MasukELOWEN“However,” he tilted his head, looking me up and down with unhurried interest. “I have prepared far more beautiful ones for our engagement.”The words hit before my mind could process the voice.I turned around abruptly, a sharp gasp tearing from my throat as my hands flew up instinctively, clutching the fabric of the dress against my chest as though it could shield me from his eyes.“Wha—what are you…” My voice dropped into a hiss, panic clawing up my spine. “How the f**k did you get in?”Alexander stood a few feet away, completely at ease, as though this small dressing room belonged to him. One shoulder rested casually against the wall, his hands loose at his sides, his gaze slow and deliberate as it traced the lines of the ivory silk clinging to my body.“Shh, tempest,” he murmured, lifting a finger to his lips in a playful warning. “They’re right outside.”My breath stuttered.The absurdity of it slammed into me all at once… My mother and Emilia Rizzo are standing barely
ELOWEN"This location is quite ideal," Emilia remarked, indicating a polished folder that the concierge had just presented to her. "It is, of course, lake-facing. We want our guests to experience envy from the very moment of their arrival.”I rolled my eyes inwardly. Of course they should. Heaven forbid anyone attend my engagement and feel anything less than properly inferior.My mother leaned in eagerly, nodding as she scanned the images. “It’s stunning. Elowen, imagine the photographs.”Yes, yes, imagine them. Perfect lighting. Perfect angles... A perfectly curated lie.I shook my head, highly annoyed of these women, who forced me here to be with them. I walked between my mother and Emilia Rizzo feeling like an accessory that had already been purchased, simply waiting to be fitted properly…‘I’m sure the lake is very… wet,’ I murmured internally, smiling pleasantly on the outside.They continued their walk, their heels clicking in synchrony, already engrossed in a discussion abou
ELOWEN‘Enjoy the quietness, Kitten. Because, next time, you'll be with me.’ — This was the last text from Alexander. And since I had received it, around two hours ago, it kept replaying in my head like a broken tape recorder. Indeed, I had deleted it, I can't take risks of any sort for my family to have a glimpse of it. Then, I checked, again and again, until my eyes hurt. But— for how long? It wouldn't be longer for them to realise his presence, and once he is seen… I didn’t even finish the thought and it already made me shiver. And the way he became reckless, I truly fear the consequences…I wanted to sigh— too badly, but I was forced not to. Since I stood at the window of the private living room of the mansion, right before my family, there's no way I can be myself, or show any sort of sign that might hinder their ‘prestige’. The room was quiet in the way expensive living rooms always were, insulated from sound, from chaos, from the outside world. My grandmother sat opposit
ELOWEN My breath hitched, so sharply that it hurt.I didn’t scream. I didn’t turn. I didn’t even blink. When I wanted to do them all. Thanks to my years of survival, I had taught myself how to keep my reaction internal, locked behind a carefully trained mask.But my pulse betrayed me, hammering wildly as heat rushed through my veins. Enough for Alexander to know just how badly he affects me.F**k! I hate him for that!I felt him before I saw him— standing too close, right beside me. I swallowed hard. I have dangers on both sides now. My so-called fiancee on the right and ‘the man I left yet couldn't forget’ on my left. Damn it! I am trapped!His presence is intentional, intrusive, and intimate. When I finally dared to glance sideways, I caught only a reflection in a mirrored pillar behind us.Tall. Impeccably dressed in a dark tuxedo. His familiar gaze fixed on me with a hunger that didn’t bother hiding itself.“You shouldn’t be here,” I whispered, my lips barely moving.His refle
ELOWEN “If I want something, I don’t rush. I bend the world for it to come to me.”— this was what he had said to me once, and now, he's proving that he wasn’t just bluffing at all.Alexander is in Italy, cornering my breath to be questioned, and the worst part— wherever I go, I could feel his eyes on me, and that sends chills down my spine.Even in my sleep I stirred wake a few times, thinking he was watching. Am I being a psycho? Paranoid? Probably! But that arshole! I want to kill him! I wish I could..."Miss Corvella?" A deep Baritone broke my thoughts, startling me inwardly.I glanced up, only to see Abraham Rizzo watching me with a raised brow, eyes full of cold curiosity."You're okay?" He asked. Not sure if he meant it though. He looked more suspicious than concerned. "I—" I swallowed hard and then nodded, "yes," forcing a small smile at the corner of my lips. "I'm fine."He watched me for a few more seconds and then nodded, "alright." Then he turned to a man, "here, this
ALEXANDER The words were not loud. They did not need to be. They just landed, cold and final.Her eyes widened a fraction. The friend shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware that this was not a game she knew how to play.I straightened and pulled myself back. “And the woman I have— can't be compared to anyone… Not even to any divine Goddess. She's a Goddess herself.” Both women blinked, taken aback. Then suddenly, one of them smiled. This time it was a normal, appreciative one… “Such a lucky girl she is.” Then she took out a red lipstick from her clutch and scribbled something into a tissue paper before shoving it into my hand. “Call me, if she ever makes a dumb decision.” And winked at me. I only smiled faintly, then, without saying a word, I stepped past them without another glance, leaving silence in my wake.Outside, the night air was crisp. My driver was already waiting, engine running. I walked toward the car, but before entering I threw the tissue paper in the dustbin… “My







