Chapter 18: I’m Coming For What’s MineSERAThe city never slept, and neither did I. Not tonight.My gloved fingers moved with practiced grace as I typed a line into a burner phone, the screen casting a faint glow against my smirk."I’m coming for what’s mine."I hit send.The message was brief, sharp, and calculated—a direct shot into Raven’s carefully curated world. She wouldn’t know who sent it. But it would hit her like a whisper from a ghost. The ghost of the woman she thought she destroyed.My heels echoed in the darkness as I stepped out of the black car, my long coat flowing behind me like a shadow. The air was thick with industrial fumes. Ahead of me stood one of Ethan Carter's distribution warehouses—empty now, thanks to the false shipment delays I’d arranged. Delays no one could trace back to me.Inside it were traces of illegal shipping logs. Fake invoices. Shell companies. All connected to Ethan. All ripe for ruin.I exhaled slowly, dragging a thin silver lighter from my
Chapter 17Sera's POVEvery crack in Ethan Carter's perfect world felt like a slow symphony orchestrated by my hands. With each stroke of manipulation, Raven's carefully maintained façade was unraveling. And I knew exactly where to press to make it all crumble.Today, it was a whispered rumor planted in the right ears—a leaked message that conveniently suggested Raven had been skimming off the books. Of course, it was forged. But that didn’t matter in their world. Perception was power, and I had it in spades.When I saw the headlines—Ethan Carter's Empire Shaken by Internal Conflict—I smiled.Later that evening, I returned to Leon’s mansion, only to be met by a cold silence. I found him in his private gym, drenched in sweat, the muscles on his back rippling as he slammed a punching bag."You’ve been busy," he said without turning around."I’m always busy. That’s how wars are won."He finally turned, eyes dark with frustration. "You're playing with fire, Sera. This latest move? Pushing
Chapter 16 – Fractured Trust and Caged Fire POV – Sera (as Arianna Vale)The money trail had to be perfect. Not flashy. Not sloppy. Just subtle enough to raise suspicion and ruin everything.I spent weeks threading it together—fake vendor names, altered invoices, redirected payments, all planted inside one of Ethan’s lesser-known subsidiaries. Virexon Industries. The same company he barely touched anymore, except for the fact it still linked to his name.And now, it was time for it to burn.I sat alone in Leon’s private study, the soft glow from the screen painting golden patterns across the floor. I hit send on the anonymous tip to the Financial Crimes Task Force. Another copy, encrypted, went to a journalist I once seduced three years ago—just enough charm to keep him hungry for more.Ethan Carter would be accused of laundering money through his own firm by sunrise. And it would be Raven who'd get blamed first.I leaned back in the chair and let the silence wash over me. Clean. Eff
Chapter 15 – House of CardsPOV: Sera (Arianna Vale)They say revenge is best served cold.I prefer mine calculated—served with crashing stock prices and legal subpoenas.Leon always warned me about drawing too much attention. “Patience, Sera. You’re not just taking down a man. You’re dismantling a kingdom.”He wasn’t wrong.But today, the kingdom trembles.I sat in front of the glowing screens in my condo, the same red silk robe I seduced men in now draped around my frame like war paint. My legs crossed lazily as I watched the financial bloodbath unfold. Ethan Carter’s empire—his precious Carter Industries—was hemorrhaging.It started with the anonymous tip to the SEC. Fraudulent accounting patterns. Misreported earnings. I’d known where to look, what to flag. I’d been inside enough of Ethan’s inner circle by now—just enough charm, just enough lingerie, and just enough lies to make his closest allies drop their guard.One by one, I picked them clean.Files. Contracts. Access codes.T
Chapter 14 – Echoes of the Past and Tastes of the ForbiddenRAVEN’S POVThe rain outside echoed through the tall windows, creating a haunting rhythm against the glass. Everything about the estate felt colder lately—especially Ethan. He had become distant. His kisses were shallow, his touches rehearsed, and his eyes... they were always somewhere else.Tonight, I was restless.I wandered into the old study—a place I rarely visited. It was filled with relics of the past: dusty books, portraits, and things better left untouched. I didn’t come here for nostalgia. I came here because something felt off. Like a whisper trailing my every step.A creaking floorboard beneath the rug caught my attention. Curious, I pulled the rug aside and found a loose wooden plank. Beneath it, tucked in a dust-covered box, was a journal.It was old. The leather cover cracked, pages curled at the edges.I flipped it open. The handwriting was elegant, almost obsessive. Names. Dates. Sketches. But what caught my
Chapter 13 – Just ReleaseLEON'S POVThe silence in the penthouse was deceptive. Calm, even. But my instincts had sharpened over the years, and I could sense her presence before I heard her heels.I stepped out of the shower, steam clinging to my skin, water dripping down my chest. I didn’t bother grabbing a towel. This was my space. My kingdom. If she wandered in, then she would have to face me as I was.And she did.Sera—no, Arianna—stood at the door, wearing a fitted black dress that left too little to the imagination. Her eyes, sharp and dark, trailed over my bare body with open hunger. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t blush.Instead, she licked her bottom lip.“Enjoying the view?” I asked dryly, hand running through my wet hair.“I was hoping for a distraction,” she murmured, stepping inside without permission. “And you look… delicious.”I reached for a towel, but she stopped me with a look. A wicked look.“I’m horny, Leon,” she said plainly, her voice calm, devoid of shame. “I need to