"You think running away makes you free?"RAyNe's voice sliced through the thick tension in the room like a blade through silk. The walls of his estate trembled under the weight of his fury…silent, brooding, and on the edge of combustion. He sat on the black leather chaise, one leg crossed over the other, hands steepled beneath his chin. Two weeks. Two excruciating weeks of being ignored, evaded, shut out like a plague.Gianna stood opposite him, tablet clutched to her chest, her eyes flickering with caution.“She was seen again… with Prince Zayd,” she said carefully. “This time at a bridal boutique. They seemed… affectionate.”The sound of glass shattering echoed through the room. RAyNe’s crystal tumbler had hit the floor. Bourbon seeped into the Persian rug like blood.“Wedding?” he murmured, blinking once, slowly. “They were at a wedding shop?”Before Gianna could answer, the front doors slammed open.Elias strode in, reeking of smoke and sarcasm. “Maybe they’re getting married. You
"This meeting will decide the future of Castillo Holdings. I suggest we all take it seriously," Jezara's voice sliced through the tension like a blade.The grand conference room on the top floor of Castillo Tower pulsed with power and heat. Twelve board members sat around a gleaming obsidian table, half shifting uncomfortably, the others defiant or cold. The room was thick with tension, the windows framed by storm clouds rolling in over the city skyline like an omen.Adrian Holt sat to Jezara's left, legs crossed, sipping espresso with a calmness that felt manufactured. His eyes, however, were moving too fast to hide his unease. He wasn’t here for Jezara. He was here for himself."Castillo Holdings is hemorrhaging loyalty. Someone must take over this empire before it burns," Jezara continued, her crimson suit glowing under the chandelier. Her gaze cut into each face. "And who better than someone who's already been running its shadow division for the last seven months?""You mean the s
"Someone's here," Gianni muttered, his voice barely a whisper as he pressed himself against the cold stone wall of the estate. The darkness around him was a cloak, but the security here was no joke. One wrong move, and he’d be a corpse.The sprawling Voltaire estate loomed around him, shadowed by towering trees and guarded by men who didn’t look like they smiled often. Gianni had slipped past the perimeter with the stealth of a phantom, his focus unyielding.Nirvana had to be dead. Rayne believed it. Everyone believed it. But something gnawed at him…a nagging suspicion. Then came the photograph..the one with the stretcher, the medics, the airstrip. His instincts told him there was more to the story.He’d followed the trail here. Geneva. Darius Voltaire’s estate.The greenhouse loomed ahead, its glass panels misted with condensation, lush greenery shadowed within. Gianni scanned the area, then slipped inside, his boots silent against the tiled floor. Tropical plants rose around him, ca
"You've slept long enough, child. It's time to wake up." The voice was soft, maternal, and it reverberated through the endless, weightless void. Nirvana floated in darkness, suspended between time and memory. And then, from the shadows, light bloomed. Two figures emerged..her mother, elegant and smiling through eyes full of tears, and her father, regal and calm, his hand outstretched to her. "Mama... Papa?" Nirvana whispered. Her voice was barely audible in the vast nothingness, but they heard her. "We never really left you," her mother said, brushing a hand over Nirvana's hair. The warmth of the touch felt so real it made her heart ache. "But now, you must return." "Return where?" Nirvana asked, tears clinging to her lashes. "I don't want to be alone again." "You're not alone, child," her father said gently. "There is still so much left undone. You have to go back." The darkness began to fade, replaced with a rapid flood of images…her life flashing before her. Her first bike ri
"Something's wrong," RAyNe muttered as he stepped through the rusted side doors of the warehouse.The air was eerie still. The usual stench of oil and metal clung to his skin, but something else hung in the atmosphere…an unfamiliar tension. The entire building was dimly lit, only the overhead bulbs flickering like the heartbeat of something about to implode.Lucian walked behind him, sharp-eyed and silent. Gianni waited at the entrance, hand resting near his concealed weapon.They were supposed to finalize a shipment…he 800-million-dollar arms deal Viktor had been organizing for months. But now, with each echoing footstep, RAyNe's instincts screamed louder."Where the fuck is everyone?" Lucian asked in a low voice."Too quiet," RAyNe replied. His green eyes scanned the shadows, sharp and calculating.Footsteps. Slow, confident, deliberate.Viktor stepped out from behind a shipping container, suit crisp, expression smug. A hint of sweat lined his hairline, betraying the calm he was try
