LOGINElara’s POVThe conversation started because of a drawing, not a complicated drawing, not a particularly impressive one, just a sheet of paper covered in crooked circles, uneven lines, and enough crayon marks to convince any reasonable person that Aurelia had declared war on geometry. She sat proudly in her high chair, holding a blue crayon while Sofia pretended to analyse the artwork.“I think this one represents the collapse of modern civilisation," Sofia announced.Dean glanced at the paper. “I thought it was a horse.”“It can be both,” Sofia said.Ruin looked at them with complete seriousness. “It is clearly a motorcycle.”I laughed. “Aurelia is two years old.”He nodded. “Which makes this level of artistic detail even more impressive.”Sofia nearly choked on her coffee. Aurelia, completely unaware of the conversation, slapped both hands onto the table and smiled; the room erupted with laughter. It was one of those ordinary mornings that had become increasingly common, the kind of
Elara’s POVThe message from Teresa stayed with me for several days, not because it inflated my ego. If anything, it made me uncomfortable. The idea that people viewed me as essential felt dangerous; I understood why. For years, the club had revolved around one person; everything depended on Ruin: every decision, every crisis, every victory, and every problem.The organization survived because he carried them. The cost of that approach had been enormous; we had spent years helping the club grow beyond that dependence, and now people were beginning to view me the same way. I did not want that, neither did Ruin.One evening, that concern became the centre of an unexpected conversation; the entire leadership team gathered in the clubhouse conference room, and the atmosphere felt relaxed. No emergency had called everyone together; no crisis needed solving.The meeting existed for a different reason.The future.Axel stood near a large whiteboard covered in notes, Dean sat at one end of th
Elara’s POVThe message about expanding the programme across the state stayed on my mind for days, not because I doubted the opportunity, but because I understood what it represented. The project was large; people supported it because they believed in it, not just because they respected me or cared about the club. It had become valuable on its own; people needed it, they trusted it, and they depended on it. That realisation was both exciting and intimidating.I sat at the kitchen table early one morning reviewing notes while Aurelia slept upstairs; sunlight streamed through the windows. The house remained quiet. For once, nobody needed anything from me; the silence gave me room to think. A notebook rested open in front of me; its pages contained plans, schedules, contact information, and ideas collected over months of work.The list had grown longer than I realised in terms of housing support, childcare assistance, job placement programs, education partnerships, counselling referrals,
Elara’s POVThe first time someone came looking for me instead of Ruin, I assumed it was a mistake. That realisation hit me on a cool morning about a week after Axel left for the leadership summit; the day had started normally.Aurelia woke before sunrise; she demanded breakfast with the same determination she brought to every important task in her life. Ruin handled the feeding while I organised notes for the community support project I had been building over the past several months. What had started as a small effort had slowly become something larger.At first, I only wanted to help people who needed practical support, like families struggling to adjust after difficult situations, women trying to rebuild stability, and young people looking for direction. I never intended to create an entire network, yet that was precisely what seemed to be happening.The project had grown steadily; people returned, and then they brought others. Those others told friends; the circle continued expand
Elara’s POVThe message from Axel stayed in my mind long after I put the phone down; most people would hear those words and feel insulted. For Ruin, they carried a different weight. For years, people had needed him for everything: they needed him to make decisions, solve conflicts, protect the club, and carry out responsibilities nobody else wanted.Being needed had become part of who he was, but now Axel was telling him the opposite. The club could function without him; the strange thing was that Axel had not meant it as criticism; he meant it as proof of success. The organization had grown strong enough to stand on its own. Still, I knew that accepting that truth completely would not be easy.The next morning began quietly; Aurelia woke shortly after sunrise and immediately demanded attention. Ruin carried her downstairs while I prepared breakfast. The familiar routine unfolded naturally: coffee brewed, toast browned. Aurelia attempted to grab everything within reach; the ordinary m
Elara’s POVThe changes happened so gradually that I almost missed them. For months, the club had been rebuilding itself piece by piece; new systems replaced old habits, clear responsibilities replaced assumptions, and people learned to solve problems without waiting for orders.The transformation had never been loud; it happened through hundreds of ordinary moments. A decision made by someone other than Ruin. A problem solved without his involvement. A meeting finished without anyone asking for his approval; each moment seemed small on its own, but together they changed everything, and I realised how far things had come on a quiet Tuesday morning.Sunlight filtered through the kitchen windows while I stood at the counter preparing breakfast. Aurelia sat in her high chair making enthusiastic attempts to destroy a piece of toast.Sofia laughed as she watched. “I think she believes food is decorative.”Aurelia immediately dropped half the toast onto the floor.Sofia pointed triumphantly
Elara’s POVThe estate was quiet, but it was the wrong kind of quiet.Every shadow seemed to shift just out of the corner of my eye, and the soft sound of the air conditioning felt louder than normal. I had not left my room since the lockdown, and I was beginning to realize that safety in Ruin’s wo
Elara’s POVI did not sleep that night because the poison still felt like it lived inside my veins, even though Ruin’s antidote had saved me. My body rested in the large bed inside the penthouse bedroom, but my mind replayed the gala again and again.The falling glass.The burning throat.Ruin’s vo
Elara’s POVThe morning began too quietly, and I had already learned that silence inside Ruin’s world usually meant danger was waiting to breathe.Sunlight filtered through the tall windows of the penthouse dining room, painting the marble floor with soft gold. I sat at the long table alone, starin
Elara’s POVThe beeping sound cut through the room like a blade.Everything happened at once.Ruin grabbed my arm and pulled me down behind a heavy wooden table just as people began shouting. Chairs fell, glass shattered and Mafia guards rushed toward Jace while others ran for cover.“Stay down,” R







