Chapter: Chapter 115Scarlett’s POV.I stirred awake to the faint clink of china. For a moment, I thought I was still dreaming. The soft scent of buttered toast, warm eggs, and something sweet drifted toward me, making my stomach growl before my eyes were even open. When I blinked the sleep away, the sight made me freeze.A tray sat across my lap, perfectly arranged with breakfast. A cup of tea released a gentle stream of steam, a glass of fresh juice glowed orange in the early morning light, and beside it all was Leon.He stood there in his usual composed way, hands tucked behind his back, as if this wasn’t strange at all.“Leon?” I sat up quickly, my hair falling across my face. “What is this? Did I oversleep? I—”“No, you didn’t,” there was a slight upward quirk to his lips as he said it. The added, “Just thought to bring you breakfast.” Despite the obvious slight twinkle in his eyes, he kept his tone even, almost detached, as if he was keeping a secret and didn’t want to tell me about it.I blinked a
Last Updated: 2025-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 114Leon’s POV.The paramedics finally backed away, declaring Scarlett stable and unharmed—minus a few scratches here and there. I stayed where I was, close enough that I could catch her if she might not be as fine as they claimed and possibly lose her footing, keeping a close eye on every movement she made.Their words did nothing to ease the knot in my chest.She sat on the edge of the stretcher, pale under the flashing lights, her voice steady but too soft. They ticked boxes on a clipboard, assuring me she was fine.I didn’t believe them.When the last EMT began packing his bag, Scarlett tugged on my sleeve. Her voice was quiet, meant for me alone. “I saw someone,” she said, her eyes sharp with unease. “There was a man in a hoodie. He ran from the car right before we left the mall.”My gaze hardened, not liking one bit what I was hearing. “You’re certain?”Her nod was firm. “I’m sure.”The driver moved closer, his expression grim. “I noticed him too, Mr. Rosenthal. He went straight fro
Last Updated: 2025-09-15
Chapter: Chapter 113Scarlett’s POV.That morning, the atmosphere in the mansion had shifted. The staff went about their duties as usual, but their behavior toward me wasn’t the same. Whispers cut off the second I stepped into a room. Averted gazes replaced the usual nods and polite smiles. Where I had once felt acknowledged, I now felt deliberately ignored.At first, I told myself it was my imagination.But when even the maid who usually left fresh flowers in the dining room hurried past me without so much as a glance, the truth pressed down harder. I wasn’t imagining it. Something had shifted.In the hallway, I finally pulled aside one of the few I trusted, the maid who had once dared to slip prune juice into Franchesca’s tea and laugh about it with me. Her face paled when I asked her why everyone was acting strange.She hesitated at first, then whispered, “It’s Franchesca, Miss Scarlett. She’s been threatening the others. She told them that if they don’t keep their distance from you, she’ll have them f
Last Updated: 2025-09-14
Chapter: Chapter 112Leon’s POV.The office was quiet except for the faint hum of the city beyond the windows. I sat behind my desk, the petition spread out in front of me, rereading the same words for the third time. Caden’s lawyer had filed it with urgency, pushing for another test.I knew without a doubt that this wasn’t about exposing the truth. We already confirmed the truth.Nor was this about Caden being in denial. He may be many things—but he most certainly wasn’t stupid either.It was all about dragging Scarlett through the dirt until there was nothing left of her to defend.I leaned back in my chair, rubbing the bridge of my nose. Caden’s obsession had gone beyond logic at this point. A man didn’t go to these lengths for money alone. Not when he had resources of his own. He wanted something else. Revenge. Domination. Proof that he could still control her.The thought settled uneasily in my chest. I knew the woman Scarlett was now. Strong-willed. Defiant. Resilient in ways even she didn’t recogni
Last Updated: 2025-09-13
