Chapter: Epilogue ONE YEAR LATER: ~SWEET VENICE~ The Venetian night air was thick with expectation as Simon and Gemini returned to their luxurious suite, the soft glow of the city’s lights screening through the curtains. The evening was full of exciting tastes and feelings, but nothing matched the strong desire between them. Gemini's unexpected striptease sparked a passion in Simon, and as they entered the dimly lit room, the tension was clear.The necklace he’d gifted her sparkled around her neck, a subtle reminder of the love they shared, but it was the raw, unspokendesire that dominated the moment.Gemini moved with deliberate grace, her panties and bra the only walls between her and Simon’s hungry gaze. She approached him slowly, her hips swaying to an imaginary rhythm, her eyes locked on his. Simon stood by the window, his breath shallow, his chest rising and falling with anticipation. She reached him, her hands resting on his shoulders, and began a slow, tantalizing lap dance. Her body pr
Last Updated: 2025-05-04
Chapter: Chapter 101~DESPERATE MEASURES~Gemini threw herself sideways, wrenching open the car door and tumbling onto the pavement as a deafening crack split the air. More shouting, the sound of running feet, another gunshot. She scrambled away from the car, disoriented, ears ringing.Strong hands grabbed her shoulders—one of the officers, pulled her behind the cruiser for cover. "Stay down," he ordered."My daughter," Gemini gasped. "He has my daughter. Black SUV headed north. My husband—"The officer's radio crackled with static and urgent voices. "All units, be advised that the suspect vehicle is located at the intersection of Mulholland and Coldwater. The child is secured and appears unharmed. Suspect in custody."Relief made Gemini's knees buckle. "Maya's safe?""Sounds like it," the officer confirmed, his attention divided between her and the standoff at the Tesla. "We had units already en route to your home. 911 call came in about twenty minutes ago from a neighbor who saw a struggle."Another
Last Updated: 2025-05-04
Chapter: Chapter 100~SIN OF THE MOTHER~Ciara's face crumpled. "I didn't know he would... that he would make her lose the baby. He gave her something, told her it was just a drink...""And when she started hemorrhaging? When she was rushed to the hospital?" Maya pressed. "Did you stand up for her then? Did you confront Gustavo?"Tears streamed down Ciara's face. "I couldn't. He threatened to tell George I was stealing from the company. Said he'd make sure I went to prison, that Tiara would be left with nothing.""So you chose yourself over your daughter." Maya's words were quiet but cutting. "Just like you chose George's money over our friendship.""What was I supposed to do?" Ciara cried, her voice rising enough that the guard at the door shifted, alert. "You had everything! Everything I ever wanted! The career, the marriage, the child, the adoration—everyone called you a goddamn goddess! Do you have any idea what it was like living in your shadow?""I never put you in my shadow, Ciara. You chose to st
Last Updated: 2025-05-04
Chapter: Chapter 99~BECAUSE I HATE YOU~Two days later, Gemini stood beside her father's hospital bed, watching as the doctors reduced his sedation. Maya and Brandon waited outside—neither ready to face George just yet.Slowly, George's eyes fluttered open, confusion giving way to recognition as he focused on Gemini's face."My daughter," he rasped, his voice weak from disuse."Hello, Father," Gemini replied, the formal address deliberate, a signal that things had changed.George's eyes darted around the room. "Where's Gustavo? I need to speak with him immediately.""Gustavo won't be visiting," Gemini said calmly. "He's currently in federal custody, along with Ciara."An alarm flashed across George's face. "What have you done?""What you taught me to do. Protect what's mine." Gemini leaned closer. "I know everything, Father. About Grandfather. About Mother. About what you've done to Saint Tech."George's expression hardened. "You understand nothing. Everything I did, I did to build an empire worthy of t
Last Updated: 2025-05-04
Chapter: Chapter 98THE RECKONINGThe Saint Tech boardroom fell silent as the heavy oak doors swung open. Gustavo Montreal, standing at the head of the table mid-sentence, froze when he saw who entered.Gemini Saint walked in first, her posture straight and confident, dressed in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit that meant business. Behind her came Simon, then Brandon Greyson, and finally Jerome—Gustavo's supposedly crime in partner."I apologize for the interruption," Gemini said, her voice steady and clear as she addressed the board members seated around the massive table. "But I believe this meeting was scheduled to begin at ten, and I wouldn't want to miss it."Ciara Edwards, seated at Gustavo's right, recovered first. Her perfectly manicured nails tapped an impatient rhythm against the polished mahogany. "Gemini, darling, how unexpected. We thought with your... recent delivery, you'd be taking some much-needed rest.""I'm touched by your concern," Gemini replied, the ice in her voice belying her
