āđāļāđāļēāļŠāļđāđāļĢāļ°āļāļāđāļāļĢāđ
Chapter 26: The Art of Slow Ruin
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2025-04-18 20:48:10
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The Lie that Binds   Chapter 27: The Language of Bodies
Infact, he was yet to start.She barely had time to brace herself before she felt him press against her, his tip teasing the entrance of her soaked warmth. Her breath caught again, her entire nerves tensing with anticipation. Thenâhe pushed in.SlowlyâĶ then fully.Her gasp was instant, sharp and breathless. He filled her completely, as though he had been carved precisely to fit within her. Her hands gripped his arms, her nails digging slightly into his skin. The stretch was deep, the pleasure laced with painâbut it was the kind of pain that made her feel alive.He stilled, just for a moment. Letting her adjust. Letting them both feel the gravity of what was happening.Thenâhe began to move.Slow at first. Deep and Deliberate.Each stroke was a revelation, a rhythm that made her tremble. Her legs wrapped instictively around his waist, urging him closer, urging him deeper. Their bodies moved in perfect synchrony, as though this was something theyâd done a thousand times in another life.
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-20The Lie that Binds   Chapter 28: The Morning After
The next morning.Serena woke up first, the golden slivers of Milanese sunlight peeking through the cracks in the blinds. For a moment, she didnât recognize where she was. The bed was too soft, the room too quiet, the warmth beside her too steady.Then she turned, and her heart skipped.There he was. Stefano De Ricco. The man she was sent to destroy. The man who had stolen her breath, her body, and nowâperhaps dangerouslyâpieces of her soul. His arm was draped loosely over the sheets, his face softened in sleep. His dark lashes cast faint shadows on his cheekbones. He looked younger like this. Less ruthless. Less haunted. Less mafia kingpin and more man.They were still naked.Her eyes trailed down the sharp lines of his torso, the rise and fall of his chest, until her gaze landed between his legs. Her cheeks flushed, but she didnât look away. Morning wood. Of course.Serena bit her lip.She was supposed to feel guilt. Regret. Shame. But none of those things showed up. Instead, there
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-20The Lie that Binds   Chapter 29: The Other Side of Obsession
Marco.Back at the manor, the quiet halls of the De Ricco estate carried an almost eerie stillness. The morning sunlight filtered in through the stained-glass windows, casting colored patterns on the marble floor. But Marco Sanchez wasnât looking at any of that.He stood by the expansive bay window of the east corridor, unmoving. His arms crossed tightly across his chest as if bracing himself against a storm only he could feel. His jaw ticked, his heart beat hard in his chestânot from adrenaline or fear, but something far more dangerous.Jealousy.Longing.Turmoil.The woman his boss was falling forâthe woman who had so easily infiltrated Stefanoâs dark, guarded heartâwas the same woman who had stolen his breath the moment he saw her.Marco closed his eyes and tried to breathe, but his memories dragged him under.It had been weeks ago. A mundane day, or so he thought. He and a few of the crew had been at the Milan train station, waiting for a delivery that never came. The usual tensio
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-20The Lie that Binds   Chapter 30: The Layers Beneath
Stefano and Serena.The morning sun had climbed higher by the time Serena and Stefano left the quaint breakfast cafÃĐ tucked in a quiet corner of Milan. The clink of cutlery, the scent of buttery croissants, and the way his hand brushed hers across the table lingered in her mind like a melody she didnât want to end.Afterward, they wandered into a small, contemporary art gallery nestled between two centuries-old buildings. The space was quiet, awash in natural light that spilled through skylights and danced across canvases and sculptures alike. The air was tinged with the subtle sharpness of paint, aged wood, and varnish.Serena moved slowly, eyes flickering from piece to piece. Abstract swirls of color, brushstrokes that looked like chaos until you stood back and saw the pain, the love, the story buried in them. She didnât say much, just absorbed.Stefano walked beside her, silent for a while. Watching her, not the art.âYou look like you belong here,â he murmured finally, hands burie
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-20The Lie that Binds   Chapter 31: Blood on the dance floor
Still at the De Ricco Night Club.The club throbbed with lifeâbass pulsing like a heartbeat through the floors, lights slicing through foggy air in neon streaks. Serena and Stefano had claimed a corner of the dance floor like it belonged to them. Music pumped around them, bodies moved in hypnotic rhythm, and yet all he saw was her.She laughedâgod, that laugh. And it was reckless and full and entirely free. Her head thrown back, eyes sparkling under the strobe lights, hips rolling against him with a confidence that made his blood burn. Stefano couldnât stop his hands from wanderingâher waist, the small of her back, the edge of her thigh where her short dress ended and his temptation began.They ordered shotsâtwo, then four, then she lost count. The tequila burned, but so did the way he looked at her as she licked the salt from her wrist. He dared her to outdrink him, and she tried. But she was already drunk on something else. Him. The night. This impossible feeling growing bigger by t
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-21The Lie that Binds   Chapter 32: Raw, rough, hot, and intense.