Chapter: Chapter 111Scarlett’s POV.I woke to hushed voices right outside my door.I immediately recognized it to be the staff. However, they were speaking too low for me to catch the words, but the whispering was enough to jolt me fully awake.I pushed myself up, heart already restless, and opened the door. A maid froze in the corridor, her tray shaking in her hands.“What’s going on?” I pressed.She hesitated, eyes darting down the hall as though she could escape my demand. When I moved closer, she broke. “The news, Miss. It came out last night. Mr. Caden filed a petition.”The world dropped out from under me. “What kind of petition?”Her lips tightened before she forced the words. “Another paternity test. The gossip columns are everywhere with it.”I didn’t need to see them to know. Still, I snatched her phone when she offered it with trembling fingers. Page after page, my face stared back at me. Headlines blared accusations. Liar. Manipulative. Gold digger. My name dragged through the dirt—again. Whe
Last Updated: 2025-09-12
Chapter: Chapter 110Leon’s POV.Scarlett agreed to the marriage, but the way she said it has stayed with me. I noticed her reluctance—how her eyes refused to meet mine. She looked at the crib instead, her hands gripping the blanket too tightly. She didn’t sound relieved or victorious. She sounded… resigned.I should have asked her what she was thinking. Instead, I told myself it was enough that she agreed. It is what needed to be done.The children need legitimacy. Their future needs security. A name strong enough to shield them.That was all that mattered.But as I walked away from the nursery, I couldn’t get rid of the image of her face. That sadness in her eyes cut deeper than I wanted to admit. She was agreeing to tie herself to me, and she already looked like she was bracing herself for a prison sentence.I tried to remind myself that this was not about her or about me.It was about the children. They are the priority. Yet the reminder did little to ease the weight in my chest.And then, as if summo
Last Updated: 2025-09-11
Chapter: Chapter 118“Hailstorm. You do know that the odds of that happening are like… one in a thousand?” Luca says dryly, picking at the food on his tray. He gestures vaguely in my direction with a fry before tossing it into his mouth. “You and alpha-boy are the Huntress’s favorites, I swear.”“You reckon?” I arch a brow, leaning back in my seat. “With everything she’s thrown our way?”“I heard it builds stronger character,” he quips, smirking as he chews.I roll my eyes. “Thanks. That’s real reassuring.”Luca only shrugs, unbothered. Then, after a pause, he grabs his hot dog, takes a casual bite, chews, and swallows before adding, “So. I heard you got the key back.”“Elijah told you.” It isn’t a question.“Yeah.” He sets his half-eaten hot dog back onto his plate, expression unreadable. “I still think asking ghosts for advice is an excellent idea.”I shoot him a flat look. “After the history-obsessed one, you really still want to go that route?”“Absolutely,” he says without hesitation, like he’s actua
Last Updated: 2025-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 117I wince. “I promise, nothing like that happened.”Nate groans, throwing himself onto my bed dramatically. “You couldn’t have picked literally anyone else?”I glare at him. “We just talked.” And cuddled. And kissed. But I don’t think they are ready for that part yet. “Look—we talked it out. He told me things I’m still processing… It’s a lot, but it’s not what you think.”Three pairs of eyes narrow at me in perfect synchronization.Oh boy.I suck in a deep breath before I fall into full detail of what we talked about, and everything that happened. About Luca, the bond, the key—everything Elijah and I talked about. By the time I’m done, it was cricket silence.Nate’s mouth pops open—the same way mine did when I found out. Suppose I can’t blame him. “That. Is. Wild.”“Hold on,” Celeste says slowly. “Doesn’t that make Luca your mate now?”“Cooey!” Nate waves a hand at her, incredulous. “Did you just hear what I heard? The bond only reacts when Hailey is in physical contact with him. The bo
Last Updated: 2025-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 116A loud, indignant voice jolts me awake.“This is completely unacceptable, Mr. Ledger!”I blink, groggy and disoriented, my body still warm from sleep. For a moment, I don’t recognize where I am—until I shift and feel a solid warmth beside me.Elijah. His scent clings to the sheets, a mix of cedar and something dark, something distinctly him. My heart stirs at the memory of the night before—the conversation we had, the the kisses—the way he held me like he was afraid to let go.I don’t think I’ve ever slept so well.The sharp click of shoes against the floor snaps me fully awake. Two nurses stand at the entrance of the room, both of them radiating fury.“There will be consequences for this behavior,” the second nurse snaps. “I will be sending a report to Mrs. Humphrey immediately.”Elijah is still sprawled out beside me, propped up on one elbow, looking far too smug for someone being scolded. “That seems a little dramatic, don’t you think? We just… slept.”The first nurse’s face turns
