ログイン“Hmm,” Sergei mused, his gaze dragging over the card before flicking up to me again. “Kids with rich parents.”The laughter that had started to build again didn’t last. It died a fraction because Yuri Malenkov, the man at the head of the table, flexed his wrist in the air.His eyes dropped to the card, narrowing as if it had personally offended him. His fingers balled against the table, the faintest pause in a man who otherwise wasted nothing.And when he looked up again, he wasn’t looking at the others but at me.A woman stepped into my periphery, completely buck-naked, except for the thin straps of her shoes, tight nipples and a face heavy with makeup.Her expression was blank in the way only trained compliance could achieve, carrying a tray stacked high with chips, obscene in volume.She lowered it in front of me and traced her fingers across my shoulder blades which caused the hairs at the back of my neck to rise involuntarily. Then she stepped back without a word.“I don’t see an
It costs $11,000 for the pleasure of passing through the velvet rope, down the exclusive corridor, heading straight for the high-limit rooms upstair.I paid it without hesitation, sliding the card across a glass desk to a man who didn’t look at me twice.La Casino Capitol pulsed with wealth.Low lights spilled into gold across marble floors, reflecting off crystal and steel, turning every surface into something deliberately seductive. Drunk women, the stench of ‘suave and ice’ and liquor latched onto them as they drifted through the space like decoration, while men sat heavy in their seats, fingers stacked with rings, wrists burdened by watches that could buy cities. And it showed.Gold teeth flashed when they laughed. Thick chains rested against open collars. Custom suits stretched over soft bodies, the fabric fighting a losing battle against excess. They exuded dominance and power in every way, but there was something more repulsive lurking beneath the surface.Bile rose to my th
“No,” I said simply. “You shouldn’t.”That seemed to settle something in him, like it confirmed whatever version of the situation he’d built in his head.“Exactly,” he muttered, a little more certain now. “So whatever this is, you’re overreacting. Let me go.”“Overreacting?” Jerry echoed, the word already edged with impatience as his grip tightened.“Easy.” I intervened before it could escalate. “You were inside a private establishment asking about her movements. You ran when approached. You dropped a device filled with her images. And now you’re telling me you don’t know what this is?”The young man’s eyes darted past Jerry’s raised hand, scanning for an escape, before frantically searching himself only to realize his phone was indeed the device in Jerry’s hand. His expression tensed, shoulders stiffening, instinctively bracing against the pressure on his collar.“I’m telling you,” he said slowly, “I did a job. That’s it. Take pictures. Send them in. Get paid. No names. No questions.
The garage was already occupied by the time I stepped in. Inside, I spotted two of my cars immediately – the one Jerry had driven Rosalia in still angled toward the exit, ready to move at a second’s notice, and the escort vehicle tucked closer to the column where a black sedan waited.Jerry closed the distance the moment I appeared, a phone already in his hand. His expression had tightened in a way that told me whatever dragged me out of that boardroom had earned it.“He came in as a customer,” he began, placing the phone in my palm as we stopped beside the car. “It wasn't all unusual until he asked how long she’d be inside.”I unlocked the screen without responding, my eyes already scanning through what he’d handed me while his voice continued, steady and controlled. There were photos. Too many. My thumb slowed over one of the images.“I let him walk,” Jerry went on, unfazed by my silence. “He left the boutique, came straight out here, got into this car. Apparently he’s been on us
I let him move me where he wanted. His hands were quick, adjusting the fabric at my waist before the tape followed. “Take a second,” Kai called as he drifted out, already pulled in another direction. On his way past, he plucked my phone from one of his assistants and placed it back into my hand, a light tap against my fingers. “No disappearing on me.” The door slid shut behind him and silence settled in. I twirled carefully, the fabric whispering around my legs as I faced the mirrors. Just me, multiplied endlessly. The dress was beautiful, I couldn’t deny that. But all I could see was what it represented. It wasn't just any marriage. It was one into this family. The thought didn’t feel like fate. It wasn’t something written for me, something inevitable or remotely romantic. It felt constructed because I had slowly, carefully woven this outcome into existence myself. And now I was standing in it with no one to blame. My throat tightened as my gaze dropped, then lifted again
Everything inside was white and reflective and impossibly pristine, like someone had taken the idea of luxury and polished it until it lost all connection to normal life. Mirrors stretched from floor to ceiling, multiplying everything – light, movement, people – until it felt like I had walked into a place that didn’t end.“No, no, no… this is what you bring me?”The voice cut through the space before I even saw him.Then he appeared.He looked like he had walked out of a completely different world and decided to stop here for fun.Black tank top that was so fitted that it couldn’t help but show off his lean muscle. Rings stacked across his fingers. Chains resting loosely against his collarbone. His black dyed hair was styled but not carefully like it had fallen into place and he’d simply allowed it.Everything about him was expressive and fluid.He stopped right in front of me, eyes lighting up.“Lauren,” he breathed dramatically, placing a hand over his chest, “Oh my God, no one tol
“Marco!” my mom yelled. “You snake. You jerk. You think because my husband is dead –”“That’s enough, Eleonora,” he cut in, “this behavior is exactly why we’re here.”As two more men hurried in, one of them handed him a plastic file, and he continued to look me down.“Your mother,” he said with a d
There was only pressure and the sensation of being restrained by an unidentified force. My breath became shallow and my limbs refused to respond. I wasn't screaming. The cruelest thing of it has always been that I never resist. Like a blunt object through glass, the sound penetrated the space. In
“But,” I paused my lips, drawing away, “sometimes life doesn’t ask what you want. It just… redirects you. And no amount of wanting makes the path straighten.”Confusion crept up his face. “Are you saying –”“I’m saying I didn’t come here to hurt you,” I interrupted. My chest tightened suddenly. It
This was my father’s house and I knew where the stones didn't fit, where hedges concealed narrow paths the guards never bothered with. I knew the blind spots created by an old apple tree and a wooden door.I moved when the perimeter guard turned the corner, counting his steps the way I had as a chi







