LOGINJohn stepped out of the autopsy building, the sharp sting of chemicals still clinging to his clothes. His jaw tightened as he pulled out his phone and dialed Evelyn again. The call rang… and rang… then died. No answer.A frown crept onto his face. He tried again. Still nothing.His grip on the phone tightened. Something wasn’t right.He got into his car and slammed the door, the engine roaring to life as his foot pressed hard on the accelerator. The drive back to the mansion felt longer than usual. His fingers tapped impatiently against the steering wheel, his eyes flicking to his phone every few seconds.“Pick up…” he muttered under his breath, dialing her number again.Silence.By the time he pulled into the mansion, tension coiled tightly in his chest. He stepped out quickly, barely shutting the door before striding inside. His footsteps echoed through the halls as he headed straight for her room.He pushed the door open and it was empty.He stepped in slowly, his nose flaring as h
John stepped out of the autopsy building, the sharp sting of chemicals still clinging to his clothes. His jaw tightened as he pulled out his phone and dialed Evelyn again. The call rang… and rang… then died. No answer.A frown crept onto his face. He tried again. Still nothing.His grip on the phone tightened. Something wasn’t right.He got into his car and slammed the door, the engine roaring to life as his foot pressed hard on the accelerator. The drive back to the mansion felt longer than usual. His fingers tapped impatiently against the steering wheel, his eyes flicking to his phone every few seconds.“Pick up…” he muttered under his breath, dialing her number again.Silence.By the time he pulled into the mansion, tension coiled tightly in his chest. He stepped out quickly, barely shutting the door before striding inside. His footsteps echoed through the halls as he headed straight for her room.He pushed the door open and it was empty.He stepped in slowly, his nose flaring as h
John stepped out of the autopsy building, the sharp sting of chemicals still clinging to his clothes. His jaw tightened as he pulled out his phone and dialed Evelyn again. The call rang… and rang… then died. No answer.A frown crept onto his face. He tried again. Still nothing.His grip on the phone tightened. Something wasn’t right.He got into his car and slammed the door, the engine roaring to life as his foot pressed hard on the accelerator. The drive back to the mansion felt longer than usual. His fingers tapped impatiently against the steering wheel, his eyes flicking to his phone every few seconds.“Pick up…” he muttered under his breath, dialing her number again.Silence.By the time he pulled into the mansion, tension coiled tightly in his chest. He stepped out quickly, barely shutting the door before striding inside. His footsteps echoed through the halls as he headed straight for her room.He pushed the door open and it was empty.He stepped in slowly, his nose flaring as h
John stepped out of the autopsy building, the sharp sting of chemicals still clinging to his clothes. His jaw tightened as he pulled out his phone and dialed Evelyn again. The call rang… and rang… then died. No answer.A frown crept onto his face. He tried again. Still nothing.His grip on the phone tightened. Something wasn’t right.He got into his car and slammed the door, the engine roaring to life as his foot pressed hard on the accelerator. The drive back to the mansion felt longer than usual. His fingers tapped impatiently against the steering wheel, his eyes flicking to his phone every few seconds.“Pick up…” he muttered under his breath, dialing her number again.Silence.By the time he pulled into the mansion, tension coiled tightly in his chest. He stepped out quickly, barely shutting the door before striding inside. His footsteps echoed through the halls as he headed straight for her room.He pushed the door open and it was empty.He stepped in slowly, his nose flaring as h
The word hung in the air as simone went still.“Leigh suspects it too,” Mat continued, his tone colder now. “And she doesn’t want you anywhere near her.”Each word landed like a blow.“But don’t worry,” Mat added, almost dismissively, turning slightly as if the decision was already made. “You’ll still be useful. You’ll handle my business from the outside… while I stay here with my wife and kids.”That did it.Something inside Simone snapped.A low, strained breath left him as his claws pushed out, sharp and trembling at his sides. His muscles tensed, shoulders rising, anger flashing across his face but he forced it down.His claws slowly retracted, though his hands still shook.“You can’t do this to me, Mat,” he said, his voice tight, almost breaking under the weight of it. He shook his head, stepping closer again, desperate now. “You should know better than anyone why I chose this path.”Mat’s expression flickered just for a second.Because he did know but it didn’t change anything.
Leigh sat on Mat’s lap in the parlour, her fingers tracing lazy circles on his chest. Simone slowed at the doorway, the glass of water in his hand forgotten as their voices drifted to him.“Did you teach him all that?” Leigh asked, tilting her head, her tone light but edged with something sharper.Simone’s grip tightened around the glass. He didn’t need to ask who she meant.Mat let out a small chuckle, brushing Leigh’s hair behind her ear. “No,” he said easily, a hint of pride slipping through, “but I’m his inspiration, you know.”The words landed hard. Simone swallowed, his throat dry. It was true, painfully true but hearing it said out loud felt like a quiet slap.Leigh’s lips curved, but there was no warmth in it. She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper that still carried across the room. “Just make sure he knows he can never be better than you.”Simone’s chest tightened. His fingers curled slightly, the glass creaking under the pressure.Mat didn’t reply with words. He
Eveyln stood before the grave, her knees weak, her chest burning as tears slid down her cheeks, not loud, not dramatic, just quiet and unstoppable, the kind that came from wounds that never healed, her gaze lifting only once to Giovanni, and the sight of him almost made her choke, the way his face
Winnie looked at her in confusion, her brows pulling together, “you didn’t know about that?” she asked, then nodded slowly like something had just clicked in her head, lifting her glass to take a slow sip of her juice.“Well, now you do,” she added calmly as she set it down, her fingers tapping the
“Maybe it’s the fact that I kept thinking there was still some humanity left in him,” John muttered, rubbing a hand across his jaw as frustration tightened his shoulders.Evelyn sighed and folded her arms across her chest, her expression hardening. “To be honest, I stopped believing that the moment
Elena stared at her phone screen, her brother's number glowing back at her. Her thumb hovered over the call button, hesitating, before she tossed the phone onto the bed with a frustrated huff, she knew talking to him would be pointless anyway. She glanced toward the kitchen, spotting her mother sti







