Novels by Bernice

Adam’s POVThe door slammed shut behind me, sealing the cold basement room in silence. Only the low, steady hum of the fluorescent lights overhead remained a harsh white glow that made every detail look uglier than it was.Corinth sat bound to the iron chair at the center of the room. Heavy leather straps wrapped her wrists and ankles.Her hair hung in damp strands across her face, sticking to the bruises already forming there. Blood had dried on her lip. One eye was swelling shut.She was trying to hold herself upright, but her shoulders were slumped. She trembled in the cold, half-naked under the ripped remnants of her blouse.I stopped two feet in front of her.Raphael stood in the corner, arms crossed, eyes watching both of us.“Leave us,” I said softly.Raphael gave a short nod and walked out, closing the heavy steel door behind him with a final metallic thud.Silence.I could hear her breathing short, sharp, ragged.“Look at me,” I said.She didn’t move at first.I reached out,

Adam’s POVThe tunnels were dark and narrow as I walked slowly, listening.Every sound was louder here: the scrape of her boots, the ragged breathing she couldn’t hide, the way she tried to be silent and failed.Corinth thought she was escaping. She was wrong.I checked the small monitor in my palm. Her red dot moved carefully through the old servants’ tunnels. She didn’t know I was behind her, silent as death.I kept my breathing calm. Hunting wasn’t about rage. It was about control. That was what my father taught me.“Never show anger,” he’d say, voice low over the crackle of a fire. “Anger blinds you. Control gives you power.”I let his words guide me. My fingers rested on the butt of my pistol, but I didn’t draw it. I didn’t need to. Not yet.Ahead, the tunnels curved left, then right, snaking beneath the estate like a nest of vipers.Corinth was moving fast now. I could hear the slap of her boots on the old stone.She thought I didn’t know these passages. She didn’t know I’d spen

Adam’s POVThe estate was too quiet. The kind of quiet that makes you hold your breath, waiting for something to break the silence.But beneath the polished marble floors and high ceilings, a battle was happening. A battle I’d started long before Corinth ever stepped inside these walls.I sat in the security room, staring at the bank of screens in front of me.Each screen showed different parts of the estate, but my eyes were locked on one: the dark figure slipping through the maze of halls and corridors.It was Corinth the traitor who thought she could outsmart me.She moved like a shadow, fast and careful, but I could tell she was scared.Her every step showed it fear clinging to her like a heavy cloak she couldn’t shake off. I allowed myself a small smile.She was smart, quick, and maybe even a little lucky but not lucky enough.Without looking away, I gave an order. “Keep the cameras looping, Raphael. Drop the motion sensors in Zone Three by twenty percent. Let her think she’s fre

Adam’s POVI sat in the study room, tired from checking the business file and reached for the television's remote.I pressed a button and the television came on. I was watching the news and I returned to reading the documents.The second I heard the name Clayridge on the news ticker, I stopped breathing.I stood frozen, my eyes locked on the television screen like it held the keys to the next war.A riot. At Clayridge.I didn’t need to wait for confirmation.My gut knew before my brain did.Richard was gone."Confirmed reports that Mafia suspect Richard Mitch, elder brother to the notorious underworld figure Adam Mitch, escaped the facility early this morning along with six other inmates..."Notorious? Oh damn it.I never went above my own lane and I was making the news because of Richard.The voice of the news anchor turned to static in my ears. I saw the headline. I saw the flames. The chaos. The confusion on the guards’ faces. It all looked staged. Because it was.I’d know Richard’

Elizabeth’s POVThe first time I pressed the panic button in the elevator, I wasn’t panicking. I was just curious how long it would take for them to get to me.I counted slowly and when it got to none seconds, I got my answer.Eight men came charging into the hallway, guns drawn. One of them even barked my name like I was under attack.But I wasn’t.I just needed proof. Proof that this place had stopped being a house a long time ago.Now, it was a cage. Pretty curtains didn’t hide the bars. I wasn't locked up. I was free but I was sick and tired of staying put in this house.I didn’t bother apologizing. I just walked past the guards and headed toward the basement. Their footsteps followed, but I didn’t look back. I kept walking, down the staircase, past the secured corridor with fingerprint locks, straight to the cell where Corinth was held.She sat on the floor like a dead person with her head leaned back against the wall.Somehow I felt pity for her, but I was still mad she had trie

