Chapter: CHAPTER 52: Rosalia I let him move me where he wanted. His hands were quick, adjusting the fabric at my waist before the tape followed. “Take a second,” Kai called as he drifted out, already pulled in another direction. On his way past, he plucked my phone from one of his assistants and placed it back into my hand, a light tap against my fingers. “No disappearing on me.” The door slid shut behind him and silence settled in. I twirled carefully, the fabric whispering around my legs as I faced the mirrors. Just me, multiplied endlessly. The dress was beautiful, I couldn’t deny that. But all I could see was what it represented. It wasn't just any marriage. It was one into this family. The thought didn’t feel like fate. It wasn’t something written for me, something inevitable or remotely romantic. It felt constructed because I had slowly, carefully woven this outcome into existence myself. And now I was standing in it with no one to blame. My throat tightened as my gaze dropped, then lifted again
Huling Na-update: 2026-03-22
Chapter: CHAPTER 51: RosaliaEverything inside was white and reflective and impossibly pristine, like someone had taken the idea of luxury and polished it until it lost all connection to normal life. Mirrors stretched from floor to ceiling, multiplying everything – light, movement, people – until it felt like I had walked into a place that didn’t end.“No, no, no… this is what you bring me?”The voice cut through the space before I even saw him.Then he appeared.He looked like he had walked out of a completely different world and decided to stop here for fun.Black tank top that was so fitted that it couldn’t help but show off his lean muscle. Rings stacked across his fingers. Chains resting loosely against his collarbone. His black dyed hair was styled but not carefully like it had fallen into place and he’d simply allowed it.Everything about him was expressive and fluid.He stopped right in front of me, eyes lighting up.“Lauren,” he breathed dramatically, placing a hand over his chest, “Oh my God, no one tol
Huling Na-update: 2026-03-21
Chapter: CHAPTER 50: VincenzoAcross from me, Tyler Pierce, Director of Strategic Operations, leaned forward just slightly. Pierce had the posture of a soldier even in a three-piece suit, tall, lean, every line of him was disciplined, and his close-cropped hair streaked prematurely with gray.“Mr. Enzo,” he said carefully, “do you have any concerns regarding the deployment timeline?”The room’s focus subtly redirected toward me. Conversations faltered mid-sentence. Even the tapping of tablets slowed, the whir of the screens feeling louder against the sudden stillness.I rested my hands fully on the polished oak.“None that affect the launch,” I said calmly.Pierce inclined his head once, and the presentation picked up again. Yet, despite the orderly resumption, a ripple of unease lingered. The De Laurentiis name was built at the top of Cosa Nostra, and it has stayed there for years because we understood one thing better than the rest of them: ambition alone isn’t enough. Every family seated at that table at th
Huling Na-update: 2026-03-17
Chapter: CHAPTER 49: VincenzoFour long strides covered the distance between the door and my desk.My mind flicked briefly to the charity gala barely two months ago, half a million pledged to that neighborhood’s redevelopment. I had personally ensured every street was watched, now part of a plan meant to protect them. Funny how philanthropy and surveillance had more in common than most realized.“I’ve alerted Ms. Vale. She’s mobilizing the intelligence team now.”I let my glare cut through the room.“I –” Gerald started.“Just received it, I assume?” I interrupted. “Transfer it. Direct to my system. Now.”Seconds later, I pulled up the feed on my computer and the replay began. A black sedan slid aggressively across the lane, forcing Jerry to brake. It seemed very calculated. It shadowed them for several blocks before disappearing.“Coincidence?” Leone’s mouth opened, then closed.I didn’t bother answering. Coincidences didn’t exist in my vocabulary. Not when someone was playing on my turf.“Double the escort teams
Huling Na-update: 2026-03-17
Chapter: CHAPTER 48: VincenzoI pushed open the door to my office, the space vast enough to swallow most egos whole. High ceilings, walls lined with rare art, a desk that could host a small council of kings. The young man stood abruptly, with a straight posture like he was the natural heir to everything I had earned before I’d earned it. Dark suit, designer cut. Confidence dripping from him as if he had personally negotiated peace in the Middle East. I blinked once. Humorous, in a revolting way.“Mr. Enzo,” he said smoothly. “Thank you for seeing me.”Luigi Galvani. Son of Louis Galvani, first cousin twice removed from Rocco, nephew of Alessandro aka Don De Laurentiis.I nodded, my eyes running from head to toe, slow enough to make him squirm under the scrutiny. His hair was neatly combed, and had steady eyes. “Have a seat,” I gestured.He faltered a fraction, then smoothed it over with a faint, entitled smile before lowering himself into the chair across from me. “Luigi, your résumé is impressive,” I said, s