Back at Serena's condo.The entire building had been silenced by the night by the time Stefano and Serena got back from the club. The slam of the front door echoed through the quiet as they both stumbled inside, still drunk on shots, adrenaline, and something far more forbiddenâeach other.Making their way to the elevator. Their laughter bounced off the ceilings, breathless and feral. He tugged her by the hand through the dimly lit hallway, and she followed, hair wild, lipstick smudged, eyes gleaming with chaos and desire. They didn't speak. They didnât need to. Their bodies were already saying everything.Inside the elevator, he pinned her to the wall, his breath on her hot and sensual. Their eyes locked for a while before he crashed his lips against his. Kissing her had become his new hobby. His favorite hobby.He trailed his hand down to her thighs, stopping just where her dress did. Gently stroking her inner thighs, he deepened the kiss while he slid his fingers in between her leg
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-21The Lie that Binds   Chapter 33 :The Quiet After
Next morning.Their bare bodies lay entangled on the cold marble floor, skin pressed to chilled stone. Moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting silvery slashes across their limbs. The city outside had quieted to a hush, like it too was holding its breath.Stefano stirred first.His eyes blinked open slowly, adjusting to the dim glow. A quiet groan escaped him as he shifted, then looked down at her sleeping formâpeaceful, her lashes resting like dark fans against her cheeks. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch featherlight.She didnât wake.Stefano gently lifted her from the floor, her body limp in sleep. Cradling her close, he carried her to the bed, the silk sheets cool against her skin as he laid her down. He drew the covers over her and lingered a moment, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, the curve of her lips still soft with dreams.He turned away and padded quietly to her kitchen.The condo was still, unnervingly so. The kind of stillnes
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-21The Lie that Binds   Chapter 34: Body Counts And Dark Memories.
The soft clink of cutlery had long faded into the silence that followed her questionâHow many have you killed?âand the weight of his answer still lingered in the air between them.I donât keep count.It should have terrified her. Instead, it made him real.They remained in bed, the sheets tangled around their legs, their bodies close but not touching now. The golden morning light had warmed the room, but a chill had returned, the kind that comes from speaking the kinds of truths most people die with.âSo,â she said after a long silence, her tone light but her eyes sharp. âYou kill a lot of people.âHe gave a quiet laughâhumorless. âThey all deserved it, I can assure you.ââIâm not judging,â she said calmly, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them.Stefano turned his head toward her, skeptical. âWhy?âShe met his eyes. âBecause Iâve killed too.âHis gaze held hers, unreadable at first, then something flickered behind his eyesâcuriosity, maybe. Respect. Maybe something da
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-21
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The Lie that Binds   Chapter 49: Lust or Forgiveness
Marco and Serena.Serena straightened up, the air in the armory pressing heavy on her chest. She took a step closer to Marco, her expression unreadable, eyes fixed on the biometric vault at the end of the corridor."I'm being serious," she said softly, her voice no longer laced with sarcasm. âI need to know how deep this goes.âMarco turned to her, his usual cocky smirk faltering as he caught the hard edge in her tone. His brow furrowed, eyes narrowing with suspicion.âOkay,â he said, crossing his arms slowly. âWhat do you want to know?âSerena exhaled through her nose, steadying herself. âHow dark and messy thisâĶ all of thisâĶ can be. Is it just weapons? Just the occasional betrayal and bullet holes? Or is there something else I should know?âMarco didnât answer right away.Instead, silence fell between them againâthis time heavier, darker, more intimate.He looked at her, really looked at her. And something twisted deep in his chest.She was asking about Stefano.Not him.The realiz
