Mrs. Hartwell's chest rose and fell in shallow, tight breaths.She had spent her entire life building walls of elegance, discipline, and control. Her house was perfect. Her clothes impeccable. Her children, well, child, was supposed to be the shining example of Hartwell tradition.But Serena?Serena had always been the wild card.She was beautiful, yes. Smart, of course. But soft. With that strange quiet fire she never fully understood. And now, the rumors weren’t just rumors. Serena was with Vivienne Strauss. And she had left, fled, actually, in the middle of a family firestorm. No warning. No proper exit. No shame.And she had known.She had known.Late night calls. Whispered “sleepovers.” That one time she found Serena’s phone open with Vivienne’s contact name surrounded by hearts.She’d told herself it was a phase.Told herself it would pass.Told herself it wasn’t worth the confrontation, not when Paolo Virelli was already shaking the family’s legacy with his son’s scandal.But n
Dominic picked up his espresso and took a measured sip.“Now, make the call. Arrange the meeting.”“To Reid?”“To Serena’s mother,” Dominic corrected, eyes glinting. “The Hartwells are Paolo’s old partners. If they feel cornered, they’ll beg for help from someone who knows how to bleed a Virelli.”“And Reid?”“We’ll give him exactly what he wants.”The man paused. “Asher?”“No,” Dominic said smoothly, rising from the table and straightening his cuffs. “A future where Asher regrets ever choosing anyone but him.”And as he walked out of the terminal into the waiting black car, the shadows seemed to follow.Dominic Caldera was back.And this time, he didn’t want control.He wanted ruin..............................Reid hadn’t slept in days.Not truly.He lay on his apartment couch, still half dressed from the night at The Cobalt Room, replaying it all, again and again.The music.The way Luca had looked at Asher.The way Asher had looked back.The kiss.The slow undoing of everything R
Morning found them tangled together, half buried under crisp hotel sheets and the scent of each other.The golden sunlight poured through the half drawn curtains in streaks, falling over the curves of bare skin and mussed hair.Luca stirred first.He blinked into the light, disoriented for a split second, until he turned his head and saw Asher.Still asleep.Still here.Still his.His breath caught at the sight, the way Asher’s lashes cast faint shadows across his cheek, the way one strong arm was draped possessively over Luca’s waist. Like instinct. Like reflex. Like home.He smiled.Not a sharp, corporate smirk.A real one.Slow. Soft.Unfamiliar in his own face.Carefully, he shifted so he was lying on his side, fingers brushing against Asher’s jaw. “You fake sleep like a five year old.”Asher didn’t move.Luca leaned closer. “You even snore like one.”Still nothing.So Luca pressed his lips to his ear and whispered, “I’m stealing your coffee and making a deal with your supplier.”
Reid closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall, preparing to make the call he’d been thinking about all night, the one that would transfer his next assignment out of the country. Disappear for a while. Somewhere cold. Remote. Quiet. He didn’t care where.He pulled out his phone and opened the contacts menu.But just before he could scroll, a message lit up his screen.Unknown Number.Subject: Luca Virelli.You want him gone? There’s a way. And this time, he won’t come back.Reid’s entire body went still.He stared at the message, his mind blank.It was a prank. Had to be.He almost tossed the phone.But his hand… didn’t move.His throat tightened. A dry laugh pushed through his chest, bitter and hollow.“Jesus,” he whispered to himself. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”But his thumb hovered over the screen.Because somewhere inside him, a voice he didn’t recognize, low, twisted, and desperate, whispered back:If he’s gone, maybe he’ll finally see you.Reid clenched his
The music shifted, smooth, pulsing, seductive, coaxing people out of the shadows and into the soft kaleidoscope of light on the dance floor.The crowd pulsed with laughter and warmth, a sea of freedom and abandon where no one had to apologize for who they were or who they loved.Luca glanced toward the DJ booth, then to Asher, his brows lifted.“You wanna dance?” he asked, not as a dare, but as an invitation.Asher leaned back against the booth seat, eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that a trick question?”Luca shrugged. “Might be the last time we get to dance without photographers hiding behind ice sculptures.”Asher gave a soft snort. “Fair point.”Without waiting for more prompting, Luca stood and reached out his hand, right there, no hesitation, in full view of the room.Asher stared at it for a second.Then smiled.He took it.They stepped onto the floor, shoulder to shoulder with men swaying, laughing, spinning with their partners.The air was thick with sweat and perfume, neon light
The world outside blurred into amber and violet shadows as the car wound down the city’s edge. Buildings loomed like quiet giants under streetlights, and the distant hum of traffic filled the silences between their breaths.Luca leaned his elbow on the door, fingers grazing his lips as he stared out of the window, eyes unfocused, but heart racing.He was free.Not in the way people throw the word around, not in papers, or speeches, or company announcements. No.Really free.And the terrifying, exhilarating weight of it hit him all at once.“I’ve been thinking,” Luca said quietly, breaking the silence as they took a turn near the river.Asher glanced at him. “That’s dangerous.”Luca cracked a small smile. “Maybe.”He turned, his voice a little steadier now. “I don’t want to just… survive this. I want to live it. Fully.”Asher nodded slowly, one hand draped over the steering wheel, the other resting between them, palm up. Luca laced their fingers together without hesitation.“I want us