Last Updated: 2025-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 115There is a long moment of silence, before he says, “Even without the bond connecting us—Hailey, I love you. And I’ll fight anything and anyone to get that back for us. I’ll destroy the ends of the earth, hell—I’m thinking…” he lets out a shuddering breath, dropping his face into his hands. “I’m starting to think the only way to fix this is to get rid of my dad.”My eyes pop wide, my heart pounding so hard it drowns out every other sound. Not because he basically, flat-out considered killing his dad—but because of the way he said he loved me. Hearing it out loud—“They’ll have your head if you do anything to your dad.” My voice is barely above a whisper.“I know.” His hands clench into fists, then release, like he’s trying to physically wrestle with the weight of his own emotions. “But I don’t know what to do.”His shoulders sag as he drops his hands to his sides. When he looks at me again, something in his face fractures. The sheer defeat in his expression is painful to see, and it di
Last Updated: 2025-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 114Elijah exhales slowly, running a hand through his hair before finally lowering himself onto his bed beside me. He looks—tired. More than that, he looks defeated, like he’s been carrying something far too heavy for far too long.Then, suddenly, he just blurts it out. “Luca is not your mate.”My grip tightens around the coffee cup. I peer at him, suspicion prickling at my skin. “I know what I felt. There’s no way—”“But did that feeling stay?” he interrupts, leaning forward. “Once he broke contact with you, did the pull stay? Did it still feel as strong, no matter how far apart you were?”I open my mouth—then hesitate.Because the truth is, I don’t know how to answer that.I felt the bond in the moment, but… after? It didn’t cling the way I expected. It didn’t settle into my chest like something permanent. In fact, sitting here, I long for the connection but I don’t feel it at all.Elijah watches me struggle for words. “Hails, the mate bond doesn’t fade like that. Not when it’s real. No
Last Updated: 2025-09-16
Chapter: Chapter 113“I’ll take responsibility,” Elijah says smoothly. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t push herself too hard.”The nurse eyes him warily but eventually steps aside.Elijah gestures toward the door. “Come on. You want answers, right?”I hesitate for a second, then, with a huff, follow him. I can’t help but peer back over my shoulder—just to check to see if there isn’t any nurses who was going to object.Nope. They let me leave—just like that. Royal perks—I suppose.As we step out into the hallway, my breath catches. The extent of the damage is staggering—stone walls charred and crumbling, shattered windows letting in the cool night air. But amidst the destruction, something incredible happens.Teachers stand in formation, their hands raised, chanting in low, rhythmic voices. Slowly, impossibly, the castle begins to rebuild itself—stones lifting off the ground, sliding seamlessly back into place, cracks mending as if they had never been there at all.“This is insane,” I murmur.Elijah glances at
Last Updated: 2025-09-15
Burn For Me : Bound By The Mafia King
I was told to prove my loyalty.
Instead, they left me to burn.
My name’s Calistra Ford—Cali, to the idiots who think they know me. I was born to the mafia—wrapped in elegance, forged in blood under a kingpin who calls himself my father. He gave me one shot to earn my place: infiltrate enemy territory, steal something priceless, and survive.
I did it. Bruised, bleeding, victorious.
And just as I ran for freedom, my brothers—my own family—locked the car doors and drove off without me.
They handed me the gun, but turns out I was the target all along.
Now, I’m a prisoner to our enemy.
And Hale “Hellbringer” Holt is the one holding the chains.
He’s cold. Lethal. Unreadable. Everything I should hate.
He should’ve killed me.
But instead… he married me.
Bound by a contract and shackled in silk. Tied to his empire by blood and silence.
I was raised to bleed for my people—now, my loyalty is dead.
They offered me up as bait. All except my sister, Belle—still trapped in their den of evil.
And if I have to set the world on fire to save her, I will.
Starting with the family that betrayed me.
And I’m dragging Hellbringer into the flames with me.
