เข้าสู่ระบบ157Gustavo"Oh, these amateurs."I leaned back in the leather chair of my darkened study, the blue light of the monitors reflecting in my glasses.On the screen, the grainy feed from the university’s perimeter cameras showed exactly what I expected.Black SUVs parked a block too close, men in cheap suits trying and failing to look like students, and Ronan, looking like he’d aged a decade in a single night.They think they are hunters. It’s a charming, almost tragic delusion.I adjusted my tie in the mirror, smoothing out the persona of Professor Coleman.They were all just variables in an equation I had already solved.I watched as Emilia stepped out of her vehicle. Even through the low-resolution lens, I could see the tension in her jaw.She thinks she’s coming here to trap me. She thinks that by playing "business as usual," she can catch me off guard at the end of the day.She doesn't realize that I’m the one who wrote the syllabus.I reached out and picked up a small, silver remo
156RaffaelI was right.I was so fucking right."I told you so," was sitting right on the tip of my tongue.I wanted to say it, to stick my tongue out just to see her reach that peak level of irritation I knew so well.But then I looked at her. Her knuckles were white, her grip on the envelope so tight the paper began to groan under the pressure as she stared at the face of her professor.A.K.A Gustavo.I decided to reign it in. There would be plenty of time to be petty later.”You’re sure about this?” she asked Ronan.He looked like he needed a week of sleep, not just a night.“My men and I scouted the apartment building all night. Mostly me,the bastards were asleep half the time. But yes, Emilia, I’m sure,” he said, rubbing at his eyes as he fought back a yawn.”Did he see your cars?” I asked.Ronan shook his head frantically. ”We barely used them. I took the initiative and rented the apartment directly opposite his so we’d look like just another set of neighbors.”I nodded, genuin
155EmiliaThere are days that feel like a stray bullet.Today was one of them."Emi—""Not now, Raf." I sniffed, refusing to look at him while the doctor laid out every secret my husband had been buried under.I had already texted Doctor Olsen for the details Raffael wouldn't disclose, but it seemed the universe had a more violent way of catching me up.Now, everything made sense.The watch.His sudden detachment from the business.The way he stayed on the sidelines.What if the accident hadn't happened? Would he have kept lying to me until his heart just...stopped?"Thank you, doctor. That will be all," I said. My voice was a ghost of itself. I gripped the wall, the cold plaster the only thing keeping my legs from giving out as the news sank in.My husband was a mortal man. If we weren't careful, the love of my life was going to be taken from me by a failing rhythm in his chest."I was going to tell you, Tempesta," he said, his voice smaller than I’d ever heard it.I scoffed, rippin
154NoraThere are no heroes in this world, just villains with better disguise.It starts with my father. He’s the Mafia’s most trusted lawyer, the man who saves monsters from cages for a fee.He buys protection with technicalities, and I used to think that was the height of deception.Then there’s me.I’m supposed to be the one who breaks the "tough nuts" for Emilia until they cough up every secret they’re hiding.But as I descended the basement stairs, the heavy weight of the weapon in my hand felt like a prop in a play I was tired of performing.I was keeping him alive longer than I should. Because even in this darkness, I knew the truth.I wanted him alive. He had grown on me, like a beautiful, poisonous vine."Hi, baby," I smiled at Luca, the lights overhead flickering against the sweat on his brow.He was strapped to the chair, his eyes wide and tracking the steel blade in my hand. He looked at me with a mixture of terror and something raw and honest that I didn't find anywhere
153EmiliaRaffael wouldn't let go of me. I mean that literally.Not that I was complaining. After the weeks of distance and the sterile walls of the hospital, I craved the weight of him."Raf," I hissed as his fingers found my nipples again. He twisted and tugged, the sharp sting melting into waves of heat that crashed straight into my core."Can we go again, baby? Please?" he whispered against my skin. His breath was a hot against my neck as he rocked his hips, the hard, familiar length of his cock pressing into the small of my back.We had fallen asleep less than three hours ago with him still buried deep inside me, and yet here he was."Raf, I have to be up early," I moaned, my protest dying in my throat as his hand slipped under the covers. His fingers found my wetness, circling my clit in slow, torturous ways that made my toes curl.I needed my sleep. I was so close to breaking Luca, finally forcing him to cough up Gustavo’s main coordinates.The kid was a tough nut to crack and
152RaffaelI was finally home.The scent of gunpowder and tobacco clung to the air, a sharp reminder of the world I had just stepped back into.But the frantic hammering in my chest was the louder warning.Be careful.Three. Five. Three.Three. Five. Three.I thought I’d kicked the habit once Emilia entered my life. Apparently, the lie I’d been living regarding my health was enough to make the tapping resurface."Raffael!" Nora squealed. The sound startled the twins into a chorus of cries as she rushed forward to throw her arms around me."Easy now," I chuckled, pulling her into a tight embrace."Basement?" Emilia’s voice was calm as she looked at Nora.Nora nodded. "He’s on a hunger strike. I had the men pry his mouth open while I poured blended breakfast down his throat." She shrugged as if describing a mundane chore.My skin itched to take over. Any sane boss would have demanded the file and headed downstairs to finish the job, but I was forced to settle for a question."Do I need
38AdrianWhat was the worst that could happen?I drew in smoke from the cigar, letting it settle in my lungs before I blew it out slowly.“I’ll be back,” I told my men, standing up and grabbing my keys.“We’ll be heading back to Spain today, sir. Your father’s orders.”I stopped in my tracks the m
36RaffaeleNo matter how long it took me, I was going to kill Ricardo Santos.“What part of bring him to me don’t you people understand?” I barked at the men in front of me.Emilia stirred on my lap, and my glare burned holes through the room. How dare they make me raise my voice.I refused to let
37Emilia“No fucking way!” Nora’s shriek echoed off the walls.“Way!” I yelled back.We dissolved into a fit of squeals, jumping in circles like we were back in middle school. The celebration lasted all of five seconds before the door slammed against the stopper.Ronan and Raffaele burst in, eyes
N/B: Ricardo was first mentioned in Chapter 1132Emilia“Stop being a pussy and show your face,” I yelled, but my voice only echoed through the empty space.No response. Again.I was kidnapped again.And this time, they didn’t even have the decency to leave my clothes on.I was shaking on the cold







