was the one that held all the power in her hands.

Maybe she did.

My mom respectively greeted anyone who wanted to talk to her with a smile on her face. There was something else there in that smile, something on her face that told me she wasn't just putting on a show for these people.

She was making sure they remembered who was in charge.

Standing where I was I wasn't able to hear what they were talking about but I noticed how when my mom asked a question some of the men would start to sweat. They looked uncomfortable and the more my mom pressed them in her questions the more they looked like little boys, not grown men who were probably older than her.

The whole time she kept her smile but it was almost mocking. She was daring them to set a foot wrong, she wanted them to do something that would make her react.

Playing games was one of my moms favourite things to do and the whole world knew it.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Levi as he took a sip out of his drink. "She's just down their greeting them like any other business party."

He was wrong.

After everything my mom had told me about in the last few days the more I now could see. Everything she did was so calculated and there was a reason for it. Mom was making a impact with every move she made with no move made that would make anyone take her as a pushover.

Suddenly a group of people caught my attention. Looking over I was quick to notice it was Payton Myers and her parents and I couldn't help but smile. I tried my best to hide it behind my drink but my brother must have noticed.

"What are you looking at?" But my brothers words trailed off at the end when he looked at what I seen too. "Fuck."

He looked panicked as he glanced between our mom and the Myers family knowing that this wasn't going to end well. I on the other hand couldn't wait for the scene that was about start in front of me.

Levi placed his drink on the tray beside us and went to make his way down the stairs but I stopped him in his tracks before he could even more from his spot.

"What are you doing?" I asked raising my eyebrow in question.

"I have to stop them from talking." He tried to free his arm but I just tightened my grip and gave him an amused grin.

"Do you really think mom threw this party for no reason at all?" I asked my brother like he was stupid. "Think about it, mom doesn't do anything without a reason and who has been pushing their luck lately within the City."

Levi glanced at me before turning and looked down at the ground below. The tension was rolling of him but now he just looked worried. "But dads not here."

"I think moms more than capable of starting a war."

Both of us fell silent as we watched my mom make eye contact with the Myers and I could see her smile at them in greeting.

It was anything but warm, it was a warning.

Looking over at my brother I could see his eyes were now on Payton and my features softened a bit at his gaze. Payton looked uncomfortable as she followed behind her parents with her head held low. There was bruising around her nose but it had clearly been covered slightly by make up.

There was no regret about my actions from that day. I would punch her again if I had too.

"Look who decided to come."

The whole world seemed to stop as my moms voice rang throughout the room. She held out her glass in greeting and started to make her way towards them. Her movements were graceful, almost like she was gliding across the floor. This was my moms element, making sure people knew who was in charge was something my mom loved to do.

"Lyra." Greeted Mr Myers as he held out his hand for my mom to shake. My mom just glanced at it before blinking and looking back up at him slowly.

My Myers let out a awkward cough before taking back his hand and letting it fall at his side. Mrs Myers just looked as uncomfortable as she glanced around the room beside her husband not knowing where to look.

It was clear to see who was the boss out of the two of them. Mrs Myers was nothing but for show under her husbands arm.

Wasn't the type of life I would want to live.

Keeping my eyes on the situation I started to make my way down the stairs slowly. Making sure not to miss a second of the action that was happening. People gladly moved out of my way with my brother hot on my heels.

My mom seemed to look Mr and Mrs Myers up and down before her eyes finally settled on Payton. There was nothing on my moms face that let me know what she thought of the damage I had caused to the girl.

"I see you've ran into a spot of trouble Payton." My moms voice rang throughout the room and the world almost seemed to stopped moving. Everyone held their breath and I even stopped walking down the stairs as we waited to see what Payton would say.

After a few seconds Payton finally spoke up. "It's nothing."

"That's a lie." Spoke Mr Myers as he turned to face my mom and their was something darker in his look. "Your daughter did this to her."

"My daughter wouldn't have done it if yours didn't threaten my youngest child." My moms reply was instant and held so much power you could almost feel everyone in the room flinch at the response.

"Emilia shouldn't-"

"Have spoken the truth?" Question my mom with a pointed look. She was mocking the man in front of her, challenging him right here in front of everyone.

She had set him up.

Mr Myers face started to turn red in embarrassment. He had clearly thought he could come here and show of his daughter's injuries and thinking my mom would grovel for forgiveness.

My mom did beg for forgiveness.

She didn't beg for anything.

She took what she wanted, when she wanted it and right now she wanted Mr Myers to suffer.

The man looked surprised and for the first time I realised that this was probably the first time he had dealt with my mom. It was always dad who had dealt with this family when he was in town. Mom normally stayed out of it, just giving her opinion in the background.

This man in front of us didn't know what my mom was capable off.

He was in for the shock of his life.

His mouth was moving but no words were coming out. It was like he was trying to find something to say but there was nothing he could say. As the seconds ticked by my mom raised her eyebrow higher in amusement as she waited patiently for him to speak.

After a minute my mom finally scoffed like the man standing in front of her was nothing more than a joke.

"Is that the only card you had to play?" Questioned my mom, she was mocking him, daring him to do something else. "Come on now, we both know the great Myers family has to have more than that."

There was a pause and my moms face turned dark as she took a step towards him and his wife, her voice was dropped low as she spoke again. "After all we both know what you've been getting up to when my husband left this City."

All around us people were on edge, the tension was thick and I knew this wasn't going to end well.

Suddenly there was a gunshot.

Everything that happened next seemed to happen in slow motion.

Screams could be heard all around me as people rushed around the house to get out. I had to press myself against the banister of the stairs to make sure I didn't get trampled. Grabbing ahold of my brothers arm I held him close to me making sure he didn't get dragged with the crowd.

