Elene sat in her suite, fingers tapping against her wine glass as she watched an encrypted feed on her tablet…Noel on the dance floor, laughing with his friends, Vincenzo’s shadow never too far.She zoomed in. Noel’s lips against Vincenzo’s. Their hands on each other. Intimacy. Trust.Disgusting.Her best friend Cassie twirled her blonde hair beside her, equally absorbed. “You really think that freak Julian can get him back?”Elene smiled slowly. “I don’t need him to get Noel back. I just need him to break them.”Cassie glanced at her. “And if that doesn’t work?”Elene looked down at her phone. A message sat unsent: Plan B is in motion. Be ready.She locked the screen.“Then we go to war.”Meanwhile, across the city, Julian sat in a dark hotel room, lit only by the glow of his phone. He stared at the video…Noel laughing on the beach, twirling around in the sun, happy, unbothered.His thumb hovered over the message Elene had sent. Coordinates. Names. Information.He didn’t need it.He
The knock on the door echoed like a warning.Heavy. Deliberate. Unmistakable.Noel's father, Carlton Laurent, looked up from his glass of brandy. He wasn’t expecting anyone. Not today. And certainly not anyone bold enough to disturb him this early in the evening.“Who the hell…”Before he could finish the sentence, his butler entered, pale and visibly shaken.“Sir… there’s a man here to see you. He says… he says his name is Don Ramon De Luca.”Carlton froze, his glass still halfway to his lips.“…De Luca?”The butler gave a small nod. “He insisted.”Carlton stood slowly, his fingers tightening around the glass. “Show him in.”When Don Ramon De Luca entered, the temperature in the room seemed to drop by ten degrees. He was tall, composed, dressed in a sharp black suit with a long overcoat, his aura cold, commanding.Carlton had never met the man before, but he didn’t need an introduction.This was the lion of New York’s underworld.“Mr. Laurent,” Don Ramon said, his voice low and polis
The sun glinted off the waves, casting golden ripples over the ocean. Noel stood with his feet in the water, letting it rush past his ankles while Aria and Nico splashed each other behind him. Their laughter echoed around, but Noel was lost in thought, his fingers clenched around his phone. He’d been quiet all morning, withdrawn, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed. “You good, babe?” Aria called from behind, brushing her wet curls back as she walked toward him. Before Noel could answer, his phone rang. His breath hitched when he saw the name on the screen. Dad. He hesitated before answering. “What do you want?” he asked, voice low. “You little bastard! You’re just like your mother!” his father’s voice thundered through the phone. Noel flinched. His knuckles went white around the phone. “You think you can just disappear and shame me like this? You better get your ass back home!” “I’m not in the country, Dad,” Noel snapped, louder than he intended. Aria stopped in her tracks. Nico w
The rhythmic crash of waves against the shore played in the background as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. The air was thick with the scent of salt and the distant aroma of grilled seafood from nearby tavernas. Noel stood at the edge of the beach, toes sinking into the cool sand, eyes fixed on the horizon.“We have to go back,” Noel murmured, breaking the tranquil silence.Vincenzo, lounging on a beach chair beside him, turned his gaze toward Noel, studying the tension in his posture. “Back?”Noel nodded, swallowing hard. “Tomorrow evening. I need to face my father.”A heavy pause settled between them. The distant laughter of Aria and Nico, engaged in their playful antics, seemed to fade into the background.Vincenzo rose, closing the distance between them. “Are you sure about this?”Noel’s eyes met his, a storm of emotions swirling within. “I don’t have a choice.”Vincenzo’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Then we leave tomorrow.”A sudden
Noel sat curled in the corner of the jet’s plush couch, knees pulled to his chest, a thick blanket wrapped around him even though the cabin wasn’t cold. His face was pale, eyes red-rimmed and unfocused as they stared blankly out the window at the dark stretch of ocean below.Vincenzo sat across from him, elbows on his knees, hands clenched into fists. His shirt was stained with blood…Ezra’s. His jaw twitched as he watched Noel, silent, helpless, seething.Nico sat beside Noel, rubbing his back gently, whispering things only he could hear.Aria sat on the floor near the couch, her legs crossed, staring straight ahead. Her fists were clenched. Her earrings swung with every tiny tremble of her body. “I should’ve followed him. He was gone too long. I should’ve…fuck.”Lucas stood near the cockpit, arms folded, head low. Guilt clouded his expression. “This was on all of us.”“No,” Vincenzo growled finally. “It was on me.”Noel blinked slowly, like he hadn’t even realized they were speaking.
