LOGINThe black SUV rolled to a halt on the cracked concrete of the desolate shipyard.Sebastian stepped out into the freezing night air. He pulled a silver lighter from his dark coat, the sharp click echoing against the rusting metal shipping containers. He lit the cigarette, taking a slow drag. The harsh orange glow illuminated his striking amber eyes. Exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, he walked toward the heavy corrugated doors of the warehouse.Inside the makeshift office, Adrian paced the bare floor. The information chief stopped the moment Sebastian walked in.Sebastian’s jaw clenched. "This better be important, Adrian.""Yes, Jefe," Adrian replied, stepping up to the metal desk. "It is about Giovanni. His brother, Lorenzo, is making his move. He is taking the seat as the next capo by the end of the week. Worse, he is sniffing around like a starving dog. He is getting too close to finding where we are keeping him." Adrian paused, his expression turning grim. "And your father is landing
Viola gasped as her back hit the leather seat. Before she could even process the movement, Sebastian was hovering over her. He had her pinned beneath him, his broad chest caging her in without crushing her with his weight.Viola stared up at him in a wide-eyed, frozen daze.A heavy gold chain hung from his neck, having slipped loose from his open collar. The cool metal grazed directly across her flushed cheek as he lowered his head. His eyes were pitch black in the shadows. Through the fabric of his shirt, she could feel his heart hammering a heavy, violent rhythm against her chest.He didn't give her time to breathe. He captured her face in his hands and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.It was bruising. It was desperate. Viola let out a soft groan, her fingers tangling frantically into his dark hair. The pleasure was so intense it bordered on pain.His mouth left her lips, trailing hot, wet kisses down her jaw. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, his lips sucking har
Viola gave a small, jerky nod.His thumb pressed down on the center of her palm, applying a sudden, firm pressure. Viola flinched slightly, a quiet breath escaping her lips. Sebastian felt the flinch. He instantly eased the pressure, his touch softening as his thumb stroked the sensitive skin of her wrist, soothing the sting.Viola stared down at his large, lethal hands gently holding hers. The contrast made her head spin.Then, his free hand came up. His long fingers gently gripped her chin, tilting her head up until she was forced to look at him.His amber eyes were dilated, burning with a raw, predatory hunger.He leaned in, and his lips crashed down on hers.Viola froze. Her hands instinctively flew up, clutching the broad, hard muscles of his shoulders to steady herself. The kiss wasn't rushed. It was agonizingly slow, deep, and heavy. He moved his mouth over hers with absolute authority, tasting her, claiming the space. She kept her lips pressed tightly together, paralyzed by th
The tires of the luxury SUV hummed smoothly over the dark asphalt.Viola sat rigidly in the backseat, her chest rising and falling in shallow, frantic breaths. Her right hand rested on her thigh, the palm still tingling with a sharp, hot energy. She stared down at her fingers in the shadows. She had actually done it. She had struck the daughter of a powerful man hard enough to leave a red mark.A violent tremor wracked her small frame, shaking her shoulders. It was the heavy, crashing wave of adrenaline. But as she sat there in the dark, waiting for the guilt and the terror to swallow her alive, she realized something terrifying.She didn't feel bad.For the first time in her miserable, invisible life, she had fought back. She hadn't cowered. And looking down at her stinging hand, a dark, forbidden thrill curled deep in her stomach.A heavy gaze broke through her thoughts.Viola slowly turned her head. Sebastian was sitting in the corner of the leather seat, submerged in the shadows.
Tap.Her fingers barely grazed Valentina’s cheek. It was a weak, harmless brush of skin, driven by pure fear and hesitation.Viola quickly pulled her hand back, her chest rising and falling in short, panicked gasps. She looked at Sebastian, desperately hoping it was enough.Sebastian’s jaw locked. A dark shadow passed over his features."That is what you call a slap?" he asked, his voice dropping into a terrifying, dangerous drawl. He took one slow step closer. "Again. Harder."Alejandro finally broke. "Sebastian, enough. She apologized. You are pushing this too far—"Mateo stepped forward.It was a small, subtle movement. Mateo didn't draw a weapon. He didn't speak a word. He simply shifted his weight and placed his massive frame directly between Alejandro and Sebastian, his hand resting casually near the inside of his jacket.The threat was deafening. The guards near the door instantly tensed, their hands dropping to their holsters. The air in the room felt like a drawn bowstring, r
Alejandro’s jaw tightened. "She is a Martinez. She carries my name. You threw her out onto the street over a spilled glass of wine." His sharp eyes flicked to Viola, taking in her faded jeans, her messy hair, and her pale, terrified face. Disgust flashed across his features. "You humiliated my blood for a shop girl."Sebastian’s amber eyes went dead. The temperature in the room plummeted."She didn't slap a shop girl, Alejandro," Sebastian stated quietly. "She raised her hand to a Hierro."The room went dead silent.Alejandro stopped breathing. His posture went completely rigid. He slowly turned his head, looking at Viola again. This time, the disgust was gone, replaced by a calculating, fearful realization. He searched her face for the familial resemblance, weighing the catastrophic cost of what Sebastian had just revealed.If this girl carried the Hierro protection, Valentina had just committed an act of war.Alejandro slowly turned his dark eyes toward his daughter. "Apologize."Va
Viola stood in front of the small mirror in her bedroom, her fingers gently touching her jaw.Yesterday, right after her mother’s hand had cracked across her face, Viola had run to the bathroom and desperately covered the angry red mark with cheap foundation. Now, with the makeup washed off, a fain
Dinner ended exactly as it began—stiff, quiet, and suffocating.Viola didn’t wait for Vanessa or her mother to stand up. The moment Rafael pushed his chair back, she slipped away from the table. She kept her head down, tracing the edge of the hallway until she found the heavy glass doors leading to
The heavy oak doors of the Hierro estate always felt too tall, like they were designed to make whoever walked through them feel small.Viola pulled the sleeves of her oversized sweater over her knuckles. She kept her head down, hoping her hair would fall over the sides of her face. Maybe if she sta
Viola spent the rest of the day hiding in her tiny bedroom.She didn't go down for lunch, and she skipped dinner entirely. She just sat on the edge of her bed, her knees pulled tight to her chest, waiting. She expected her mother to burst through the door at any second. She expected to be dragged t