Lily's POVI didn’t talk to Lance during the whole flight. I didn’t have to. He didn’t expect me to.We sat in silence, an ocean between us despite sitting only one seat apart. In one hand he swirled a whiskey glass slowly. I had nothing. Not even sleep. I hated that I was in this position.When we landed in the States, I braced for the worst. I thought I would be taken directly to some basement then given a gun, a file and told to clean up someone else’s mess. Or even killed. But instead, Lance handed me a manila folder.Inside were fake credentials. It had given me a new name so I could not be easily tracked. New background. I was officially now Samantha Carson, federal corrections officer, Clayridge Maximum Security Prison.My stomach twisted."What is this?" I asked.Lance didn’t smile. "Your clean slate. Your one final task."I really didn't want to and I complained. "This isn’t what I do."Lance picked up and did not care. "You do now."I stared at the folder again. One of the d

QMelissa's POV It was me at the club some months ago, rocking a man with a very low dress that revealed my lower bum. My hands pulled down the dress in the video and I kept twerking. “Shit!” I hissed. I had been so drunk that night that I forgot myself. “Who took this damn video?”Then I remembered I had been with Petra and she was the one cheering me on the video. She had been the one to take the video but how was it on the internet at the moment? I texted her back. “Petra, did you send anyone that video of us at the club?”She didn't text back and my heart raced. “Petra!!!” I typed back and yet she didn't respond. I could see she had read it and it made me angry. “Petra. I can see that you have read my messages. Answer me.”“I sent it only to my boyfriend, I promise. I didn't mean for it to go, this public. I'm sorry,’’ she replied and I groaned. Well, now it was. How could she? Then I paused the video and slid my fingers on the screen. It took me to another post and it was ba

Melissa’s POV“Next model, please.”I blinked. My robe was still tied, makeup half done, and I stared at the assistant who brushed past me like I was invisible.“What do you mean next?” I asked sharply. “I haven’t even changed into the outfit.”The woman didn’t look at me. She waved her clipboard. “You’re not needed anymore. Management brought someone else.”Someone else?The door opened and in came a younger girl—barely out of her teens—with hair shining like she’d stepped out of a shampoo commercial. She looked at me once, smirked, then turned her face toward the lights like she already owned them.I stepped forward. “Excuse me, but I was booked for this shoot. Why is she here?”No answer. People just moved around, fixing lights, carrying clothes, avoiding my eyes like I’d grown horns.“Hello?” I snapped, louder. “Does anyone care to explain why I’m being pushed aside like garbage?”One of the makeup artists finally sighed. “Melissa, please don’t make a scene.”“A scene?” My laugh c

Shane's POV“Can you believe him?” Lucy's voice rose. “He's such a ….”She was struggling to find the words in her anger, and I sat still, watching her.“I can't believe he would go that far.” Then she scoffed. “I mean, I should, since the only thing he's been trying to do since I came into this house is kill me or you.”“And all that nonsense about Melissa helping him set me up with you in that hotel is just crazy. He's trying to pin everything on her.”“What if he's telling the truth?” I asked.“What?” Lucy said, looking at me, surprised.“What if he's not lying,” I repeated calmly.“How can you say that?” Lucy asked, her voice going softer.“Look at it this way,” I began. “You were brought to the party by Melissa, were you not?”“Yes, but she's…”“How long have you two been friends?” I asked, cutting her words off.“A couple of years. We lost contact for a while, then met again over a year ago at the audition center for Zhao's film.”“I see,” I said calmly. “Did you get it?”“Well,

