Chapter: The Serpent Kiss. Chapter Sixty Six: The Serpent Kiss Peter pushed the door open slowly, the soft creak slicing through the heavy silence of the office. Ryan stood by the windows, his broad back turned to Peter, rigid like a statue carved from anger. “Close the door, Peter.” Ryan’s voice was low, quiet…but every syllable carried a weight of command that brooked no argument. Peter obeyed, the click of the door closing sounding unnervingly loud. “You saw the news, I assume? The laughing stock of the city. My task force… humiliated by novelty fish,” Ryan said, voice tight, clipped. Peter kept his tone even, careful to stay neutral. “It was a strategic blow, sir. But we’ll recover. We’ll find whoever did this.” Ryan spun around like a coiled serpent, slamming his hand down on the desk with a thunderous crack. Peter flinched, caught off guard by the raw fury blazing in Ryan’s eyes. “Recover?!” Ryan’s roar shattered the room, his face twisted with something savage, feral. “They didn’t just stea
Last Updated: 2025-10-21
Chapter: Meeting With the FoesChapter Sixty Five: Meeting With The FoesThe air in the VIP room was thick with the smell of old money and new lies. Peter felt his uniform tighten around his throat like a noose. Every step behind Ryan Graves felt like walking the plank.Arthur Bryan sat enthroned in a leather armchair, a glass of brandy in hand. His smile was a polished weapon. "Peter Davis," he said, the name rolling off his tongue like a verdict. He stood, his grip crushing Peter's hand. "I knew your father. A man of… inflexible principles." His eyes, cold and assessing, scanned Peter's face. "It's a relief to see his son understands how the real world operates."Peter’s stomach churned. He could feel the ghost of his father in the room, a silent, disapproving presence. I’m sorry, Dad. He forced a smile that felt like a crack in his soul. "I believe in getting things done, Senator. My father admired efficiency. I suppose I do, too." The lie tasted like bile.Ryan clapped a heavy hand on Peter’s shoulder, a p
Last Updated: 2025-10-16
Chapter: The Devil’s Bargain. Chapter Sixty Four: The Devil’s Bargain The lounge was too quiet, the kind of silence that felt expensive and dangerous. Peter’s skin prickled under his uniform. It felt like a costume here, a pathetic disguise. “There you are. I was beginning to think you got cold feet.” Ryan Graves didn’t smile. His eyes did all the talking, scanning Peter like he was a piece of evidence. “Sit.” Peter sat, the leather chair groaning under him. He felt like a kid in the principal’s office, if the principal was a shark in a tailored suit. “You look tense. Drink.” It wasn’t a suggestion. Ryan pushed a glass of amber liquid across the polished wood. “It’s good to have ambition, kid. Serve me well, and you’ll rise fast. Faster than you can imagine.” Peter’s fingers curled around the cool glass. He forced a smile, but it felt brittle on his face. “It’s not about the position for me, sir. It’s about serving the country. Upholding the law.” The words tasted like ash in his mouth. Just like Dad. Ry
Last Updated: 2025-10-13
Chapter: Blood and Thrones. Chapter Sixty Three: Blood and Thrones“Are you really afraid a major strike could hit us, Father?” Caesar’s voice was calm but sharp, like a blade slicing through the tense silence.Julian, Peter, and Enzo sat close by, the weight of Don Alessandro’s presence hanging heavy after Ryan’s press conference. The room was thick with unspoken threats.“Oh, son,” Don Alessandro sighed, voice low but laced with something like tiredness. “You know me. Fear is a stranger to me.”“But the police crackdown,” Caesar pressed, “it’s not just smoke. It’s a real threat…one that hits the family where it hurts the most.”Don Alessandro’s eyes narrowed, dark and unreadable. “If you want to be part of this fight, you step back.”“No more using Julian like a pawn, no more half-trusts. I lead. You don’t interfere. Otherwise, walk away and let us rot.”Caesar cut him off, ice in his glare. “Don’t push me, Father. My life isn’t the Mafia’s. You’re the one who stands to lose everything if this empire crashes
Last Updated: 2025-10-09
