MasukEve rolled her eyes in annoyance, then she reached down, her grip firm and surprisingly gentle as she hauled me to my feet. "Stop groveling, Zayn. It’s pathetic to see,” she scoffed. “Your wrist is turning a nasty shade of purple, and you’re clearly not dancing another set tonight so go home.”“Eve…”“Don't Eve me,” she cut me off before I could say anything more. “Take three days off, and if I see you before then, I’ll dock your pay." She pointed a threatening finger at me. As she turned to leave, she passed Rocco, who was still standing there and looking hella pissed. She poked a manicured finger into his chest. "And you? Don’t be a shithead, Rocco. You keep hovering like this, and I’ll break your nose just for the aesthetic of it." She sneered. Rocco scoffed and rolled his eyes too as he watched her walk away with a look of disdain. Once she was gone, he turned his full attention to me. His eyes scanned me, stopping immediately at my wrist."You alright?" he asked, his voice rou
It was very noisy in the dressing room as the other boys laughed loudly and talked about their costumes and makeup. I sat at the vanity, the greasepaint and kohl blurring into a messy smear on my hands. I reached for my lipstick, my movements slow, but then I stopped.I caught my reflection in the mirror and my entire body froze. I stared at the boy in the glass, all the masks of paint, the hollow, haunted eyes and suddenly, I felt like I was in a whole different world. The hum of the club, the distant thumping of bass, the muffled chatter of the other dancers, it all vanished, replaced by a deafening silence that screamed in my eardrums. My thoughts seemed to slow down and I felt like I was staring at a stranger in the mirror, a puppet whose strings were being pulled."Zayn!"A voice called out as I felt a sharp jolt to my shoulder which snapped me back to reality. I gasped, nearly knocking my eyeliner over, and spun around. Eve stood there, the smoke from her pipe curling around he
The memory of that alleyway, of the cold blood pooling around my father’s open skull, was a permanent scar on my mind. It was the moment I stopped being a person and became an asset. A bloody debt, and I soon learned, that it was a hereditary disease. Others inherited assets, lands, connections…but what did I get? Piles and piles of debt that bloody sick incestuous pedophile owed. After Raymond acquired me as his, the other hungry sharks, the men my father had owed filthy gambling money came circling like they smelled blood. They tracked me down, demanding payment for what my father owed them, but Raymond had simply swept them aside, and made himself my sole creditor. I completely belonged to the red-haired devil now, and that was the only protection I had in this filthy world. He didn't put me on the street, though. Not exactly. He turned me into a spectacle that would make him money. “Your pretty face can at least pay your debt!” He grinned as he pinched my cheek. I was scared
Every ragged breath I took felt like inhaling glass, and the sound of the bat dragging against the pavement made me feel like I was going to pee myself. “Shit!” I cussed as I stared at the wall in front of me. I should have turned another corner, now we were trapped here with this monster that eats his own children. "You slimy bitch, you think you’re so clever, don't you?" he hissed, his voice bubbling with saliva and spite. "Just like your whore of a mother…that bitch just ran off with my money, left me with nothing,” he sneered, his eyes blazing. “I’d rather put you in the ground than let you walk away from me, Zayn." He spat as he inched closer towards us. Orion was trembling so violently in my arms that I felt his heart beating so fast. He was too young to understand, but he could clearly tell we were both in danger. "Please," I choked out, tears blurring my vision. "Please, just let him go….he’s just a child. You can kill me, but leave him alone!"My father let out a mocking
~~~ TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ ~~~THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CONTENT THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME READERS. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION…..From that night on, the lock on my bedroom door was a memory. It didn’t matter if I screamed or if I fought until my fingernails were torn and bloody, my father was a man of relentless, drunken energy. Eventually, the beatings and abuse became so frequent and so senseless that I simply... stopped fighting. I learned the art of becoming a statue. I would just lay there, staring at a crack in the ceiling, detaching my soul from my body until the air stopped smelling like gin and the weight finally lifted. He would moan on his own, grunt, choke me and do everything he pleased and when he was satisfied he would leave. He would say, “it's not my fault you are so beautiful. I can't help myself dear.”I hated my skin. I hated the way it felt under his hands, and I hated the way it looked in the mirror. I wanted to take a knife and peel it all off, just to s
~~~ TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ ~~~THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CONTENT THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME READERS. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION…..The door to Orion’s bedroom clicked open, so I scrambled to my feet, my heart clawing at my ribs. I scrubbed my face hard with my sleeves, desperate to wipe away the salt and the terror before my brother could see the wreckage Raymond had left behind."Zayn! I’m ready! I even put my juice box in the side pocket like you showed me!" Orion stood there, his backpack nearly as big as he was, his face glowing with a pride that felt like a knife to my gut.But then his smile faltered. He stepped closer, his small brow furrowing. "Zayn? Why are you on the floor? And why is your face all red?"I didn't answer. I just reached out and pulled him into me, burying my face in the crook of his neck. I held him so tight I feared I might bruise him, but I couldn't let go. He was the only clean thing left in my world."I’m fine, baby," I whispered, "I’m just... I’m so
~ Williams POV ~The last thing I remembered was the world turning upside down, the screech of metal on asphalt, the smell of burning rubber, and a pain so sharp it felt like my very soul was being shredded to pieces. I had fought to stay conscious, my mind screaming only one name, “Dante, Dante,
The ticking of the wall clock was the only thing keeping me sane at the moment and reminding me I was still bound to reality. It had been over twenty four hours now and the silence in this VIP suite was becoming unbearable. I hadn’t moved from the chair beside Liam’s bed since I was allowed to fin
I stared at Marco, the silence between us heavy enough to crush diamond into powder. But I didn't explode. I didn't even growl. I just sat there, feeling the cold weight of his words sink in."My fault?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, devoid of its usual predatory edge. "How is it my fault tha
The minutes I had to wait patiently had bled into hours, and the hours had become a slow, agonizing torture that was eating at my insides. I sat in a secluded corner of the waiting wing, my bulk form hunched over, elbows resting on my knees and hands clasped so tightly my knuckles were white as sno