Dwayne’s POV“What? Speechless, aren’t you?” I asked, enjoying everything. I shook my head and sipped my cup of coffee. “Instead of yelling at me, tell Melissa to tell you the truth.”“Melissa wouldn’t…”“You’re a disappointment. I thought you would be smarter than this, Lucy. She wouldn’t what?”“Dwayne, watch your mouth,” Shane said in a warning tone.I turned to him and smiled. “Or what? I let you hit me because of how I treated you in the past. If you hit me again, I won’t hold back,” I said and checked my wristwatch.The time was exactly ten minutes. I took a long sip and my phone buzzed. I didn’t need to check who it was. I picked it up, balanced my cup in one hand, and answered the call. The voice on the other line was clean. “We’re here, boss.”“I’ll be outside,” I said, finished my coffee, then stood up. Glancing at them one more time. “You should ask yourself why I pulled away from claiming the company, brother.”“I thought it was because you were incompetent,” Lucy spat.“T

Meredith's POV I didn't know what was more cold. The night air or the man I called to help me out. He was Raymond. The devil I didn't think I would need. His smirk made me want to die. “Hello, darling. You look ravishing.”His hands reached for me and I squirmed away. “Keep your hands to yourself.”“Sweetie. I can't. I used to have that body all to myself until….” His eyes strayed to my face. “You chose to disappear without a word.”“I needed a change. You were sickening.”“Hmph,” he said silently and stretched out his hand and one of his men brought out a cigarette. My driver was visibly shaken. He hadn't expected to be caught up in this. I nodded to him and said. “You can leave.”“But Ma'am. I am supposed to take you back.”“I'll find my way back. Leave,” I said calmly. But the old man remained still. “I'm afraid I can't, Ma'am. Your son would have my head if I don't return with you.”Raymond lit his cigarette and blew a smoke then laughed. “Ah, you have a son.”I gave Raymond t

Dwayne's POV The fuck he hit me for! Abortion? I never forced that woman to….oh, I see. She got to Lucy first huh?Lucy blocked Shane from hitting me. I never felt she was this nice. She was supposed to hate me till I died. “Shane, that's enough. You can be angry but don't hit him anymore. You should get to the police and do this the legal way,” she muttered. I laughed. “Police?” She turned to me with venom in her eyes. “I didn't stand here for you to laugh.”“She easily fooled you like I thought,” I responded. Shane moved faster than I expected, going round Lucy and grabbing me by the collar. “My wife might be merciful to you but don't think for a second just because we are siblings that I'm going to spare you.”“Shane, wait. You shouldn't…hold on,” she said looking at me. I only smiled and wiped my nose. “I know that you both know,” I answered. “We've talked about it.”Her eyelashes battled with one another as I rose from the floor ignoring Shane's hand on my collar. When I tr

Alessia's POVDominic held the boy, while I scooped the little girl in my arms. The moment I walked in to my house I saw the decoration."Congratulations mom. Welcome home!"I had no tears left to cry as I looked from the decorations to Marco , who scooped Ella into his hands, to Elijah who kept grinning from ear to ear."This is beautiful genuinely," I said, my voice god must betraying how I felt inwardly."And here are your pineapples ma" Dominic said, after keeping the babies in the nursery.They wouldn’t stop teasing me about the pineapple. Equally, Marco handed me a small gift basket—overflowing with pineapples. Dried, candied, canned, juiced, even a plush toy shaped like one.“Really?” I asked with a smile, raising an eyebrow.He smirked. “A token of honor. For the Queen of Cravings.”Dominic added, “Don’t forget the midnight tantrums when we ran out. That’s history right there.”The twins gurgled in my arms like they were in on the joke. I rolled my eyes dramatically, but couldn

