Novels by Babyesther

DANTE'S POV I pretended to be busy with my car when Orabella came to call me for breakfast. Knowing Aldo, he would still be sour from last night's altercation.“Tell the boy to meet me here once he's had a bath,” I said to Orabella's retreating figure and she nodded.After almost an hour, he was walking through the front door. His hair was wet and some of them clung to the side of his face and his forehead. He wore a t-shirt that clung to his frame and a pair of well tailored pants. I was leaning on my car like the devil offering a ride.“Mother said…”“Get in the car,” I tossed my keys up and caught them.“Why?” He asked as he went around to the passenger seat.“Come on,” I got in. “You are about to find out how to win.”He slipped into the passenger’s seat and crossed his legs at his ankles. He smelled like fruits and oud with an undertone of vanilla. I wanted to lean in and take a deep breath. He didn't say a word about what happened earlier and I wasn't going to push it.Th

JULIAN’S POV The last time I saw Mother angry, I was probably still struggling to pronounce words properly. In this dark world, she was the ray of sunshine. I loved how she loved me and tried to protect me but there's only so much she could do. My hands moved quickly as I piled the plates together. I felt him hovering above me before I saw his shadow. We reached for a plate together and our hands brushed briefly. I pulled back like I had been shocked.“Let me help you.” His breath fanned my face. I wanted to lean in and press my lips against his.“I’m fine,” I stuttered. “It’s nothing much.”He picked up the napkins and started wiping the table. His presence now that he was barely five inches away from me was suffocating. I struggled to focus on the plates but my eyes kept travelling to him. He smelled like spices and wood, intoxicatingly male and heat poured out from his pores. It was the kind of heat I wanted to be wrapped in.“Law,” He dragged out the word. “You’ve always

DANTE'S POV Julian was a pretty boy. He had always been but after fifteen years, he looked too delicate to be involved in the family business. I was glad Orabella was trying to make him take another path. His lashes fluttered as he looked up at me briefly. I could tell he was skeptical about living with me and I understood him. I would not welcome the idea of living with a step uncle who disappeared for fifteen years.Aldo cleared his throat. “You know the Montrelli.”“Very well,” I said, my eyes still fixed on Julian. He was chewing really slowly and his mouth sagged like he'd rather not be here.“They are sniffing around the port again. Two of their men were caught there last week. Are they just going to ignore that we have it locked down?”I scoffed. “They are testing you.”Julian glanced at me. He was a young man shielded from our world. Orabella had done a great job keeping him away from this evil.“You talk as if this test might not end up with bodies in bags,” Orabella sai

JULIAN’S POVThe devil I know is better than the angel I didn't. Problem is, I didn't know any angels. Born into a life like this, there were just devils and devils and they showed up when you least expected.Tonight's surprise was Dante Martinez. He arrived at dinner fifteen years late with a suit that must have cost a fortune. The moment he walked into the room, the air thickened like even oxygen was scared of him.“Dante,” My mother said in a strangled voice. Her hand trembled slightly as she lifted her wine glass to her mouth. My father who had leaned back in a posture mum had always complained about suddenly sat upright, straightening his back. His eyes followed Dante as he took a seat. It felt like God had walked into the room except that I had imagined God as anything but a six foot, fully tatted, dark-haired man.My eyes followed his every move the second he walked through those doors. His long strides, the way he loosened his tie and undid the button of his suit as he took hi

CARTERI buried myself in the case before me, the Maybel Health case. I was scheduled to appear in court in a few days, and I needed strong arguments, but I was distracted. Trying to shake off the thoughts of Eli’s mouth on my skin. I had arrived at school earlier than usual just so I could work and by now the university was buzzing with students.I groaned and stood up to get myself a cup of coffee from the lounge. The previous meeting I had with Donna and the rest of the Maybel Health executives kept playing in my head.“Don’t lie to me. I need to know if it's true” a familiar voice cut through my thoughts. I stood at the doorway of one of the lecture rooms, and the voice I heard was unmistakably angry.I stepped closer before my mind could stop me and I peered through the slightly opened door. Eli. He was standing close the the front row with his head down and his shoulders tensed. My chest tightened as I peered in further. My mind was right. The familiar voice was that of my own

