Iden laughed looking at her face filled with anxiety. "Laaya, stop worrying about other people; nobody is going to bother us here." " They don’t live here with us?" Iden drew her in closer, put his head in her neck, and took a deep breath. Her face twisted as his hot breath tickled her bare skin. "Then where do they live?" She repeated her question. "Shh, not a word …" He silenced her whispering in her ear, putting a finger to her lips. He turned her, facing toward the mirror, a beautiful woman with purple eyes and radiant pink skin, hair tied in a bun staring at her. The man behind her was the most attractive man she had ever seen. He was incredibly attractive despite only having a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a low-hanging tie, along with black trousers. His words reverberated through the empty room as she nodded her head and grinned at him. "Perfect" after a pause he spoke again looking at his phone "You are the most gorgeous bride I have ever seen, he said
Ellaya rubbed her eyes and slowly opened them; morning light danced in the corners of her new bedroom, and a gentle breeze brushed against her cheeks. She sat up and the slik cover slipped off her body. When the cold air touched her skin, she realised what had happened the night before. Her face flushed red and a shy smile appeared on her lips as she looked around the room, but there was no sign of the man she had married. Her first night as his wife was nothing but romantic and beautiful. The shyness gave way to uncertainty and fear: what if Iden had left her alone in this unfamiliar house, and where would he go? Many questions arose in her mind, and she quickly wrapped the white silk cover around her breast and opened the room to find the answer. "I..iden.. where are you?" Looking around, she exited her room and descended the stairs. The house was very small, with only a few rooms and old furniture. The house was eerily quiet, as though no one was home. She looked around the livi
It was early in the morning, summer, and Ellaya opened her eyes to the searing rays of the sun. “Good morning, love.” After giving her a quick peck on the cheek, Iden set the coffee mugs on the food tray. He was already dressed in a suit and appeared ready to go to work. She glanced at the wall clock after turning away from him. “Oh, no! It’s 8:30 already,” she exclaimed, sitting upright on the bed with her lips pressed together and her hands in front of her face. “What’s the matter?” Iden asked, noticing her confused expression. “Nothing,” she said, looking into his intense eyes and shaking her head. “Why do you always give me this look?” “Like what?” he asked, intrigued. “Like a man who hasn’t eaten in years staring at his food.” “Yes, since I am the man who is really hungry and you appear to be a beautiful and tasty meal.” He bit her lips as he leaned forward. “Furthermore, I believe I asked a question before you did. Didn’t I? What is wrong?” “Nothing… it’s just
She came forward and held a knife. “Let me help you.” “I don’t want you to cut your finger and cry all night,” Iden chuckled. “If you teach me, I won’t hurt myself,” she insisted, adamant. “I don’t want you to stress over nothing, princess. Just relax and enjoy your husband’s cooking.” He gave her a cheeky smile as he cocked his head and looked directly into her eyes. She knew that smile too well, even before she married him. “But I can teach you something else…” he circling her waist with his arms and kissing her neck. "Stop it, Iden, or the police will come to our door once more." She tried to stop him going further. Grinning, he caressed her bare arms and kissed her neck. “I’m serious, Iden. How long will you be doing this by yourself? Her face darkened into a frown. She had always been a kindhearted person who did not want to bother anyone. “You don’t want me to do all this by myself?” He spun her around so she was facing him. She gave a headshake. “I want to help…”
Ellaya and her husband had new and wonderful experiences every day, and the days were filled with joy. They ate meals together, went for walks, ate ice cream, watched movies, and ate random street food. Iden took the food packet from her hand and held it back, "Ellaya, we do not need every item in the store." She had already taken packets of other flavors. She grabbed the packet back and tossed it back in the cart, "No, I want to make rice pie tomorrow and cheese omelettes for breakfast." “It’s not cooking, Ellya. You can’t call burning all the food cooking.” He scowled deeply while keeping both hands on the side of his waist. “Not exactly… It is what I call effort.” She continued tossing packets in her cart. “And I don’t want to eat your hard work anymore,” he laughed. People stopped what they were doing and stared at them with amusement. An old man, over eighty or so, patted his shoulder “Poor husband, I sympathize with you. God bless you, boy.” “Thank you, I needed that
“No,” she denied again, “it is nothing". She gave him a charming smile while biting into her omelette. Iden nodded, asking no more questions. “Not bad, Ellya, you can cook well now.” She smiled when Iden gave her a compliment. Iden stared at her as though he was trying to find the answers in her eyes. She knew that Iden had been concerned about her behaviour since her mother had called her last week and discussed Eva. Yes, she had been ignoring their calls since they were married, but she had never received calls from Eva herself. She repeatedly called her number but received no response, so she assumed she was preoccupied with her brother's affairs. As if everyone had disappeared in the daylight, not even her bodyguards had responded since that day. She was concerned about her business, but she assured her husband once more that she would avoid all situations. She was aware that her father was taking care of everything for her, but they were still attempting to get her to r