Last Updated: 2025-05-04
Chapter: Chapter 97~THE FINAL THREAT~Gemini's phone buzzed on the nightstand. She glanced at the screen and frowned, immediately recognizing Gustavo's number. After everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours—discovering her mother was alive, learning the truth about her father's crimes—the last person she wanted to hear from was Gustavo Montreal.Still, she answered it. Know your enemy, her father had always taught her."What do you want, Gustavo?" Her voice was cold, detached."We need to talk, Gemini." His tone was urgent, almost desperate. "In person. It's important."She let out a bitter laugh. "I have nothing to say to you.""It's about your father," he pressed. "About the board meeting tomorrow. Things you need to know before you make a mistake you can't undo."Gemini hesitated, her mind racing. Was it possible he knew about their plans? About Maya being alive?"Fine," she said finally. "Where and when?""The café at the Riverside Hotel. In an hour.""That's across town. I need m
Last Updated: 2025-05-04
Chapter: Chapter 150SCARS THAT SPEAK"Some wounds are visible. Others cut so deep they change the shape of your soul."~ LAUREN'S POV ~The penthouse felt like a mausoleum.I sat in the passenger seat of Alexandro's Maserati, watching the city blur past through rain-streaked windows, and said nothing. The silence stretched between us like an abyss, filled with all the words we weren't saying.He kept glancing at me. I could feel his eyes tracking the bruise blooming across my cheekbone, the torn sleeve of my coat, the way I held my left arm too carefully against my ribs."Lauren…..""Don't."My voice came out flat. Dead. Like someone had reached inside my chest and turned off the power.He shut up.The elevator ride to his floor lasted forever. Thirty-seven floors of suffocating quiet, the only sound the mechanical hum of cables and my heartbeat thundering in my ears. When the doors finally opened, I walked straight to the guest bathroom without looking back."Lauren, we need to talk about what happe
Last Updated: 2025-08-07
Chapter: Chapter 149TRAPPED"Some traps are baited with hope, others with desperation. The cruelest ones use both."~ LAUREN'S POV ~The warehouse looked like a wound in the city, jagged and pulsing with dread. My breath misted in the freezing air as I paused at the side entrance, my fingers twitching around the small canister of pepper spray in my coat pocket. I shouldn't be here. I knew it. And yet…The message had been impossible to ignore:"Come alone. If you want more proof that Ethan's been feeding Julian everything…..come now."My heart had pounded as I read it, my gut screaming it was a trap. But what if it wasn't? What if this was the only shot to expose the man tearing Alexandro's empire apart from the inside? What if I could finally matter… not just to him, but in this war?I slipped through the cracked metal door.The interior smelled like mildew and burnt oil. Concrete walls closed in like prison bars, shadows stretching unnaturally wide. I moved quietly, ducking past old crates and rust
Last Updated: 2025-08-05
Chapter: Chapter 148~ ALEXANDRO'S POV ~The call came at 2:47 AM, jerking me out of the first decent sleep I had had in three days."Pronto," I answered, not bothering to check the caller ID."Alexandro." The voice was soft, trembling, and filled with the kind of fear that made my blood run cold. "It's your mother."I was on my feet before the words fully registered, every protective instinct screaming to life. Isabella had only arrived in Portland yesterday—I had arranged her latest relocation myself after Viktor's men had gotten too close to her safe house in Vancouver."Mamma, are you secure? Did something happen at the apartment?""I'm safe. For now." Her voice cracked, and I could hear her crying. "But Alexandro, I've done something terrible. Something that's going to destroy you."My grip tightened on the phone as I moved to the window, scanning the street below out of habit. Without Leonardo's network…dead for three years now….keeping my mother hidden had become a constant game of chess with th
Last Updated: 2025-08-02
