So sorry for not updating yesterday, I fell sick out of nowhere. I’m still sick but I had to update against all odds. To make it up, I made this chapter longer. Encourage me by voting and leaving a comment. It’s the season of love, guys! 😍 Happy Valentines! 💜 Xoxo 💋
Hey everyone, I’m so sorry for the delayed updates. Unfortunately, my health didn’t improve as expected, and I’ve been advised to take some time off to rest and finish my medications. (It’s just all the stress catching up, I’ll be up in no time.) I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. The moment I’m back on my feet, I’ll be jumping straight behind my keyboard! I know, I miss Nikolai and Sylvia as well. 🥺 Thank you for sticking with me and for understanding. Take care of yourselves too. xoxo 💋
Chapter 17 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ “Teach me how to sin?” The words felt strange on my tongue, like reciting a verse that wasn’t in the Bible. “I’m a nun.” I even made the sign of the cross for good measure. But then—oh, Lord forgive me—my gaze traitorously dropped to his lips. “You’re a nun in the making.” Nikolai’s grin was pure wickedness, I could have sworn that was the same kind of smirk that got Eve into trouble. “I could show you that there are much better things in this life than depriving that sweet pu—” “You will not blaspheme in my presence, Nikolai!” I cut him off, nearly making the sign of the cross again just to be safe. He had the audacity to roll his eyes. “Alright, Sister.” The way he said it made me feel like I’d just scolded a schoolboy, but then his gaze dragged down, first to my bare shoulders, then lower, to the towel I was clutching like a lifeline. A sinful smirk touched his lips. “I could take you to the promised land in those novels you sneak under
Chapter 18 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ There’s something fundamentally wrong with this man. I started to push him away because my senses were slowly coming back and my cheeks were doing a good job betraying my embarrassment when my towel chose that exact moment to betray me—like Eve's apple, tempting and treacherous. But before it could complete its sinful descent, Nikolai's hand shot out, catching it just below my cleavage. My breath hitched when his knuckles involuntarily brushed against the very sensitive, hardened flesh of my nipples. "You're not a gentleman," I pointed out, just to distract him from the fact that his fingers made my pulse skip like a guilty altar boy. He frowned, amusement dancing in his dark eyes. "How'd you figure that out? Because I'm a Made Man?" Somehow, even through my mortification and the fact that I was one slip of cotton away from giving him an anatomy lesson that definitely wasn't in the Bible, I laughed. "You're in a shelter, snuck into a nun's room, a
Chapter 19 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Eclipse was a temple of everything I despised. The bass pounded through my bones like artillery fire, adding to the list of reasons why I avoided these places. The half-dressed women were already winking their heavily painted brows at me, gesturing for me with their asses and twirling their tongues over their red lips like vampires. Fucking shameless bitches. Even after a scalding shower back at my place, I could still smell her on my skin. Still taste her. The memory of Sylvia pressed against that wall made my grip tighten on the leather-bound rail as I ascended to the VIP section. Fuck, I’d barely stopped myself from going back there, from showing her exactly what salvation could feel like when you weren’t afraid to reach for it. “You look like you’re either about to kill someone or get laid,” Luigi commented as I approached our pre-booked corner booth. “Okay, possibly both.” I shot him a look that would have made smarter men shut up. Luigi just g
Chapter 20⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾"Bless me Father, for I have sinned."The words tasted like ash in my mouth. I shifted on the hard wooden seat, the confessional's familiar quietness suddenly unnerving. How many times had I sat here, offering my small transgressions like pebbles? But this one felt like trying to confess a boulder."It has been one week since my last confession."One week. But barely twelve hours since Nikolai had me pressed against that wall, his hands making me forget every vow I'd ever taken. My skin burned at the memory."Go on, child."I swallowed hard. How exactly does one confess to wanting a man to commit several mortal sins? With visual aids and a PowerPoint presentation? How do I possibly tell a religious leader in agonizing details how shamelessly close I’d come to being fucked senseless in the shelter by a man who murdered people for a living? How could I tell him the terrible things he’d done to my breasts last night? "I... I've had impure thoughts, Father." T
Chapter 21 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "My name is Luigi. And I work with Nikolai." I remained frozen, Maeve's half-braided hair still between my fingers. "Obviously, I work with Nikolai," he continued, gesturing vaguely at his outfit with a smirk. "I don't mean to scare you, cutie," he told Maeve. The little girl immediately ducked her head so low I thought she might burrow into the floor. Her cheeks flamed red as communion wine as she tried to disappear behind me. Sister Margaret, who'd been monitoring the playground, sprinted toward the main building like her habit was on fire, presumably to get Mother Beatrice. Her sandals slapped against the concrete with a desperate rhythm that matched my heartbeat. In the thirty seconds it took for Mother Beatrice to appear—a record time that suggested she'd either sprouted wings or violated several laws of physics, the entire courtyard had descended into panic-stricken whispers. "Why is he here?" "Does he have a gun?" "Is he going to kill us a
