Novels by Nessa

Damien POVEverywhere around me was war.The footsteps of my men echoed through the halls, and the distant crack of gunfire rang out from behind closed doors. We didn't know exactly when Marcus was coming, but we knew he was coming.Mark followed a step behind me as I walked down the corridor, my jaw tight with barely contained anger. It wasn't just that Mark and Rachel had lied to me, and it wasn't even that I now knew the identity of my greatest enemy-it was the thought of them sharing something I wasn't part of.I stopped mid-stride, steadying myself, forcing my breathing to slow. Rachel loved Marcus, and that was the problem. She'd hidden his identity to protect him, and now I had to destroy him. I pushed the thought away. He wouldn't get close to Leo. That was what mattered.Mark lingered behind me, and I could feel his confusion."Boss?" he asked quietly."Shut up," I said coldly.He fell silent, but then

Rachel POV I didn't know how much time had passed since I'd been here. The routine was the same every day: I woke up, ate the nice, nutritious meals, and read the novels on the shelf. I'd read most of them twice now. Sometimes they'd even bring in a laptop so I could watch movies and TV shows.It was annoying. I was like a grounded teenager.And ever since that last argument, Marcus hadn't visited me - at least not face to face. I frowned at the thought. It was obvious he wouldn't; we hadn't exactly seen eye to eye. Even though he kept saying this was for my own good, he couldn't look at me. But even so, I'd sensed his presence. Sometimes, late at night when I was half-asleep, I'd hear his voice drifting through the door, asking someone if I was eating properly.And days ago, a guard came to my door, crying, begging me to forgive him. He told me what Marcus had done to him. Then he left.But I wasn't just sitting here crying anymore. I w

Marcus POVI stepped out of Rachel's room and closed the door behind me. I could still hear her crying on the other side, but I ignored it. She was naive. Gullible. Possibly brainwashed.Of course she didn't understand why I needed to do this.But before I could deal with Damien, I needed to talk to the people who had the audacity to glare at her.I walked down the hall, about to call a meeting, when I passed a door and heard a conversation inside. The room was a small practice area-some of my men and women cleaning their weapons, checking their shots, the distant sound of gunfire ringing through the air as they chatted and practiced."She's so fucking whiny," a young woman said, disgust dripping from her voice. "I thought she'd be taken somewhere else. Instead, we're here babysitting her."One of the gruff men spoke up. "I don't even know why we're hosting the wife of Montrel, especially when she's apparently in love with him."

Rachel POVI woke up with my head pounding, a thick, buzzing ache behind my eyes that made everything feel distant and slow, but when I finally opened them, the first thing I saw was a soft pale yellow ceiling, warm and decorated in a way that felt nothing like the cold concrete I had braced myself for.Then I felt the softness beneath me-a real bed with clean white sheets that smelled faintly of lavender and pillows that actually fluffed when I moved, and for a moment I almost forgot where I was.I sat up slowly, my body heavy and my thoughts scattered, and as I blinked and looked around, my eyes went wide.What happened?The memories came back in flashes: the coffee shop, Marcus across the table, the bitter taste of the coffee, his voice saying, "Sorry, Rachel. This is for your own good." He had drugged me. My own brother had drugged me and kidnapped me.But this place looked nice-the room was small but carefully arranged, with

Damien POV I stared at Leo, still caught in Mr. Vance's grip, Matteo squirming beside him like he was about to bolt."Matteo?!" Alessandro snarled, crossing the room in three strides and yanking his son out of Vance's hands. "What are you doing here?!"Matteo clamped his mouth shut and looked away, refusing to answer.I stood there for a moment, stunned, my eyes moving between the two boys before I turned to Mark. "Why are they here?""I didn't bring them," Mark said, his face pale."It's obvious they snuck into the car, Damien." Vance's voice was calm, almost tired. "They were hiding in the trunk, eating candy.""We were hungry," Leo said, completely shameless.Alessandro's jaw tightened as he glared down at his son. "I know you're the one who came up with this plan.""We just wanted to help!" Matteo pushed away from his father and stepped to Leo's side, chest puffed out like he was trying to be brave

Nighttime. The children's bedroom.Leo lay on the bed with Matteo and Thalia beside him, all of them pretending to sleep. Miss Clara had gone to her room to rest, and the moment her door clicked shut, they slipped out from under the covers."Are you sure you should do this?" Thalia said from the edge of her bed, her voice small and scared.Matteo turned to her, already pulling on his shoes over his pajamas. "Just stay here, Thalia. We just want to see dad."He moved to the window and watched the men outside gathering their things. Then he turned back quickly and grabbed Leo's arm. "Okay, let's go."He dragged Leo out quietly, leaving Thalia behind, worried.---Leo and Matteo hurried down the stairs, their bare feet soft against the steps. At the bottom, a guard stood by the door. He turned when he heard them."Is there something you need, young masters?"Leo froze, stammering. He looked up at Matteo fo