Romans de Still Iv

115[ALEX'S POV]Cheers erupted from our friends as I knelt with him, pulling him into a fierce, breathless hug. The applause from Nico, Rita, Marilyn, and Mathew was thunderous, a joyous sound of love and support. We kissed, and in that moment, all the pain of Heldon, all the long, lonely nights in Australia, all the uncertainty of our future simply dissolved. It was just us, in a circle of love and celebration, finally home and finally whole. The ring felt impossibly light and impossibly heavy all at once on my finger.As our lips parted and the cheers reached their peak, the doorbell rang.The sound was a jarring, discordant note in the symphony of our joy. Marilyn, bless her heart, bustled to the door. I saw her open it to a girl who couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen. She was pretty in an unassuming way, with kind eyes and long, brown hair. She wore a simple, functional backpack and looked lost, a little out of place, and entirely unfamiliar."Hello dear," Marily

[Four years later....]The descent into the familiar sprawl of Los Angeles felt surreal. For four years, our lives had been framed by the endless blue of the Pacific from a different hemisphere, the sun rising on a new day while America slept. Now, the sprawling grid of city lights below us was a promise, a beacon of a life we had worked so hard to reclaim. I felt Tristan’s hand tighten around mine, his thumb tracing a slow, steady pattern on my knuckles."Home," he whispered, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through me.I just nodded, my throat tight. The last time we had left, it had been an escape. A frantic, humiliating flight from a life that had been ripped to shreds. The scandal that had consumed Heldon University—and our lives—had forced us to rebuild from the ground up. Tristan had lost his job, his reputation, his life's work. I had lost my scholarship, my future, and the trust of my friends that I had thankfully managed to regain before we left.Australia had been our

The sleep that had swallowed me was a heavy, dreamless blanket, a welcome oblivion from the crushing weight of reality. I woke slowly, the morning light filtering through Tristan's curtains feeling foreign and soft. The house was quiet, but as I made my way to the living room, I heard hushed voices.My heart immediately seized with panic. Tristan? Was he on the phone with his lawyer? With the university? I rounded the corner, expecting to see him pacing, but stopped dead in my tracks.Sitting on the sofa, looking small and exhausted but undeniably real, were Rita and Nico. Wait, how? Is this a dream? What were they doing here?Oh no, they came here to give me more of a tongue lashing? Well, I'm not going to stay and let that happen. I turned to run back into my bedroom when I heard his voice.Nico looked up first, his eyes wide with relief. "Alex," he breathed.Rita just stared, her face a complicated mess of shame and relief. I felt my legs quake under me but I fought to keep steady

The tranquil elegance of Samantha's home had been a temporary haven, but her words had been a catalyst. I drove away, my mind no longer held any resentment.In its stead was a storm of guilt and regret. Alex. Nico. My two best friends. I had turned my back on them when they needed me most, all because of a truth I had completely misunderstood. Even if I had misunderstood it, I was right to be angry. Tristan had broken my sister's heart but he had done his best to make up for it with her and had given her a shot at happiness.Samantha had let go of the anger and pain that I was still stubbornly holding on to all these years. It was the reason that Alex must have been so scared to tell me the truth about what was happening.I thought back to the way that I had come at him that day. The awful names that I had called him. It made me flinch the more I dwelled on it. I was angry and I had said some very cruel things.I wish I could take them back.I wish that I could take care of Alex now.

The dorm room, the campus, my friendships—it all felt like a battlefield. The only person I could think to go to was my sister, Samantha. I drove to her house, a sprawling, modern-gothic marvel tucked away in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood. My own family's wealth meant I was used to this kind of luxury, but Samantha's home was a masterpiece of taste and refinement. At least that was how I felt. Our mother, on the other hand, felt it was too morbid.It reminded her of a horror movie and she hated it. Samantha didn't care about our mother's feelings. She liked to do what she liked.As I walked up the marble steps, past the impeccably manicured lawn and the fountains that whispered rather than splashed, my chaotic emotions felt completely out of place. The floor-to-ceiling windows seemed to look out on a world of perfect order, and the air inside smelled of expensive lilies and quiet wealth. It was all so serene, a stark contrast to the storm raging inside me.I found Samantha in her

