Edwards Kale sat in his office, gripping the arms of his chair so tightly his knuckles turned white. The muted hum of the city outside did nothing to drown out the chaos storming inside his head. His wife was dead. His company was unraveling. And everywhere he turned, Luca Avancii's shadow loomed over him like a damn executioner.He knew Luca did it.Grace was a lot of things-jealous, possessive, reckless-but she wasn't stupid. She wouldn't have taken a knife to Luca's secretary without thinking she could walk away unscathed. But now she was gone. Shot dead in a police cell, with no evidence, no witnesses, and no trail leading back to her killer. The security cameras had conveniently gone into a system upgrade overnight, and there wasn't a single damn guard with a straight answer.It was Luca.But how?How much power did Luca Avancii actually have?A knock on the door shattered his thoughts. Edwards clenched his jaw, already knowing who it was before the man stepped inside."Mr. K
Luca’s hands gripped Maria’s waist as he lifted her onto the edge of her desk, his touch firm, commanding. His dark eyes drank her in, filled with an insatiable hunger.“You look good like this,” he murmured, sliding his hands up her thighs, pushing her dress higher. His fingers brushed over the small swell of her stomach, pausing there, possessive. “Full of me.”Maria exhaled, her breath uneven. “You’re staring again.”Luca smirked, fingers slipping between her legs, teasing the damp heat beneath. “Damn right, I am. You’re carrying my child, Marie.” His voice dropped, a rough, possessive rasp. “Do you know how fucking hot that is?”Maria shivered, gasping softly as he stroked her slowly, deliberately. “Luca—”“Shh.” His fingers curled, rubbing her just right, making her body tense. “I want to feel how much you need me.”She let out a breathless moan, hips shifting against his hand.Luca groaned, leaning in, his lips bru
The location of the prototype was a secret buried so deep that only three people knew the truth—Gina Frazer, Luca Avancii, and Horace "Horus" Hill, Luca’s right-hand man in the underground.No one else was supposed to know.But now, someone thought they did.The events leading to this moment had begun years ago, deep within the bloody hierarchy of Hay Port’s underworld. Back then, Luca had been a rising force, a young hitman and recruiter with an instinct for power. He had served under his boss, the second-in-command of the Hay Port gang, a man ruthless enough to survive but not strong enough to reach the top. That weakness had cost him his life.His death hadn’t been a clean one. It hadn’t been honorable.He had been executed—murdered by the son of the gang’s first-in-command in a power move meant to secure his own ascension. But if the son thought he could take what wasn’t his, he had made a fatal mistake.L
By 1 PM, the news broke."Gina Frazer, General Secretary of SpitFire Technologies, confirmed dead after a tragic explosion at a local hospital. Authorities suspect foul play."Her name was everywhere. On TV. In tabloids. On social media. A photo of her—cold, lifeless—flashed across every screen. People mourned. Investors panicked. And behind the headlines, enemies celebrated.It was the second tragedy in less than a week.Just days ago, Grace Kale—wife of Edwards Kale and Co-Ceo of Kale Industries had been found dead in her prison cell after being arrested for stabbing Gina Frazer. Some called it karma. Others called it cover-up. But now, both women were gone, and the war between SpitFire Technologies and Kale Industries was about to get bloodier.Luca didn’t attend the press conferences. He didn’t make a statement. He didn’t show up in public to demand justice.He did nothing.Not a single tear.Not a
By dawn, Hay Port City was in chaos.The museum explosion was just the beginning. The entire Corinder Art Museum had gone up in flames, reducing priceless paintings and sculptures to smoldering ash. First responders arrived to a scene of utter devastation—blackened ruins, bodies charred beyond recognition, smoke still curling into the night sky like the last breath of the fallen.The tabloids wasted no time."Terror Strikes Hay Port: Corinder Museum Explosion Leaves Dozens Dead!""Who Wanted the Elite of Hay Port Dead? Massacre at Exclusive Art Event!""The Mayor, The Minister, The Actresses—Who’s Behind the Slaughter of the City's Most Powerful?"The headlines screamed conspiracy. Politicians whispered behind closed doors, the wealthy holed up in their mansions with doubled security, and the police scrambled for suspects. But no one had answers. No threats had been made. No terrorist groups had clai
Maria barely had the strength to push open the front door. Every inch of her body ached from the endless meetings, the relentless pressure of keeping the company afloat, and the sheer weight of existing without Luca's presence. She had tried—God, she had tried—to be strong, to hold up the empire while her husband drowned in grief. But every night, when she stepped through these doors, it became clearer that she was breaking, piece by piece.Tonight, however, something was different.The estate was darker than usual. There were no staff moving about, no distant hum of quiet conversation. The air felt thick, suffocating, almost unnatural in its silence.Then she saw him.Luca sat at the dining table, still as a statue, his back to her, staring blankly out the window into the cold abyss of the night. His usually immaculate appearance was a wreck—his shirt was wrinkled, half-unbuttoned, and his dark hair was a mess as if
