ANMELDEN~ DRUSCILLA ~I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. My own mother had given Avery poisoned juice. And the worst part? It was true. Every ugly bit of it.If I hadn’t caught her in that restroom with Isaac, legs wrapped around him like he was the last man on earth, I would’ve called the whole thing a lie. But there was no denying it now. The image was burned into my brain.Why him? Out of all the men in this city, why did she pick Isaac to be her dirty little secret? What the hell was so special about that man?My blood ran hot with rage. What she’d done was unforgivable. Avery had lost her baby because of her. Patricia. What a piece of work. A real queen of mischief. I could almost hear the sarcastic clap echoing inside my head. What else do you have hiding up your sleeve, Mom?I turned to Avery, keeping my voice soft even though my insides were screaming. “I have to go now. I’ll come check on you later.”Tears filled her eyes, making them shine under the hospital lights. “Thank you
~ DRUSCILLA ~The stall door creaked open.Isaac stepped out first, hurriedly fixing the collar of his shirt like a man trying to pretend nothing had happened. His hair was slightly disheveled, his breathing uneven. Patricia followed behind him, smoothing down her skirt with trembling hands, her fingers fumbling as if they had suddenly forgotten how to work.Then they saw me.Both of them froze.Their jaws slackened. Their eyes widened like they had just walked straight into a nightmare.For a second, the world tilted.My breath left my lungs so suddenly it felt like someone had punched me square in the chest.My mom.And Isaac.Oh my God.My hand flew to the wall beside me. I gripped it hard for support as the ground beneath my feet threatened to give way.Ivan rushed toward me immediately, his arm wrapping around my waist to steady me.“What the hell is going on?” he groaned, his eyes moving sharply between them and me.My hand lifted slowly, trembling as I pointed at them.I choked
**~ DRUSCILLA ~** **TWO WEEKS LATER**The ballroom gleamed like something out of a fever dream. Crystal chandeliers dripped soft light over white linen tables and towering floral arrangements heavy with white roses and eucalyptus. My name was printed boldly on the welcome banner near the entrance—Druscilla Hayes. Event Planner. Pride swelled warm in my chest. I had pulled this off. Despite everything—the betrayal, the heartbreak, the sheer fucking audacity—I had stayed professional and delivered something beautiful.Hard to believe, wasn’t it? I had planned my traitorous best friend’s engagement party to my ex-boyfriend.“You actually came,” Avery said, her voice pitched high with that fake, sugary excitement the moment Ivan and I stepped through the double doors. She gave Ivan a slow once-over, her glossy lips twitching. “And you brought your gangster with you.”She looked expensive in a sleeveless silver gown that caught every flicker of light, her makeup soft and flawless, hair
The private elevator hummed upward, and the second the doors slid open into Ivan’s penthouse, his hand was already at the small of my back—hot, possessive, steering me inside like I belonged to him. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the glittering Manhattan skyline, but I couldn’t focus on anything except the way my pulse hammered in my throat. I’d teased him for weeks. Tonight he was cashing in every filthy promise he’d ever growled against my ear.“You’ve teased me long enough,” he rasped, lips brushing the shell of my ear, voice low and rough like gravel wrapped in velvet. “Tonight I keep my promise. I’m going to fuck you, ruin you—edge you, break you, fill every hole until you’re a senseless, dripping mess who can’t even think straight.”Heat flooded between my thighs so fast my knees nearly buckled. Before I could answer, he spun me and slammed my back against the cool glass. His mouth crashed down on mine, claiming, devouring, tongue fucking my mouth the way I already knew he plan
~ DRUSCILLA ~Strong arms suddenly locked around my waist from behind, pulling me against a hard chest before I could even scream.“It’s me, Dru,” his deep voice rumbled against my ear, low and rough, stopping my heart mid-beat.I froze.“Tell me, Cillia… where the hell did I go wrong?” Ivan asked, turning me around so I had no choice but to face him.His eyes—those stormy gray eyes I used to drown in—looked wrecked. He’d lost weight. His cheekbones were sharper, his face leaner, like he hadn’t eaten properly in days. The sight of him like that twisted something deep in my chest.Don’t you dare soften, Druscilla. You’re mad at him. Stay mad.“Please, baby… talk to me,” he groaned, his voice cracking just a little. “Why are you avoiding me?”“I’m not avoiding you,” I snapped, my voice rising before I could stop it. “I don’t want to see you anymore. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want a goddamn thing to do with you!”The words flew out loud and ugly on that empty street. Ivan’s ha
~ IVANOV ~It has been one week, four days, twenty four hours and thirty two minutes since I last saw her.Yeah. I counted.Every damn second.Druscilla has not picked up a single call. Not one reply. Not even a dry, cold text to tell me to get lost.Nothing.And that is what is eating me alive.“Calm down, boss,” Pedro said, leaning back like this was nothing. “Maybe she’s just busy with work or something.”I turned my head slowly and shot him a look so sharp it could cut skin.He straightened instantly.“She can’t be that busy,” I said, my voice low but tight, like something was about to snap. “Not to the point where she ignores me completely.”My chest felt heavy. Like someone had their hand wrapped around my heart, squeezing. Not enough to kill me. Just enough to make every breath hurt.“I know her,” I continued, dragging my hand through my hair, pacing the room like a caged animal. “She doesn’t go a single day without talking to me. Not one. And now she just disappears? No explan