Huling Na-update: 2026-03-16
Chapter: CHAPTER 47: RosaliaA small knot twisted in my chest when I thought about it. I hated keeping things from her. After my sister's… well, you know, Nelly had always been the one person who never judged me, never treated my life like something fragile or shameful.But some truths felt too heavy to place in someone else’s hands.By the time I finished, my voice had grown quieter.There was a long pause on the other end.Then Nelly exhaled slowly. “Jesus, Rose.”“Yeah.”“Are you doing okay?”I stared at my reflection again like she was someone else entirely.“Is it weird if I say yes?”I heard Nelly chuckle. “Is it true?”“I should feel upset. Or scared. Or something.” My fingers traced the edge of the vanity. “But I don’t.”“What do you feel?”“Kind of… exhilarated.” I let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh.Her chuckles became loud. “That’s the adrenaline talking.”“Probably.”“You will crash soon enough.”“Yeah,” I murmured, rubbing my temple. “I guess.”The truth was, my veins still felt electr
Huling Na-update: 2026-03-12
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion
“Are you trying to punish me? I…I don't know how many times I can apologize even if it wasn't my fault that I almost—”
“I never asked you to. You do whatever you want, Niya, and I really don't care. Neither should you bother with what I do.”
“You're hurt. You're hurt, Alex, and you're acting out. Don't worry we could talk this through. This isn't you.” I try to reach him again but he shoots me a deadly glare that pierces through my skin like a dagger.
“Sure it is. You've just never seen me like this. You don't know what I look like when I'm not in love with you,” his brows grow together. “Now we’ve had enough of your drama. You'll find the papers and enjoy the party or use the fucking door.”
He pulls away and my eyes cloud again. My ears and heart find it hard to process what is actually going on. The looks on their faces tell me it is awfully too late—I have already lost everything.
“Niya, careful now,” my grandmother slowly tugs at my arm as if that will somehow make everything better. “We have guests. Don’t cause a scene.”
A scene? I have literally just seen a whole movie, ma.
*************
My name is Niya Kendrick. I’m 25, an author who once believed she had the perfect life. But how quickly can everything I love be stripped away in the blink of an eye? Or worse, what if the life, the family I’ve cherished has always been a blatant lie, a mere fragment of the truth? Now, I’m awake, and reality is far harsher than any dream.
Basahin
Chapter: CHAPTER 83: Vanished.Niya crawled to Ma Phil’s side, her knees scraping the floor. Her fingers trembled when she reached out, but the second Ma Phil turned her face toward her, she backed away, her knees hitting the ground with a soft thud, and the cold tile climbed into her bones.What she saw in her eyes wasn’t grief.Or it was. But not only that.Her grandmother’s eyes were red and hollowed with pain. They shone darker like they'd been burned with acid. Hatred and love all at once, and Niya didn’t have to be told who each emotion belonged to.“Don’t get any close!” Ma Phil’s voice cracked through the air like a whip, and Niya swallowed a gasp, recoiling.Ma Phil returned her eyes to May’s lifeless body and held her tighter, rocking her like a baby who’d just fallen asleep. “Oh, baby… oh, baby girl,” she sobbed, over and over.Niya's hands met the floor as she tried to understand what was happening. How this happened and how it could possibly be her fault.Just as if Ma Phil had heard her thoughts, “Fin
Huling Na-update: 2025-07-14
Chapter: CHAPTER 82: The Murder.Josh had started dating May two weeks after their final exams. “He likes me more,” Maybelle had said with that same syrupy shrug. “Boys don’t like mystery when they can have certainty.”She remembered how Alex barely spoke to May back in high school and how his caretaker only ever saw May when she looked her way. How May would press a possessive hand on her belly, laugh at inside jokes with Alex's caretaker whenever she visited Alex in school. The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never came from your enemies but from the ones who kiss your cheek while carving out your spine. And May had carved her deep so she didn’t even bleed anymore. She was now hollowed.And Raphael wasn’t just complicit. He was willing. And he was worse because he made her feel seen before he vanished behind the same curtain of lies.Niya wasn't going to take the fair and honest road anymore. That road had betrayed and chewed her up, then spat her out with scraped knees and trembling hands. So she was don