The quiet of the house felt deafening, usually it would have been punctured by laughter and stories but not today.Today, we were dragged into the storm that our lives had become all of a sudden. Alex was asleep, finally, a deep, heavy quiet emanating from the bedroom. I’d watched him collapse onto the bed, pulling the comforter over his head like a child seeking shelter from a monster. I had said nothing. All I could do was watch from the doorway.His raw pain, the way he’d flinched from Nico, the primal scream he’d let out at Caleb—my Alex. My poor darling was utterly shattered and it was all because of me.My own email, the cold, curt termination notice, felt like a branding iron against my skin. Professor Tristan Walker. Archeology Department Head. Gone. Just a few lines of corporate jargon, severing years of dedication, research, and passion. It was swift, brutal, and completely absolute. The university, in its infinite wisdom and self-preservation, had acted with ruthless ef

My boots slammed against the cold marble floor of the subterranean corridor, each impact sending a jarring shockwave straight up my spine. The freezing air of the server vault was a distant memory, replaced by the hot, suffocating rush of pure adrenaline. I didn't stop to use the internal comms; the security of the primary network lines was fundamentally compromised, a radio transmission would broadcast my findings to the snake. I tore through the double oak doors leading into the executive wing, my sidearm rattling against its tactical holster. "Out of the way!" I barked at the two vanguard sentries guarding the master study, throwing my shoulder directly into the heavy brass plates of the door. The door burst open with a violent crash. Bane was standing behind his mahogany desk, a tactical layout of the valley checkpoints spread before him. He snapped his head up, his dark eyes instantly flashing with a lethal, predatory irritation at my unannounced breach. "Natha

The green digital clock on the master console flickered to 3:42 AM. My eyes burned, the bloodshot vessels scratching against my eyelids every time I blinked. Before me sat three separate high-definition monitors, each displaying dense, unrolled matrices of biometric data, keycard overrides, and encrypted sub-routines. I was up all night going through hundreds of files, his fingers moving across the mechanical keyboard with a stiff, algorithmic precision. My uncle’s threat in the monitoring room had been an absolute command: ‘find the contaminant, or become the casualty.’ But the real battle wasn't against the mole. It was against the ghost haunting the interior of my own mind. I kept thinking of Amaya. Her hair, her eyes, the sound of her laugh and how gorgeous she looked with very little effort. I slammed my fist flat against the edge of the steel desk, the heavy impact rattling the porcelain coffee mug. "Get a grip," I growled into the empty room, my voice sound

The heavy mahogany desk in my private monitoring room was buried under layers of internal personnel files, biometric access histories, and the handwritten security schedules`. I sat perfectly still, my arms crossed over my chest, my dark eyes fixed entirely on the man standing across the room. Nathaniel stood at perfect military attention, his jaw tightly set, his black tactical uniform immaculate. He didn't look at the files on my desk, and he didn't look at the live security feeds rotating behind my head. He looked like an iron statue, a perfect instrument of the Valak empire but the raw, bleeding exhaustion behind his eyes told a completely different story. "You've reviewed the technical data from the northern border wiretap, Nathaniel?" I asked, my voice completely level. "I have, Uncle," Nathaniel responded, his delivery professional, and completely deadpan. I stood up slowly, my massive frame casting a long, intimidating shadow over the glass table. I stepp

I stood in the center of my private dressing room, staring blankly at the dark burgundy blazer draped over the back of the velvet armchair. There was no reason to stare but it was the only thing I could focus on. Just two days ago, I had worn that jacket like armor, standing beside Bane in his office and strongly claiming him as my man. I had felt untouchable then. I had felt like a woman who had finally seized control of her own destiny in this world. But now, the hollow ache radiating from within me made that victory feel incredibly brittle. I thought of Nathaniel. He had been the only friend that I had here. He was a kind man to me and a true confidant. But now, every time our eyes met, his eyes would be completely devoid of the warmth that had once been my only anchor in this house. He actively avoided me and treated me like a stranger. And when I had chosen to be Bane’s woman, I knew that I had completely shattered Nathaniel’s heart. Regina had assur

