"Don’t you dare touch me again!"The door hadn’t even closed behind them before Noel shoved at Vincenzo’s chest, breathing wild, eyes wet and feral.Vincenzo caught his wrist mid-swing. His grip wasn’t bruising…but it was tight. Contained fury rippled through him like a tether about to snap.“You’re mine,” he said through clenched teeth.“I’m not!” Noel yanked free, stumbling backward into the foyer. “I don’t belong to anyone. Not anymore.”Vincenzo stepped forward.Noel turned and ran.Past the dark hallway, past the low-lit gallery of framed De Luca family portraits, through the sleek, sterile corridor of the penthouse that smelled like expensive cologne and unshed violence.“Don’t run from me, Noel,” Vincenzo warned, stalking after him. “You know how that ends.”Noel kept running.His bare feet slapped against the marble, pulse roaring in his ears. His shirt was still half-undone from the car ride. His skin burned with the imprint of Vincenzo’s mouth, and his heart…God, his heart…f
“I’m here to say goodbye.”Vincenzo didn’t look up right away. He was sitting behind the grand desk in his study, the weight of the world poured into the veins on his forearms. His right hand was bleeding slightly…another glass shattered. His knuckles bruised from earlier punches into marble.Noel stood in the doorway. His chest was tight, fingers trembling at his sides.This was the only thing harder than what Jean had done to him.Because Jean had tried to own him.But Vincenzo had made him want to belong.“I’m not here to fight,” Noel added when the silence grew too loud. “Just listen.”Vincenzo finally looked up.And the devastation on his face almost made Noel turn and run.“You're leaving,” Vincenzo said, not asking.Noel nodded. “I am.”“Why?”“I don’t love you anymore.”The words landed like a hammer.But Vincenzo didn’t flinch. Didn’t scream. Didn’t rise from his chair.He simply stared, like if he blinked, he’d lose him forever.“You said you didn’t know what love was.”“I f
"Let him go, Jean."Vincenzo’s voice thundered through the courtyard as the first beam of sunlight spilled over the island’s jagged cliffs. Guns were drawn. Bodies were frozen. Hearts were thudding like war drums.Noel stood trembling on the edge of a grand stone balcony, the wind whipping his hair around his face. Jean was behind him, one arm hooked tight across his chest, the other holding a gun pressed firmly to Noel’s temple.“No,” Jean said softly. “No one moves. Not unless you want to see how quickly a heart stops when hope finally shows up too late.”Vincenzo took one step forward, ignoring the wave of panic from Francesca behind him. “Let him go.”Jean’s hand tightened.Noel winced.“I’ll shoot him,” Jean said. “Don’t tempt me, Vincenzo. You’re good at that. You always were.. tempting people to destroy themselves for you.”Manuel whispered into Francesca’s ear, “He’s unraveling.”“No,” Francesca whispered back. “He’s already unraveled.”Jean’s eyes were wild. Bright. Lost. He
“What’s the point of vows if they’re read in pain?”Noel’s hand trembled as the blade slipped down his sleeve. The letter opener was slick, cool against his palm, its weight feather-light…useless really, but in that moment, it was everything.His last hope.Jean was standing at the altar with that infuriating calm. That wolfish stillness that always came before he struck.The torches crackled. The waves thundered below. The stars above blinked as if turning away.Do it. Now.Noel stepped forward, smile carved into his face like glass.“Say ‘I do,’” Jean whispered.Noel tilted his head sweetly. “Burn in hell.”He moved.The blade swung.Jean caught his wrist.Fast. Precise.He squeezed.The letter opener clattered to the stone floor.Jean’s eyes changed in that instant.The calm shattered.And what looked back at Noel wasn’t the quiet madman he’d grown used to…it was something unhinged. A storm let off its leash.Crack!Noel’s face whipped sideways from the slap. The sound echoed like
-17 Hours Ago-"We made a deal, Carlton."Jean’s voice was gentle. Too gentle.Carlton Laurent's skin crawled. The chains around his wrists had carved angry, festering lines into his skin, but none of that pain matched the sheer, visceral dread flooding his body as Jean stepped into the cell again.This was the man he’d called once for help.Now, he was praying to never see him again.“You said…” Carlton started, panic coating his words.“I said you'd be protected. And you were. I held up my end.” Jean tilted his head slightly. “But you? You failed spectacularly.”“You’re a fucking psychopath,” Carlton spat. “I should’ve never trusted you.”Jean just smiled, moving to the steel chair in front of him and sitting down like they were catching up over espresso. “That’s the first true thing you’ve said today.”Carlton’s laugh was hollow. “Is that supposed to be clever?”“No,” Jean said. “Just… accurate.”The silence that followed was jagged. Carlton's eyes twitched toward the cameras. Disa
Carlton’s breathing came in short, ragged pulls. She stepped back slowly, never breaking eye contact. That red dress clung to her like a flame ready to consume. The silence thickened…like smoke before the firestorm.“You don’t have to do this,” he whispered, his voice cracking like splintered glass. “You don’t know what they’ll do to me…”She tilted her head, amused. “You think this is about what they’ll do?” She leaned close again, her breath warm against his cheek. “Carlton… this is about what I already did.”His eyes snapped wide. “W-What?”She straightened, arms crossing, nails painted black like claws against her pale skin. “You’re being hunted because of me. I gave them the names. The routes. The offshore accounts. Olivia didn’t run because she was afraid of them. She ran because I made her,after she should the documents to Isadora,I went for the names, darling.”He shook his head violently. “No… no you’re lying.”“Am I?” She gave a mocking grin, then looked to the guard. “Check