ANMELDENHAZELI straightened slowly.“Okay,” I murmured, nodding my head. “Nico.”If I couldn’t go to Axel, then I’d go to the next closest person who might be helpful.But this time, I had to be careful. I couldn’t go with accusations, bashing or wandering around blindly. I had to be smart about this...for Amanda and for myself.I stepped out of the house and went downstairs in search of Nico. I didn’t even know if he was still here or not I walked down the hallway, my eyes scanning and listening for any sign of movement. And then I heard Nico’s voice and stopped just before turning the corner. I took a deep breath before I peeked and saw him talking on the phone.He was laughing lightly, like the same Nico that I found in this house, the one who wasn’t mad, the one who wasn’t angry, the one who just accepted where he was and just took everything as it came.I turned away again, took a deep breath, as I wondered how I could start this conversation. How should I approach him? Would he get su
HAZELI rolled my eyes.“Or the eye roll,” she pointed out dryly.“I need to talk to you,” I said, more seriously this time.That got her attention. Her expression shifted just slightly, her posture straightening.“I don’t think you’ve ever come looking for me like this,” she said slowly. “Is it serious?”“Calm down,” I said quickly. “It’s nothing to panic about.”She didn’t look convinced.“Have you seen Amanda?” I asked next.Something passed over Angela’s face, but I couldn’t quite place it. A flicker, gone too fast for me to catch.She frowned slightly. “Why are you asking for her? Is that why you’ve been looking for me?”“No,” I said quickly. “I just needed her to come clean up there. She kind of… broke the dishes.”Her eyes narrowed a fraction.“So you’re telling on her?”“No,” I shot back. “You asked me why I was looking for her. What did you want me to say?”She kept watching me, like she was trying to peel something off me, something I wasn’t saying.“Well,” she said finally,
HAZEL I hated that. Hated that it had anything to do with me.“Maybe I should be the one apologising,” I added instead, quieter now.He shook his head. “Not really,” he said. “You’re just like Alice in Wonderland.”I frowned slightly.“What?”“You like wandering into places you’re not supposed to be,” he continued. “Luca told me what happened. Said it’s one of your greatest flaws… running into places you shouldn’t be.”At the mention of Luca, I straightened immediately, my stomach tightening. So he knew about the drug house on the island.... Of course he did.Embarrassment crept in before I could stop it.“Yeah,” I muttered. “I guess that’s one of my talents. I probably would’ve made a great detective.”That made him smile an actual, real smile this time.“Yeah,” he said. “And in this world, you probably would’ve died sooner rather than later. You’re too stubborn for your own good.”I thought about that for a second. About men like him and what I know so far about this world.And I f
HAZELI moved toward the sound, my steps quieter now, more deliberate. His voice grew clearer as I approached, leading me down the hallway toward his office, the door partially open.I stopped just before it, my body going still as I prepared myself to step in. Then Axel’s voice came again, calm, measured, and Dangerous in a way that made something in my chest tighten.“I don’t like surprises,” he said.There was a pause before another voice responded, low, unfamiliar. I couldn’t catch the words. Then Axel again.“Make sure it stays that way.”A chill ran down my spine at the finality in his tone. It wasn’t a suggestion. It wasn’t even a warning. It was a command. I leaned slightly closer to the door, my pulse quickening, my thoughts racing.Should I walk in? And if I did… what exactly was I going to say?Even if he was the one hurting Amanda, then what? What power did I have here? What could I possibly do to him?The answer came just as quickly as the question. Nothing. I had absolut
HAZELMy brows pulled together.“What do you mean....betrayal?” I asked taken aback.“He wants me to betray the don,” she whispered back.The don. Axel.My breath caught.“What… what does that mean?” I asked slowly.My mind was already racing ahead, but I needed to hear it. Needed her to say it.“Like....kill him?” I blurted, my voice rising before I could stop it.“No!” she said immediately. “No, I would never agree to that.”Relief hit me....but it didn’t last long.“Then what?” I asked, my stomach tightening again.She hesitated. And that hesitation terrified me more than anything else she had said.“It has something to do with you.”Everything inside me went still.“…Me?”She nodded once. Barely. Now I was both curious.....and deeply, deeply uneasy.“What is it?” I asked.My voice felt distant. Like it didn’t belong to me.“Do they want you to....”Before I could even finish—a voice called from somewhere down the hall.“Amanda!”She flinched Hard. Her eyes snapped to the door. Pan
HAZELSuddenly, things started making sense. The way she always looked down. The way she spoke.The way she had once called me lucky.... Lucky. Like being trapped here was better than whatever she was going through.My chest tightened because now I understood. If someone was hurting her, really hurting her.....then this place wasn’t just a prison for me. It might be worse for her.“Who is it?” I asked again, softer this time. “Is it someone here?”She stayed silent But that silence said everything. My mind started racing. Was it one of the men? Someone who worked here? Someone she lived with?Her father?A boyfriend?I didn’t know. But whoever it was, they had power over her And she was scared. Really scared.I looked at her, at the way she held herself, at the way her eyes kept darting toward the door like she was afraid someone might walk in. Something inside me settled..... I had to help her. I didn’t know how yet But I had to.“I’m not promising that,” I said quietly.Amanda’s
HAZELThe sound from Axel crawls straight under my skin.I bite my lower lip hard, hating myself for the way my body reacts, for the way that single sound affects me. I don’t know what he’s doing. I don’t want to know.I know I need to get out of here before my body betrays me as much as my curiosi
AXELIt’s way past four, and I should be passed out.I should be buried in a woman’s warmth, letting skin and noise drown out thought, but instead I’m here. Leaning against the doorframe. A bottle heavy in my hand. Whiskey burns a path down my throat that does nothing to quiet the ache in my chest.
HAZELI try to block the voices in the restroom.Nothing they’re saying interests me. Nothing they’re saying is good for me. All it does is hurt.Vasilisa is the golden woman.She’s the queen here.And I am nothing but the evil, wicked woman.I press my back against the bathroom doors, taking a muc
HAZELRafaela laughs nervously, trying to keep up with Vasilisa, but it’s awkward now. I can see how she reacts to Vasilisa, the way she craves her approval and wants to be in her orbit. You can see it in the stiffening of her posture when Vasilisa gives her a look, just a slight tilt of the head,