Chapter: Rings of Fire.Chapter Sixty-Two: Rings of Fire“You think that bastard just offered to mentor you because he likes your face?” Enzo’s voice cracked like a whip, sharp with fury. “He’s already sizing you up.”Peter stood still, arms folded, jaw clenched. Enzo wasn’t wrong. But he wasn’t exactly right either.“His walking in on you at the recruitment office wasn’t some random coincidence,” Enzo continued, pacing now, like a storm building. “You’re walking into a den of wolves. They’ll eat you alive.”“I’ll make them think I’m a sheep,” Peter said, calm and cold. “Let them circle. I want justice for my father. And this is the closest I’ve ever been.”“Peter, in as much as this is a good idea,” Julian cut in, his eyes soft but voice strained, “this is dangerous.”“Peter is the best shot we’ve got to plant someone near Ryan,” Caesar added, arms folded. He sounded more like a strategist than a friend. “He just has to make Ryan believe he’s on his side…make him think he’s taken the bait. Meanwhile, we g
Last Updated: 2025-10-02
Chapter: The Villain in Uniform. Chapter Sixty-One: The Villain in Uniform“I don’t think you should stay at the hospital anymore. We don’t know who’s going to walk through that door next…someone who won’t hesitate to silence you for good.”“You worry too much about me, Doc,” Sebastian chuckled, trying to lighten the tension.“I’m serious.” Aiden’s voice was firm as he adjusted his glasses. “You don’t have anyone to take care of you if I send you home. You should stay at my apartment.”Sebastian sighed, heavy with reluctance. “I don’t want to be a burden or put you in danger. You’d understand if I refused.”“I’m a doctor, Sebastian. My job is to keep you alive. And right now, the hospital isn’t safe for you.”“At least in my apartment, I can watch over you every second.”Aiden’s calm and unwavering tone did what it always did…he convinced Sebastian.*****Snap! Snap!Hundreds of camera flashes exploded in the hall.A neatly dressed, well-decorated officer climbed the stage to speak.“No one is above the law. Not the
Last Updated: 2025-09-29
How To Love A Murderer.
He promised to protect him from a killer. He never said he was one.
When journalist Ian Parker witnesses a brutal murder, he should have been the killer's next victim. Instead, he wakes up in the hospital, saved by Zhedya Hunter…a brilliant forensic pathologist, a reclusive CEO, and a man with chilling grey eyes that feel hauntingly familiar.
Charismatic and dangerously possessive, Zhedya offers Ian shelter in his opulent penthouse, a gilded cage where every comfort is a chain.
As Zhedya's obsession deepens, Ian's career skyrockets, with damning evidence against the city's most wanted criminals mysteriously falling into his hands. But each exclusive story comes with a price: a fractured memory, a drugged haze, and a growing pile of bodies connected to anyone who threatens their twisted paradise.
Now, Ian is trapped in a nightmare of luxury and lies, unraveling a truth more terrifying than any headline: his savior is a predator, his sanctuary is a crime scene, and the man who claims to love him is the most prolific murderer he will ever interview.
Learning how to love a murderer is easy. Surviving him is the real story.
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Chapter: Flashbacks Chapter Twenty-Nine: Flashbacks Ian stared into the mug like it held all the answers. The tea was too sweet. Everything felt wrong here, but at least it was a different kind of wrong. “The sugar’s too much, John. I only take two,” he said, placing the mug back on the coffee table with a soft clink. His stomach was in too many knots to drink it anyway. “Oh, my bad,” John shrugged, settling onto the couch beside him. “So, let me get this straight. You basically ran away from your billionaire boyfriend and his penthouse palace?” Ian managed a weak smile. “I didn’t run. I’m… taking a break. Zhedya is just… a lot. He’s too controlling, I think. I mean, I know he means well, but…” "Look, man, I get it,” John said, his tone turning serious. “The guy sounds intense. But... are you sure you're not exaggerating?” “He's a powerful CEO, and you're the journalist who almost got killed. Maybe he's just... pathologically worried about you?" Ian turned to him, and in the soft light of the apar
Last Updated: 2025-10-21
Chapter: Cracks in the Foundation. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Cracks in the FoundationIan stared at the blinking cursor on his laptop screen. It was supposed to feel like freedom, being out of the penthouse, but his mind was just as trapped as his body had been. The words wouldn’t come. Nothing felt real anymore.“Ian.”The voice was soft, but it made him jump. His head snapped up to find Callista sliding into the chair opposite him. A cold dread, sharp and immediate, coiled in his stomach."Callista?" he asked, his voice too tight. "How did you know I was here?"She studied him, a small frown line appearing between her brows. "This is the third time I've found you here. It's your spot. We had a long talk here, just about a month ago. Don't you remember?"He searched his memory, scrambling through the fog. Nothing. A complete, blank wall where that memory should be. The emptiness was terrifying."No. I don't," he said, the fear making him defensive. "Why are you following me?"“Oh, you haven’t been here for a while now,
