This can’t be.My hands trembled around the photograph. The entire shopping mall seemed to blur into silence, the distant hum of voices and Christmas music fading until the only sound left was my own jagged breathing.The photo in my hand was new. I knew how my mom looked when she died—late thirties. But here, she seemed older, late forties. The strangest part? A dried tear stain at the edge, right where it read, I’m alive, Ali.The woman in the photograph stared back at me.She had my eyes. My face. Older, sharper. But unmistakable. A dead woman doesn’t send letters. A dead woman doesn’t pose for pictures.And yet… I took in a sharp breath, my fingers shaking as I shoved the image back into the envelope. The box from Vivian slipped from my grip, clattering onto the shelf.I needed both hands—I needed to see the rest.Swallowing hard, I yanked out the next paper. It was roughly folded, creased like someone had carried it too long, unwilling to let it go. My pulse hammered as my fin
The gunshots rang in my ears like church bells at a funeral—loud, final, and foreboding. My heart hammered in my chest; my body felt like I was passing out. The world went still. For a breath, a single breath, everything froze. The mob. The flashing cameras. The Christmas lights blinked in rhythmic oblivion.Screams split the air.People scattered in every direction, shoving, ducking, and running as panic swept the street. Tables overturned. Fliers flew. Someone knocked into a street vendor’s cart, sending oranges rolling onto the pavement. The chaos was immediate, suffocating.Dontrell hadn't shot the man—he’d fired into the sky. A warning. A declaration that he was a man with self-control—until he decided otherwise. The man who had charged at us stumbled back, fear cracking through his bravado like glass. His breath came in frantic bursts, his pupils blown wide with raw, primal fear. He hadn’t been hit, but he knew. The next shot wouldn’t be a warning.Dontrell never missed unless
My hands trembled as I gripped the phone.The kitchen was cold, but sweat slicked my palms. My fingers trembled as I pressed the phone to my ear, my breath coming in shallow bursts. The house was quiet. The kind of silence that made the shadows seem bigger. Then, the voice came. Deep. Low. Controlled, slithering through the speaker.“Hold on to this like your life depends on it." I swallowed hard."I don’t need to remind you of the consequences. You should know them already. But I’ll say it again so we’re on the same page. Throughout this call, I don’t want you to respond or question me. Keep shut and listen to my instructions. It’s clear enough."My blood drained from my face, and I pressed my back against the cold kitchen counter, my body rigid.A chill crawled down my spine. My hand tightened around the phone as my knees threatened to buckle. The warning was unnecessary. I was already tense, and now—it felt like I could just go paralysed.The eerie silence between us was suffocat
I was sitting in front of my dresser, dabbing foundation onto my face while staring into the mirror as I blended it in. My mind was already heavy, lost in thought, when my phone buzzed on the dresser against the wooden surface. I glanced down, and my hand froze mid-motion.Unknown number. If you knew me—if you had been following this story of my life—you’d know that unknown numbers never brought good news. Every time my phone rang without a name attached, it meant trouble. Big-time.I didn’t answer. I let it ring until it died.The room was silent for three seconds before it started again.My heart pounded in my chest as I watched the screen, hoping it would stop.But it didn’t.I swallowed hard and set down the beauty blender. With my left hand, I picked it up, bringing it to my ear. I barely had a chance to brace myself before a voice sliced through the line.“Hello."The way she said it—dripping with venom, taunting—made my stomach turn.Celine. I knew that voice anywhere, not b
I was in bed.My mind reeled. The call—the argument—none of it had happened.It was just a dream.A dream so vivid it felt real—like a nightmare.I turned lazily, my mind spinning. My subconscious was playing games with me, messing with my head. It had been five restless days now—since I agreed to everything my mother’s messenger demanded, just for the chance to see her.Yet he still hadn’t given me her location.Instead, he kept feeding me cryptic messages. Kept mentioning Mr. Blade’s daughter. But never a name. Never a face. I had fallen asleep thinking about how I should give up on her search, but part of me couldn’t do that. And now my subconscious was punishing me.I turned onto my side, my cheek pressing against my phone. Drool smeared the screen.The alarm vibrated against my face.I removed my phone and lifted it. I wiped my mouth, staring at the screen. 4:00 PM.The exact time my mother’s messenger promised he’d call.But there was no call. I stopped the alarm. Ran to my me