Allesia povI should’ve known the second round of pregnancy would hit harder. I wasn’t twenty-three anymore, I wasn’t hiding from the mafia, and I certainly wasn’t ready to swell like a balloon all over again.I knew Dominic was taking his time to be a father he wasn't when I was pregnant with the twins. He was absolutely dotting, never complaining and understanding. Sometimes, I feel bad for talking to him in horrible ways, but I couldn't help it. I had to blame it on the hormones.By the third month, my belly had already begun to show. It wasn’t huge per se—just enough to make every pair of jeans feel like betrayal and every fitted top a personal insult. The moment I waddled into the kitchen wearing Dominic’s oversized hoodie, Ella gasped like she’d seen Beyoncé.“MOMMY, YOU’RE ROUND!” She screamed with wide eyes.Dominic nearly choked on his coffee.“Thank you, darling,” I said dryly, rubbing my stomach. “I was hoping someone would point that out.” I said sarcastically.Elijah peer

Dominic's POV“Kids,” I said, crouching down in front of the twins. “We’re going to have to head home early.”Ella's face dropped dramatically. “But why? Ee are not to leave until Monday.” she said sadly, her eyes dropping."I'm so sorry, but your mum is not feeling to well," I said deadpan. I hate to be the one announcing a bad news.“Is Mom okay?” Eli asked, suddenly serious.I glanced toward the closed door of the bathroom where Alessia had been locked in for nearly half an hour. The sounds of retching had stopped, thankfully, but the worry hadn’t.“Let's just say she’s not feeling great,” I said gently, brushing Ella’s hair back. “So we need to get her to the doctor. We’ll come back another time. Promise.” I said truthfully.The disappointment in their eyes faded quickly when Alessia stepped out, pale-faced but managing a smile. “Sorry, guys. Looks like the the vacation is ruined”Elijah gave her a quick hug. “Get better soon, Mom.”Ella nodded. “And maybe next time we won’t let D

Dominic’s POVMarco didn’t say much the next morning. He stood in the doorway, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, a plane ticket to New York tucked into the front pocket of his jacket. Alessia lingered beside him, arms folded across her chest, trying to hide the chaos of emotions swirling behind her calm.“You don’t have to go yet,” she said quietly.Marco gave her a faint smile. “I think I do.”He looked at me with a smirk.He looked healthier now, more focused. The circles under his eyes were still there, but they were less haunted, like he had finally let go.“We both know my presence here is too much,” he continued. “You’ve got your family now. Your peace and I won’t want to disturb that.”I respected him for that. For knowing when to step back. But I also knew how much it cost him to walk away from his sister again. He had barely gotten to know the twins. And Alessia, well, she never said it, but I knew this goodbye was breaking something in her.“You’ll visit?” she asked, her

Dominic's POVAlessia had always been insatiable. She was always looking forward to do it anywhere at all. I had to keep her sane for the sake of our children.I was yet to agree to fully go down on her, but we definitely tried to have phone whenever we can. We had already made plans to go to the UK, but we had to consider the children's education and we planning to go there during the summer.Marco, who I had expected to leave decided that he was going to stay for more days to reconnect and reunite with his sister. I couldn't blame the poor guy. He had been underground for years when he could just come out and see his sister. He had also been making remarkable progress with the twins. They are always in his hair, everywhere, and always making fun of his hair. I think he enjoys being an uncle that much.We have had so many challenges, but right now, I just want peace and quietness. And for the first time in my selfish life, I wanted to settle into it. Not just for Alessia. But for me

Dominic’s POVI never knew this was how freedom smelt like. Victor had always been a part of my life, without me even knowing. I finally knew what I was finally free.There are certain kinds of silence that speak louder than words. The kind that comes after battle. After you’ve seen the ugliest parts of yourself reflected in someone else’s eyes and still, they stay.That was the kind of silence in the room when Marco stepped through the threshold and met the twins for the first time.He didn’t say anything at first. Neither did they. Alessia stood just a little to the side, like she couldn’t breathe. Like the air that was shared between them was too fragile to touch.Elijah, bold and curious as always, tilted his head. “Are you mama’s brother?”Marco knelt slowly, not tearing his gaze away. “I am.” His voice cracked. “I didn’t think I’d get to see you. Either of you.” He said, holding their both cheeks.The girl, Ella, frowned cutely. “Are you gonna go again?”“No,” he said, shaking h