Roderick Usher stood at the window of his office, looking out over the city that bore his name in every building, every company, and every dollar circulating through it. The rain lashed against the glass, the sky as dark as the secrets that held the Usher family together. Behind him, the soft hum of classical music filled the room, but even that couldn't drown out the storm raging both outside and within.
The empire he had built was formidable—seemingly untouchable. But Roderick knew better. Everything had a cost, and the price the Usher family had paid was steep, though none of them dared to speak about it aloud.
The lyrics of "Mastermind" by Taylor Swift played in his head as if taunting him: "What if I told you none of it was accidental, and the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me?" He had always been the mastermind, pulling the strings behind the scenes, making deals in the shadows. Every success, every fortune, every rise to power had been deliberate. He had orchestrated it all—every move, every decision. And now, everything was slipping out of his control.
The door to his office creaked open, and Madeline Usher strode in, her expression as cold and calculating as ever. Roderick didn't need to turn to know it was her; he could feel her presence like a chill in the room.
"Roderick," Madeline said, her voice low and smooth. "We have a problem."
Roderick's jaw tightened, but he remained staring out the window. "Which one, Madeline? There are many."
Madeline approached him, her heels clicking softly on the hardwood floor. She stopped just behind him, close enough to speak in a whisper. "The family is falling apart. We can't keep pretending like everything is fine. If we don't act soon, this empire will crumble."
Roderick finally turned to face her, his eyes cold but fierce. "I know," he said simply. "I'm not blind to what's happening."
Madeline raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a slight smirk. "Then you know it's time for drastic measures."
Before Roderick could respond, there was a knock at the door. Napoleon Usher, dressed in his usual disheveled way, leaned against the doorframe, his eyes red from whatever drug had consumed him that day.
"Are we having a family meeting without me?" Napoleon slurred, though there was an edge of sarcasm in his voice. "That's cold, Roddy."
Roderick shot him a look, his patience already wearing thin. "Not now, Nap. We're in the middle of something important."
Napoleon sauntered into the room, ignoring Roderick's dismissal. "Oh, please. Everything you two do is 'important.' Meanwhile, the rest of us are just along for the ride."
Madeline sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're always along for the ride, Nap. That's the problem."
Napoleon grinned, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Is it? Or is it that you're just afraid of what'll happen when the rest of us stop following orders?"
Roderick's eyes narrowed. "You're not capable of running this family. None of you are. That's why I'm the one in charge."
Napoleon's grin faded, and for a moment, there was a tense silence. Then he shrugged, slumping down into one of the leather chairs in front of Roderick's desk. "Whatever you say, big brother. But you might want to check in on the others. They're not exactly loyal these days."
Downstairs, Frederick Usher paced back and forth in the lavish drawing room, his anxiety evident in every frantic movement. His sister, Tamerlane Usher, sat on the couch, her arms crossed, watching him with a mixture of boredom and irritation.
"Freddie, would you stop pacing? You're making me dizzy," Tamerlane snapped.
Frederick ignored her, his hands shaking as he ran them through his hair. "Something's happening, Tam. I can feel it. The family's falling apart. Roderick is losing his grip. We need to do something."
Tamerlane raised an eyebrow, her tone dripping with disdain. "Do something? Like what? Try to take over? Please, Freddie, you're not cut out for that. You don't have the backbone."
Frederick stopped, his face twisting with frustration. "You think I don't know that? But we can't just sit here and wait for everything to collapse around us. Roderick is dragging us all down with him."
Tamerlane stood, brushing off her designer dress and walking toward the bar. "Maybe you should've thought about that before you decided to marry into this mess."
Frederick's eyes darkened, but before he could respond, the door opened, and Camille L'Espanaye walked in, her phone in hand, eyes glued to the screen as usual. She didn't even look up as she spoke.
"What's all the commotion about? We've got bigger issues than whatever personal crisis you two are having."
Frederick scowled. "Like what?"
