ANMELDENAdrianoI don’t remember much about the drive back to the mansion.Just fragments. Denton’s voice—low, cutting, relentless. The things he said. The things I *did*. And flashes…God—those flashes.Broken pieces of the night before, jagged and out of order, slamming into me without warning. Enough to make my grip tighten on the wheel until my knuckles went bone white. Enough to make something dark and violent coil in my chest.But by the time I turned into the driveway…I had forced it into shape.I chanelled that darkness clawing at my insides into a plan. Cold. Clean. Controlled.1. — First and foremost...find Arianna.2. — If she’s with Liam, retrieve her. Set her and Remi free to live their lives how they pleased.3. — Eliminate Liam. Remove the threat to them and our familyThe plan was simple and straightforward. As long as I showed no hesitation, no deviation. No mercy.----------When I entered the house, Eunice our long time housekeeper was in the receiving hall, setting fresh fl
Liam I don’t know how sleep found me… but it did.And for once—it was merciful. It had been dreamless. No screams. No echo of her voice breaking apart in my head…“Liam… brother…”Just… nothing. Dark. Quiet. Empty.I woke after eight, staring at a ceiling that wasn’t mine, the weight of everything settling back into my chest like it had only been waiting for me to open my eyes.Luca was gone. Of course he was. It was a wonder that I hadn't even heard him wake or leave.I scrubbed a hand over my face and pushed up from the bed. Those few hours… they had helped. Not enough to be fully rested—but enough to function.And that’s what today required. Focus. Precision. No emotion. Because today… I start the task to find her.And as soon as that is accomplished, I can deal with all the shit waiting for me on my own doorstep.---I made the bed out of habit more than anything else, then headed down the passage to the guest room where I’d left my things.My phone was where I left it. Almost dea
LuigiMy brother was furious. Understandably so.Stefano paced like a caged tiger, dragging his hands through his hair, disbelief and rage tearing through him in equal measure. I didn’t interrupt it. I let it burn out enough so he could hear me.Because I knew that storm. I had lived it myself… not even hours ago. My own reaction had been worse.“Stefano…” I called, voice firm, steady.“What?” he snapped, turning on me, eyes blazing.I held his gaze. “We have another problem,” I said evenly. “More immediate than Liam.”He barked a harsh laugh, sharp and disbelieving. “You must be kidding me,” he shot back. “What could possibly trump this?”I didn’t rise to it. His reaction was expected. Instead, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small drive from the camera. Without another word, I inserted it into my laptop and turned it toward him.He watched me, suspicion replacing some of the anger. “Do you remember,” I said quietly, “when Adriano swore to Liam that he would make him pay
StefanoI knew something was off the moment I saw Luigi’s message.He never called for me this early unless it mattered. And I was already awake. Truth be told… I hadn’t slept much at all.Yvette had been restless through the night. Tossing, turning… clinging to me like if she let go, something would take her again. Every time she shifted, I tightened my hold, whispering against her hair that she was home… that she was safe.But even as I said it… I knew how close we had come. Too close. The thought of losing her—of someone daring to touch what was mine, what was *ours*—it sat in my chest like a loaded gun.That family meeting? It had better come with a plan for ending that Irish filth. A real one. As quickly and painfully as possible. Because if it didn’t… I would handle it myself.Showered, dressed, and still carrying that edge, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Yvette’s temple. She didn’t wake, just breathed deeper, her hand still curled where I had been.“I’ve got you. You'
RemiIt was Friday. And on the surface…everything said I was fine.The operation had gone well. No rejection. No infection. Vitals holding and steady. Strong. *Textbook recovery*, they said.If things held like this…I’d be outta this joint by next week. Free. And I could back to Arianna…where I belonged.But something didn’t sit right. The feeling persisted all day. It lingered under my skin…quiet, insistent. Like a wrong note in a perfect song.Maybe it was because it was the longest I’d gone without seeing Arianna’s sweet face. Maybe it was because of the dreams…or the flashes.Her as a kid. Small. Fragile. Crying out in the night and refusing to let go of me. I used to think she would outgrow it.She didn’t. Neither did I.People would probably call it unhealthy. To close. Too attached. Too dependent.I didn’t care. It was us. And together…we were stronger.But damn…I missed her. The beautiful expressive face. Those ridiculous blue eyes that saw too much. That laugh when she go
Luca We sat there in the kitchen… but nothing about it felt the same anymore. My father had claimed Liam. And in my own way… I suppose I had too. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t spoken. But it was there. I had one brother taken from me before I even knew him. And now… another had been dropped into my life without warning. No time to prepare. No time to adjust. Just truth—heavy and undeniable. And as much as Liam had been a rival… as much as things between us had been complicated…He was blood. Marked the same as me. That meant something. Whether I liked it or not… I had a younger brother. And somewhere out there… a baby sister. My jaw tightened slightly. I wasn’t losing them. Not like we had lost Aramis. Especially not now that we knew. My father pushed back his chair, the scrape loud in the quiet kitchen. “I think this has been a long day for all of us,” he said. No one argued. “Let’s get some sleep.” He looked at Liam then. “I’m calling a meeting with the rest of the family in a fe
Liana I had just finished making take-away bags for all the guys and putting away the balance of the food. I entered the Den and it was already humming with anticipation, laughter and cigar smoke in the air. Cards were being shuffled, chips stacked with ritualistic precision, voices overlapping
Liana Adriano called after 5pm to let me know he and Luca would be a bit late. A last minute emergency came up. It shouldn’t have bothered me. It absolutely did. “How could he leave me alone to welcome his guests?” I checked the spread on the kitchen island for the third time, nudging bowls i
Adriano Denton pulls the car around just after eight. As I slide into the back seat, adjusting my cuffs, I say it like it’s a business instruction—precise, unemotional. “Please pick up Liana at 1pm and take her to the hospital. She wants to catch the doctors after rounds.” Denton nods. “Of cou
Liana I didn’t remember falling asleep. One moment I was staring out the car window, the early dawn casting faint light and buildings blurring into one another, exhaustion pressing down on me like a physical weight. And the next, I was drifting, wrapped in warmth that didn’t smell like antisept







