LOGIN[Ariana]Brimming with nervous excitement, I pace the narrow street behind the club, waiting for the hottie to show up—because apparently, my night now depends on a stranger with good cheekbones.According to Loraine, Sweet Poison—you wouldn’t really expect them to use their real name, would you?—had taken a day off for “personal reasons,” but just for me, she dragged him back.I just hope he actually shows up so my surprise for Luca lands exactly the way it plays out in my head—dramatic, flawless, and mildly devastating.I’d hate for the details to fall apart now. That would be tragic. For me. Not Luca.In a way, I’m kind of a perfectionist. So even if it’s revenge I’m after, it’s going to be organized, well-planned… and executed with style.Just then, the heavy back door of the club swings open, and a man steps out.The first thing I notice is the cigarette lit between his lips—and the way that black leather jacket clings to his broad, almost perfectly sized shoulders.Dammit. When
[Ariana]“Oh, my God. What?” Loraine gasps, looking at me with those big green eyes of hers.I just told her everything that happened ever since I overheard Luca bitching about me behind my back, in front of a dozen of his friends no less. And then that lovey-dovey, sparks-flying moment he had with Bianca right in front of me.To say she looks enraged would be an understatement.“You’ve got to be kidding me!” She fumes, hands on her perfect, round hips. “What the fuck does he think of himself? Cheap imitation, my foot! His good-for-nothing brain is a cheap imitation of garbage. Bloody asshole. Just pray that I don’t see him any time soon, babe. I swear to God, I’ll break his teeth and shove them down his throat.”I’m not sure if Loraine is actually capable of pulling off something so… bizarre, but it makes me shiver anyway.Knowing her, I wouldn’t ever want to be on her bad side. The girl has a serious temper, and it doesn’t help that when she’s not running the club for her family, sh
For some reason, I could never gather the courage to tell him. At first, I told myself it was because I didn’t want to intimidate him, didn’t want to make him feel small or threatened.But later, I realized it wasn’t just that—I simply never got the space to have that kind of conversation with him. The kind that goes deeper than surface-level talk, the kind where I could actually be honest about who I am and what I’ve built.I didn’t realize it before, but everything with Luca always revolved around him—his mood, his temper, his needs. Every single moment was measured against how he was feeling that day. If he was in a good mood, I had to be careful not to ruin it. If he was in a bad mood, I had to tiptoe around him so I wouldn’t make things worse. And even on his normal, okay days, I still had to hold myself back, afraid of making anything “too much” for him.It was exhausting, constantly adjusting, co
[Ariana]The moment I step into the Midnight Club, the first thing that hits me—hard—is the music.It’s not just loud; it’s booming, pounding through the air so violently it feels like it’s shaking the walls themselves.The bass thumps against my chest, the lights flash in dizzying patterns, and for a second, it’s almost overwhelming—like I’ve walked straight into chaos that refuses to slow down.I’m not sure if I’ve confessed this earlier, but I’m not a huge fan of clubbing or socializing.In fact, I’m the last person to put on a dress, ready to become the life of the party.For better or worse, I’m a geek through and through. I’ve never been the kind of person who thrives in loud crowds or lives for wild nights out. Give me a quiet corner, something to read—even a fashion magazine—and I’m perfectly content. I’d take that any day over getting drunk with people I don’t even like, people I would rather never cross paths with again.But Luca? He’s the complete opposite. He feeds off the
Bianca turns to me then, smirking like the bitch she is. She yanks the stupid dress out of my hands—the one Luca just picked out for me.She hums, analysing the dress with her eyes. “I have to say, even if he blindly picked it out, the dress is kind of cute. Maybe I should just buy this one.”“Figures. Garbage always finds its own pile.” I quip, not even trying to hide my contempt now that Luca is gone.The truth is, Bianca and I go way back. Except for my true background, she knows everything about me, and I know everything about her. However, she has always been one of those kids who were practically screaming at the top of their lungs about their family’s wealth and status—if not literally, then surely figuratively. Her Instagram was full of posts of high life and expensive nail art.My response gets a strong reaction out of her. Her eyes widen, and her brows knit at the centre of her eyes. “You…who the hell are you calling garbage?”“Depends,” I hum and turn back to the payment co
[Ariana]I have the terrible urge to punch someone—and keep punching until someone gives me one reason not to.Too bad, the longer I look at his face, the harder I want to hit him.I can’t believe I wasted so much of my precious time on a jerk like him.I mean, I knew he wasn’t the best human being—and didn’t treat me like a princess—but he always presented himself as this calm, clear-headed guy in front of me, and I couldn’t help but fall for him. It was his decisiveness, I think, and the fact that he didn’t give up easily that pulled me to him at first. I was attracted to the way he stood his ground, the way he didn’t back down, no matter who stood against him. The way he smiled when he was tired, and the way he pulled at his hair when he was frustrated instead of shouting and screaming like other guys did—well, the guys I had seen, at least.He always kept his struggles inside, as if too proud to voice them—to let anyone assume that he was exhausted and overwhelmed, that he was bar
[Caden]“How the fuck did you lose her?” I ask the head guard of Vivienne’s security detail.The older man, probably in his forties, looks like he might punch himself in the face.Considering he lost my wife and my son to my drunk-out-of-his-mind brother, I might punch him myself.“My team did all
During the whole ride back home, Alexander’s words keep echoing in my head.If my life had been a big tangled web of complications before, now it was even worse. To think a man like him came into my life just so he could establish a claim on the child I was carrying… it disturbs something deep insi
[Caden]After the tragic confrontation with Samuel, Mom and Dad look more than just devastated—they are heartbroken.I drive them home.Once we reach the mansion, Dad heads straight for the bar, and Mom simply goes upstairs, neither of them uttering a single word.I don’t know what to do—or say. I
Axel burrows into my side, tightening his arms around my legs.His small frame trembles against mine, and I can feel the quick, shallow gasps of his breath against my hip.God, if only I could do something to get us out of here—sooner rather than later. Because God knows the longer we stay here, th