Camille finally looked up, her expression serious. "The media's sniffing around again. They're getting close to something. I don't know how much longer we can keep things under wraps."
Tamerlane poured herself a drink, sighing dramatically. "This family is a disaster. I should've left years ago."
Frederick looked at Camille, his anxiety spiking. "What are they close to?"
Camille shook her head, scrolling through her phone. "Don't know yet. But it's not good."
Meanwhile, in one of the grand, empty rooms of the mansion, Prospero Usher threw a lavish party—one that only he could imagine hosting in the middle of their family's impending downfall. The music was loud, the alcohol flowing freely, and the guests danced without a care in the world. Prospero loved it—he thrived on the chaos, the hedonism. It was the only way he knew how to cope with the weight of being an Usher.
But as he twirled a drink in his hand, he caught sight of Arthur Pym, the family's shadowy fixer, standing off to the side, his gaze cold and watchful. Prospero's grin faltered for a moment, but he shrugged it off, making his way over to Pym.
"Pym! You're missing the fun," Prospero called out, laughing.
Pym didn't smile. "This is a distraction, Mr. Usher. You should be focusing on more important matters."
Prospero waved a hand dismissively. "Come on, Pym. It's just a party. We've still got plenty of time before everything falls apart."
Pym's expression didn't change. "That's what you think."
In the mansion's underground lab, Victorine LaFourcade was hard at work, focused on her medical research—her obsession, really. But even as she lost herself in the science, she couldn't ignore the feeling of dread that had been building for days. Something was wrong. She knew it, even if she didn't want to admit it.
The door creaked open, and Madeline entered, her expression unreadable.
"Working late, I see," Madeline said, her voice cool.
Victorine barely looked up. "Always. What do you want?"
Madeline walked around the lab, her eyes scanning the equipment. "I want to know if you're ready for what's coming. Because whether you like it or not, we're all going to have to face the consequences of what we've built."
Victorine's hands stilled, her heart racing. "What are you talking about?"
Madeline smiled, though there was no warmth in it. "The end of this family, Vicky. It's coming, whether we want it or not. And I intend to survive it."
Victorine's breath caught in her throat. She had always known there was darkness in the Usher family, but hearing Madeline speak about it so plainly sent a chill down her spine.
"And Roderick?" Victorine asked, her voice quieter now.
Madeline's smile widened. "He'll fall with the rest of them."
Back upstairs, Roderick stood in the middle of the grand Usher mansion, staring at the portraits of their ancestors that lined the walls. He had built this empire. He had masterminded everything, from their rise to power to their absolute control over the world. But now, it was all slipping away.
The words of "Mastermind" echoed in his mind again: "No one wanted to play with me as a little kid, so I've been scheming like a criminal ever since..." That was it, wasn't it? He had been scheming his whole life, desperate to build something that would last. Desperate to be remembered.
But now, it was all falling apart. And for the first time, he didn't know how to stop it.
The door opened behind him, and Madeline walked in, her eyes gleaming with that same cold calculation.
"You're losing control, Roderick," she said, her voice low. "It's all coming apart."
Roderick turned to face her, his expression hard. "I'm not done yet."
Madeline raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you? Look around. The family's fracturing. They're all turning on each other. And soon, they'll turn on you."
Roderick's jaw clenched, but he said nothing.
Madeline stepped closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "You've played the game well, brother. But every mastermind's plan has a flaw. And you? You never saw this coming."
Roderick stared at her, his heart pounding in his chest. She was right. He had been so focused on building his empire, on controlling everything, that he hadn't seen the collapse coming from within.
But even as the world crumbled around him, he wasn't ready to give up. Not yet.
"We'll see about that," Roderick said, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him.
Madeline smiled, but there was something dangerous in her eyes. "Oh, we will."
And as she walked out of the room, leaving Roderick standing alone in the darkness, he realized something terrifying:
This time, he wasn't the one pulling the strings.