“You what?”My heart stopped. I blinked, my mind scrambling to catch up. My voice came out thin and unsteady. “Y-You already knew?” He nodded. My chest tightened. My hands balled into fists. “Are you kidding me?! Since when, Dontrell?! And you didn’t think I deserved to know?!”His jaw ticked. “A few days ago.” He exhaled sharply, his voice gruff. “My dad kept calling. I thought it was another of his tricks. Then Clayton called too.” He hesitated. “At first, he told Andrew. But Andrew had to leave for Russia that same day, so he never got the chance to tell me. Clayton told me himself.” My anger boiled over. I yanked my arm from his grasp. “I can’t believe you,” I shot back. His expression darkened. “Allison—” My voice shook with anger. “I thought we promised each other—no more secrets. No more lies.”He let out a slow breath, raking a hand through his hair. “Yes. But, Dove, how the hell was I supposed to face you and tell you that I have a step-sister somewhere out there—and tha
Dontrell took a step forward, his entire frame coiled like a predator ready to strike. “You’re not welcome here.” Clayton didn’t flinch. If anything, he looked bored. “You always were quick to anger.” His gaze flickered to me. “Is he always like this, Allison? Or is it just a brother thing?” I stiffened at being dragged into their war. “Don’t,” Dontrell snapped. “Don’t talk to her. Don’t look at her. Don’t—” “You’re acting like I’m the enemy,” Clayton cut in, his voice cool. “When I’m the only reason she’s still breathing after Carter’s attack that day.” Dontrell let out a dry chuckle. “You won’t get a thank you from me if that’s what you’re searching for.”“Oh, come on, brother. Not even a ‘Welcome, Clayton. How did your day go?’ Or maybe a ‘Congratulations on being the new Regent of the Circle?” I stilled. A Regent? Clayton was now the Circle’s second-in-command. That was the position Carter had been meant to fight for—if he hadn’t tried to kill me and ended up being killed by
The second his name left my lips, the air turned razor-sharp.Silence. Dontrell went rigid. Clayton’s expression barely shifted, but his eyes—those cold, calculating eyes—narrowed.Andrew didn’t move, but I felt the shift. The flicker of awareness. I had messed up. Badly. My excitement got the best of me, and now I had to think fast—cover my tracks before I landed in trouble.So, I played them. Still gripping Dontrell, I let out a scoff, my lips curling in disgust. "Andrew?" My voice dripped with contempt. "You survived?" Even Andrew looked taken aback by my tone, just as I wanted.I turned to Dontrell, feigning exasperation. "Remember how we made that bet? You said Andrew would survive Russia and come back home, and I told you he wouldn’t. Since Carter was from Russia, and you killed Carter’s brother—a mob leader over there—there was no way Andrew was making it out, no matter how skilled he was. And now, look." I gestured at Andrew. "He's here. Alive." Dontrell blinked, processin
She didn’t understand it and maybe she didn’t need to.Because she still saw the world in soft, redeemable tones. Even after what my father did. What Dontrell did. What I did.And maybe that’s why I fought so hard to deserve her. Because someone like her doesn’t end up in a life like mine by accident. She was chosen by fate—or cursed by it. Either way, I knew I’d burn down every version of this world before I let it take her from me again.I looked at my phone. The hospital report came in.Same condition. No progress. The nurses said Dontrell hadn’t spoken since; instead, he started having seizures often and often, and yet… I still sent money. Still made sure his room had sunlight. That his sheets were clean. That the men standing outside his door reported only to me.Because he was my brother.And that still meant something.I heard her voice behind me. “Again?”God, that voice. The way she could make one word feel like a thousand. She’d seen the worst of me—every bloodstain, every b
I watched Clayton from across the rooftop garden as the breeze rustled the edges of his open shirt. The golden sunset flared behind him, but he didn’t look up. His gaze hovered on his phone, thumb paused over the screen, like whatever he was reading had pulled him somewhere far from me.“Again?” I asked, pitching my voice to be loud enough.He looked up slowly, locking eyes with me. That same determined gaze he wore when things got hard. When his emotions ran too deep to show.“Yes,” he said, voice low, firm. “I have to do it.”I crossed the space between us, barefoot, heart steady. “But you know you don’t owe him anything.”Clayton’s lips curved, soft and sad. “He’s my brother.”My heart ached for the way he said it. Not because it was a lie, but because it was true.Five years since the trial, since the feds shattered Dontrell’s empire. Clayton hadn’t run from the damage—he stood in it. Quietly, fiercely, with no cameras watching.He bought back every property the feds didn’t bury.