“Noel,” Vincenzo’s voice was low, dark, and dangerous as he kicked the penthouse door open, carrying Noel in his arms like he weighed nothing. The door slammed shut behind them with a finality that sent a chill down Noel’s spine.“You’re safe now,” Vincenzo growled, striding through the shadows of the luxurious space, lit only by the flickering city lights bleeding in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. “No more running. No more hiding. You’re mine.”He laid Noel on the bed with an unexpected gentleness, brushing hair from his flushed face. Noel was trembling, still hazy, drugged, but his eyes found Vincenzo’s, glassy and wanting.“Don’t leave,” he whispered. “Please… stay.”Vincenzo turned to go…but Noel’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, tight. “Stay,” Noel said again, voice cracking. “I need you.”Vincenzo stilled. His jaw clenched.“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he said, voice guttural.“I do.”Vincenzo’s control shattered.He climbed on top of Noel in one smooth,
“You’re a big disappointment.”The words struck like a whip the moment Noel stepped into the room. Carlton didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t have to. The cold finality in his tone froze Noel where he stood.The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of the Laurent estate, but there was no warmth in the room.Noel shut the door quietly behind him. “Dad, I…”“Save it,” Carlton snapped, holding up a sleek black tablet. “Sit.”Noel didn’t move fast enough. Carlton’s voice dropped colder. “I said sit.”He sat.Carlton walked over and set the tablet down on the coffee table with a slow, deliberate motion. Then, without a word, he tapped the screen.The video started playing.Noel blinked once.And then everything inside him shattered.It was him. On the bed in Julian’s room. Crying. Naked. Writhing.Julian’s voice, sick and low.Noel’s own voice, panicked and pleading…“Julian, stop…stop..please…”The sound of the mattress creaking.The slap of skin.Noel’s choked sobs.He jerked bac
“Please… just one day of peace.”Noel muttered it to himself as he flipped to the next page in his exam prep book, highlighter dangling from his fingers. His eyes burned. His brain ached. But he’d refused to take any calls. No texts. No visits. Not even from Aria or Nico.Graduation was around the corner.One last final exam and he was done.One tiny step toward a normal life…his own life.Then came the knock.Sharp. Measured. Intentional.Noel stiffened, eyes flicking to the clock. 10:12 AM. He wasn’t expecting anyone.He rose slowly, setting his book aside. His heartbeat quickened. Maybe it was Nico. Or Aria. Or even…He opened the door.And nearly choked.“Hello, sunshine.” Matteo Rossi stood there with the smile of a prince and the soul of a devil. Black suit, black shirt, bouquet of crisp white peonies in his hand. His cologne was expensive and suffocating.Noel’s face dropped. “What the hell are you doing here?”Matteo raised an eyebrow. “That’s not how you greet your fiancé.”“
"We're here. Where's that stubborn son of yours?" Isadora's heels clacked against the marble floors of the De Luca estate as she entered with Leontis beside her. Her black shades stayed on, not because of the sun, but because it was a power move. Always."In the drawing room. He said he had something important to say," Alessia said, her voice hesitant but kind. She gestured them forward.Noel stood beside Vincenzo, nervously toying with the hem of his sleeve."They came," he whispered.Vincenzo nodded, rubbing soothing circles into the small of Noel's back.When they entered, Vincenzo stood straighter, arms wrapping protectively around Noel's waist. "Thank you all for coming," he began. "I wanted to say this clearly, with everyone present."Don Ramon folded his arms across his chest, his cold stare already locked on his son.Vincenzo's voice was steady. "I want to marry Noel."A pin could have dropped and echoed.Don Ramon's expression didn't change at first. It was the silence that f
