LOGINARIELLA Asher stepped slightly in front of me, not enough to block me, but enough to make a statement—a boundary. The older man greeted him with practised ease, and Asher responded in the same tone, controlled, respectful, but distant enough to remind him exactly where he stood. “It’s so nice t
ARIELLA I could feel it in the tension of his body, in the way his eyes kept shifting toward the exits, the entrances, every moving piece in the room. Always alert. Always calculating. Always ready..... Making sure no one tried anything. Still… I found myself listening to the speeches, to the cau
ARIELLA Asher, being Asher, made sure he stole a kiss from me, ruining my makeup all over again, before we even got out of the car. I barely had time to protest before he was already stepping out, adjusting his tie like nothing had happened, then coming around to my side and opening the door for
ASHER I wanted to devour her. To take her apart piece by piece and still want more when I was done. “Heaven,” I muttered against her lips, my voice rough as my mouth moved over hers again. My tongue chased hers, slow at first, then deeper, tasting, learning, claiming every inch like I had no in
ASHER I’m coming from my office, already running a few minutes late, heading to get my wife before we leave for the ball. I don’t want us to arrive late... not tonight. But the moment I step into the foyer, I stop. My posture straightens instantly as my eyes lift and follow the length of the stai
ARIELLA Today was the day. Leon and his dad had gone on their usual run and now they had upgraded it to something more intense. And I had to admit… Leon was changing. He looked sharper these days, Stronger and Taller. There was something about him now that made him seem older than he really was.
ASHER When I went back home that night, I was drunk and angry. Those were the only feelings I could manage....rage burning through the alcohol and alcohol burning through the rage. I wanted to fight. I needed to fight. I even called Luca back, dared him to show up so I could land the blows that wer
ASHER When I woke up the next morning, I was exhausted. My head pounded with a headache so sharp it felt like a punishment, and my body was heavy, as though every muscle remembered last night. I caught the image of myself in the mirror, my knuckles bruised, the faint ache in my neck a reminder of
ASHER I swallowed, feeling the weight of her gaze. The truth was simple, but the words felt fragile on my tongue. Everything I had done, everything I had fought through just to be here, it all came down to this one moment, this conversation, right here in the quiet of the night, just the two of us.
ASHER Mrs. Costa knew the truth about Ariella and my father.... She has to. “What do you mean?” she asked on a swallow. “I want to know what happened.... Six years ago,” She took a death breath. "Ariella is gone. She died. And when she died, she made sure to pull my husband with her. That girl