Luca stood before the mirror, running a hand over his jaw. The scruff that had once covered his face was now neatly shaved, exposing sharp cheekbones and a jawline carved from discipline. His suit, tailored to perfection, was one of the latest collections from Avancii, a testament to the empire he had built.He adjusted the cuffs of his jacket, buttoning it with precision before grabbing his watch from the nightstand.Maria stirred in bed, her hand resting on the space where he had been moments ago. Her brows furrowed slightly in her sleep, as if she could sense his absence even in unconsciousness. Luca exhaled, stepping closer. He brushed a gentle kiss to her forehead, lingering for just a second.“I’ll be back soon,” he murmured.Then, with one final look at his sleeping wife, he straightened and walked out.The morning air was crisp as Luca stepped out of the sleek black car, his freshly shaven face and sharply tailored Avancii suit making a statement before he even spoke a word
The day stretched long and uneventful for Maria.She had woken up to an empty bed, Luca already gone, his scent lingering on the sheets beside her. When she attempted to get up, determined to shake off the heaviness in her limbs, she was met with an insistent force of housekeepers, cooks, and even the gardeners—each of them reminding her of Luca’s strict orders.As she reached for her phone, hoping to distract herself, the screen lit up with a notification from an unknown number.Maria sat on the edge of their bed, her fingers trembling as she hovered over the video file sent by the unknown number. The message beneath it made her stomach twist into knots."Do you really think you’re safe with a man like him?"Her throat felt dry. Slowly, she clicked on the file. The screen flickered to life, revealing a dimly lit warehouse, its concrete walls stained with something she didn’t want to identify. The camera was shaky, as if whoever was holding it was nervous.Then she saw him.Luca stoo
Miles away, in a room thick with sour smoke and the metallic stench of old blood, Mikael smiled too — but it wasn’t laughter he tasted. It was war, bitter and electric on his tongue.Mikael sat at the head of the table, one hand loose around a glass he hadn't touched. His fingers tapped once, twice — a sound like a ticking clock — then stilled. Not a man's patience. A predator's.The men gathered around him were a mix of old blood and new money, each one bringing something to the table: favors, weapons, information.But tonight, it was the man seated at the far end who commanded the most attention.Edwards Kale.He looked nothing like the arrogant bastard he once was. The man who had once dared to challenge the Avancii name now sat hunched, gaunt, a shadow of pride smoldering in his ruined eyes. His hands trembled as he shoved the folder forward — like the paper itself was poisoned — then clenched them into fists against the polished wood
Maria whimpered softly beneath him, her hips instinctively rocking back, greedy for every last flicker of sensation, every last pulse of him spilling into her.Slowly, reverently, Luca shifted, slipping an arm under her, gathering her close."Easy, mi amor," he rasped, his voice rough and sweet and filthy all at once.With aching tenderness, he coaxed her onto her side, spooning her against his chest.His cock slid deeper with the shift, drawing a broken gasp from both of them.He groaned low, forehead pressed to the nape of her neck."Fuck," he breathed.His hand splayed over her lower belly, protective, reverent, possessive.Maria trembled, overwhelmed, her hand flying down to cover his, threading their fingers together over the soft swell of her stomach."Mi esposa perfecta... madre de mi hijo..."(My perfect wife… mother of my child…)Maria turned blindly, seeking him, and he caugh
The past two weeks had settled into a rhythm—a ridiculous, clingy, over-the-top rhythm. Maria was always on the phone. If she wasn’t calling Goodness to complain about Luca eating the last of her ginger biscuits, she was on the phone with Nune as they gossiped about Ichiro’s latest death-wish stunt. And when Mafalda finally came back after a week of complete radio silence, their group chat exploded. Maria, Nune, Alexei, and Goodness had been frantic, their messages unanswered for days, their calls going straight to voicemail. Then, as if nothing had happened, Mafalda popped back into their chat with a single message: Mafalda: I live. Relief crashed through the group chat like a tidal wave. Maria: WOMAN, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Goodness: We were about to stage a fucking rescue mission! Nune: Is he dead? Do we need to help hide the body? Alexei: Are yo