The concrete walls of the safehouse basement sweated cold moisture, matching the freezing adrenaline pumping through my veins. The air was heavy with the suffocating stench of cheap cigars, gunpowder solvent, and the bitter copper tang of my own absolute fury. I was infuriated to see my men just idling by.I slammed my hand down onto the scarred wooden table.“What the hell do you lot think you’re doing?!”All of them immediately shot to their feet. "Look at this mess! Clean it up!" I roared, pointing a trembling finger at Marcus, who stood near the iron door with his head bowed. "Don't just stand there like a brainless target, Marcus! Clean it up and tell me why the communication arrays haven't established the secure satellite proxy yet!" "We are doing everything we can, Boss," Marcus muttered, his voice tight as he stepped forward. He avoided my eyes, completely aware that my rage was a live wire waiting to electrocute anyone who stepped too close. “Your best? What best?!”"T

The heavy double doors of the conference room had barely clicked shut behind Susan’s frantic exit before I let out a low chuckle that rumbled from the very depths of my chest. Amaya was standing by the large mahogany liquor cabinet, pouring herself a fresh glass of brandy. She still looked entirely composed. Still, the tension in her shoulders told me the territorial fire she had unleashed on Susan hadn't completely burned out yet. "You terrified her, you know," I said, stepping up behind her. “Is that so?” I reached out, my hands settling firmly on her waist, pulling her back against my chest. "Susan has stood before international tribunals and stared down federal prosecutors without breaking a sweat. Yet you had her trembling over a fountain pen within three minutes." Amaya tilted her head back against my shoulder, her eyes meeting mine in the reflection of the glass window. "She was crossing the line, Bane. She was looking at you like she would eat you up. I

Hi everyone. This is a difficult post to write, but I wanted to be honest with you all. Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit disconnected from these stories, I don’t think I can keep writing with zero reward. I’ve realized that I need to step back to rediscover my passion for writing. Because of this, I’ve decided to remove this book from the platform. I put a lot of heart into these books, and knowing you were reading them meant the world to me. However, to grow as an author, I need a clean slate to focus on the stories that truly help me right now. Thank you for being part of this chapter of my life. I’ll still be around with [TEACH ME TO SIN 1], and I can’t wait to share what comes next when the time is right.

Ruby smiled up at me as soon as I walked back in and sat next to her.I was not going to tell her what I had just seen.....not yet.''Hey,'' she rubbed the back of my hand, ''Feeling any better?"''Yeah,'' I replied, ''I just needed some air. I feel a lot better''Ruby gestured to the food being served.''Well, since you're back, you might as well dig in''I nodded.''Of course but first,'' I gestured to a staff to come over and whispered a request in their ear.The staff turned to me with a stunned expression. Not that I could blame him, it was an odd request but it wasn't an impossible one.''Are you certain, Madam?"I smiled approvingly.''Yes, please. Three of those will be just fine'' I replied.The staff eventually nodded and went off to get me what I had asked for.''What did you tell him to get you?" Ruby asked and I shook my head.''You'll find out soon enough, babe''As if on cue, Orion walked back in, hand in hand with Lindsay.The way they looked now, with their fake smile

The dinning room was the perfect mirror of opulence.It literally exhaled luxury. A flawless masterpiece of glass and white marble where the chandeliers that hung above felt like private spotlights. The air was chilled to a precise 18°C, smelling faintly of expensive oud and Jo Malone candles that had been burning since noon.Every single Heldon royal and their plus ones looked absolutely stunning. I had gotten so used to seeing most of these people in their uniform and so seeing them look so exotic was surreal.We were seated around a single slab of polished obsidian stretched across the dining hall, seating all twenty-four of us. Each place setting featured a hand-calligraphed name card on cream cardstock.Mine was placed before me.I don't think I had ever seen my name written so beautifully.The Staff moved like ghosts in synchronized precision. Twelve servers in charcoal-grey tunics stood at a distance, eyes forward.They only stepped into the light to refill a glass of spar

