LOGINChristopher Gravemoor:The lounge was dimly lit, a haze of cigar smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling. It was one of those exclusive spots where money bought privacy, and silence was the currency everyone respected. The kind of place where whispers carried more weight than shouts.I pushed open the door, Collins and Mikhail accompanied me, stopping outside as I stepped in. Matthew was already there, leaning against a leather armchair with two glasses of whiskey on the table. Across from him, Elias sat with his legs stretched out like he owned the place, his dark eyes gleaming with the smugness I remembered too well."Chris," Matthew greeted, forcing a smile. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show."I didn't bother to answer. My gaze locked on Elias. Years had passed, yet the bastard hadn't changed much-still too composed, still hiding something behind that smirk of his.I moved to the chair opposite him and sat, posture straight, controlled. "You asked for this meeting. So tal
Christopher Gravemoor:The lounge was dimly lit, a haze of cigar smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling. It was one of those exclusive spots where money bought privacy, and silence was the currency everyone respected. The kind of place where whispers carried more weight than shouts.I pushed open the door, Collins and Mikhail accompanied me, stopping outside as I stepped in. Matthew was already there, leaning against a leather armchair with two glasses of whiskey on the table. Across from him, Elias sat with his legs stretched out like he owned the place, his dark eyes gleaming with the smugness I remembered too well."Chris," Matthew greeted, forcing a smile. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show."I didn't bother to answer. My gaze locked on Elias. Years had passed, yet the bastard hadn't changed much-still too composed, still hiding something behind that smirk of his.I moved to the chair opposite him and sat, posture straight, controlled. "You asked for this meeting. So tal
Isabella Leonardo:It had been five days since I decided to take that week-long break. Five days of silence in the mansion, punctured only by Amara's giggles and Christopher's occasional check-ins when he wasn't buried in business. At first, the peace was refreshing. But now? I was restless. I missed the noise of the bar, Naomi's sarcastic one-liners, and even the irritatingly loud regulars who always had too much to drink.I stretched out on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "God, I'm losing my mind," I muttered.Finally, I slid off the bed and wandered toward Amara's wing of the house. If anyone could fix this boredom, it was her.I knocked gently before peeking in. "Hey, sweetheart, are you awake?"Amara looked up from where she was sprawled on the rug, sketchbook open, colored pencils scattered around her. "Bells!" she grinned. "I was going to come find you.""Oh yeah?" I stepped in, shutting the door behind me. "What's up?"She rolled onto her stomach, propping her chin on her
Christopher Gravemoor:The night was quiet in the study when the knock came-short, deliberate. I didn't need to ask who it was."Enter," I said, leaning back in my chair.Mikhail stepped in first, Collins right behind him. Those seem to look like brothers when they come in pairs like that .Both men wore the same grim expression that told me before their mouths opened-something was wrong.Mikhail spoke first. "Boss, we've got a problem. One of the waterfront warehouses was hit tonight."I stilled. "Which one?""Dock Seven," Collins answered, his tone clipped. "The one holding the new shipment."A cold fury spread through me. Dock Seven wasn't just any warehouse. It was fortified, guarded, and anyone foolish enough to hit it knew exactly whose name was written across it-Mine I rose slowly. "Tell me everything.""According to surveillance, they came in fast," Mikhail said. "Minimal gunfire, no casualties on our side, but the locks were blown. Whoever it was-they knew the layout.""Tha
isabellla The night had already soured before it even began.Christopher had seen Darius's name flashing across my phone screen earlier, and though I'd tried to brush it off, the storm in his eyes told me I hadn't convinced him, and I felt it pressing on me even as we made our way toward the exit of Matthew's launch party.I exhaled, relieved to finally be leaving the endless chatter and clinking glasses behind us. "Finally," I muttered, tugging lightly at Christopher's sleeve. "Let's go home before someone else corners us."But the universe, it seemed, had other plans."Chris."The voice was smooth, and carried a weight that froze Christopher mid-step. I looked up and my heart stumbled a bit, it was the guy from earlier the one named–Elias.Dressed in a suit that hugged his frame like a blade dressed in silk. His dark eyes flicked to me, lingering in a way that made my skin crawl."Elias," Christopher said flatly, voice like stone."I didn't think you'd show up tonight, you know, co
Christopher Gravemoor:The evening settled over the mansion in silence, but my instincts were restless. I couldn't shake the gnawing feeling in my chest, a low warning that had followed me since Naomi, Isabella's work colleague first stepped through my doors.Something about her demeanor was wrong. Too curious.Too good and friendly . She wore the face of a friend, but her eyes-those eyes wandered too often, lingered where they shouldn't, and I can recognise those eyes any day, anytime .I sat in my study, fingers idly drumming against the polished desk. Finally, with a sigh, I turned to the monitor tucked discreetly in the corner, linked to the house security system. If experience had taught me anything, it was that feelings often revealed what eyes tried to hide.The footage rolled, cameras switching angles across the halls. And there-Naomi. Not in the room where Isabella and herself had been, but in the main corridor, too close to my private quarters. She paused at corners, looking