The Lie that Binds   Chapter 48: The Frenemies
MarcoSitting alone in the car garage, Marco leaned back against the hood of the black Maserati and stared at the cracked white ceiling for a while, his mind running circles around itself.What the hell was Stefano thinking?Entrusting delicate, multi-million-dollar business to a woman he'd only just brought into the fold? A woman who was gorgeous enough to scramble any manâs brain at twenty pacesâand who, Marco knew, wasnât just the shy, sweet little thing she pretended to be.No. Serena was something else entirely.Smart. Sharp. Dangerous, if she wanted to be. He could sense it.And Stefanoâthe damn foolâhad paired them together.Trouble. It spelled trouble for him. Big, flashing neon kind.Marco scrubbed a hand down his face, letting out a long sigh. He already knew the fight ahead wasnât just about recovering the stolen RH-57s. No, his real battle was going to be keeping his eyesâand his damn handsâoff her.Focus. Just focus.Maybe...maybe he could make her forgive him. Maybe they
The Lie that Binds   Chapter 47: The Empty House with Heavy Secrets
Still in the diner room.The clink of cutlery and the low hum of morning faded quickly once Stefano left. He kissed Serena goodbye like she was porcelain, with whispered promises heâd be back the next dayâjust needed to âsmooth out some tensionâ with an associate in Palermo.Translation: Someone would either end up dead, paid off, or buried beneath wine barrels.Marco watched the entire thing from behind his coffee, silent. When Stefano left, the entire manor felt like it exhaled with him.Susan had taken the car to the market. The guards, as always, werenât allowed to linger in the estate when Stefano wasnât home. That left her and Marco. Alone. In a house too damn big, too damn quiet, and too full of unspoken history.Serena stood up from the dining table first, scooping up their empty plates and heading toward the kitchen. Her fingers trembled slightly, but she clenched them tight until the trembling stopped.Behind her, she heard Marco push back his chair slowly. The long scrape o
The Lie that Binds   Chapter 46: A Dangerous Alliance
The lovebirds went back to the countrysideâStefanoâs hidden territory. Neverland looked the same. Quiet, dreamy and deceptively innocent.But Serena was a mess inside.As Stefanoâs car curved around the final bend to his secret decadent abode, she stared out at the endless, rolling green hills. They looked so serene it made her want to scream. Like the universe itself was mocking herâbeautiful, peaceful, while inside her chest, a hurricane was tearing her apart.She pressed her forehead to the glass, watching droplets of last nightâs rain race across it.God. What was she doing?It wasn't just the intense sexual attraction anymore. Honestly, it never had been, but thats if she'll admit itFalling madly in love with Stefano De Ricco had not been part of the mission objectives. It hadnât even been in the fine print. And yet here she was: heart dangling like a bloody carcass, right over the mouth of a wolf."Talk to me," Stefano broke the silence, his voice low, pulling her from her spir
The Lie that Binds   Chapter 45: The De Ricco Club
The third one was next.They were leaving the countryside now. The city shimmered in the late evening light, buildings painted gold by the setting sun. Stefanoâs car cut through the streets like a sleek panther, and Serenaâs heart beat with an odd blend of anticipation and adrenaline. The farther they got from the countryside, the more she sensed a shift in his energy. He was less guarded now, more primal.It seemed like he tended to enjoy the silence more during the drive. Because he still didnât speak much, but his hand rested on her thigh, thumb brushing slow circles over the fabric of her dress. Possessive. Teasing. As though silently reminding her who she belonged to.After what seemed like forever, they pulled up in front of a building with mirrored glass windows and black marble walls. âDe Ricco Noir,â the silver sign above read. The entrance was velvet-roped and guarded, but as soon as Stefano stepped out, doors opened and heads bowed.This club was nothing like the one theyâd