"I think it's time you invited your parents over," Vincenzo said, voice low but steady.Noel blinked, sitting up from where he was curled on the plush couch in the sun-drenched De Luca bedroom. "My parents?""Isadora and Leontis," Vincenzo clarified, turning slightly from the window where he’d been standing. The afternoon light poured across his bare shoulders, the bandages still snug across his stomach. "I want to talk to them. Something important."Noel shifted, fingers curling into the hem of his soft shirt. He hadn't exactly made peace with them yet. Isadora had tried, true. Leontis too, in his own rigid way. And they had helped him when it mattered... but it still didn’t erase the years they were absent. The years he spent thinking Carlton was his only family."Okay," he said finally. "I'll call them."He did, voice even but clipped. The moment the call ended, he stayed silent, eyes staring out blankly until his phone buzzed again.A message.From Carlton.Noel, please. I’m dying
Carlton's office was a mess of scattered documents, shattered glass, and cigarette smoke. He stood at the window in a wrinkled shirt, eyes sunken, jaw twitching with the kind of anxiety he hadn’t felt since prison in his youth. His desk, once neat and polished, was buried under folders of fake financials, shredded check stubs, and a half-finished glass of whiskey. For three days straight, he hadn’t slept. Not since Olivia vanished with those files. Not since the syndicate that used to trust him began sniffing around like wolves sensing weakness.The door slammed open with a bang that echoed through the house.Carlton jumped, nearly dropping the whiskey glass.Matteo.Dressed in black from head to toe, his broad figure blocked the light from the hallway. The thick bandage peeking through his unbuttoned collar was stained with red. In his hand, a Glock.Carlton blinked. "Matteo…""Where the fuck is my money, Carlton?" Matteo growled, voice low, seething.Carlton raised his hands slowly.
The sunlight streaming through the tall windows warmed the edge of the bed, tracing golden fingers over the white sheets tangled around Vincenzo and Noel.Noel stirred first.He blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the room…the rich wood, the gold-framed portraits, the subtle scent of leather and cologne. Then the weight beside him shifted. Vincenzo’s arm was still draped around him."You’re awake?" Noel whispered.Vincenzo didn’t open his eyes. “Have been for a while.”Noel’s throat tightened. “You scared me, y’know.”Vincenzo finally turned his head. “Scaring you wasn’t the plan.”Noel sighed, sitting up slowly. “You almost died.”“I didn’t.”“Because Lucas gave his blood. And I passed out trying to do the same.”Vincenzo’s hand found Noel’s waist under the sheet. “You always try to do the most dangerous thing to protect me.”“Because you always do the stupidest shit to protect me.”They sat in silence for a moment.Then Noel asked quietly, “Where do we go from here?”Vincenzo arched a
The television flickered in the corner of the smoke-filled bar, its grainy screen catching the attention of the man hunched over his whiskey. Hooded and half-shadowed, he looked up slowly, glass paused at his lips.BREAKING NEWS: OPERA SHOOTOUT TURNS BLOODYThe footage was shaky, captured by a panicked bystander, but it was enough. The camera caught a brief glimpse of a woman collapsing to the floor, her head jerking violently with the impact of a bullet.The caption read: *Elene Ricci presumed dead in the aftermath of the Opera House ambush.*The man’s grip tightened on the glass until it cracked. His eyes, a cold storm beneath his disguise, didn’t blink.Don Vittorio Ricci.Alive.He muttered, barely audible beneath the music and chatter, “You killed my daughter...”And then, like steel being tempered in flame:“I’ll burn the De Lucas to ash.”Meanwhile, in the De Luca estate...The return was a slow procession.Noel supported Vincenzo with gentle hands, guiding him up the marble st
