*Ares POV* Three knocks came in,waking me up from my sleep. My eyes flashed open and was almost momentarily blinded by the light from the television that I had left on.I had fallen asleep watching Selene again. Her laugh bubbled from behind the scene,her siren eyes curling at the ends as she smiled. I groaned and roamed the bed for the remote,another annoying knock banged at the door before I could find it. โIn a minute.โI grumbled loudly before switching the TV off. I took a second or two to try to process my thoughts, but in subtle fear of hearing another nerve-racking knock,I pulled myself up to get the door,staggering half the way,still half asleep โNoelle?โI asked,raising an eyebrow as I pulled the door open. โOh,you were asleep already?โshe asked apologetically. I rubbed my eyeballs for clarity. โWhat are you doing here?โ โYou called for me.โshe said,then soon realised my mind was far away and volunteered to explain further. โThis morning at breakfastโyou said
*Aresโ POV* Dominic's eyebrows raised and he rubbed his jaw calculatedly. โIt seems like I'm at the center of all your investigations these days, Alpha,should I be worried?โ I sardonic breath escaped me,my fingers tracing on his redwood desk.โHow is the hotel coming along?โ Dominic exhaled deeply and ran His hand in his hair. โThere have been some delays,but I'm hoping to get back on track soon.โ โHm.โI said thoughtfully. It was beginning to get evidently clear that this man's first priority Was not the hotel. It won't take a seer to tell he was madly in love with Selene. The mere thought of it felt like liquid lava burning my veins to ash,but I felt there was something way more to his stay hereโsomething I'm going to have to figure out soon. I keep telling myself I will directly deal with the situation between he and Selene later,that I was sane enough to set a checkpoint to when I needed to stop obsessing. But staring at this fuckers face,this Incompetent two faced moss eyed
*Yolanda's POV* โThis is ridiculous.โI muttered walking to the ex lunaโs door.If anyone can talk sense into her son,it's definitely her.I will not sit and watch the life I suffered to build crumble to the ground all because of six million,the Alpha is selfish,he is worth way more than that,this isnt half of what a settlement fee from him should look like-especially since Noelle is his Luna.I will not accept crumbs. โI simply cannot.โI muttered fervently squeezing unto the paper in my hand. A couple of maid watched me talk to myself as I walked past them. โWhat are you looking at?โI raged at them and they quickly returned to their tasks,a bunch of useless miscreants. Loyal as dogs,If only their gossips ever helped anybody around here. I knocked on the massage door and waited patiently to be allowed in. This is what I meant by how selfish the Alpha was,the main palace had four different sectors for each member of the Alpha familyโof course instead of letting me live her,he sent
*Selene's POV* I added another shade of red on my lips and patted the stick a few times on my cheek for a lick of blush. I closed the compact mirror shut and rubbed my lips together to even out the colour. I begin my rehearsals today,which meant more work and very little time to entertain Dominic and Aresโ nonsense. I had to tell myself to focus. My job was the most important thing to meโฆ.that was a lie,my revenge was the most important thing. I had to have my revenge on those who wronged me and get justice for my father,but with how corrupt the world is, I couldn't properly do so if I lost my status and fame,that is why my job matters so much. My gaze went to my fingers,the touch of gold jewellery against my olive skin made a fine match, and my ice blue dress complimented the look entirely. The only thing I didn't like on me was the big glaring red ruby ring on my finger. It felt odd and heavy,like a chain holding me back. I toyed with the ring with a frown,wondering if I shoul
*Selene's POV* โHello Sister.โShe smiled widely,displaying a set of pearly white teeth. โWhat are you doing here?โI questioned,grasping the chair for support from my shock. Noelle walked further into the room, clutching her diamond studded purse as if in fear it would somehow get snatched from her. โI was afraid we wouldn't recognise each other,but you are just like before.โ I narrowed my eyes at her as she continued blabbing,Noelle had the habit of not knowing when to stop talking when she was around me. โBut with bolder colours,and I think darker hairโdid you dye it?โ โWhat are you doing here?โI snapped,my voice turning unwelcoming. โWe are sisters, Selene.โShe said, her eyes darting around my dressing room in curiosity.โAre you saying I can't even see you?โ I rolled my eyes and turned to face myself in the mirror. Seeing us so different in the mirror moved me a bit,she was snow white with short white hair,blue doe eyes, baby pink lipstick and white gown.And I was t
*Yolanda's POV* โAnd Where have you been?โI asked Noelle. โI have been looking for you all day..โ โI went out..โshe replied lazily as she walked into the living room.Her face was pale.Her eyes widened and entire demaneor shaken. โOut where?โI pressed. She collapses in a chair and begins to breathe heavily. I cup her face in my hands as a small pang of worry hit me.I never seen Noelle this distraught. โWhat's bothering you?โ โI went to see Selene.โShe confessed and I removed my hand from under her chin aggressively. โWhat?!โ โI wanted us to have a productive conversation about Ares,to avoid a blood bath between you two.Some sort of peace treaty,she rejected it.I even begged her.โ โDo you want to humiliate me? Who are you to say to declare that I want a peace treaty,now she is going to think we are desperate and at her mercy.โ โBut I am desperate mother.I want to resolve this as quickly as I can so Ares canโโ โYou are acting out with emotions Noelle,that will ruin you.โ โAre