Chapter 22 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ “What the fuck is she doing here?” I barely got out the words before Luigi stepped forward, hands raised like he already knew I was about to rip him apart. “Relax,” he said, though his own voice was tight. “I had to bring her.” My hands curled into fists only to recoil at the feel of blood seeping through my right fingers. “You had to?” I repeated, eyes locked on Sylvia, who stood a few steps behind him, head bowed and her hands crossed in front of her. Luigi exhaled sharply. “You’re bleeding out, Nikolai. If nothing is done, you’ll be dead in an hour.” His voice dropped. “I can’t watch that happen.” I dragged my tongue over my teeth, tasting iron. “And so you brought her?” Luigi clenched his jaw. “I couldn’t think of a better option.” I turned my glare on Sylvia. She raised her head at the same time, and when I met her gaze, she arched a single brow. “You didn’t send for me.” A statement, not a question. Luigi stepped in before I could speak. “
Chapter 23 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I crossed my arms over my chest. "Absolutely not." Nikolai’s brows lifted slightly, like he couldn’t believe I was actually telling him no, then he sank back against the pillows. My hands were still stained with his blood, and now he was asking me to help him sit up, and judging by that look on his face, whatever he had in mind wouldn’t glorify God. "You're going to stay lying down," I stated, "or everything I just did will be for nothing." His lips curled into an infuriating smirk. "Look at you. Giving orders like you're talking to one of those kids at the shelter." "In this moment, I believe I am." The words came out before I gave it a thorough thought. At theraise of one of his brows, I tried to salvage my comment by adding, “Doctor's orders." "You're not a doctor." "And you're not in a position to argue." We stared at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills. His eyes -I’d thought they were just dark before - but now that I was staring di
Chapter 80⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾Three seconds of freefall was all she had left. Three seconds between life and death.I lunged forward, firing twice more as I did. That was the only way to leave without taking a shot myself, taking down the biggest threat. One bullet caught the pockmarked bastard in the throat, the other missing Kaine as he scrambled for cover. The pockmarked man collapsed, gurgling blood onto the concrete floor.But I wasn't focused on him. I rushed to the window, my mind calculating possibilities in cold, rapid-fire succession. "Oren!" I roared into my comm. "South side! Deploy the net! NOW!"I'd planned for this. Not specifically this, but something like it. When you've been in this business as long as I have, you learn to anticipate the worst-case scenarios.Fifteen floors. Terminal velocity in approximately 3 seconds.From the roof of the building across the street, four of my men were already activating the pneumatic launchers. The high-tension net shot outward from
Chapter 79⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾For some reason, I was very nervous today. Luigi had driven me here in relative silence, his eyes occasionally flicking to mine in the rearview mirror with an expression I couldn't quite read. Concern? Fear? Whatever it was, he kept it to himself."I'll wait outside," Luigi said as we approached the entrance to the women's health clinic. "Nikolai instructed me to stay close, but..." he trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with the nature of my appointment."It's fine," I assured him. "I shouldn't be long."The waiting room was half-full, women of various ages flipping through outdated magazines or staring at their phones. I approached the reception desk and gave my name in a low voice."Ah, yes, Miss Sylvia," the receptionist said, typing something into her computer. "First time visit for contraceptive consultation, correct?"I nodded, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. This whole situation was weirdly embarrassing—discussing birth control options when I was supp
Trigger Warning⚠️ Chapter 78⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾Inside the building was a ghost town of half-demolished office spaces. Exposed wiring hung from the ceiling like dead vines. The floor was littered with construction debris, and plastic sheeting waved gently in the air from the building's struggling ventilation system.I moved silently up the stairs, with the tactical gear Russel provided making me practically invisible. The signal jammer was active in my pocket, blocking any remote detonations within range. My earpiece remained silent. I'd instructed Oren and his team to maintain radio silence unless absolutely necessary.According to thermal imaging, there should have been twelve bodies on this floor. So far, I'd counted none.Of course, I wasn’t expecting them to be completely stupid and let everything go according to my plan, so I knew something was off. The silence was too complete, the emptiness too perfect.I rounded a corner into what had once been a conference room and froze.A