Shock was running through Levi's face as he watched what was going on around him. His face quickly turned into panic as he scanned the crowd.

"Where's Emilia?"

At his words my breath caught in my throat and my heart started to hammer in my chest at the the thought of our little sister being in harms way.

As the crowd started to disappear it started to make it easier to see who was still left. After a few seconds I let out a breath of relief and I pointed out our younger sister to my brother.

"Over there, Ezra and Asher have got her."

Emilia was in the corner of the room with her head down. She was hunched down with her hands over her ears she was clearly panicking but she was in one piece and that's all that mattered. Asher was on his knees beside her trying to talk to her while Ezra stood in front them a gun drawn in his hand.

Ezra was on high alert as he looked around the room clearly trying to work out where the gunshot had come from. For a second our eyes clashed and he gave me a reassuring nod to let me know everything was ok.

Knowing they were ok made me start moving down the stairs again. Most of the house was empty now but there was still about twenty people in the room and they hadn't moved. Some of them I realised where my fathers men, they were guards that were always about the house and they had their guns drawn. They pointed them in the direction of the Myers family.

Catching sight of my mom I was surprised as she inspected what was left of the broken glass that was in her hand. Blood was running over her fingers from where she had clearly been cut but she took no notice of it as she looked at the glass.

Then finally she looked back at the Myers family and sighed, dropping the rest of the glass on the floor with purpose.

"Your men have a terrible shot."

There was a devilish look on her face as she glanced between the Myers family and then to the people left in the room.

"That wasn't one of my men." Argued Mr Myers clearly looking as shocked as the rest of us. Mr Myers and Payton were trying to hold back their tears at what was going on around them. "I wouldn't dare do such a thing in the open, never mind in your home."

My mom seemed to ignore him as she took everyone in that was still in the room. The guards at their guns pointed at the Myers and at the men that were still left in the room. Confusion crossed my face wondering why they thought they were a threat.

"Evan, let's not lie to each other." Scolded my mom almost like she was talking to a child. "We both know what you were planning."

Mom walked towards the man and as she did so I felt someone place something in my hand. Looking down I seen a gun and found River standing beside me. His gaze never moved away from the situation in front of us but my body relaxed with both him and gun at my side. I moved over slightly so that Levi was standing partly behind me. There was no way I was letting him get in the middle of this.

Evan took a step back from my mom but it made no different, my mom just stepped closer to him again.

"You're just denying it because I beat you to it." Mr Myers looked just as shocked as I felt at my moms words. "We both know you were planning on having one of your men take me down in the middle of the crowd. That way of course no one could pin the blame on you. Then of course you would go to my husband and claim to help him hunt down who ever had done it. Hoping to us that power to get close enough to him to take him down too. Tell me if I'm wrong?"

"I'm-"

"Upset you got caught?" Gloated my mom as she circled around him and picked up another drink off one of the trays near by. "Let's not act like I'm stupid Evan because that's a sure fire way to piss me off."

My mom stopped in front of Mr Myers and honestly I've never seen such a devilish look on anyone before. She was staring him down like he was nothing more than a bit of dirt on her shoe. He might have the height but she towered over him with just her presence.

That was all she needed to be the biggest person in this room.

"How did you know." Mr Myers finally snapped between his teeth.

My mom leaned in and whispered but it was still high enough for me to hear. "I know everything."

She then held up her hand that was bleeding from the shattered glass and sighed before looking up at the second floor. "Next time Damon, try and not get my blood everywhere."

My uncle Damon leaned over the banister waving the gun in his hand that he must have shot the glass with. He was dressed in a suit to easily blend into the crowd and I often forgot just how much my mom and her brother looked. He shared her same dark hair and those electric blue eyes I was always so jealous off. His tattoos were peaking out from under his shirt but they didn't stand out as much as my dads would.

The amusement was clear on his face as he called out to my mom.

"I've waited my whole life to shot at your ass little sister. Not my fault I wanted to make it count."

"And it's not my fault you're such a baby when it comes to my driving." Laughed my mom as she took a sip of her drink like there was nothing wrong with this situation.

My uncle Damon was my mom's twin and they had always been extremely close. From the stories I have heard they used to get into every wild situation you could imagine but I never fully believed them.

Until now that is.

"What the fuck." Seethed out Evan as he turned to look at Damon and then back to my mom. "Your brother shot you?"

"Oh that." Waved off my mom like it wasn't a big deal. I had to looked up to River and Levi to make sure I wasn't the only one who thought this whole situation was insane. "I knew your plan of course but I didn't know who was actually working for you. It would take to long to look into everyone's background and piece everyone's life together. So I came up with this little plan."

"How-" my mom cut Mr Myers off by continuing on.

"I knew of course there would be a mad panic to get out of here if there was a gun shot. Your men though knew about the plan so they would be more than likely be the ones to stay behind. Of course my guards would stay too which was why the men you see here on my side are the ones I would trust with my life. Soooo, that just leaves your men standing out here as clear as day."

Looking over the men left in room every single one left behind was ones I had grown up with. They were the ones that had guarded our house for years with me and my siblings growing up around them. If my mom trusted them around us then she trusted them with anything.

As my mom lifted the glass up to her lips to down the rest of her drink I looked at her in awe not believing that this was really my mom. Of course I had always knew she was powerful but seeing it in action like this was a completely different matter.

She had out smarter every single person in this room and she didn't even lift a finger in the process. She challenged Mr Myers with just games and she had come out on top like it was nothing more than a simple move on a chess board.

And maybe that's all it was to my mom.

A game.