*Aresโ POV* Mine,mine,mine. My senses were alert,my heart was grieving,she was so close and still so far.My soul cried out her name,begging her to pity me and throw me even a hint of assurance to show my mate was still there.That I wasn't delusional,that she felt it. I stared at my reflection in the pool,thinking of how pathetic it would sound to her if we were still mindlinked. โDo you really think she will do it?โI heard The chilled, addictive voice behind me.She sounded like a glass of rosรฉ,soft,pink and intoxicating.I could listen to her talk for ages and still be mesmerised every single time she opened her mouth.I said a quick prayer for my soul and slowly turned to see her. But she wasn't looking in mine ,she glazed but never locked eyes,never connected. It almost felt intentional. A soft wind blew her evening gown a bit too roughly,promising to reveal more than just her bare thigh if I looked a bit longer. I took a large sip of my gin to suppress my urges,the last
*Elias POV* I pushed the door open and was immediately startled by the faces of the elder Miss Sinclair and Yolanda staring at me with horrified expressions. If I had a bad memory,I would Have believed I had committed a crime and they were gaping at the blood on my hands. โIs everything alright?โI questioned. Yolanda scoffed. โIs everything alright? You barge into an office without even knocking and instead of having the decency to apologise?โ I clench my jaw and stare into her enraged face.I never liked her and it's like she keeps adding reasons to keep things that way. I summon tolerance from all parts of my body and slowly walk forward with the file Ares asked me to give to his mother. โIt's about the gold trade,Ares wants you to review the products.โYolanda reaches for it but I sway it out of her grasp and gives it to Silvia. I catch Silvia glaring at Yolanda from the corner of her eye but I ignore it and give her the details about the purchase.โIs he usually like this?โYo
โSo you are saying you didn't push herโyour story here is,you met her in the pool and tried to save her.โ My frown remained. โShould I repeat myself?โ โDon't you think it's coincidental that you of all people were the only one near the premises.โ My eyes glanced at my watch for the hundredth time since this ordeal of an interview began. โI didn't do it.โ โBut the evidences suggestsโโ โThe evidence in question is an assumption.โ The investigator had a smug smirk. โIt's easier to just confess,maybe you could even get a plea deal.โโI said I didn't do it!โ My fist slams into the table before I can control my temper. The man before me stares from me at the dented table and gently scribbles something down in his notebook. I thought of yanking it out of his hands and slapping his damn face with it,but by some miracle thought better of it and pulled my hands to my sides. โSelene sent a note through Cassieโshe will confirm this,and so I went to the pool house to meet her and saw he
I ran down the hospital hall, my heart thundering violently in my chest. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't be.My feet pounded against the white tiles, each step a reckless echo of my desperation. My legs threatened to give out beneath me, weak from exhaustion, malnourishment, and an unhealthy dose of grief. I had barely eaten the day before. I had survived on even less sleep. None of it mattered now.I stopped abruptly in front of the glass door. My breath caught in my throat. Inside, Yolanda was standing with her arms crossed, watching the doctor with unnerving intensity. Her face was unreadable, trapped in one of those poker-faced seasons where it was impossible to tell if she wanted to cry in joy or despair.I swallowed hard and pushed open the doorโgently, out of habit, as if politeness could soften the blow of whatever awaited me.Noelle sat in the corner, her hands folded in her lap, but when she saw me, her expression crumbled into something close to pity. I ignored it. I
โ*Dominic's POV*Iโm a hypocrite.Thatโs what I amโa lying, pretentious son of a bitch who hurt the only woman Iโve ever truly loved. But, itโs not my fault, you see... She provoked me. She screamed all those horrible things, looking me dead in the eyes as if I wouldnโt literally kill for her. As if she doesnโt know that I already have.The memory of her words stings, and my chest tightens. I shake it off, unwilling to dwell on what had come over me that made me push her. That impulseโwhatever the hell it wasโmust never be revived. Ever. But how am I going to handle this now? How can I fix something so broken?I check my watch for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. Itโs 2 AM, and still nothing from the doctors. The empty, eerie silence of the waiting room presses in on me. What a way to end an engagement party. For a split second, I almost chuckle at the absurdity of it all, but then I remember that I have company.Cassie walks into the room, her heels clicking against the co