A few days had passed, yet it felt like mere minutes for the women.The estate, once a fortress of power and control, now stood in disarray. The grand halls, which had witnessed whispered secrets and stolen laughter, now echoed with the wails of its most beloved occupants. The very walls seemed to mourn their impending separation, shadows stretching long under the glow of the chandeliers, as if reluctant to let go of the mischief and warmth that had once filled the space.Maria, Mafalda, Nune, Alexei, and Goodness clung to one another, their arms locked in desperation as though sheer force could prevent what was inevitable. But their husbands—men who commanded entire empires, men who had the world at their feet—were wholly unimpressed by their theatrics.To them, this was inevitable.To the women, it was unbearable.Luca stood at the far end of the room, his arms crossed, cigarette burning lazily between his lips as he watched M
The room was thick with the scent of tobacco and expensive cologne, the kind that settled into leather and power. It was the kind of space where fortunes were made, alliances were tested, and destruction was decided with a single word.Malachai sat at the head of the long, obsidian conference table, fingers drumming idly against the polished surface. The dim glow from the chandelier overhead cast a golden sheen across the room, reflecting off crystal glasses filled with aged whiskey.Luca, seated to his right, flicked open his lighter, the flame briefly illuminating the sharp angles of his face before he lit his cigarette. He inhaled deeply, letting the smoke coil around him like a ghost before he passed the lighter across the table to Rafael DeSantis. Rafael took it with a nod, his own cigarette already perched between his lips.Aziel Tau leaned forward, sleeves rolled up, his forearms flexing as he tapped a few keys on his t
The docks were a blend of rustic charm and rugged elegance, the wooden piers weathered with years of use. Boats of various sizes bobbed gently on the water, their sails filled with the coastal breeze, creating a quiet rhythm as the waves lapped against the stone and wood. The air was thick with the scent of saltwater, a subtle reminder of the vast ocean beyond the island.The horizon stretched out in a wide arc, where the deep blue of the ocean met the sky in an endless line. The island felt like a place suspended in time, a realm apart from the rest of the world.Luca’s arm tightened around Maria’s waist, pulling her closer as he leaned in, his voice a low murmur against her ear. “Behave, unless you want to be punished again.”Maria simply nodded, her heart racing as she tried to hold her composure. This was a new world for her, a world of power and danger that she barely understood. She had to play her part, not just for herself, but
The day after Maria’s spa treatment, the tabloids exploded. The world couldn’t stop talking about her. Every moment captured by the paparazzi had its own headline. A multitude of pictures flooded the internet—Maria at the spa, her baby bump glowing in the soft, golden light of the afternoon; Maria sitting at the café, croissant halfway to her lips, sunglasses hiding her frustration. The world was obsessed, speculating, questioning every move she made.Headlines screamed:“Maria Avancii’s Baby Bump: The Real Reason She's Staying Out of the Spotlight?”“Maria Avancii’s Health: Why the Pregnant Wife of Luca Avancii Has Become a Rare Sight”“Is Maria’s Condition Keeping Her From Her Empire? A Glimpse into the Struggles of Pregnancy in the Spotlight”“Baggy Clothes: The New Trend Maria Avancii is Bringing into Fashion”Meanwhile, a different scene unfolded in Edwards Kale’s penthouse. Alone and furious, Edwards sta
The early morning air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of earthy tones.Luca stood on the balcony, the city stretching far away from him in a haze of artificial lights and the fading darkness of dawn. A cigarette burned between his fingers, the embers glowing each time he took a slow drag.He hadn't slept well.Maria’s disobedience troubled him, the memory of her soft cries and stubborn glare gnawing at his chest like a dull, constant ache. His body remembered the feel of her, hot and trembling beneath him, even as his mind waged a war he couldn’t name.Luca exhaled a curl of smoke into the cold air.Inside, he could hear the faint shuffle of sheets. He turned his head slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse: Maria curled beneath the cotton duvet, her baby bump a tender curve even under layers of fabric. A picture of innocence. Fragile. His.His phone vibrated in his pocket, cutting through the silenc
First round had been punishment — this was pleasure, wicked and indulgent, tangled with the remnants of anger he hadn't quite managed to shake.Luca couldn’t stay mad at her forever. No matter how much Maria defied him, no matter how she pushed and tested — she was his. Always his. His anger melted into something darker now, something possessive and hungry.His gaze pinned her down, unreadable, heavy.Then he leaned in, slow, deliberate, his breath a sinful caress against the shell of her ear. His lips barely grazed her skin when he whispered, low and vicious,“Keep crying for me.”The words dragged along her spine like silk and steel, a cruel promise and a dark demand wrapped into one.Maria whimpered, fresh tears brimming in her eyes. The saltwater clung to her lashes, trembling, before spilling down hot onto her flushed cheeks. Her thighs trembled from the effort to stay open, vulnerable beneath him, but she didn’t dare move. Could