Chapter: The Bargain of BloodDANTE’S POVThe door bursts open before my guard can announce it.My hand moves to my gun instantly. No hesitation. No thought.Every man in the room reacts the same way, weapons drawn, bodies shifting into formation. Control is everything, and control has just been interrupted.The man who stumbles in is not a threat.At least not in the way my men expected.He looks like he is falling apart.His suit is wrinkled, his breathing uneven, his eyes frantic. Fear rolls off him in waves. Real fear. The kind that strips a man of pride.“Stop,” I say.My voice cuts through the tension, and just like that, the room stills.The man drops to his knees in front of me.Not out of respect. Not out of calculation.Out of desperation.“Please,” he says, his voice breaking. “Please, I need your help.”I study him carefully.No weapons. No backup. No plan.Just panic.“People do not walk into my home without permission,” I say calmly. “So you are either very brave or very stupid.”“I bribed one of you
Last Updated: 2026-04-27
Chapter: HeartlessDANTE'S POVI watched her struggle with the decision. I watched the tears stream down her face. I watched her look at her pathetic brother on the floor and back at me.She would sign. They always did when you gave them no other choice.But something about her face kept pulling at my memory. Something familiar I couldn't quite place.I'd seen her before. I was certain of it.Her dark hair. Those wide, terrified eyes. Where had I seen her?The question gnawed at me as I held out the contract. As I counted down. As I watched her break.Then it hit me. A flash of memory. Buried deep from eight years ago.A warehouse. Blood on the floor. My men cleaning up a situation that had gone wrong.And a girl. Young, maybe around eighteen. Standing frozen in the doorway. Her eyes wide with shock as she took in the scene.A witness. An accidental witness who'd walked in at exactly the wrong moment.We'd grabbed her before she could run. Brought her to the secure location. I remembered looking at her
Last Updated: 2026-04-24
Chapter: Bought In FullELARA'S POVThe night air hit my face as I stepped out of the hospital's back exit. I pulled my jacket tighter around myself and checked my phone again.Eight fifteen. I still had forty-five minutes before I needed to be at that warehouse.My stomach twisted with fear every time I thought about it. I started walking toward the staff parking lot, my keys already in my hand. My car was old and barely ran half the time, but tonight I needed it. The parking lot was nearly empty at this hour. Just a few scattered vehicles belonging to the night shift staff. Mine was parked in the far corner under a flickering light that barely worked.I should have requested a closer spot. Should have thought about safety. But I'd been too distracted lately, too consumed with worry about Matteo to think about basic things like where I parked my car.My footsteps echoed against the pavement. Each step felt heavier than the last. I was halfway to my car when I heard it. The sound of an engine close by.A
Last Updated: 2026-04-03
Chapter: KidnappedELARA'S POVI couldn't just sit there. Not with Matteo in danger. Not with those men having him.I jumped off the couch, nearly tripping over my own feet as I grabbed my bag and keys. My hands were still shaking so badly I could barely grip them properly.I had to find him. Had to do something. I needed to call the hospital. Tell them I couldn't come in for my next shift. Make up some excuse. I didn't care what they thought. Matteo's life was more important than my job.I pulled out my phone with trembling fingers and dialed the charge nurse's direct line. It rang three times before she picked up."St. Mary's ER, this is Karen.""Karen, it's Elara." My voice came out strained and breathless. "I need to take emergency leave. Starting now."There was a pause on the other end. "Elara? Your shift doesn't start until tomorrow morning. Are you okay?""No. I mean yes. I mean—" I pressed my free hand against my forehead, trying to think straight through the panic. "It's a family emergenc
Last Updated: 2026-04-03
Chapter: DangerELARA'S POV"Your brother owes us fifty thousand dollars, Miss Santos."The words hit me like a punch to the chest. I pressed the phone harder against my ear, certain I'd misheard."I'm sorry, what?""Fifty. Thousand. Dollars." The man's voice was cold. "He borrowed it six months ago. The interest has been piling up ever since. He's missed three payments now. We're done being patient."My legs felt weak. I leaned against the hospital corridor wall, my free hand gripping the edge for support."There must be some mistake. My brother doesn't have that kind of money. He wouldn't borrow—""But he did." The man cut me off smoothly. "Borrowed it from us. Spent it. And now he can't pay it back. Which makes it your problem.""My problem?" Heat flushed through me, anger mixing with disbelief."I'm not responsible for his debts.""You are now." There was no warmth in his voice. "Family is family, Miss Santos. And in our world, when one person can't pay, the debt passes to the next of kin. Tha
Last Updated: 2026-04-03
Chapter: HurtELARA'S POV"You don't get to control my life, Elara!"Matteo's voice bounced off the thin walls of our cramped apartment. I stood in the kitchen doorway, still in my scrubs from last night's shift, exhaustion pulling at every muscle in my body."Control you?" I shot back, my voice rising despite how much I tried to control it."I'm not trying to control you, Matteo. I'm trying to keep us from ending up on the street!"He laughed bitterly, running his hands through his messy brown hair. The same hair our mother used to ruffle when he was little, back when things were simple. Back when our parents were still alive."Right. Because everything you do is so noble. Saint Elara, working herself to death to take care of her useless little brother."The words stung more than I wanted to admit. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to hold myself together."That's not fair and you know it.""Fair?" He spun around to face me fully, his eyes blazing with something I didn't recognize. Anger, ye
Last Updated: 2026-04-03
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