"I might be wrong,'' Eloise began, ''But, I think Orion just hit Lindsay''I was stomped.Orion? Hit Lindsay?That did not make any sense to me. He was a royal asshole, always has been but would he really go as far as putting his hands on his girlfriend?An actual Heldon royal?The Lindsay Graham?He would not dare do something so incredibly idiotic.But then again, what reason would my girlfriend have to lie about something this serious?"Orion is doing what?" I asked just to be certain that I did not mishear her.Eloise sighed.''I did not see him hit her but I know that he did, Ruby. You have to believe me''I moved closer and held her hand.I knew that Eloise would not lie to me but I needed to be sure that this was not some grand misunderstanding.''El, you know that I would never doubt you right?''''But.....''It my turn to sigh.''Orion putting his hands on Lindsay is.....''''I know that you think that it's a stretch and I don't know why. You already said it yourself that Ori

I knew that I had to bump into one of Ruby's friends, I mean I was currently moving around in their domian. I was just hoping that I would run into them later than sooner. I wasn't looking when I bumped into Lindsay in the hallway.I was too busy gazing at the chandeliers. Never in my entire life had I been in a place this grand. If my old friends from my old life could see me now their jaws would never leave the floor.That being said, you can't exactly blame me for being distracted and not looking at where I'm supposed to be going.Lindsay, hyowever, did not seem to be in the mood to understand.My eyes were quick to catch the annoyed expression on her face.She always looked annoyed anytime I was around.Then she gave me a once over and call me crazy but I think she seemed impressed.I suppose there is a first for everything.We exchanged the world's most awkward greeting and she told me to say hi to Ruby; basically rubbing in the sad fact that me being in a relationship with

I didn’t bring a plus one.And there would be no point seeing as Orion and I are members of the royals. We did arrive seperately. The private jet had landed later than I expected but I knew that Orion was already here.I stood in front of the mirror in my room, adjusting the strap of my dress and smoothing the fabric down my hips. Everything looked perfect.My hair, my makeup, my posture. I looked myself up and down and smiled aprovingly at what I saw. All my life I had been the prettiest girl in the room.I think that won't be changing anytime soon.Good.I picked up my purse and stepped out into the hallway, heels clicking softly against the marble floor.I had barely taken three steps when I walked straight into someone.“Can you not watch where you're....'' I started, then stopped.Eloise Perkins.She looked really good. I was not silly enough to deny that she had always been a pretty girl but tonight she looked flawless. Comfortable in a place she used to look completely out

I couldn’t catch my breath. It felt like the oxygen in my penthouse had been sucked out, replaced by a thick, static tension that made my skin itch. I paced the length of the Italian marble floor, my shoes clicking a frantic, uneven rhythm. Fuck Fuck Fuckkkk!!!! How was this happening? This was not part of the plan. How could I have been so stupid? Oh God, what do I do now? I picked up my phone and as usual, Avery Mane was still trending. She had been trending nonstop since that night at the award show. The headlines of every blog all screamed the same thing. “AVERY MANE: SHOT ON NATIONAL TELEVISION” The words were a physical weight in my stomach, cold and heavy as lead. I looked at my phone, the screen glowing with a relentless stream of notifications I couldn’t stop reading, even though every headline felt like a slap. “BUSINESS MOGUL AND AWARD WINNING INFLUENTIAL WOMAN, AVERY MANE SURVIVES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT” “SECURITY BREACH LEADS TO ATTEMP