Huling Na-update: 2025-07-12
Chapter: CHAPTER 81: Broken deal.Was it that obvious to him and everyone? Had they all witnessed it before she did, that she'd fallen for a lie? That as they watched, her little heart, sweet and foolish, had been hanging in the open?Was that the reason why Silas never stopped staring at her? If he really knew, why didn't it tell her? Her thoughts were dragging through gravel like a body, and her eyes were glassy.Silas was never on her side. He'd watched Raphael fool her. After being duped once and twice, Niya was no longer even sure what she wanted.Death or paradise? Did it even matter. Both sounded like an escape from the pain clawing at her ribs.It was her own damn fault. She should’ve known better that men like Raphael didn’t fall for girls like her.The ache shot through her. May was carrying Alex’s child. That much she’d known. And yet she was sleeping with Raphael? What kind of twisted, soul-rotting circus had she walked into?Was it permitted? She was aware that it was a contract marriage, but she didn't
Huling Na-update: 2025-07-11
Chapter: CHAPTER 80: The betrayal.Her brows pinched as she dragged her thumb across the screen. The lock screen was open with no passcode, just messages stacked one beneath the other.It wasn't her intention to open the phone or even read on, but the picture before her had made the quiet night around her went silent, while a million drums beat noisily inside her head. She wanted to be sure she saw it right the first time. ~ ‘I miss the way your lips taste after wine. Next time, don’t wait for me to undress you.’The messages were new, only from tonight. It looked like the conversation went far beyond this, and whatever came before had been wiped clean carefully. All but these last few confessed desires left behind, like the sender hadn’t expected someone else to see. Or maybe they wanted to be caught. The photo icon beside the name was blank. She tapped on it anyway, praying it would lie to her. But no, it opened to the default contact page. The number was plain and simple, without any frills or initials.But it w
Huling Na-update: 2025-07-10
Chapter: CHAPTER 79: Wanted.Niya couldn’t make sense of her feelings. It felt like she had liked Alex for a long time – maybe she’d even loved him. When she first woke up, she remembered they were married. That they were in love. But the accident had happened barely two weeks after the contract agreement… if that. Which meant it would’ve been impossible for Alex to have loved her back in that short time.Or maybe it was just her foolish imagination playing tricks on her.Thinking that Alexander McKenzie would ever like her – let alone love her – was insane.She shook her head, her jaw setting. No more Alex. Let him stay caught up in whatever shallow world he’d carved for himself. She didn’t care anymore, especially when her body was still marked by Raphael’s touch. She was going to give herself to Raphael and show him the parts of her she had been bottling up for years.At the kitchen sink, she downed a glass of cold water, letting it cool the heat running down her thighs. What could she give him in return?Woul
Huling Na-update: 2025-07-09
Chapter: CHAPTER 78: Unholy devotion.Even before her lashes fluttered apart, Niya felt the dull ache blooming deep between her legs, a reminder of what she’d begged for hours ago. As she moved, every muscle in her body ached and every nerve lit like candle wax.Her eyes peeled open slowly to a room dimly washed in pre-dawn blue. She didn’t need to turn fully to know he was still there. His slow, warm breath skimmed the side of her neck, earning soft heat over her skin.He was sprawled around her, and carved in moonlight. His chestnut hair had come loose, falling over his damp forehead in feathered strands. His thick, dark lashes were motionless, fanned across his cheeks. A faint mustache framed the curve of his full, cupid’s bow mouth which was still slightly parted and looked too swollen to be innocent. A faded beard darkened the hollows of his cheeks and sculpted his chiseled jawline, and beneath it all, his face held a calmness that wasn’t sleep. It was something else. Something untouched.Niya couldn’t look away. His
Huling Na-update: 2025-07-09
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