The Draghi Brothers Feared, Revered. Monsters. Those were the words papa had always used to describe them. Worthless, useless, good for nothing-those had been reserved for me. After my little stunt at 16, my papa had made sure I was under lock and key. He knew how to manipulate me, spin his lies and I had no say in whatever he did. When he informed me about my marriage to the second son of the Donovan Family, I knew I had no choice. After all, he was my father. Most girls in our family including my sisters had already been married. I stood at the aisle, looking into the eyes of my husband to be, my mind detached. Just before I could say I do, brain matter splattered on my face, his empty eyes staring at me. The culprits— The brothers I had heard so much about. The brothers that marked me when I was 16. In the heat of the struggle, I found myself tied and captured by them—a price for my family's survival. I knew my father would come save me. Yet, I couldn't help but surrender to the sin they showed me daily. I have a choice to make. A captured bride or a willing slave.
Lihat lebih banyakThe applause still rang in my ears when the velvet curtain dropped behind me. My legs trembled with each step, but the men who flanked me on either side didn’t care. Hands on my elbows, they pushed me down the narrow hall like I was cargo already purchased, not a woman still breathing, still trying to understand how her whole world had shattered in an instant.I saw him.Achilles.Even now the thought of his name burned my chest. He had been there. Just there. Sitting with a woman in gold, her smile pressed into the side of his neck. The way his hand rested on the table, steady, unflinching, told me everything: he hadn’t come for me. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.Something inside me folded in on itself, and I stopped feeling the cold marble under my bare feet. Numbness spread like a shield. It was the only way I could move without collapsing.The guards brought me to another door. Celeste waited there, leaning against the frame with her usual smirk. She looked pleased, like an artist a
Achilles POVThe Audi purred under my hands, a predator on four wheels. The kind of car that whispered money without screaming it. I had chosen it deliberately—sleek enough to slip unnoticed through the city’s shadows, but sharp enough to remind anyone watching that I belonged to a different breed. The streets blurred past, the hum of the engine syncing with the low hum of tension in my chest. It had been too long since we’d crawled out from under the weight of our own deaths, and tonight was supposed to be about precision, control.But Leilani had other plans.“You are late," she said the moment she slid into the passenger seat, her perfume slicing through the leather and smoke lingering in the car. A gold dress clung to her body, sequins scattering light with every movement. Her lips, blood‑red and mocking, curled into a smirk. “Is this how you treat all your women, Achilles? Keep them waiting like you’ve got eternity?”I didn’t glance at her. “You’re not all my women.”She laughed
Achilles POVThe Audi purred under my hands, a predator on four wheels. The kind of car that whispered money without screaming it. I had chosen it deliberately—sleek enough to slip unnoticed through the city’s shadows, but sharp enough to remind anyone watching that I belonged to a different breed. The streets blurred past, the hum of the engine syncing with the low hum of tension in my chest. It had been too long since we’d crawled out from under the weight of our own deaths, and tonight was supposed to be about precision, control.But Leilani had other plans.“You are late," she said the moment she slid into the passenger seat, her perfume slicing through the leather and smoke lingering in the car. A gold dress clung to her body, sequins scattering light with every movement. Her lips, blood‑red and mocking, curled into a smirk. “Is this how you treat all your women, Achilles? Keep them waiting like you’ve got eternity?”I didn’t glance at her. “You’re not all my women.”She laughed
Lyla's POVMy feet hurt. The heels Madam Celeste made me wear were too high, causing my entire calves and my already smarting ankle to hurt more. I stood straight though, aware of her presence behind me.The velvet curtain brushed against my shoulder as I stood trembling in the narrow passage, waiting. My pulse thudded so hard it felt like the sound should be audible through the walls.I sucked in a breath, trying to calm my nerves down but every inhale snagged halfway, like my ribs had shrunk, like there wasn’t enough air in the room to carry me.On the other side of the curtain, voices swelled — laughter, music, the soft clink of glasses. Smooth and cultured, but behind it, something hungrier. A crowd gathered not for entertainment but for possession.“Chin higher.” Madam Celeste’s voice was low, firm, almost tender if tenderness could be laced with iron. Her jeweled hand adjusted the chain at my throat, tugging until the gemstone lay centered between my collarbones. “You walk out
Achilles POVThey were waiting for us when we pulled in., standing at the entrance like lost puppies.Isaiah, arms crossed, his laptop bag slung over his shoulder like it was a weapon. Aries stood beside him, her purple eyes glowing as ever. her blonde was in a neat braid and colour slowly seeped into her skin. The little girl, the one I had promised to keep safepeeked from behind Aries’ leg, her eyes too wide, too old for her years.Emilio was the first to climb out. “Well, damn,” he muttered, cracking his neck. “I didn’t think they’d actually stick around.”Isaiah’s face split into a grin. “And miss the resurrection of the unholy trinity? Not a chance.”Xiomar stepped out next, calmer, his gaze sweeping over the scene like he was measuring the loyalty written there. Aries gave him a slow glance. "You guys stink," she muttered, wrinkling her nose."Brat," Emilio retorted. "At least I'm not a stinky brat," she sing so ged, laughing.I got out last, shutting the door with deliberate w
Lyla's POV I stood on the pedestal, bare under the golden chain that circled my throat. The lights above burned hot against my skin, and every time Madam Celeste’s eyes slid over me, I felt myself hollow out, as if she were stripping away whatever was left of me. She didn’t touch, she didn’t need to. Her gaze carried enough weight to pin me in place.“Turn,” she said.Her voice carried the kind of sharpness that could cut flesh.I obeyed, moving slow, deliberate, remembering the way my mother once told me to walk across a room, glide, don’t shuffle; hold your chin high; let them believe you belong, even if you don’t.My hair was loose, spilling in black waves down my back, heavy and unbound. I could feel the brush’s strokes lingering in every strand, as though Celeste’s hand was still in it. My arms betrayed me, though. No matter how carefully I moved, the scars gleamed under the light, angry, uneven ridges slashing across my skin. They cut through the tattoo that once meant somethin
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Komen