“If you agree to a 15% profit, sign the document. If not, leave my office right now, Mr. Cooper,” Iden said, unlocking his phone and typing something. With a thud, Iden threw the file on the table. The man opposite him glanced nervously at his associates, rubbing his hands and chewing on his lower lip. “But Mr. Ruan, we agreed to a 50-50 profit split,” he protested. “It’s okay, Mr. Cooper. If you don’t want to sign the document right now, I can still work on the land we agreed on without losing a single cent to you. Fifteen percent is a fortune you earn from the Ruan Corporation. Fifteen percent profit is even more than fifty percent from other companies, so it’s not a loss for you to work with the Ruans,” Iden replied calmly. Mr. Cooper cocked his head and glanced at the man sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, sipping his wine. His body shook involuntarily, and beads of sweat slid down his forehead as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He stretched out his hand, took
It was a scorching day when Ellaya stepped out of her house, shielding herself with an umbrella. She looked effortlessly stunning in beige wide-leg high-waist pants paired with a matching crop top. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she made her way to the bus stop. This was her first time traveling alone on public transportation. “You can do it, Ellaya,” she whispered to herself, taking a deep breath as she boarded the bus. Although it was her first solo journey, she felt the comforting presence of her husband, Iden, who was always there to protect her. Smiling at the thought of him, she pulled out her phone to let him know she was on her way. It was a rule they had—she always informed him of her whereabouts. But just as she unlocked her phone, it abruptly shut down. Frustrated, she tried to turn it back on, but it was no use. Ellaya had a habit of neglecting her gadgets, often forgetting to charge them. With a sigh, she leaned against the window, watching the world go by. Whe
Ellaya lunged, her kick slicing through the air toward her grandfather’s chest. But he was faster. His weathered hands snapped forward, catching her ankle mid-strike. In a single motion, he twisted and flipped her—her back hitting the mat with a bone-rattling thud. Before she could react, a brutal fist drove into her stomach. Pain detonated in her core. Her lungs collapsed inward. Breath scattered like broken glass. She doubled over. But he didn’t wait. He pinned her to the ground, calloused fingers digging into her wrists. Her body thrashed, muscles screaming, wrists raw beneath his unyielding grip. Ellaya cried out—sharp, guttural, alive. “That’s enough for today.” His voice cut cold through the haze. “You’re still weak. Like a toddler grasping at strength that isn’t yours. Push yourself harder.” She scrambled upright, shame searing hotter than any bruise. Her ribs ached. Her knuckles bled. But her mind? Steel. Survival wasn’t a choice. It was her god now.
A gust of wind tore through the room, sweeping papers off the desk like shreds of the past being ripped into the present. Kai stood in the doorway, chest heaving, drenched in sweat. One hand dragged a man by the collar—a mangled heap of flesh and bone. The man's face was grotesque, beaten to a pulp, barely conscious. Blood dripped steadily from his nose, painting a red trail behind them like a signature of vengeance. Arthur followed, silent as thunder before the strike. His fists were clenched so tightly the knuckles bled white. His eyes—cold, ruthless—locked on Iden like a scope lining up its mark. Without a word, Kai kicked the man’s legs out. He collapsed at Iden’s feet in a graceless heap. Silence held its breath. Then a weak, hoarse cry spilled from the man’s throat. He trembled, unable to meet Iden’s eyes. “Having fun, Danny?” Angelo’s voice sliced through the stillness, low and mocking as he crouched beside the man. A cruel smile twisted his lips. “Didn’t expect t
“This is the video we pulled,” Angelo said, turning the laptop toward Iden. He hit play. Young Ellaya hurled a glass of wine at Leo. Her voice sliced through the air like a blade. “You sewer rat! You don’t belong here! You should’ve died in the gutter you crawled out of!” Her finger jabbed toward his face, trembling. “You’re dirt-poor—and that’s exactly what you deserve! You should die like the scum you are!” Then, louder—each syllable laced with venom: “You’re poor—and that’s all you’ll ever be. Die in it.” Iden’s jaw locked. He didn’t blink. Couldn’t. His stomach twisted into a slow, suffocating knot. He’d seen this video so many times, it was seared into his memory. Burned in rage. It was the reason he hated her—or tried to. Failed to. But this clip, this moment... it was the beginning of everything. He had sworn over his friend’s grave to destroy her. And he did—masterfully. “She’s yelling at Leo,” Angelo said. “That’s what the clip shows. And we all believ
