Se connecterGoddammit. Was everyone and their mama at this club tonight?"Nope... nope nope nope! Hell nah, Celene," I murmured to myself, turning quickly on my heels and heading right back to the bar.Why the fuck was he here?Can't I spend a single damn day avoiding all these men?People were still watching as I stumbled back toward the counter, half of them still holding up their phones from the glass-smashing show I'd just put on. The absolute last thing I needed was for these vultures to start connecting dots and assuming I was jumping from man to man just like Cole’s secretary had said.My brain was screaming at my feet to move faster, but in my frantic rush to vanish into the crowd, my six-inch heel stumbled on one of the broken glasses on the floor.The heel skidded violently as i tried to gain my balance. "Oh, Jesus—"My left leg completely went out from under me, and gravity took over with humiliating speed. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing my arms to face-plant straight into V
The shattered glass was still settling on the dance floor when all hell broke loose.Two of Victor’s men scrambled to scoop up their bleeding boss, while the other two lunged straight for me.Did theu want to... beat me up?! The bar had instantly formed a thick, eager ring of onlookers, half of them whipping out their phones like they were catching a live execution. Fuck it... I'll be trending for a different reason by tomorrow morning. I didn't back down an inch though...I smoothed down my red dress, wiped a drop of blood off my knuckle, and met the two advancing meatheads with my sweetest, most unhinged smile i could come up with."If either of you put a single dirty finger on me," I purred, tilting my head, "you’ll spend the rest of the night on your knees searching for your missing limbs."They hesitated for half a second weighing if they could take my threat for it or loose their next paycheck... then together, they squared up their shoulders to come at me anyway.Fuck... t
I finally turned my head, giving him the full, unhurried scrutiny he’d been obviously begging for.That was when I noticed the four men standing about ten feet back, wearing black suits, thier hands folded neatly over their belt buckles, eyes scanning the room like hawks.What was it with the people in this club having security? Am i the only careless puppy in here? DammitI slowly dragged my gaze back to the man sitting beside me, my brain finally clicking the pieces together. The designer shirt, the heavy gold signet ring, the arrogant posture... of course i recognised him now.Victor Adams.He was a low-level mafia lord. The kind of small-time predator who strutted around the city’s underbelly pretending he owned the place, while every actual power player knew he was just scraping and begging for scraps under the big table. He desperately wanted everything Cole Ryder had...he had always wanted the power, the turf, the sheer, paralyzing authority...but he lacked every ounce of
"I love you, Celene," Maya whispered, her lower lip trembling as she looked up at me with raw, undisguised warmth. "I’ve loved you since you were a little girl running through these hallways. I just want you to be safe."The anger in my chest gave a sharp, painful flicker, then slowly began to thaw.Those four words hit me right where I was weakest. Maya had been in this house since I was a child. She was the one who bandaged my scraped knees, tucked me in when my mother passed, and kept this massive, empty mansion feeling like a home. Her loyalty to Daniel was born out of blind, foolish affection, not malice.I took a slow, deep breath, letting the icy tension leave my shoulders.I stepped forward and gently reached out, taking the cool metallic keys from her palm."I know you love me, Maya," I said, my voice softening just enough to bridge the heavy chasm between us. "And I know you mean well. But I need you to understand something..."I held her gaze, letting the honesty sett
I stood up from the vanity stool and walked over to my walk-in closet, sliding the heavy doors open.My fingers began scanning through the long rows of silk, satin, and tailored blazers, searching for something that screamed life instead of 'I'm struggling for survival'."Celene?"I didn't turn around, but I heard the soft, tentative click of the bedroom door and the rustle of fabric as Maya took a few cautious steps inside."Where are you going?" Maya asked, her voice quiet, laced with a strange mixture of guilt and anxiety. "Are you... are you going out looking like that? Have you even eaten anything today? I can tell the kitchen to prepare something for you..."I completely ignored her, my hands continuing to flip through the hangers with practiced indifference. The silence between us stretched, but I didn't owe her an explanation, a conversation, or a single fucking second of my time.Near the back of the closet, tucked behind a sea of conservative work coats, my fingers bru
I locked the door, dropped my bag onto the floor, and leaned heavily against the cold wood. The silence of my bedroom swallowed me whole, but my heart was still pounding like a trapped bird against my ribs.Slowly, almost against my will, I walked over to the vanity mirror.When my reflection came into focus, my breath hitched. The angry, violent red rings of Daniel’s fingers were already darkening into deep purple bruises across my throat. The side of my cheek was flushed and swollen, and my right knuckles were raw and wounded.A sharp, painful knot tightened in my chest. For the first time all day, my vision blurred with burning tears.Fuck! I really did not want to cry. I sank onto the velvet stool, burying my face in my hands as choked, breathless sobs finally tore through my chest.I'm still not free. I'm still not fucking free...No matter how hard I fought, no matter how much I changed, this monster was still haunting my life, trying to drag me right back into the hell I h