Read
Chapter: 165. Falling Cali’s pov.The house was too quiet for what we were planning. Not the kind of quiet that offered peace—but the kind that felt like the calm before something ancient cracked open and swallowed you whole.I stood outside Belle’s door for a full minute before I knocked.Not because I didn’t want to see her.But because I didn’t know how to say goodbye.Not this time.Not when we both knew where I was going.And who I might have to kill to make it back.“Come in,” she called softly, her voice thinner than usual.I stepped inside, trying not to show how hard it hit me.She was curled on the small settee near the window, wrapped in a thick wool blanket, her legs tucked up underneath her. A tray of untouched food sat beside her. Some steaming herbal tea. A slice of something Hale’s chef had probably handmade like a saint.She hadn’t touched it.Her skin was pale again. Too pale. Like she was fading from the inside out.“Rosalita’s hovering,” Belle said, offering a ghost of a smile. “I told
Last Updated: 2025-07-31
Chapter: 164. Human CurrencyCali’s pov. I didn’t sleep that night.Not because of the adrenaline still crawling under my skin, or because of the shot I fired in that clearing. Not even because of the dead man’s face burned into the back of my eyelids.I didn’t sleep because something was wrong.Not just wrong in the way it always is when Ryker’s involved. Not in the way the world has always felt tilted since the day my mother bled out beside a piano bench.No. This was different.This was the kind of wrong that comes with silence. The kind that whispers instead of screams.Hale had gone downstairs hours ago. He told me to rest. Said I’d done enough for one day.But even as he said it, I knew he wasn’t going to rest. Not with Ryker back in the picture. Not with blood spilled and no answers to show for it.So I sat by the window. Legs pulled up. Face turned to the wind.And waited for something I didn’t have a name for.It came just after three a.m.Not a sound. Not a scream.A flash.A flicker in the surveillanc
Last Updated: 2025-07-31
Chapter: 163. RykerRyker’s pov. There was blood on his gloves again.Not fresh. Not warm. But dried and flaking in a way that left a reddish dust on everything he touched. It didn’t bother Ryker. He didn’t even notice it anymore.The safehouse was quiet, save for the hum of the generators two floors down and the faint whimpering of the idiot who thought tailing a Holt van alone was a good idea. He was duct-taped to a chair now, head lolling, one eye already swollen shut.Ryker didn’t care about his name. Never asked. He wasn’t here for confessions.Only confirmation.“You followed the car,” he said simply, voice flat, even. “Tell me what you saw.”The man tried to speak, lips sticky with blood.Ryker crouched, gloved fingers lifting the man’s chin.“Don’t make me ask twice.”“…a girl…” the man rasped. “Brunette. Thin. Looked like… like Ford’s daughter.”Ryker’s jaw twitched. “Which one?”“I— I don’t know—”“Was she limping?”The man blinked slowly. “Didn’t notice. She didn’t see me. I think— I think sh
Last Updated: 2025-07-30
Chapter: 162. The TeamHale’s pov.The sun hadn’t yet broken through the forest line when I saw her silhouette move through the clearing.Cali walked like a shadow sharpened to a point—precise, quiet, no wasted motion. She kept her head low beneath the scarf, hands gloved, phone already preloaded and tucked against her ribs like it was worth more than her own pulse.And maybe it was.This whole operation hinged on her slipping in and out without being seen, without being recognized. Without being shot.I watched from the northeast slope, crouched beneath the rusted ruins of a derailed transport train. My men were stationed in the brush, two hundred meters out. Far enough not to draw attention. Close enough to strike on command.Through the scope, I tracked Cali’s every step. Her boots pressed into cold, brittle gravel. Her jacket billowed lightly in the breeze. The moment she hit the center of the clearing, she dropped to one knee and placed the burner phone just beneath a broken slab of concrete, exactly w
Last Updated: 2025-07-30
Chapter: 161. Let The Hunt BeginCali’s pov.The stars looked closer from up here.Closer… and colder.The observatory felt like a relic from another lifetime, a place built for watching the sky long before any of us ever came along and filled the ground with blood and betrayal. There were still metal plates bolted into the walls, fractured star charts curling along the ceiling, their faded ink showing constellations that didn’t seem to match anything I recognized anymore.Maybe that was the point.Hale and I had chosen this place for one reason: it was untraceable. No digital signal reached this far out. No wireless connection. No buried bug or camera or soft piece of code feeding back to some mole in our systems. It was off-grid, offline, and—for now—untouchable.But that didn’t mean I felt safe.Safety was a story people told themselves. I’d learned that when I was five.I stood by the old, warped glass of the main viewing room, arms wrapped tightly around myself as I stared down the thick line of trees below. The
Last Updated: 2025-07-30
Chapter: 160. Unexpected TurnHale’s pov.The second I saw that message—Ryker’s smug, digital signature crawling across my screen like a parasite—I shut everything down.No warnings. No system diagnostics. No polite disengage.Just the master override key and a single command: kill the feed.The entire estate went dark from the inside out. Every internal security loop, every backup server, every feed tied to the external sensors—offline. Cut at the source. I didn’t care how many protocols it broke. If Ryker had been watching us, if he’d embedded himself into our walls, our wires, our lives—then I was done giving him the benefit of the doubt.No more waiting. No more wondering.We were at war now.Cali moved the second she saw my face. She didn’t need to ask. She read it the way soldiers read detonators—silent, tight, seconds away from ignition. She walked out of the room without a word, her hand brushing mine as she passed, and within minutes she was back with Belle’s medications and a weatherproof duffel slung ov
Last Updated: 2025-07-30
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