Novel-novel oleh Christie Bassey

ARIA I set the phone down and walked into the kitchen. I bit my lip to hold back the smile brushing across my face. That bastard really thought it was going to be that easy? I needed to call Lana and ask her to terminate my contract with his company. Or at least try to, I knew it wouldn't be as easy as asking her to do it. Caspian was already plating the pancakes when I stepped in. He’d stacked them high, like he was compensating for the first two batches he’d apparently burnt. I caught the faintest scent of toasted flour in the air, and it made me weirdly emotional. He looked up as I entered, a spatula in one hand, the other holding a plate steady. “I was just about to bring yours up,” he said. There was something about the way he said it. He sounded casual and warm, as though bringing me pancakes was just what we did, as though last night hadn't changed a thing. I sat next to the kids, watching as he placed one plate in front of Nylah and another in front of Lark

ARIA Nyx was still staring at Evelyn. "Mom?" she whispered again. My spine locked, my fingers tingling. For a second, I thought the universe had broken its own rules and decided to throw more chaos into my kitchen. Evelyn blinked, once, then twice. Her hands were still wet from the sink and were trembling too. Nylah sat obliviously on the counter behind her, legs swinging and a piece of pancake hanging from her lips like this was the most normal Tuesday morning ever. I turned to Nyx, but she wasn’t even looking at me anymore. Her whole focus was on Evelyn, as though she'd just seen a ghost. Evelyn's eyes widened just a bit, looking from Nyx’s face to mine, then back to Nyx. Nyx took a step forward, almost hesitant, like she was afraid she’d imagined it. Then another. And another. Her voice broke. “Mom… is this you?” She moved quickly then, closing the space between them and throwing her arms around Evelyn and hugging her hard, her breath coming in ragged

ARIA Waking up the next morning felt like trying to swim through cement. I'd experienced some terrible things, but none of them made my palm sweat in empty rooms immediately I blinked my eyes open. None of them made me feel like my entire existence and truth had been tumbled onto its head. My head was pounding, my eyes dry, my body heavy in a way that said I’d done far too much crying and not nearly enough sleeping. I sat up slowly, blinking at the streaks of light pouring through the curtains. Everything looked the same as yesterday. Except it wasn’t, because now I knew. And the truth had painted everything in all different shades. The floor was cold under my feet, as I walked into the bathroom, pushing off the fatigue pulling me back to bed. Yesterday had been so different, and to feel this way this morning? I wanted to shrivel up and die. My own heart beat was pounding too hard in my chest. Stepping out of the bathroom, I pulled on a two piece lounge set, grima

CASPIAN There was no right way to say it. I knew that. I had pretty much known it from the moment Aria turned to me with those wide, searching eyes and told me to stop lying to her. But knowing something and being ready to answer it were two different beasts. And this one had teeth that could destroy my life. “Aria…can we talk about this later? We just had a long day.” She shook her head firmly, squaring her shoulders. “No. I want to hear it now. Just tell me.” I sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, my hands clasped between my knees. She was still standing with her shirt half unbuttoned, brow furrowed like she wasn’t sure whether to brace herself or laugh it off. Neither of us moved. A few minutes later, I was still waiting and hoping she would change her mind and forget about it. And what sort of person did that make me? She deserved to know, but this was the sort of thing that sucked all the air out of the room. And what would she think of me after? It was what

ARIA“Well, look who's waiting,” Caspian muttered behind me. Rowan’s fists were clenched at his sides, his jaw tight, his shirt rumpled from his tantrum, and now clinging to him in the late afternoon humidity like it was tired of him. “Aria, you can change your mind now when you still can.” Rowan said. “I'm begging you, back off now.” “You're begging me? Rowan Zane is begging me. Maybe I need a plaque for that.” I chuckled, lifting my brow. “You really think this’ll last?” Rowan said. “You think they’ll actually respect you?”I kept walking. “You’re confusing respect with fear. I don’t need the first, and I’ve got plenty of the second.”“You don’t deserve any of this,” he snapped. “You’re not qualified. You’re not supposed to be here. Stay down like the…”Was this man singularly the most retarded person on the planet earth? I could feel the anger boiling up in my chest. It was a feeling unlike anything else. “Careful,” Caspian said quietly, stepping in front of me. “You don’t wa

ARIA The boardroom felt colder after Rowan stormed out, like he’d sucked all the hot air out with his exit. The silence he left behind wasn’t the good kind. It wasn’t peaceful. It was the type that made your skin itch, like everyone was holding their breath, and praying I'd vanish into thin air. I didn’t. I could feel it like a living, breathing thing, especially because none of the other board members would meet my eyes. I adjusted my jacket again, more out of habit than anything else, and let the moment stretch a second longer. "So," I said, breaking the silence when none of them rushed to do so. "Do we need to call him a babysitter, or is this normal behavior?" Patricia DuBois looked back at the door, then back at me. She sighed and ran a hand through her perfect book. “He has his moments.” “That was a moment?” I lifted a brow. “I’d hate to see his breakdowns.” There was a stifled chuckle from the big man at the end of the table. I shot him a look, but his face w