The air was suffocatingly still.It had been thirty-seven hours.Thirty-seven hours since Noel had walked into that room and refused to leave Vincenzo’s side.Doctors had come and gone. Nurses whispered in corners. The rhythm of machines continued its haunting lullaby, every beep a breath stolen, every silence a cliffhanger.Noel hadn’t moved.Lucas had stabilized, resting in another room with Nico refusing to leave his side.Aria had gone to get clean clothes and food. She cried when she hugged Noel but left quietly, promising she’d return soon.But Noel...He stayed.He slept curled on the edge of the bed, his arms around Vincenzo’s waist, his cheek pressed lightly against the cold hospital gown.He hadn't said a word since last night.Not even to Isadora, who had come with a bowl of soup and a fresh change of clothes.She stood by the door now, Leontis beside her, both of them silent."He's still not speaking?" Leontis asked quietly.Isadora nodded. "He's holding it all in."Leonti
The hospital lights burned too bright, too sterile.Noel sat crumpled on the hard bench outside the operating room, his face buried in his trembling hands.His body shook violently, silent sobs wrecking through him.Aria sat beside him, arms wrapped tight around his shoulders, tears streaming down her own face.Nico crouched in front of him, gripping his knees, whispering something..anything…but Noel couldn’t hear him.He couldn’t hear anything over the deafening roar in his ears.The image of Vincenzo collapsing in his arms played again and again behind his eyelids.Blood.So much blood.Hot, sticky, soaking his fingers.The doors to the OR burst open.The doctor…young, sweat beading his forehead…rushed out, removing his gloves."His condition is critical," he said, his voice clipped and urgent. "The bullet tore through an artery. We’ve managed to stabilize the bleeding, but he’s lost too much blood."Noel's head snapped up."I’ll donate," he said immediately, voice cracking. "Take m
The opera house ruins loomed like a carcass in the night.Fog curled over the broken steps, swallowing the splintered marble columns and shattered stained glass windows.The SUVs crawled to a silent stop a block away.Vincenzo sat in the backseat, staring out the tinted window.Beside him, Noel shifted, his legs bouncing with nervous energy he couldn't suppress.Lucas spoke first, keeping his voice low. "Visual confirmation. Ten of their men outside. Unmarked vans. Heavily armed."Vincenzo nodded once. "Positions?""East and west entrances covered. Main hall's open." Lucas paused. "But it's a kill box. They want to herd us through it."Vincenzo’s lips curved into something that wasn't a smile."They think we're that stupid."Lucas shrugged one shoulder. "They think you're desperate."Vincenzo leaned back, turning his head toward Noel."You ready?"Noel swallowed hard, nodding."I'm not leaving without them," he said."You won’t have to."Noel hesitated. "You’re not either."Vincenzo r
The room was dark, save for the low orange glow of the antique lamp on the bedside table.Vincenzo lay on his side, arms locked tight around Noel, feeling the slow, soft rise and fall of his chest against his own.For the first time in what felt like eternity, it was peaceful.Warm.Real.He buried his nose in Noel’s hair, breathing in the soft scent of him…clean, faintly like vanilla. His heart tightened. If he could, he would stay like this forever. No wars. No blood. No betrayals.Just them.His phone buzzed, sharp against the silence.Vincenzo cursed under his breath and reached over Noel’s sleeping form for it.The screen read: Elene Ricci.His jaw flexed.He carefully shifted out of bed, covering Noel with the heavy comforter, and padded across the ridiculously large bedroom Isadora had given them. It was nearly the size of his penthouse master suite. Gilded mirrors, marble floors, velvet drapes that made no sound even as they swayed with the wind.He answered on the third buzz.