Novels by blessarabooks

SEBASTIAN'S POVThe call ended. I lowered my phone and stared at the blank screen, the satisfaction of seeing Leonardo's anger still fresh in my mind. A slow smile spread across my lips. Twenty-four hours. That was all the time I had given him.Leonardo had always been difficult to corner, too powerful, and too accustomed to controlling every situation he walked into.But this time, I had something he couldn't simply buy back or fight his way through.I turned toward Madam Blackwood.She was still tied to the chair, but there was something unsettling about the calmness in her eyes. Most people in her position would have been terrified. She wasn't.“Let's see what decision your grandson makes,” I said.Her eyes remained fixed on mine. “You think you've won.”A faint smile touched my lips. “I have.”“No.” Her voice was steady. “Whatever you think you're going to achieve will not work.”My smile faded.A faint, almost pitying smile touched her lips. “You'll blame yourself when this is o

LEONARDO'S POVBy the time we returned to the Blackwood mansion, the sun was already sinking beyond the horizon. I didn't waste a second, I headed straight for my study with Damien, Adrian, Riley, and the tech team following behind me. The moment we entered, the room came alive with activity.Several monitors displayed traffic-camera feeds while another showed a map of the city. My tech team moved rapidly between the screens, pulling footage from every accessible camera along the route from the boutique. I stood behind them, watching.“Go back,” I ordered.One of the men rewound the footage. The black vehicle appeared on the screen, moving through an intersection before disappearing behind a line of trucks.“Follow that road.”“We already checked the cameras along that route,” the technicians replied. “The vehicle disappeares about two kilometers from here.”My jaw tightened. They hadn't vanished, they had simply disappeared from our view.“Check the surrounding streets. Every camer

LEONARDO'S POVThe moment I stepped out of the car, I was met by a crowd.Police vehicles surrounded the area outside the boutique, while curious onlookers stood behind the barricades. An ambulance was parked near the entrance, its rear doors open as paramedics treated the wounded guard. But I barely noticed any of them.My eyes searched the crowd until I found Riley. She stood beside Sofia, pale and trembling. Sofia was crying openly, while Riley looked as though she was barely holding herself together. I crossed the distance between us. “Riley.”Her head snapped toward me. “Leonardo…”,I stopped in front of her. “Are you okay?”She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.I stepped closer. “Tell me what happened.”She wiped at her tears with trembling fingers and forced herself to speak.“We were leaving the boutique when two men attacked us. One shot the guard while the other stopped the driver. Then a vehicle arrived.” Her voice broke. “They went straight for Grandma.” “Did th

SEBASTIAN'S POVThe warehouse smelled of dust, rust, and dampness.Somewhere beyond the walls, water dripped at irregular intervals, each drop echoing through the empty building. Above me, a single bulb flickered, throwing unstable shadows across the room.But I barely noticed any of it. My attention was fixed on the woman sitting in the chair at the center of the room. Madam Blackwood.Her head rested against the back of the chair, her eyes still closed. Her hands were tied securely behind her back, and the sedative kept her unconscious.I smiled. This was better than I had imagined. For years, Leonardo Blackwood had been untouchable.Money, power, influence, security. He had everything a man could possibly need to protect himself. But everyone had a weakness, Leonardo's just happened to be sitting in front of me.I slowly walked around the chair, studying Madam Blackwood. It was strange seeing her like this.She looked nothing like the formidable woman I'd heard so much about. The

After gathering everything Grandma needed, we headed to a boutique.The moment we stepped inside Grandma’s entire mood changed. Her eyes lit up as she took in the rows of dresses, and suddenly she looked less like the stern woman I knew and more like a woman who had just discovered paradise. “Oh, look at this.” She hurried toward a rack of dresses.Sofia and I exchanged amused looks.Grandma pulled out a beautiful dress and held it against me. “This one.”I immediately shook my head. “No.”“Yes.”“Grandma, I don't need a dress.”“That wasn't what I asked.” She pushed the dress into my hands and pointed toward the changing room. “Go try it.”Sofia covered her mouth, barely holding back her laughter. “Just surrender, Riley.”I gave her an offended look. “You're supposed to be on my side.”“I am. That's why I'm telling you not to fight a losing battle.”A few minutes later, I stepped out wearing the dress, and Grandma's face brightened. “There.” She looked at Sofia triumphantly. “Tell

RILEY'S POVBy the time I stepped back into Blackwood Mansion, the weight I'd been carrying since the morning had eased slightly.Adrian had promised to look into what I'd seen, and for now, that was enough.Until he came back with something concrete, there was no reason for me to torture myself with possibilities.I went straight to Sofia’s room. I found her sitting on the edge of the bed, folding clothes into neat piles. She looked up the moment I entered. “There you are. Where have you been?”I dropped onto the bed beside her. “I went to see Adrian.”Her hands immediately stopped moving.“What happened?”I shook my head. “Nothing bad. I'll tell you about it later.”Sofia narrowed her eyes. “Fine. But I'm still waiting for the story about your meeting Grandma Blackwood.” I laughed softly. “You're too curious.”“Of course I am. Tell me.”I told her everything—the apology, the way Grandma admitted she'd believed Natalia without giving me a chance to defend myself, and how she'd con