LOGINLUCIAN“Do you know how men like me succeed in this crazy world of us, Lucian?” Dad had asked me one morning. It happened during one of our lessons in the gardens, because the outdoors was good for us. He was telling me about the history of everything we represented and why we did certain things.I looked up at him, wondering what was going to come out of his mouth. Even at age ten, I was wary of my father and everything that came with him.What I wanted was my mother, but she was nursing Elias and had no time to put up with my nonsense.My nonsense.Those were the exact words he used. At that point, I hadn’t seen my mother for at least three months… maybe four. My birthday had passed without her sending me a card or wishing me in any form. Dad didn’t bother bringing it up.“No.”“Resilience, son.” He ruffled my hair. “And anger. You’ll find that with the right amount of anger, even a boy your age can set this world on fire.”The gates to Alexander Kane’s private estate opened like th
JANICEAiden’s mouth was still on mine.He was kissing me… kissing me… fucking kissing me. And because I was a woman with needs, I kissed the asshole back, lost in the familiar heat, the anger, the need to feel something other than the crushing weight of everything else and Valentina’s words which kept on trying to find a way in.But… what the fuck was I doing?Kissing Aiden wouldn’t help me stand my ground the way I wanted. Kissing Aiden wouldn’t do anything for me.I pulled away from him, ignoring the way I was breathing hard, while I shoved at his chest.“I’m leaving. There’s nothing for me here,” I choked the words out, keeping my eyes at the edge of Calder’s bed, before turning my gaze upwards to those half-lidded eyes. “And for your information, this changes nothing.”Calder’s raspy voice cut through the tension. “You know, Janice.” Shit. I hate when he used my actual name. I… hate when Calder used my actual name. “I heard you. Not everything but there were moments when I would
JANICEFourth time was the charm, right?I remained outside the private hospital room, hand hovering over the door handle for the second time this fucking evening, my heart pounding like it wanted to escape my ribcage that exact moment. I didn’t know what kept pulling me back here.The right thing to do was to stay away, right? I mean, the ex-wife told me I was nothing more than a baby-making machine and that was the only reason one of the men I loved to fuck was with me.A reason that could be a truth or lie. A reason that still burned.And once again, I was here like a fool who couldn’t let go. Yayy for fucking yay.Anyway, I was leaving tomorrow. We had everything packed up. The apartment was empty save for the essentials we needed tonight. Nancy and Bandit were staying with Aisha for the night, saying their own goodbyes to her and Jamal. This was supposed to be my final visit.A proper goodbye to the man who had come for me when I needed someone most.I pushed the door open to fin
AIDENWhen I was a boy of fifteen, a man of twenty, and even a man of twenty five, all I wanted to have was a successful business. I didn’t come from money like the rest of my classmates, but my mother made sure I never lacked anything.The best schools she could afford? I went there.Extracurricular? Did those.Anything that would make me a well rounded man with a good head for numbers, she made sure I did every one of that. So when she got into an accident that got her bedridden the moment I entered college, I got to see the world through a different lens. It took me some time to adjust to everything, but spending the last six months with my mother before she died made everything bearable.I became the best son, doing every single thing to honor her name and make sure she will never be forgotten.And for years, I felt like I was doing the right thing by putting in the work and making sure everything was okay. But right now, I didn’t feel that same urge to put in the work because thi
JANICEThis was the third time in three days.I didn’t know what kept bringing me back here. With all the time I spent with Nancy in the hospital, coming back to this sterile private hospital room with all the soft beeping machines and getting the smell of antiseptic all up in my nose, I never would have thought I would keep on coming to a place like this.Maybe it was the guilt. Maybe it was fear.Or maybe it was the terrifying realization that, despite everything, I still cared.I cared too much.I stood outside the door for a moment, hand hovering over the handle. Inside, Calder lay unconscious, chest rising and falling steadily under the thin hospital blanket. The doctors kept telling me he would wake up anytime soon, but he hadn’t.He hadn’t!I pushed the door open and stepped inside… and stopped in my tracks. Aiden was there.He was standing by the window, hands in his pockets, staring out at whatever city lights he could see from there like they held some form of answers. The m
LUCIANTHREE YEARS AGOThe sheets were still warm and tangled around our bodies, damp with sweat and the faint scent of roses from the garden outside my home. The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of the single bedside lamp and the moonlight slipping through the heavy curtains of the Graves estate.Aurelia lay beside me, her head resting on my chest, one leg thrown possessively over mine. Her dark hair spilled across my skin like ink, and her breathing was still slightly ragged from the moment we had just shared.This was the first time we were meeting each other in the last five years.Aurelia Romano was a free spirit. She didn’t want to be confined to one place and I didn’t want to break her. Not the way father wanted or the rest of the family.Mother said it was better this way, but she raised Elias, so did I really want to take advice from that woman?Well, yes.Aurelia traced lazy circles on my abdomen with her fingertip, a small, satisfied smile playing on her lips.“Fuck,







