LOGINPRESENT DAY:I pull out my phone. I dial the number I have memorized, the number that belongs to Lysander Ashcroft which I know he is still using till date.He answers on the third ring."Lysander Ashcroft," he says. His voice is calm, measured, the voice of a man who has faced worse enemies than me. It is the voice of a man who has never known true loss. A man who has never had everything taken from him."Nikolai Drakon," I say. "I am sure you remember me."There is a pause on the other end of the line and I can hear him breathing."I remember you," he says. "I thought you were dead.""I should be. But I am not." I lean back in my chair. "I am out of prison, Lysander. And I am coming for what is mine."I take a breath. The words are cold and deliberate."I want my daughter. I want Camille. I want the money you stopped my father from making when you took him down. You will help me rebuild the Drakon empire, give me back what is rightfully mine, or I will destroy everything yo
Some Days Back…. NIKOLAI'S POV: The air outside the prison gates tastes different. I stand on the cracked pavement, my hands shoved deep into the pockets of my cheap coat, and I breathe in the freedom that I have been denied for twenty years. The sky is gray and heavy, the same gray sky that has been hanging over this city for as long as I can remember. The streets are loud with traffic and the murmur of people living their lives, unaware that a dead man has just walked among them. I adjust the collar of my jacket against the cold wind, feeling the strange, open weight of the sky above my head. I am that dead man. I am the man who was supposed to be forgotten, the man who was supposed to rot away in a cell until he died. I am the man who lost everything. My father. My money. My empire. My freedom. I lost it all because of the Ashcrofts, because of that family that thought they could destroy us and walk away without consequences. But I am not dead, I am not forgotten and neit
ELARA'S POV:The helicopter cuts through the sky, the blades chopping through the air. I look down at the familiar landscape. The fields. The forests. The manor, warm and golden in the afternoon light. The high stone walls surrounding the estate bring a sudden sense of relief.I land on the lawn. My mother is waiting for me at the door since I had called her that I was coming. She is standing under the awning, her arms wrapped around herself, her face etched with worry."Elara," she says. "What is wrong? You sounded upset on the phone."I walk toward her and I hug her. She feels warm and familiar and safe."We need to talk," I say. "It is about Camille."My mother's expression shifts. She leads me inside.We sit in the living room which was warm. The portraits of my ancestors from my father side look down at me from the walls."Camille called me yesterday evening," I say. "Nikolai Drakon has been released from prison and he is looking for her. He wants revenge plus he wants h
CAMILLE'S POV:I swallow. "I didn't know I have your number until I saw it, maybe your father gave me, I don't know but I have your number and I never thought I would need to use it. But I do. I need your help."The silence stretches between us. I can feel the weight of her hesitation. I cannot blame her. I disappeared. I cut off all contact. I ran from everything and everyone."Camille," she says slowly. "What is wrong?"I take a breath. "Nikolai has been released from prison. He is looking for me. He wants revenge. He wants his daughter back and me."She is silent for another moment. When she speaks, her voice is sharp with alarm."Are you sure?""I am sure. He sent me a letter. He knows where I am. I do not know how he found me, but he did." My voice breaks. "Elara, I am scared. I do not know who else to turn to. I have no one left. You are the only family I have."She exhales slowly. I can hear the tension in her voice."Camille," she says. "I am going to help you. I am
CAMILLE'S POV:The rain is falling like there is no tomorrow against the windows of my small cottage in the countryside.I have been living here for years, hiding from the world, hiding from my past, hiding from the man who still haunts my nightmares. The house is small, but it is mine. I bought it with the little money I had left, a modest place with a small yard and my own car parked in the driveway. I do not want any friends, and I hope no one around here knows who I really am. I like this neighborhood for that exact reason. Everyone keeps to themselves, minds their own business, and faces their own front. But even with the quiet streets and normal routines, there is still just me, my daughter, and the constant, gnawing fear that one day he will find us. Outside, the wind rattles the old window frames, making me flinch at every sudden noise.I sit at the kitchen table, staring at the letter in my hands. The paper is cheap and crumpled, the handwriting jagged and angry and I hav
ELARA'S POV:He kissed me like he was starving for me. Like I was the only thing keeping him alive. His hands were in my hair, his body pressed against mine, and I could feel how much he wanted me. His heart was pounding against my chest. His breath was hot on my skin."Alistair," I whispered against his lips."Elara," he growled. "I need you please. I have needed you all day."He walked me backward until my back hit the wall. The cold surface pressed against my shoulders through the thin fabric of his shirt. His hands were on my hips, lifting me, pressing me against the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist. I could feel the hard length of him through his trousers.He was thick and hard and already pushing against me like he couldn’t wait another second. I rolled my hips once and felt him twitch. A deep groan rumbled out of his chest."I love you," he said. "I love you so much.""Show me," I said.He did.His hand shoved my underwear aside. Two thick fingers slid straight through
Celestine Valancourt stood in the bathroom of her penthouse apartment, her bare feet cold against the imported marble floor, staring at a little plastic stick that had just completely and utterly rearranged her entire universe. There were two little pink lines staring back at her. Two little lines
KIER'S POV:I pour myself a drink and I sit in the dark and I wait for her to come back.She always comes back.But she does not come back.A week passes. Then another. The penthouse stays empty. My calls go straight to voicemail. My texts go unanswered. I send messages through her email, through s
She watched from the window as her father walked out to greet him.August Valancourt shook Lysander's hand with both of his, the way he did with people he truly respected, and he said something that made Lysander nod solemnly. Then her mother appeared, and Isabelle kissed Lysander on both cheeks, t
Celestine started cooking at three in the afternoon, flour on her hands, music playing low from her phone and the smell of tomatoes and garlic filling the whole penthouse.She made the sauce from scratch, the way her grandmother taught her when she was maybe ten years old. She rolled out the pasta







