LOGINTHE COLD LIGHT{Playlist Suggestion: "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo / "Illicit Affairs" by Taylor Swift}~CHELSEA POV~"What the hell do you think you are doing, Chelsea?"I just stared at him, my back pressed so hard against the freezing brick wall that I could feel the rough edges through the thin silk of my dress. My chest thrusting up and down as I tried to catch my breath because the spot on my neck where his mouth had just been was literally burning."What am I doing?" I fired back, my voice shaking so badly but I couldn't stop myself. "You are the one who just pinned me against a wall in a dark alley, Kolt, you are the one who kissed my neck, so don't put this on me!"Kolt ran a hand over his face, looking incredibly frustrated and angry, but the anger wasn't really aimed at me, it looked like he was furious with himself."You didn't push me away, Chelsea," he said, his voice dropping into that dangerous, low gravel that made my knees feel weak. "You stood there and you leaned
THE EX AND THE INSTINCT{Playlist Suggestion: "I See Red" by Everybody Loves An Outlaw / "Streets" by Doja Cat}~KOLT POV~I turned around slowly, my hand still resting flat against the small of Chelsea's back where I had caught her from falling, and I looked right into the face of a ghost I hadn't expected to see in a place like this.Jasmine."What the fuck," I muttered under my breath, completely dropping my polite society mask because out of all the people I expected to run into tonight, my toxic, money-hungry ex-girlfriend was at the absolute bottom of the list.I looked from Jasmine to Chelsea, who was standing there looking completely confused and slightly breathless from crashing into me, and I honestly cursed my own luck because so much for wanting to avoid being seen by Chelsea and just trying to survive this stupid night without talking to her.Jasmine looked Chelsea up and down with this disgustingly obvious sneer, taking in her green dress before turning her attention bac
THE COMEBACK{Playlist Suggestion: "Natural" by Imagine Dragons / "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons}~KADE POV~"If you don't smile, turn around, and walk with me right now," my father whispered, his breath hot and venomous against my ear, "I will personally ensure that your little stray never finds a single job in this city again, and I will have her brother's health insurance canceled before the night is even over."I froze, the blood draining completely out of my face, my fingers gripping the handles of my crutches so tight my knuckles popped."Don't you dare test me, Kade," My Dad continued, his voice so dangerously quiet that nobody else in the crowded ballroom could hear him over the string quartet playing in the background. "You have already embarrassed me enough by parading her in here like some kind of sick rebellion, so you are going to come with me and shake hands with the board, or I will ruin her beyond repair."He pulled back, his face a perfect disguise of wealthy
THE LION'S DEN{Playlist Suggestion: "Royals" by Lorde / "I Did Something Bad" by Taylor Swift}~CHELSEA POV~I was sitting on the edge of Chase's hospital bed a few hours before the gala, fiddling with the zipper on my jacket because my nerves were already eating me alive.But Chase just looked at me with this huge, genuine smile that actually reached his eyes for the first time in weeks."I can't believe you are actually going to do something normal for once," he said, adjusting his nasal cannula while grinning at me like I had just won the lottery. "You're actually going to a party like a normal person in a relationship instead of sitting here worrying about my heart rate or working yourself into an early grave, and I honestly think that's the best medicine Dr. Ryker could have prescribed."I rolled my eyes, slapping lightly at his leg over the blanket. "It's not a normal party, Chase, it's a billionaire's gala filled with people who probably use gold bars as doorstops, and I am
THE WOLF DEN{Playlist Suggestion: "Blood in the Water" by grandson / "The Hills" by The Weeknd}~KOLT POV~The smoke twisted around my fingers in the dark, wet air of the warehouse, smelling like expensive tobacco and blood because the guy tied to the metal chair in front of me was currently bleeding from about four different places on his face.I took a slow drag from my cigarette, my eyes fixed on Samuel, who was beaten to an absolute crisp, groaning and spitting blood onto the concrete floor of one of my empty storage properties on the edge of the city."I told you," I said, my voice dangerously quiet as I breathed out the smoke into the freezing air. "I broke your wrist and I told you exactly what would happen if you ever showed your face at her place again, and yet you still went back."Samuel whined, trying to pull against the zip ties cutting into his wrists. "I didn't... she gave it to me...""Don't insult me," I snapped, stepping forward and grabbing him by the dirty collar
DOUBLE JEOPARDY{Playlist Suggestion: "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo / "Cardigan" by Taylor Swift}~CHELSEA POV~I was sitting cross-legged on Zoe's lumpy couch staring at the massive, shiny black box Kade had sent over by courier, and all I could think about was the fact that I was probably the worst person on the planet."I mean, you have to admit it's a total 'I am obsessed with you' move," Zoe was saying from across the room, leaning against her kitchen counter with a slice of cold pizza in her hand. "He literally sent you a designer dress for the gala so you wouldn't have to stress about it, which is incredibly sweet and aggressively rich at the same time."I didn't answer her because my brain wasn't even in the room, it was stuck on replay, flashing back to that dim living room in the townhouse and the sight of Kolt's back muscles flexing as he moved inside that blonde girl.I kept seeing the way he stopped and stared at me with those dark, wild eyes, and then how he had completel
ROOT ACCESS{Playlist Suggestion: "System Magic" by Goldfrapp / "Glory Box" by Portishead}~CHASE POV~The apartment was quiet, but it wasn't peaceful.I sat in my wheelchair at the small kitchen table, the hum of my laptop fan the only sound in the room. In the living room, a fortress of blankets
LEGACY COSTS{Playlist Suggestion: "Power" by Kanye West / "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Lorde (Cover)}~KNOX POV~The summons came at 6:00 AM.It wasn't an email. It wasn't a text. It was Stevens, my father's personal butler, standing in my penthouse living room with a sealed envelope on
SIGNAL LOSS{Playlist Suggestion: "I Found" by Amber Run / "Earned It" by The Weeknd (Chamber Version)}~KOLT POV~The Mirage was a grave, and I was its unhappy spirit.The last of the bar staff had fled an hour ago, racing to beat the flash flood warnings that were turning the city streets into ri
THE WATCHER{Playlist Suggestion: "I'm Not The Only One" (Slowed) by Sam Smith / "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins}~KOLT POV~The rain had turned the city into a watercolor painting of gray and black, blurring the lines between the penthouses in the sky and the gutters below. My driver, Silas,







