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Chapter twenty – The Tether and the Thorn

Author: Udom
last update Last Updated: 2025-10-14 04:27:25

Seraphina Vellaro – POV

Gloria’s arms around me were the first real anchor I’d had since my mother died. The scent of her—lavender and the faint, unmistakable smell of the old rosewater she always used—was a tidal wave of memory and safety. I clung to her, my fingers gripping the coarse wool of her cardigan, sobbing in great, heaving breaths that felt like they were tearing something rotten from my chest.

“He told me you were dead,” I whispered again, the words muffled against her shoulder.

“He lies, my falcon. He always has.” Her voice was a fierce, quiet rasp. Her hands, gnarled and strong, rubbed circles on my back. “I would have died before I abandoned you. I only left to save you.”

“I know.” And I did. The journal, the escape, her desperate journey to the Morettis—it was all a testament to her love. “Are you hurt? Has he… has Lucian treated you well?”

“Well enough,” she said, her tone careful. She pulled back slightly, her hands coming up to cup my face. Her thumbs gently wi
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  • SIGHTLESS OBSESSION    Chapter Twenty Seven – The Hand That Holds the Leash 

    Lucian Moretti – POV The adjacent room was soundproofed, equipped with a single speaker that fed audio from my study and a one-way mirror made of polished obsidian. From my side, it was a window. From hers, a dark, impenetrable wall. A perfect metaphor. I watched as Matteo guided Seraphina inside. She moved with that infuriating, unerring grace, her head high, believing she was stepping into a new role as an advisor. She believed the bridge she had built was sturdy. She would soon learn I controlled the foundations, and I could collapse them at will. She sat in a lone chair facing the black mirror, her hands folded in her lap, a picture of serene anticipation. She was ready to listen, to analyze, to counsel. I turned away from the mirror and picked up the secure line, dialing the number she had provided. The Cardinal answered on the second ring, his voice a practiced, unctuous baritone. “Your Eminence,” I began, my tone devoid of deference. “Lucian Moretti. I trust you’ve had a c

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  • SIGHTLESS OBSESSION    Chapter Twenty Five – The Cost of a Name 

    Lucian Moretti – POV Her words were a slow-acting poison. “The performance will cost you more.” They echoed in the sterile silence of my study, drowning out the satisfying click of the vault door as I secured the newly transcribed pages of the ledger. She wasn’t making a threat; she was stating a new economic reality. The price for her cooperation was inflating, and she was the one controlling the market. The three names she had provided were a down payment. Inspector Riggs, a man on my payroll already, but now I knew why he had been so easily bought—my mother had already owned him. Judge Albright, a paragon of false morality, whose secret taste for underage girls was now documented in Razo’s clumsy, phonetic script. Senator Moore, a hawkish voice on defense committees, who had quietly diverted arms shipments to a rival family for a cut of the profits. This was the true currency of our world. Shame and the certainty of ruin. I had acted on the Senator first. A single, anonymous co

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  • SIGHTLESS OBSESSION    Chapter Twenty two – The Ledger of Lies 

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