Noelle's POVโHow do you know?โ Yolanda asked, panic heavy in her eyes. โHow long have you known?โHer breath hitched, and she frowned at me, turning serious as she grabbed my arm. โHave you told anyone?โโI've known for quite a while.โ I pull my hand away from her grip. โAnd no, I haven't told anyone.โYet.Victor posed the question this time.โHow did you find out?โโAfter asking several times for answers, I took my time to glare at Yolanda. โI got some maids to do a little snooping, and they came back with the news.โโSo you were spying on me?โ Yolanda asked, offended. โWe are sorry we kept it from you all this while.โ Victor apologised anyway. โI tried to tell you several times, butโฆ He sent an eye gesture Yolanda's way, and she scoffed.โYes, yes, make me your villain.โโThe least you can do is apologise.โ He mumbled under his breath.โWhat was that?โโI said.โ Victor began turning to face her. โThe least you can do in this situation is apologise!โโRight.โ She nodded. โAs thoug
*Ares POV*I walked to the pool house in a hurry, my heart beating frantically at the thought of talking to Selene in private, even if it meant acting like I was on some secret mission. After what I witnessed at the party, Iโll take what I can get. Honestly, a pool house meeting is far more than I expected.My footsteps echoed in the large swimming hall, but there was no sound. No, Seleneโฆ nothing. I groaned internally and clung to what Cassie told me for hope."She desperately wants to see you," she'd said. "All of it was pretend. I think somethingโs wrongโfar more than we thought."I looked around in disappointment, realising I couldnโt keep playing these games anymore. But as I took another step, I froze, a dark sensation settling over me. My skin prickled, a jolt of electricity rushing through meโjust like when she was in the room. But this was differentโฆ weak, fading."Selene?"I looked down, and my heart shattered when I saw the floating figure in the water, her dress billowing
Selene's POVI really need to talk to Ares alone.But in between the judgemental glares I'm getting and Ares refusing to at least look my way, I'm certain that it would be easier to pass a camel through the eye of a needle than to get my wish.But what about our mindlink? Does that still work โ how does it even work?I find him busy in conversation in the crowd and smile faintly; his nonchalance at the whole situation is partly soothing but also concerning. The last thing we need is a scene, but I still feel so lonely being completely ignored by him.Dominic's hands tug at my waist, and I mentally jolt back my table.โI asked if you liked the escargot.โ Dominic grinned, a hint of annoyance still in his tone. I imagine he had asked me several times, but I was too busy to hear.โI'm enjoying myself.โ I replied softly, and the people around the table eased up.They looked like they were waiting on a suicide time bomb, and Dominic and I were holding the grenade. I leaned back and brought
Yolanda's POVโIs that the girl you saw bump into him?โ I asked my spy, narrowing my eyes as we both stared at the security footage on the screen in front of us.โYes,โ she nodded, leaning in as if to get a better look. โThe woman with the orange hair, beside the Alpha.โโJust as I suspected,โ I hissed, my fingers tightening around the glass in my hand. The burn of the whiskey as it slid down my throat did little to ease the rising frustration. โI'm sure Selene is on our tail about Victor. And that orange-haired brat is who she sent to do the job.โThe spy shifted beside me, eager to contribute, her excitement palpable. โSo, do you want us to release the story about Liam now?โโNo,โ I replied sharply, raising two fingers as I leaned back in my chair. โI think I'll handle this in an entirely different way.โ A wicked grin tugged at the corners of my lips as I squinted at the screen, watching Selene and Dominic in the center of the television below.I don't know what they were planning bu
*Selene's POV*There are three levels by which I rank evil: evil justified, evil triggering, and DominicโDominic being the highest on the scale. I knew Liam was crazy when he threatened to kill himself for me. At that moment, I truly believed no other man would cross that line of madness and emotional manipulation as he had.But then I met Dominic, and I realized my expectations of human foolery were far too low.I glanced down at the engagement ring on my finger. It was there the morning after sleeping in his bed. I hadnโt even said yes, for Christโs sake, but here I was, wearing it and getting dolled up to stand at his side. Some event was happening tonightโI didnโt even have the energy to ask what it was.I felt the hairdresser's fingers curling my hair into a high ponytail and instinctively withdrew.โWhat do you think youโre doing?โ I snapped, more harshly than I intended. But with the world pulling at me in every direction, I needed to direct my anger somewhere, and she was, unf
*Ares's POV*โDo you know who Victor is?โ I asked as soon as the door opened. โAres?โCassie asked in surprise,her eyes darting behind me. โYou are here again?โ โGood morning.โI greeted,walking past her. โMorning.โShe replies,rubbing her eyes,evidently too tired to complain.โDo you know you Victor is?โI repeat my question with shorter patience โIs he a customer here?โCassie yawned,leading me to a chair. I reluctantly took a seat despite really not wanting to,I was hoping not to spend too much time here,I was hoping not to get so comfortable. โI don't think he's a customer,โI draw out the chair. โI know nothing about him. In fact, I was hoping you knew something about him.โ โHow should I know?โ I handed her the note Selene gave me and watched her face,hoping for a reactionโฆthere wasn't much. She recognised the handwriting, but there was nothing more to it than that. โThat's his address.โI said, trying to jug her memory somehow. โI think Selene slipped it into my coat whe