ELIIt has been days since that night and I have barely slept. Every time I tried to close my eyes, I could still feel Carter’s touch like an echo on my skin, the way he looked at me, and the way he fucked me that night. This time, it didn't feel like a mistake. More like a truth that none of us were ready to admit.I was sitting at the edge of my bed with my notes scattered around me. I was trying to study. I pressed my palms to my face and sighed. I was under a lot of pressure.Every thought I had, went back to Carter, his soft low voice. The way his warm hand traced down my back and how he grabbed my hair.The silence that followed had been louder than any words. But I told myself that I understood. Carter had a reputation to protect. He couldn't give himself away like that. He was a professor and I was more likely a risk.The ache was still there, though; I just did my best to suppress it.I finally gathered the strength to get up and prepare for school when Maya texted me.When I

CARTERMorning came too quickly. After last night, I needed more time to rest but I had to throw myself out of bed. For a moment, I let myself remember all that had gone down.I exhaled sharply and ran my hand over my face. What the hell have I done again? I had crossed a line once and I promised myself I wouldn't cross it again.I dressed up, thinking that I could somehow hide the guilt of everything beneath my suit. I even made strong, black coffee—anything to get me back to my old self.When I reached the office, it was still early and the school hadn't been filled with the morning chatter yet.Immediately I unlocked my door, and something felt off. The woody scent of my office wasn't as strong as usual but it didn't seem too odd.I sat behind my desk and powered it on. With the screen blinking to life, everything was normal, up until it wasn't.As soon as my email opened, chill crawled down my spine. Dozens of unread automated messages popped up. “Unauthorized access attempt” “pas

ELITwo weeks had passed, and I tried to convince myself that I was okay, that a lot of things didn't matter. And yet here I was, replaying every moment.It was pathetic, really.My essay was published two days ago. It was printed with my name in bold under the headline. Everyone had congratulated me, even Professor Cross.“Big shot now, huh?” she’d said, smiling too sweetly. “Guess Professor Vale really knows how to spot talent.”I appreciated her message but I could not stop wondering why she had to bring Carter into almost every conversation or congratulatory remark. Did she like him? That's what women do when they have a crush. They tend to ramble about him… or her.I had no classes to attend for the day so I tried to bury myself in work, editing and writing new essays, anything to distract myself from the dull ache in my abdomen. But nothing really helped.That evening, I needed some air, or a walk, I wasn't sure but I did both. I kept walking until my feet took me to somewhere e

CARTERI hunched over my desk. The evening sun poured over it. My coffee had gon cold a while ago but it was worth it. We had stumbled upon a lead that would help us in the Maybel Health case, but we only needed a way to use it.I leaned back, and rubbed my temples as a rush of relief and tension flooded through me.“This could be the turning point,” I muttered to myself. But instead of feeling victorious, I felt conflicted.There should have been adrenaline following this breakthrough but it wasn't coming. Instead, the tightness in my chest returned, the same one that had been sitting in my chest since I received the email.Thinking back to that night, I didn't mean for things to go that far with Eli. He only came to thank me and I should have acknowledged him only. But one glance and everything between us shifted.I had barely spoken to Eli since then. Not because I didn't want to but because I didn't trust myself to look at him and not feel that same dangerous pull again.My phone b

ELIThis week was passing by in fragments. Carter hadn’t said a word to me since that night, not in class, not even in the hallway. He hardly looked at me. At first, I thought he must have felt guilty or ashamed, but I am starting to think I was wrong. It was as if someone flipped a switch inside of him.I looked at Maya next to me who was busy tapping away on her phone. I hadn’t told her what I had done with our professor. I wasn’t ready to share that tiny detail of my life yet.I tried to assure myself that none of this mattered. I knew what I was getting into by associating myself with Liam’s cold-hearted older brother. But every time we crossed paths without a word, it felt like a blade twisting slowly in my chest.I was not stupid enough not to notice that Carter had probably used me because it was convenient for him. He was just like his brother, maybe even worse. He pretended I didn’t exist after having his way with me. Why did I think he was different? Or why did I want him to