"This company needs stability, not sentimentality." Adrian Holt's voice echoed through the sleek boardroom of Castillo Holdings, thick with arrogance. His knuckles rested on the gleaming glass table, confidence oozing from every syllable. "Effective immediately, I'm handing over the position of acting CEO to Jezara Voltaire."Silence fell like a guillotine.Gasps followed.Murmurs rippled among the board members and shareholders. Some sat frozen, others glanced at one another with tight brows and concerned frowns."You can't be serious," one of the shareholders, Mr. Reyes, finally said. "Jezara Voltaire? She's not even officially part of the Castillo line.""She is the sister of the late Jolene Voltaire-Castillo," Adrian replied smoothly. "And I assure you, her vision for this company aligns perfectly with its global growth.""Bullshit," a voice growled.Heads turned.RAyNe St Trinity stepped forward from the end of the room. Dressed in black and storm, he exuded menace and purpose. H
"You dare compare me to Jolene again and I swear, Darius, I'll do more than just speak in riddles."The words slipped through Jezara’s ruby-painted lips with venom so subtle it chilled the sun-drenched room in the Voltaire estate. She stood by the window in all black…satin gloves, a fur stole draped over her shoulder, and that damn wide-brimmed hat that cast her eyes in shadow like the villain she refused to admit she was. But Darius saw her. He always had.“Careful,” Darius warned coldly, adjusting the cufflinks of his pristine suit. “You’re not on a stage.”Jezara scoffed, dragging one heel against the white marble. “You always had a flair for dramatics, didn’t you? Like your beloved sister.”He flinched at the name…Jolene. The sister she’d murdered slowly, piece by piece, with jealousy sharp enough to gut a heart.“I don’t have time for riddles,” he said. “What do you want, Jezara?”She turned, the corner of her lip curled. “Castillo Holdings.”Darius blinked. “Excuse me?”“You hea
"No... No. This can't be right."Gianni stood stiff in the center of the lavish living room, his phone slipping from his hand. The sharp clack of it hitting the hardwood barely registered. His eyes were locked on the news playing on the TV in front of him, the banner bleeding red at the bottom of the screen:BREAKING: HEIRESS NIRVANA CASTILLO DECLARED DEAD FOLLOWING ACCIDENTAL CRASHHis lungs stopped working."Gianni? What is it?" Sienna called from behind, slowly walking in on bare feet. The moment her eyes caught the screen, her knees gave out. A scream ripped out of her chest, raw and gut-wrenching."NO! NO! NO!" she shrieked, collapsing onto the floor. Her scream was enough to bring everyone running.Luna darted in from the kitchen, skidding to a halt. "What happened? Sienna, what.."Then she saw it. Her hand flew to her mouth as tears welled up.Elias was the next to appear, followed by Lucian. Lucian grabbed the remote and turned the volume up, listening as the anchor reported w
The room was dim, sterile, silent. Machines hummed, monitors beeped, and Nirvana Castillo lay lifeless beneath sterile white sheets, the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest the only proof she was still fighting.The door creaked.It wasn’t a doctor.Wasn’t a nurse.Wasn’t family.Siara Sandoval stepped into the room with heels clicking softly against the tiled floor, her manicured fingers clutched around a designer purse, her lips curled in disgust. She wore blood-red, like she was attending a gala instead of creeping into the hospital room of the girl she tried to destroy.She leaned over Nirvana’s bed, tilting her head with an expression twisted between amusement and bitterness.“Well, look at you. Pale. Pitiful. Pathetic,” she whispered, her voice sugary venom. “So this is the girl that had everyone on their knees… even him.”Siara sat at the edge of the bed, crossing her legs delicately.“RAyNe hasn’t eaten in three days. Barely sleeps. He looks like a man who’s lost his fucking s