The Lie that Binds   Chapter 44: The De Ricco Armoury
Off to another one.The car sped down a gravel path carved into the mountain's edge, flanked by olive trees and thick wild grass, their leaves rustling softly in the breeze as the wheels kicked up small rocks and dust. The scenery was peacefulâdeceivingly so. Serena sat in the passenger seat as usual, trying to still her hands in her lap. The flower Stefano had bought her earlier still lay on the dashboard, its petals soft and delicate against the cold reality of where they were headed next.Stefano had said little since they left the winery. But the look in his eyesâthe way it had burned when he showed her that hidden world below the vineyardâhad stayed with her. A part of her wondered if she had seen too much. But another partâĶ wanted more.About ten minutes later. "Weâre here," Stefano said, his voice slicing through the quiet.They pulled up to what looked like an abandoned stone chapel nestled into a clearing, its rustic facade blending seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.
The Lie that Binds   Chapter 43: The Wine That Bleeds Red
Stefano and Serena. The duo got into the car and embarked on a journey to see the source of Stefano's wealth and powerâhis âestablishments.â Legitimate and Illicit included. It was the most delicate moment of Serenaâs mission. Any slip, one wrong look, or one misplaced word, would make him suspicious, crumbling everything immediately.The air between them was thick,tense yet intimate, charged with everything left unsaid. Stefano said nothing, his fingers tapping the wheel in quiet rhythm, his presence a force on its own.Serena sat composed, but inside, her heart raced each time his gaze lingered. The silence, broken only by the hum of the engine, only deepened the pull between them.This silence was no awkward accident. It was more like a warning and a promise that what was to come was dangerous. The winding road eventually opened up to a sweeping estate nestled between the gentle rise of vineyards. Row upon row of lush, deep-green vines stretched across the horizon like veins p
The Lie that Binds   Chapter 44: The De Ricco Armoury
Off to another one.The car sped down a gravel path carved into the mountain's edge, flanked by olive trees and thick wild grass, their leaves rustling softly in the breeze as the wheels kicked up small rocks and dust. The scenery was peacefulâdeceivingly so. Serena sat in the passenger seat as usual, trying to still her hands in her lap. The flower Stefano had bought her earlier still lay on the dashboard, its petals soft and delicate against the cold reality of where they were headed next.Stefano had said little since they left the winery. But the look in his eyesâthe way it had burned when he showed her that hidden world below the vineyardâhad stayed with her. A part of her wondered if she had seen too much. But another partâĶ wanted more.About ten minutes later. "Weâre here," Stefano said, his voice slicing through the quiet.They pulled up to what looked like an abandoned stone chapel nestled into a clearing, its rustic facade blending seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.
The Lie that Binds   Chapter 42: The Neverland Tour
Serena. She had to act like everything was fineâperfect even. Her smile was light, her posture poised, and her voice delicately threaded with warmth. But beneath the charm, Serenaâs pulse fluttered like a bird trapped in a gilded cage.Stefanoâs eyes were sharp, watching her every expression.âBut why do you look so worried?â she asked, her voice laced with gentle curiosity as she crossed the room toward him.âI had some intense business matters, that's all.â He brushed it off with practiced ease, a ghost of tension still shadowing his words. It was a lieâshe could see it in the flicker behind his dark gaze. But he was alsoâĶ afraid. Not of her. Of something else. Something that might have happened to her. The idea lingered between them unspoken.But just when she thought she had escaped his scrutinizing gaze, she heard him ask. âYour lipsâĶ what happened?â Fuck! That bastard, Marco, had bit me. She shrugged it off, âI dunnoâĶ probably brushed too hard or bit too hard, I don't remembe
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