The knock wasn’t a request to enter.If anything, it was an announcement. It echoed through the hallway of my home. My father didn't wait for me to answer. He was one of the few people who knew about this house. It was one of the places I had come to heal properly.I would not even let Dominic, Vincent or Elias come around.I needed space to think of my next move.My father pushed into the living room with a stride that said he’d already bought and sold the air I was breathing. I suppose all over protective fathers acted this way. “Avery,” he said, his voice clipped.I managed to adjust on the couch.“Hey daddy”He kissed me on the cheek.“How are you feeling today?” He asked and I shrugged.“I’ve been better”I looked past my father and felt the air leave the room. The man standing there wasn't the kind of "bodyguard" you see in movies that were all bulging muscles and cheap suits. He was just… solid. A silent, handsome, immovable object in a leather jacket. He didn't smile

I didn’t hear the door click. One moment, my vision blurring with the cocktail of exhaustion and industrial-grade painkillers and the next, a familiar voice sliced through the hum of the monitors. “Baby?.” I flinched, my hand scrambling against the stiff hospital sheets for a grip I couldn’t quite find. “Dad!” He had crossed over to where I lay and stood at the foot of the bed, his expensive wool coat draped over one arm like an afterthought. He looked… diminished. His face was a map of gray shadows and drawn skin. There was a quiet, vibrating kind of fear radiating from him. That and something heavier—guilt, thick and stagnant. “You look… awful, oh my baby girl. My innocent baby girl” he said, his voice breaking in the quiet room. “I shouldn't have let this happen.” I swallowed against the dryness in my throat, trying to pull myself together. If I cried now, he would surely follow.“I’m fine, daddy. Really.” I pressed my lips into a thin line, a lie we both recognized.

The first thing I noticed when I drifted back to consciousness was the throbbing in my shoulder. After that, it was the rhythmic, hum of the monitors as well as the fact that my limbs felt like they’d been dipped in concrete. There was also that odd feeling of emptiness. It was a void where something vital used to sit. I stared at the acoustic tiles of the ceiling, my vision swimming in and out of focus, waiting for my brain to catch up to my pulse. The first coherent thought that formed in my head was “What happened to me?” The memory hit me all at once, a jagged playback of the stage, the lights, the bullet and that glowing, ethereal system that had appeared to me when the world went dark. [SACRIFICE 40% OF ACCUMULATED WEALTH TO SURVIVE] I let out a breath that caught in my dry throat. Forty percent. It was all gone. I didn't need to see a bank statement to confirm it. I could feel the structural shift in my mind, like a pillar holding up a roof had been yanked

“Sir, you can’t go up there!” A burly guard in a black suit tried to stand in my way.“I’m not asking for permission. Get out of the way!”I was not leaving this hospital premises until I laid my eyes on Avery and confirmed for myself that she was still alive.My chest felt like it was being crushed by a vice. Every breath was a fight, shallow and burning, like something wild was trying to claw its way out of my ribs. Avery?My Avery? Shot?The words were a physical glitch in my brain. They didn't compute. Avery was the constant. Avery was the one who didn't break, didn't get hurt, didn't lay in a hospital fighting for her life.“Sir!” The guard’s hand clamped onto my bicep. I wrenched it away with a snarl that felt animalistic. “Don’t touch me.”“You need authorization, sir. This floor is—”“She’s my—” I choked on the word.What was she? To the world, she was not mine to claim. At least not yet.I could have lied and said she was just a friend but the way my heart was hammeri

The moment I stepped into the hospital, everything in me had changed. A nurse had tried to get in my way then. “Sir, you can’t go in there. visiting hours are…..” “Move.!!” My voice was cold as steel. The nurse who looked fresh out of college, froze mid-sentence. Good. At least she knew when to shut up. My phone was already at my ear and I was talking to the security detail I had hired. “Lock it down.” There was a pause on the other end. “…Sir?” “I said lock. it. down.” My tone dropped. “I want every entrance monitored. No one gets in without clearance. No one leaves this hospital without being checked.” “Yes, Mr. Greyhound.” I hung up. A doctor who seemed familiar enough with me walked up to where I stood. “Good evening, Mr Greyhound” “Where is she?” “I’m sorry?” “Avery Mane.” Recognition flashed across her face. Worry followed immediately after. “She’s in surgery, Mr Greyhound” “Which floor?” “…Private surgical wing.” “Good.” I walked