Chapter: Chapter 147THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LIES"Some betrayals run so deep they poison generations, and some obsessions are born from graves we never properly dug."~ LAUREN'S POV ~The coffee shop felt like a war zone disguised as a sanctuary. I sat across from Ethan, my hands trembling around my cup, still reeling from his confession about the exposé."You destroyed him," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "You destroyed us."Ethan's face showed a mix of emotions, guilt, grit, and what seemed like relief."Lauren, you don't understand. I had to….""Had to what?" I snapped, finding my voice. "Had to use our friendship? Had to manipulate me into giving you information about Alexandro? Had to publish lies about human trafficking?""They weren't lies."The words struck me hard. I stared at him, searching his face for some sign that he was joking, that this was all some horrible mistake."What are you talking about?"Ethan leaned forward, his green eyes intense. "Those documents were real, Lauren. The f
Last Updated: 2025-07-29
Chapter: Chapter 146THE BETRAYAL"The cruelest wounds are inflicted by those we trust most, using the very secrets we shared in love."~ LAUREN'S POV ~I woke to the sound of Sophia's phone ringing at six in the morning."Lauren," her voice was urgent, panicked. "Lauren, wake up. You need to see this."I stumbled into the living room, still wearing yesterday's clothes, my eyes swollen from crying. Sophia stood in front of her laptop, her face pale with horror."What is it?" I asked, though something in my stomach already knew.She turned the screen toward me, and my world imploded.‘NEW YORK HERALD - MORNING EDITION’‘CASTELLO EMPIRE EXPOSED: Inside the Dark Web of Human Trafficking’ ‘By Ethan Miller’The headline struck me hard, but it was the subheading that made my legs give out: ‘Exclusive photos and inner documents reveal the shocking truth behind one of New York's most powerful families’I sank onto the couch, my hands shaking as I scrolled through the article. Every horrifying detail I had seen
Last Updated: 2025-07-29
Chapter: Chapter 145SHATTERED TRUST "The cruelest betrayal is when the person you love most becomes the one you fear." ~ LAUREN'S POV ~ The documents trembled in my hands as Alexandro stepped into the room, his presence filling the space with a dangerous energy that made my skin crawl. Gone was any trace of the man who had kissed me goodbye this morning, who had worried about my safety, who had held me like I was precious. This man was a stranger. Cold. Calculating. Deadly. "I asked you a question, Lauren." His voice was silk over steel, each word strictly let out. "What. Are. You. Doing. In. Here?" I couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. The trafficking documents felt like they were burning my fingers, the evidence of his crimes staring up at me in black and white. Children's names. Ages. Prices. My stomach lurched. "Cat got your tongue?" He moved closer, each step gauged and predatory. "Or are you too busy playing detective to answer me?" "I was just…." My voice cracked. "I
Last Updated: 2025-07-24
Chapter: Chapter 34CHAPTER 34: RETURN TO REALITYThe helicopter's rotors cut through the morning air as they lifted off from the estate's landing pad. Below them, fallen trees and debris were scattered across the grounds like broken toys. The storm had passed, but its scars remained.Lyra pressed her face to the window, watching the destruction shrink beneath them. In daylight, the hurricane's path looked even more devastating. Power lines draped across roads like dead snakes. Houses with roofs torn clean off. Cars flipped upside down in ditches."The main highway won't be clear for days," Ryker said into his headset, speaking to the pilot. "Take us straight to Manhattan."His hand rested possessively on her thigh, fingers tracing small circles through the fabric of her jeans. The intimate gesture should have comforted her after everything they'd shared during the storm. Instead, it made her skin crawl with unease.Something had shifted between them in those dark hours. The man who'd held her so tend
Last Updated: 2025-06-06
Chapter: Chapter 33CHAPTER 33: EYE OF THE STORMThe hurricane hit just after midnight.Lyra woke to the sound of something crashing outside the tree, maybe, or part of the roof. The wind screamed like a living thing, rattling every window in the house with violent force.She sat up in bed, her heart racing. The emergency lighting cast eerie shadows on the walls, and she could hear objects being thrown against the house by the wind.A soft knock came at her door."Lyra?" Ryker's voice was barely audible over the storm. "Are you okay?"She wrapped a robe around herself and opened the door. He stood there fully dressed, his hair damp from checking the windows."The main power's completely out," he said. "The generator's running, but barely. We should stay in the living room- it's the most secure part of the house."Another crash outside made them both flinch."Is it safe?" she asked."Safer than being alone in separate rooms." His eyes met hers. "Unless you'd rather-""No. You're right. We should stick tog