LUCAI slammed the office door behind me, hard enough to rattle the glass in its frame. Alina followed, hurrying behind me like the last breath of sanity I had left. I felt her eyes on my back, but I couldn’t turn around. Not yet. Not while my fists were still clenched like I was ready to punch walls again."Luca?" Her voice was soft, cautious. She stood in the center of the room like she didn’t know whether to reach for me or stay out of the way. "What happened down there? What did he say?" She asked. I exhaled through my lips, forcing my fingers to loosen. My temples throbbed. The adrenaline was still pounding just under my skin. I turned to face her slowly."Analide," I said. I said just the name, but the sound of it was a curse in my mouth now.Alina blinked, confused, and worried. "What about her?""She ordered the hit."Her mouth parted, but no sound came out."The first one," I clarified. "The one on our wedding night. The attack that started everything. That was her."Al

LUCA The soldier was shoved into the dungeon with all the subtlety of a bag of meat. He hit the stone floor with a grunt, arms zip-tied behind him, blood already crusting along his temple from where my men had roughed him up. He looked young—mid-twenties maybe—but not naive. There was stubbornness in his jawline and something glassy behind his eyes that said he’d already calculated his odds and found them lacking. I didn’t speak right away. I just stood there in the shadows, watching him like a wolf might watch a rabbit bleeding out in the snow. The soldier’s breath came heavy. “I told you…” The dungeon stank of old rust and blood, and his blood was about to soak the floor. The man was tied to the chair. His head lolled forward, hair slick with sweat, a trail of red down the side of his face from where Rafael had hit him earlier. He wasn’t trembling. Not yet. But he would be I stood, arms folded, watching the rise and fall of his breath. Rafael stepped beside me. “He ha

LUCAThe tires squealed again.I barely dove aside in time, knees skimming pavement, Bruno barking furiously in my arms, as the car drove forward like a predator. I rolled, bracing my hand on the rough ground, feeling gravel bite into my palm. The car roared past, a snarling blur of silver.It didn’t keep going, and it should have, because I was so angry then I felt as though I could burn the world down with my father in it.The brake lights stopped across the road.Slowly, the car reversed and straightened, turning to face me like it had a score to settle. Like it hadn’t just tried to kill me, like it wasn’t being driven by the man who’d taught me how to load a gun before I learned how to shave.My father.Matteo’s face stared me down through the windshield. Unapologetic, and flat. Like this was just business.My heart thundered, anger pumping through me hotter than fear ever could. My fingers tightened around Bruno’s body. The pup whined softly, ears flattened.I couldn’t do this

LUCA “Luca? What are you doing?” I heard Alina’s voice and her fingers around my arm, pulling me back, away from my father. My knuckles still ached. I could feel the pulse of it everywhere in my anger. It was a dull throb like my hand was trying to remind me of what I'd done. Ws if I could forget the sound of my own fist landing against his jaw. As if I could unsee the way his head jerked to the side. Bella’s eyes flashed before her palm came crashing across my face. She slapped me, shaking me the very next second. I didn't move, just stood there, my jaw clenched, cheek burning. “Have you completely lost your mind?” she hissed, her voice sharp enough to saw through bone. “You’re still that angry little boy inside, aren’t you? Still looking for a fight. We haven't done anything. What are you trying to do?” I didn’t look at her. My eyes were on Matteo. He stood a few feet away, fingers brushing the side of his face, jaw already coloring with a bruise. He didn’t look hur

ALINA The morning light in our bedroom had a golden quality to it. And it was just the perfect day for that, because it was my first ante-natal appointment with my doctor. I'd woken up almost jittery with excitement. Luca stood by the dresser, half-buttoning his shirt, his hair still damp from the shower, and I watched him from the bed, my hand on my stomach. "Are you going to come with me today?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. He looked at me, the edge of his lips curling as he walked back toward the bed. "Of course, I’m coming. I wouldn’t miss it." I didn’t know what it was about seeing him barefoot, with his shirt open, his body brushed faintly by the sun, but something tightened in my chest. It wasn’t just lust, though there was plenty of that. It was the way he looked at me now, the way his eyes softened when they dropped to my belly, like he still couldn’t believe what we’d made. He leaned over and kissed me, slow and tender, and I pulled him down wi

LUCAI dialed Alina as I turned the wheel, my eyes pinned to the taillights ahead of me.She picked up on the second ring. "Hey. Is everything okay?""Yeah. Just checking in. Where are you?""Still home. Valentina came by so we’re just talking. Nothing dramatic."I exhaled, nodding to myself. Her voice grounded me. It made it okay to be calm. She was safe, and at home. "Good. I’m following Marco.""Following him where?""That’s the thing. I don’t know. He’s not headed anywhere specific. Just circling.""Be careful.""Always. I’ll be home as soon as I’m done with him."I ended the call and tossed the phone into the passenger seat. Marco’s car turned again, heading back toward the same stretch we started from. I kept two cars behind, just close enough to track him but far enough that he wouldn’t notice, though I was beginning to think he already had.We made another turn, then another. He was circling blocks like he was waiting for a tail to shake loose. There was no real destinatio