Romane von blessarabooks

was still looking at the ring that had rolled out of my bag, when the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. The corridor went silent the moment Leonardo arrived. Clarisse froze and the other maid straightened instantly, bowing their heads. Leornado stood there, his gaze sweeping over the mess on the floor. “What's going on here?” he asked. Clarisse moved quickly “sir, my gold ring went missing. I searched everyone's rooms and it was found in hers.” she said pointing towards me. Leonardo's gaze shifted to me. “I didn't take it,” I said without looking away. He looked at me like he was assessing me, and then turned back to Clarisse. “And that alone convinces you she stole it.” Clarisse scoffed. “Of course. It was found in her bag.” Leonardo took a slow step forward. “You and her,” he said calmly, “ it's not news that you’re not on good terms.” Clarisse stiffened. “Maybe that was why she stole my ring” “Riley is not stupid,” he said. “She knows steali

The knock came again. I stood in the middle of the room, breath uneven and my palms damp, I stared at the door contemplating whether to open the door or not. I reached for the door knob, my fingers trembling, I twisted the door knob and the door swung open. Leonardo stood there, his expression unreadable, two guards stood behind him, they didn't need weapons to look dangerous, but I didn't care about them. I opened my mouth to greet him, and nothing came out at first. Leornardo didn't wait for an invitation, he walked in, his guards following right behind him. His shoes clicked softly on the floor as he moved like the space belonged to him. He dropped onto my couch, crossed one leg over the other, and leaned back. “Hello little thief” My stomach tightened. He lifted his eyes to mine, looking dark and calm. “It seems” he said slowly, “you have a very short memory” I swallowed “You heard my words that night, and yet you still found the courage to take what belongs to me” My

I stood frozen on the porch, the envelope clenched so tight in my fist my knuckles burned. Leonardo Blackwood The name echoed in my head. My pulse roared in my ears, drowning out the distant hum of the city. Avery was slumped against the doorframe behind me, half awake and unconscious. My vision blurred for a moment, and memories I had tried to bury clawed their way forward. That night ….. I could never forget. Cold air tore through my chest as I sprinted down the narrow alley, I cut left, then right, shoulders clipping rusted dumpsters, my heart hammered violently, panic flooding my veins. the sharp scent of garbage and rain mingling in the air. Footsteps thundered behind me. “Stop her!! Thief!! I didn’t dare look back. All this… for a few ordinary gold bracelets from a crappy downtown jewelry store. Somewhere far away, Avery must be doing the same thing. We had always done this together, but tonight, we were separate and here came the consequences. Then the al

RILEY’S POV “Third heist of the month,” I shouted, raising an invisible glass with my free hand. “Here’s to many more.” “To our gaddamn luck,” Avery fired back, unleashing that low, wicked laugh of hers— the kind that cut through the adrenaline and had me laughing right along with her, despite the pounding in my chest. For a moment everything else vanished, it was just us, the bike, and the thrill of speed. For a fleeting moment, I let my mind drift back to those endless nights after the accident that stole my parents from me, turning me into a homeless orphan. I couldn’t forget the raw ache of grief and the biting chill of the streets where I’d curled up alone,praying death should come to take me to my parents. Avery had found me there, a wild, fierce girl with tangled hair and defiant golden eyes. She’d pressed a stolen loaf of bread into my trembling hands when hunger had nearly killed me. Since then, she had become my ride-or-die, the only thing close to family I had l