I peeled off his suit jacket slowly, my fingers trailing over the dark silk. The tag glinted on the inside of his chest—*Godfather.* A title barely a few hours old, still hot from the Circle’s overnight meeting where he had been crowned.We were supposed to be at the Victory Gala right now—celebrating his hotel expansion in partnership with my new dance company. But we couldn’t wait—his mouth claimed mine the second the car door shut and his men stepped down. Instead of champagne and niceties, we were tangled up in the back seat of his car—completely unable to keep our hands off each other.His men stood like statues—guns, suits, dead stares. No one came close.Our mouths were locked. The windows fogged as we kissed like starved souls. His lips, greedy and sweet, erased the ruthless man crowned by the ‘CIRCLE’ just hours ago.“Congratulations, Godfather Clayton,” I whispered against his lips.He chuckled, dark and low, then kissed me harder. “Thank you, my queen.”I dragged my hand
"What are you doing here?" Clayton's voice cut through the silence. He stepped inside, his figure shadowing the doorway. "Why couldn't you stay in the living room downstairs, or at least stay in the fucking room? Why come here?"I didn’t flinch. I’d heard that bark before. Clayton Blade had always been a man of biting words. I stood there, tears wet on my face, paper clenched in my hand.I ignored his harsh words and the sting and asked, my voice trembling, "Did you mean this?" I held out the paper. "Did you mean everything you wrote here?”His jaw clenched, a muscle working beneath the skin. For a moment, I thought he might ignore me, walk away, or tell me I was being foolish. But instead, he scoffed and muttered, "You shouldn't be here.”That was all. He didn’t give me an answer. Just that damn, dismissive line—like none of it mattered. He wasn’t even looking at the paper. He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking somewhere past me, somewhere I couldn’t follow.I couldn’t stand there
I expected unease walking into this house again.The Blade mansion was eerily quiet, but it no longer frightened me. It had once been a fortress of fear, soaked in pain. With Mr. Blade gone, rotting in prison for even just a few months, breathing here felt a little easier.The heaviness that once clung to the estate had loosened.Clayton’s men stood like statues by his bedroom door, nodding as I walked past and went In. They didn’t question me. They didn’t need to. I belonged here once—even if only at night, in stolen moments, wearing guilt like perfume.The moment I entered, his scent hit me —musk, spice, leather. Familiar, maddening—uniquely him. My eyes scanned the room—the chair by the fireplace, the silk sheets, the broken lamp, the window chair. The whiskey decanter, heavy curtains, the bed—all the same.My chest tightened. I remembered the fortnight—when he hurt, took, and claimed me with blood.But I blinked it away.He wasn’t that man anymore—not in the end. Not lately. Clay
The moment the car door shut, the fake smile I wore at that goddamn charity dinner melted off like wax. My jaw clenched. I sighed, the night’s weight pressing down on me.I didn’t bother acknowledging my driver. He knew better than to speak when I was like this.I exhaled sharply and rolled my neck. The suit jacket was the first thing to go, then the cufflinks—ripped off and tossed beside me. Yanked my collar open just to breathe. The air felt thick—or maybe it was just me, choking on memories.Allison.God, her name still felt like a bruise on my chest.Told myself the damn event would distract me. But it never works. Not with her.I leaned back and closed my eyes. How did I get here? From hating her with every fibre in my body… to falling so deep I couldn’t see my way out?She used to sneak out of her ex-husband’s mansion—my brother’s house. She’d arrive in designer clothes and leave wearing my scent. Every visit started with a plan—some draft to catch Dontrell, some excuse to meet—
“Fuck, that’s tight,” Reed groaned, thrusting in, his veiny hands spreading my thighs wide.The hotel room smelt like expensive cologne, clean sheets, and sex. Our brunch date was long forgotten.“Yeah, just like that,” my moans echoed off the suite’s walls. I clawed at his back, legs wrapped around his waist as he thrust deep and smooth.Classic missionary. All on display. He kissed my jaw, strokes slow but hard, bouncing me into the bed.He slapped my breasts and drove in deep, pausing as I clenched before resuming with a wild rhythm. I moaned in response, throwing my head back like I meant it, nails raking down his back. He was giving it to me well—deep strokes, rough rhythm, the kind of pounding that made the bed slam against the wall. Reed had the stamina and the moves. His sinful voice matched the kisses trailing my breasts, sucking hard as his hips slammed into me.“You feel me, baby? You feel all this dick?” He whispered, lips brushing my titties.“Uh-huh,” I lied, grinding u
Three months ago, my name blazed across headlines like blood on silk.“Allison Blade Finalises Divorce from Mafia Kingpin Dontrell Blade.”“Mafia Wife Walks Away: Allison Blade Now Legally Single.”“From Blackmail to Freedom—Inside the Fall of a Criminal Empire’s Queen.”“Single and Free: Allison Blade Cuts Ties with Comatose Crime Lord”I didn’t need to read the articles — didn’t need to. I’d lived it.The court declared Dontrell unfit for trial—permanently incapacitated, doctors said—vegetative. Alive, but unreachable. A man who once ruled with an iron grip now lay breathless under a sterile hospital light, surrounded by machines that did his living for him.Filing for divorce should’ve felt like a betrayal. Instead, it felt sweet.The day I filed, I didn’t cry. I walked into the courthouse, signed the petition, and told the clerk I was ready to leave hell behind. Two weeks later, a judge reviewed my case. They assigned Dontrell a guardian ad litem—some lawyer who never looked me
I left my father’s house ten years ago and never looked back—even now, confined to a wheelchair, voiceless, motionless. I lived fully.My name would echo through generations— how I played my father and almost won if Celine's jealousy over my cover marriage to Allison hadn't ruined it.I left the house with nothing but a hunger for power—and I swore to claim it, whatever the cost. Father’s ways were too constricting. His empire was built on loyalty, fear, and respect, and I wanted it differently. I wanted more. I wanted total control. It wasn’t just the mansion, the power, or the empire I’d grown up with—it was the respect I was owed. I was the firstborn son, the one who was supposed to carry on his name. But instead, I was just another puppet in a game where he pulled the strings. I do all the work, and he gets all the glory. He leashed me and fed me scraps while he ruled as godfather. But I wasn’t some obedient little dog—that was Clayton. I envisioned power without him—without an