Last Updated: 2025-10-17
Chapter: The Unwanted Admirer.Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Unwanted AdmirerIan stood frozen before the massive penthouse windows, watching the city pulse with a life he could no longer touch.He snatched his laptop bag. A park. The library. Anywhere with different air.He nearly made it to the door.“And where are you off to, my love?”Ian froze. Zhedya sat in a leather armchair, glasses perched on his nose, a tablet glowing in his hands. He hadn’t even looked up.“I’m going to the library,” Ian said, his voice tighter than he intended. “I can’t write in this… museum. I need a change of scenery.”Zhedya finally lowered the tablet, removing his glasses. The concern in his grey eyes was perfectly practiced. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not with your condition. The dizziness… what if it comes back in public? What if you fall? It’s safer here.”The words were a cage. A gilded, loving cage, but a cage all the same. Frustration boiled over.“I’m not an invalid, Zhedya!” Ian’s voice cracked. He ran a hand through hi
Last Updated: 2025-10-15
Chapter: The Architect of Reality. Chapter Twenty-Six: The Architect of RealityIan paced the living room like a caged animal, his heart hammering in his chest. Every time he closed his eyes, he sees Connor’s face, then Zhedya’s calm eyes. “Ian.”He flinched, spinning around quickly. Zhedya stood there, looking… defeated. He ran a hand through his perfect hair, messing it up. It was a look Ian had never seen on him before.“You were right,” Zhedya said, his voice raw. “I was a coward, Ian. I was so damn scared about losing you, I thought if I just hid from this, it all would go away. I was wrong”“But you… you’re so much braver than I am.”Ian’s stares at him, his eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”“We’ll go to Callista. Today,” Zhedya declared, his gaze intense. “We’ll tell her everything. The threats, the report I altered, my suspicions about who really killed Connor. No more secrets, Ian. We’re in this together.”A shaky wave of relief washed over Ian. Finally. He moved closer, cupping Zhedya’s face. H
Last Updated: 2025-10-13
Chapter: The Patron of Monsters. Chapter Twenty-Five: The Patron of MonstersThe penthouse was dripping with money and power. Ian felt like a stray dog that had wandered into a diamond store. Everywhere he looked, someone's watch cost more than his life."Relax," Zhedya's voice was a low purr in his ear, his hand a burning brand on Ian's lower back. "They aren’t monsters neither do they bite. Much.""I feel like I'm gonna puke on someone's thousand-dollar shoes," Ian muttered, fiddling with his tie.Zhedya just smirked. "You'll get used to it. This is your world now."Then the parade started. Zhedya dragged him from one stuffy suit to another. "Commissioner, meet Ian Parker. The genius behind 'Feral Minds'. He took down the Swift Strangler, you know. My brilliant boy."Ian wanted to sink through the floor. My boy. The words felt like a collar.Across the room, Callista watched it all go down with a bad feeling in her gut. Zhedya never let Ian breathe. If he wasn't touching him, his eyes were tracking him. It was cr
Last Updated: 2025-10-10
Chapter: The New Pawn. Chapter Twenty-Four: The New PawnIan’s thumb hovers just above the glowing call button…one tap, and the line would connect.But the door creaks open.He freezes. The card vanishes under his pillow like a magician’s trick.“Hey baby…”Zhedya steps in, leans down, and plants a kiss on his forehead. That smile…the kind that disarms. The kind that makes Ian want to believe everything’s okay.“You look… troubled,” Zhedya says softly, brushing a curl off Ian’s forehead. “Are you alright, my love?”“I’m okay,” Ian replies too quickly, tugging the blanket up to his chest like armor.A beat.A flick…then a faint hiss.A lighter sparks.The card curls into blackened ash between Zhedya’s fingers.He watches the flame consume it, unblinking.“Some fires… must start small,” he whispers, as the last ember dies in his palm.*****The next morning, soft clinks of porcelain echo.“I made you coffee. How do you feel?” Zhedya’s voice is gentle, almost too gentle.“I’m okay. Cut out too much questions,
Last Updated: 2025-10-08
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