LOGINMorning didn’t arrive immediately, creeping slowly with the light filtering through the gaps from the board up windows, touching the edges of the room that carried the quiet aftermath of the night before.The bed was a mess.Sheets twisted and half-drawn, pillows displaced, the fabric marked by the restless, urgent way they had held onto each other. It wasn’t careless.It was evidence of their need and release.Of their survival.Althea stirred first, aware that morning has arrived.Her body felt heavy, limbs slow, the kind of weight that came not from exhaustion alone but from being completely spent in a way that left nothing held back.She shifted slightly and felt him.Dominic was already awake.He’s already sitting up beside her, his back resting against the headboard, one hand dragging slowly through his hair as if grounding himself in the quiet.He looked different in the morning.Not softer.But less guarded.Althea watched him for a moment before speaking.“You didn’t sleep.”
THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE/SEXUAL CONTENT. PLEASE READ WITH DISCRETION.Dominic carried Althea gently back toward their bed after drying themselves of, never breaking contact, never letting the moment slip into something rushed or careless.Her hands didn’t leave him either.One hand is around his neck while the other is on his cheek as she kissed him passionately.His didn’t leave her.Every movement carried weight, not in urgency but more on intensity.Althea held onto him like she was anchoring herself to his warmth and presence.She wanted to feel the steady certainty of him.“Stay with me.” She whispered.“I’m not going anywhere.” He assured in a tone that makes her believed him.Dominic lowered her on their bed and laid beside her, his lips latched onto her neck. He hungrily nibbled on her soft skin alternating it with kisses.Althea raised her head to him, caressing his face tenderly, looking at him.“I love you, Dominic.” She whispered lovingly.“Not as much as I love you, A
This chapter contains sexual content. Please read with caution.“I need this, Dom.” She murmured against him.It was not an explanation but more of the truth and Dominic didn’t question it.He understood because he needed it too.Not to escape but to feel some grounding and connection.Proof that they were still here, still choosing each other in the middle of everything that tried to tear them apart.Dominic tears her clothes apart, hearing the ripping of the fabric while Althea pulled his shirt open, the buttons clattering on the floor. He unfastened her bra and pushed down her silk panties, the same way she is pushing down his pants.Althea wrapped her hands around his neck, pressing her naked body to his chest and brought his head down, biting at his lower lip greedily.“F8ck me, Dom.” She whispered intently. “I don’t want slow. I want to feel you.”He lifted her off her feet and she wrapped her legs around him. Her one hand stayed around his neck while the other cupped his face a
The war room slowly emptied after the thorough discussion they had inside.Althea watched as Michael won over his father firmly to take him back to the medical wing and keep him there overnight, much to August’s irritation.All of them finally went out, not because they were done. But because they had reached the point where exhaustion could no longer be ignored.Dominic noticed Althea yawning consistently and after one final run through, called an end.Plans had been drawn and discussed, patterns uncovered with her help and decisions have been made. Now, they need strength because what’s coming will be much more brutal.“Rest well.” Dominic ordered finally, his voice quieter but no less firm. “We need to regain everything we exhausted.”No one argued.One by one, they left.Sebastian was the last to leave.Enzo lingering just long enough to mutter something about “not dying before morning,” before disappearing down the hall.Silence settled again and this time it was different.It wa
The war room filled again and Dominic pushed Althea towards one chair, telling her to rest while they are waiting for the rest to enter the room.Dominic nodded as one guard handed him the documents. He looked down at the sheets quietly for a while as they wait.He briefly glanced at Althea and could see her assessing him with her eyes intently, gauging the injuries he got.“I’m alright, Thea.” He said gently and she flushed when she realized that he caught her checking him. “Helena also handed Nico to Mimi and your parents so she can treat all the injuries.”Althea nodded.“Ulysees needed stitches.” She said quietly. “I’m sure he won’t be joining us here.”Roberto let out a chuckle as he sat down on one chair to her right. “You don’t know Uly like we do, Thea.” He answered as he leaned back. “He’s not going to sit the next one out.”“He’s injured!” She insisted.“His pride will likely be more injured if he sits this one out.” Vincent explained, entering the room with a bandage over h
The last echo of gunfire didn’t end the battle but its emptiness.The silence that followed was heavier than the fight itself.Smoke lingered in the chapel, thin and bitter, curling through the dim light like a memory that refused to leave. The stone that has been breach was sealed as best as it could be, the door reinforced again, bodies already pulled back from sight.No one spoke at first because they continued to listen for footsteps and movements. They refused to let their guard down, knowing that it still isn’t over.Heavy silence filled with alertness stayed for a long while but nothing came.Michael exhaled slowly.“They’re pulling back.” He said calmly.Sebastian, who had just stepped in from the entrance, nodded once.“Retreat pattern.” He confirmed. “Not disorganized. Controlled.”Dominic stood still at the center, his gaze sharp, calculating even in the quiet.“They lost the advantage.” He said seriously. “And they know it. My uncle knows it.”“But it’s not over. Not by a l
Althea arrived at the Valtieri estate after dawn.The car that picked her up rolled through the gates as the sky shifted from gray to pale gold, the light catching on stone and iron without warmth. Morning should have felt like relief but exhaustion is clearly overtaking her body.The operation Luc
The breach began quietly.There were no alarms screaming or any dramatic storming of gates. It was a single, almost imperceptible lapse. One door that remained unlocked half a second longer than protocol allowed, a camera feed that lagged not enough to trip automated alerts but enough to create sha
The next morning, Aurelio summoned Althea again, this time after Dominic had already left for the office in just an hour.The summon came with impeccable timing and calculated politeness. A knock delivered by a servant who would not meet her eyes. A message that was phrased as a courtesy, framed li
Althea felt the shift as she looked up from the medical book she is reading inside the room.The estate, she noted ever since, had a way of breathing. She felt an imperceptible rhythm that those who lived within its walls eventually learned to read.During ordinary days, the corridors hummed softly