She smirked as she shoved a stray book off her lap. “You know… you don’t have to be the Don. You can just be who you are.” Iden tilted his head slightly, lips twitching into a faint smile—small, but real. “You’re the only one who gets to say that.” And in that moment—grief shadowing his eyes, the scent of blood still faint on his shirt—he smiled. He rubbed her hair playfully, gently mussing the strands like he used to when they were kids. “Really?” she grinned, sitting cross-legged on her bed. “Okay… if you say so. But I can tell you mine.” She beamed, reaching for a thick leather diary. “I used to keep memos, you know? I’d write down everything I enjoyed. The places I loved, food I liked, people I met. Kinda old school.” Iden sat down beside her, intrigued despite himself. Her glittering eyes—so full of life—reminded him of someone else. Someone who once laughed shyly and smiled like an idiot. Ellaya. His gaze drifted from his sister to the window, where night pressed it
Days passed like smoke—slipping through fingers, vanishing before they could be held. Time didn’t move forward; it bled. Minutes dragged like hours, and weeks collapsed in on themselves. Iden didn’t sleep. He didn’t eat. He sat in silence, trapped in his own mind, spiraling deeper into a storm of memories and questions. The moon became his only witness. Some nights, he watched the stars, others, the rain. Most nights, he simply stared into the void, heart thundering beneath skin that no longer felt like his own. A storm churned in his chest—loud, endless, and hungry. He saw her face in every shadow. Heard her voice in every silence. Her scent still clung to his lungs like smoke from a fire he could never put out. It had been a week since the blast. A week of searching. A week without answers. She wasn’t listed among the dead. But she wasn’t among the living either. She was missing. And Iden knew—deep in the part of his soul that still burned for her—she was alive. Hidi
The room was breathtaking—paneled in dark mahogany, steeped in the scent of old paper and aged wood. Floor-to-ceiling shelves held leather-bound books, their spines gilded and cracked with time. But it was the massive oil painting that stole Ellaya’s breath. A woman with wild purple hair and luminous skin smiled down at them. Her eyes—familiar, haunting—seemed to follow Ellaya across the room. She froze. The resemblance was undeniable. Same striking bone structure. Same purple irises. But the woman in the painting looked lighter—freer. Her smile held none of the weight Ellaya carried. None of the pain. Photos cluttered every surface. In one, the woman stood beside a tall, devastatingly handsome man—mid-laugh, hand wrapped around her waist. Their wedding photo. They looked hopelessly in love. Another showed them cradling a baby. The man's eyes brimmed with pride. The woman’s arms curled around the infant like a shield. The baby… was her. There was no mistaking it. Ellaya stagge
Ellaya didn’t remember when they moved her. One moment, she was in her cell—cracked walls, the stench of sweat and rusted iron, a tray of untouched food rotting in the corner. The next, she woke in hell. Not the metaphorical kind. The real one. The kind where screaming and silence existed in the same breath. Where punishment wasn’t given for madness—it was fed to it. You weren’t treated. You were drowned. The asylum was never quiet. Men laughed at the ceiling. Women whispered to the walls. Eyes followed her—hungry, hollow. Human only in name. She didn’t scream. Didn’t fight. She just watched. Watched them drag limp bodies behind rusted doors marked “TREATMENT.” Watched them come back quieter. Emptier. Sometimes not at all. They said she was dangerous. Deranged. A monster in a pretty shell. She didn’t correct them. Let them think she was mad. Let them forget she existed. At least then, no one expected her to survive. She’d already buried herself inside. What was left to
The room hummed with tension. Blue light from dozens of monitors painted ghostly shapes across Angelo’s office. Cables tangled like veins across the floor, machines blinked like they were breathing. The sharp scent of hot metal, sweat, and cigarette smoke hung thick in the air. “Everything’s set,” Kai reported, voice clipped. “Cameras, medics, chopper in the air. Our men are spread across the asylum. She's walking into the lion’s mouth.” Iden stepped into the room, slow and silent. This was the war room. It looked like one. A place where lives were traded, decisions signed in blood. He moved to the center of the chaos, eyes drawn to the wall of screens. Every angle of the massive asylum flickered in shaky grain. Corridors lined with flickering lights. Rooms filled with twitching shadows—patients, doctors, ghosts. The asylum was a tomb disguised as a hospital. Built on illegal records and rotting experiments. A hellhole. A cover for human trafficking, organ harvesting, un
It had been a week. And their plan—cold, calculated, inhumane—was working.The medication laced into her system had done more than sedate her. It blurred the edges of time, pulling her into hallucinations stitched from trauma and shadows. She saw things that never happened. Heard voices that whispered lies in familiar tones. Faces from the past flickered before her eyes, only to vanish like smoke. And when she spoke, it was to people long gone.Kai gave the daily reports, short and clinical. “She’s deteriorating. Fast. The hallucinations are getting worse.”But Iden, arms folded and gaze fixed on the monitor, wasn’t convinced the drugs were fully to blame. “Or maybe it’s not the meds,” he said quietly. “Maybe it’s just her past… clawing its way out.”“Does it matter?” Kai muttered. “She’s breaking. That’s the goal.”It didn’t sit right with Iden. Nothing about this did. But the truth was, it was working.His eyes locked on the screen in front of him. There she was—sitting on the cold