Maria.

"We just want to please you, Maria," Aidan said softly.

The moment he spoke, he slowly tried to close the distance I had created between us moments ago.

His movements were careful and almost cautious as though he was afraid I would react badly again.

"Give us the chance to," he added quietly.

I stared at him in disbelief.

Honestly, the sudden change in their behavior was beginning to terrify me slightly.

These were the same Quadruplets who once treated me coldly. The same men who humiliated me repeatedly.

Yet now they were acting as though I was some precious treasure they desperately needed to protect.

"You deserve the best," Davian added immediately, his deep voice echoing through the room as his eyes remained fixed on me intensely. "And only we can give you that best, Maria," he continued. "Allow us to treat you right."

As he spoke, he also took a slow step closer and that instantly made my chest tighten uneasily.

"Stay away from me!" I yelled immediately.

My voice echoed sharply through the room.

The four of them froze instantly.

"Do not dare take another step closer," I added again firmly.

And surprisingly, they obeyed immediately.

The sudden obedience caught me completely off guard, as not one of them argued nor moved.

It was almost like they had been remotely controlled.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became strangely tense and honestly, instead of making me feel safe, it only made me feel more uneasy.

Something about all this was wrong.

I took a slow breath while trying to calm the restless feeling inside me.

"All of you," I said sternly while pointing toward the door, "out of my room."

This time, however, none of them moved, not even slightly.

My brows furrowed instantly.

Weren’t they just obeying me a few seconds ago?

Why were they suddenly ignoring me now?

"We won’t be leaving, Maria," Damien said boldly.

Unlike the others, his tone carried complete confidence. Almost like the decision had already been finalized without my opinion.

My eyes widened instantly.

Excuse me?

Before I could even respond properly, Damien continued calmly...

"We will be sleeping here tonight."

For a moment, I genuinely thought I heard him wrongly.

The room suddenly felt silent.

My brain struggled to process his words properly.

Sleeping here?

In my room?

Tonight?

With me?

I stared at him blankly.

Then my gaze shifted slowly from Damien to the others.

And to my horror, none of them looked shocked by the statement. In fact, Adrien looked excited, Aidan looked calm and Davian looked completely serious.

Meaning they had all agreed on this madness together.

"You said what?" I asked slowly, raising my brows in frustration.

Adrien smiled brightly immediately. "From now henceforth, Maria, we are more than willing to serve you," he said happily.

The excitement in his voice genuinely made me question his sanity.

"So we will be sleeping here tonight." He said it so casually, like it was the most natural thing, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

I stared at all four of them in complete disbelief.

Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if they had all lost their minds together.

"You all are insane," I said finally.

Pure disgust filled my voice as I looked at each of them one after another.

Completely insane.

That was the only explanation left.

Because no sane person would suddenly decide to sleep inside another person’s room after months of treating her terribly.

Yet somehow, despite the insult, none of them looked offended. If anything, they only looked even more determined to stay.

I placed my hands against my forehead, massaging my temples slowly as a sharp headache suddenly began to build.

Honestly, the Quadruplets were becoming unbearable with each passing second.

Everything they said.

Everything they did.

Everything about their sudden change in behavior was overwhelming me completely.

"Let me help you," Davian said immediately.

The moment he noticed my discomfort, he rushed forward instinctively.

"Stay back!" I yelled instantly.

My voice came out harsher than intended.

Davian froze immediately and somehow, the expression on his face resembled that of a wounded child. His shoulders dropped slightly, yet he still obeyed me without argument.

At that point, I realized something clearly, If they refused to leave the room...then I would leave instead.

Without wasting another second, I turned and walked quickly toward the door.

I only needed fresh air, space and distance from them but the moment my hand touched the handle...four larger hands suddenly covered mine.

I froze instantly.

My grip on the handle loosened immediately as warmth surrounded me from every direction.

Before I could react properly, I realized they had cornered me completely.

Aidan stood close enough behind me for his breath to brush softly against my ear. "Why is it so hard for you to just stay around us?" he asked quietly, his voice low and gentle.

But somehow, that only made my heartbeat become more unstable.

I swallowed hard immediately.

Then Damien’s voice echoed from my other side. "We could satisfy you more than Noah ever would." His words were confident and firm.

And hearing that instantly made heat rush into my face out of anger and embarrassment.

I could feel his warm breath near my other ear, making the situation feel even more suffocating.

What exactly was wrong with them?

Before I could respond, Adrien moved closer from behind completely.

One of his hands rested over mine against the handle while the other slowly wrapped around my waist possessively.

"We can only belong to you, Maria," he murmured softly. "No one else."

My breath hitched instantly.

The mate bond reacted so strongly to their closeness that it genuinely irritated me, as their scents mixed together around me and their warmth surrounded me completely.

And worst of all...my body was reacting to them despite my frustration.

"Maria," Davian said softly from behind me, then suddenly, I felt his lips brush lightly against my hair.

A shiver instantly ran down my spine.

"You cannot run away from us," he whispered gently. "You need to take responsibility."

I frowned immediately.

Responsibility?

What exactly were they even talking about anymore?

"You have to marry us," Davian continued calmly, "and be responsible for us."

At that point, I genuinely felt like I was losing my mind.

I immediately pulled my hands away from theirs and turned around sharply to face them. My chest rose and fell unevenly as I stared at all four of them in disbelief.

"Have you all completely lost your senses?" I asked breathlessly.

Yet, none of them looked ashamed, not even slightly, if anything, they looked painfully serious.

As though every ridiculous word they had spoken actually made perfect sense to them.

And honestly, that terrified me far more than I wanted to admit.