Last Updated: 2025-06-06
Chapter: Chapter 32CHAPTER 32: CONFRONTING DEMONSLyra was still sitting in Ryker's secret study when she heard the helicopter's blades cutting through the evening air. Her heart battered against her ribs as she looked at the newspaper clippings scattered across the desk, at Olivia's letter still clutched in her trembling hands.She'd made her choice. She wasn't running to Marcus. But that didn't mean she was ready to face Ryker with all these secrets burning between them.The front door slammed shut with enough force to rattle the windows. Heavy footsteps echoed through the marble hallway, moving with deadly purpose toward the stairs."Lyra!" His voice boomed through the house, sharp with barely controlled fury.She should hide the evidence. Lock the door. Pretend she'd never seen any of this. Instead, she sat frozen as his footsteps grew closer, stopping right outside the door she'd left open."So this is where you've been."Lyra turned slowly to find Ryker filling the doorway, his tall frame strict
Last Updated: 2025-05-30
Chapter: Chapter 31CHAPTER 31: UNINVITED GUEST 2She looked at Marcus, then back at the phone. "I have to take this.""Be very careful what you say," Marcus warned. "He can read you better than you think."Lyra answered, trying to keep her voice steady. "Hello?""How's your day going?" Ryker's voice was warm, concerned. The voice of a man who missed her."Fine. Quiet. Harrison's been teaching me to bake.""I'm sorry I had to leave so abruptly this morning. After what happened between us...""It's okay," she said quickly, aware of Marcus watching her every expression. "I understand you have work to do."There was a pause. "Is everything all right? You sound different."Her eyes met Marcus's, and she saw him shake his head slightly in warning."I'm just tired.""I should be back tomorrow evening. We need to talk about where we go from here.""Where we go?""This morning changed things between us. You know that." His voice dropped lower, more intimate. "I've been thinking about you all day. About us."The
Last Updated: 2025-05-30
Chapter: Chapter 30CHAPTER 30: UNINVITED GUEST 1The helicopter had been gone for three hours when Lyra heard the doorbell ring.She was in the kitchen with Harrison, trying to distract herself by learning to make his famous blueberry scones. Her hands were covered in flour, and she had somehow managed to get butter in her hair."Are you expecting someone?" Harrison asked, wiping his hands on his apron."No." Lyra frowned. "Ryker didn't mention any visitors."Through the kitchen window, she could see a sleek black car in the driveway. Expensive. The kind Ryker's business associates might drive."I'll handle it," Harrison said, but Lyra was already wiping her hands clean."No, it's okay. I'll go."She walked to the front door, her bare feet silent on the marble floor. Through the glass panels, she could see a tall man in a dark suit. Even from behind, she recognized that arrogant posture.When she opened the door, Marcus Kane's smile was charming and practiced….the same manipulative expression he had wor
Last Updated: 2025-05-30
Chapter: Chapter 29CHAPTER 29: VULNERABLE The master bedroom felt different in daylight…less intimidating, more intimate.He set her down gently beside the bed, his hands framing her face. "Are you sure?"The question surprised her. She had expected demands, authority, and the controlling man she had grown used to. Instead, she saw delay, a defenselessness that made her heart race for entirely different reasons.“Are you?” she asked His smile was a fragile thing, both sad and beautiful, like the last ray of sunlight before nightfall. “I haven’t been sure of anything since the day you walked into my life.”His hands slid down to her shoulders, his fingers brushing the silk of her pajama top. With a tenderness that made her chest ache, he peeled it away, his lips following the path of his hands. His mouth pressed softly against her collarbone, his breath warm against her skin. “So beautiful,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion, as if the words were torn from the depths of his soul.She shivered,
Last Updated: 2025-05-25
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