Chapter 77⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾The kid looked up, and her eyes widened at the sight of me. There was surprise there, certainly, but not the relief I would expect from a child who had called me in terror just hours before."Mr. Gianni?" she said, her voice small but steady.I studied her carefully. No visible signs of distress or injury. Her hair was neatly braided, her clothes clean. She looked exactly like a child who had been sitting quietly, reading."Hello, Maeve," I said gently. "How are you?"She glanced at Mother Beatrice, then back to me. "I'm fine. Just doing my readings.""She has quite a bit of scripture to review," Mother Beatrice interjected. "Part of her penance."I crouched down to Maeve's eye level. "I got a call from you this morning. You sounded frightened."The girl's brow furrowed in what appeared to be genuine confusion. "I didn't call you, Mr. Gianni.""You can talk to me, Kid. Alright?"She shook her head. "We're not allowed phones here."I reached into my pocket a
Chapter 76⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾"Too late. Your dog is as demanding as you are.” Sylvia's text lit up my phone as I boarded the private jet.I stared at the message for a moment, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Every instinct told me to call her, to hear her voice. But if I did, she would hear something in mine—the fury, and I couldn't risk that. "She knows quality when she sees it." I typed back, keeping it brief and playful. “Like her master."She must have slept off after that. As the jet prepared for takeoff, I leaned my head back against the leather seat and closed my eyes. I replayed the last call with my latest enemy in my mind. His stupid cruel voice and the sound of Maeve in the background. The small, frightened whimper that told me she was alive. How the fuck could anyone be so cruel as to scare a kid that like that?I could have gone straight to Manhattan. That was what they expected. Me rushing blindly toward the coordinates they would inevitably send, walking right into
Chapter 75⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾Mrs. Alvarez turned out to be a godsend. By early afternoon, we'd ordered enough essentials to get me through a week—simple tops, two pairs of jeans, underwear, toiletries, and a pair of comfortable shoes. She didn't even blink when I gave her Nikolai's credit card information that I'd memorized from watching him use it."Mr. Gianni would have my head if I let his guest go without necessities," she said matter-of-factly when I expressed concern about the cost.We spent the day cooking, with Mrs. Alvarez sharing stories about her family—three grown children and five grandchildren—while carefully avoiding any mention of Nikolai beyond basic household preferences. Professional discretion, I realized. She knew her boundaries.As evening approached, she packaged half the lasagna in containers for the freezer."Luigi prefers protein shakes and grilled chicken," she explained. "But you should have proper food. Just heat this at 350 for twenty minutes when you're h
Chapter 74 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I woke to sunlight and emptiness. For a moment, disorientation gripped me as I blinked at unfamiliar surroundings. This was certainly not the same room I slept in yesterday or the night before, and it sure as hell was nothing close to my room at the convent. Then memories of the night before and my life for the last three months rushed back: I left the convent, what we did at the club, the car, Nikolai... Heat flooded my cheeks as I remembered the way I'd behaved, the wanton abandon with which I'd given myself to him. The risks we'd taken. My hand drifted unconsciously to my stomach, though I knew it was too soon for any physical manifestation of our recklessness. The bed beside me was empty, the sheets cool to the touch. How long had I been alone? I pushed myself up against the headboard, wincing at the soreness between my thighs. That was a very pleasant reminder of our sins. A glass of water sat on the nightstand, alongside two small pills and a h
Chapter 73 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ I woke before dawn, as I always did. Years of discipline had trained my body to need only five hours of sleep, and even with Sylvia warm against me, that hadn't changed. What had changed was my reluctance to leave the bed. She was curled against me like a cat, one hand splayed across my chest, her breathing deep and even. My t-shirt had ridden up during the night, exposing the curve of her hip and the length of her legs. In sleep, her face held none of the guarded wariness that sometimes crept into her expression when she thought I wasn't looking. My fingers caressed her back until they reached her neck, where the mark there burned against her skin like a brand. A crescent moon. The only thing I was very sure of right now after filtering the whole jargon of religious bullshit Luigi gathered was the fact that it was certainly not a birthmark, but a scar—deliberately placed. I allowed myself five more minutes of this strange peace before careful
Chapter 72 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ There was something surreal about watching her sleep against my shoulder. After the raw, primal sex in the back of my car, the way she'd given herself to me completely, without reservation, she now looked impossibly innocent again. Her face relaxed in slumber, she could have been a painting of a sleeping angel, if not for the purple marks blooming on her throat and the disheveled state of her hair. The contradiction she embodied continued to fascinate me. Virgin and temptress. Innocent and wanton. Sacred and profane. I'd had countless women over the years, but none had captivated me the way she did, none had made me break my own rules. Like tonight, with the condom. I ran a hand over my face, suppressing a groan. What the hell had I been thinking? I prided myself on control, on discipline, on never taking unnecessary risks. Yet one pleading look from those doe eyes, and I'd thrown caution to the wind. She stirred against me, mumbling something inco