“I hope you’re not still sleeping,” Juan said quietly, his voice low near her ear as the light filtered through the curtains the next morning. Arya opened one eye and groaned, pulling the covers over her head.“I was,” she mumbled under the sheets, letting out a small breath as she turned her face into the pillow.Juan chuckled softly. “Get up, Arya. We train before breakfast.”She pushed the blanket down slowly and turned her head toward him. “Train?”“Yes,” he said with a nod, reaching for his watch on the nightstand. “You don’t want to do that right after eating.”“I’m not talking about eating,” she said with a squint as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Why are you the one training me? Don’t you have better things to do? Like chasing after the people trying to kill you?”Juan sighed and leaned back against the headboard, running a hand down his face before turning to look at her. “I don’t trust anyone else with a weapon near you.”Arya stared at him for a second, then gave a small
Juan came back out of the bathroom a few minutes later, drying his hands with a small towel. Arya had already crawled under the covers, her back turned to the door, but she wasn’t sleeping. She heard him stop by the edge of the bed.“You don’t want the lights off, do you?” he asked.“No,” she said quietly.He walked across the room and dimmed it instead, letting the yellow glow fall softly against the walls. She stayed quiet and waited until she heard the sheets rustle as he climbed into the bed.He didn’t come close.The space between them stayed wide.“Goodnight,” he said.She swallowed, her voice coming out lower than she meant. “Goodnight.”The next morning, Arya woke up to find the house unusually quiet. Juan had left early, but his scent still lingered on the sheets. Her clothes were already out, her breakfast had been brought in, and the phone Juan had given her the day she went out with Donna had been placed neatly beside her water bottle.She sat up slowly, stretching, then r
She closed the last page of her book and stood up, walking to her room. The door was ajar, causing her to furrow her brows in confusion. She pushed it open further, noting how the dresser had been cleared of everything on it. The perfume bottle, her lotion, the little hair clip she always left lying carelessly—all gone. "What the hell?" she mumbled underneath her breath. Suddenly, something twisted in her chest. Could it be that Juan suddenly decided he didn't want her here anymore? She stood still for a moment, trying not to spiral, but the weight in her stomach kept growing. The idea of him suddenly changing his mind—after everything—gripped her tightly. She blinked, forcing herself to stay calm. If he really wanted her gone, would he have let her stay this long? Would he have fed her, talked to her, touched her like he did? Still, the sight of that empty dresser gnawed at her. She stepped back from the room, her bare feet pressing into the cold tiled floor as she turned and wa
Hi loves! my last brain cell can't even try being funny. I know, I know, your impatient asses have been waiting three days for an update (which is totally unlike me, right?). So remember that break? The one week... I think I'm going to take it now. Some of our mid semesters have been postponed (I have my very wonderful lecturers to blame) and I am not even getting well, plus... of course... work (remember bills don't pay themselves? yeah). I've got a pile of ghostwriting work to do. **screams in madness** my last brain cell isn't even a full one, I swear. 😭 — Lashes (who is a second away from collapsing) P.S: I love you guys so much. Thank you for sticking with this unhinged author so far. —Olympic fast. But his speed isn’t talent, it’s vampirism. Born into a brutal mafia of immortal predators, Ethan’s spent years outrunning his legacy. He just wants a normal life without bloodshed, crime and a throne
Arya closed her book slowly and looked at both of them. Her eyes stayed on Juan for a second, then moved to Dominic. "If you two are done deciding what I want," she said, her voice calm, "maybe I could speak for myself." Juan didn’t say anything. He didn’t move either, just stood there with the drink in his hand. Dominic's smile grew, but it looked more amused than anything else. "I don’t want either of you speaking for me or aboit me. Especially not like that," Arya said. She stood and placed the book on the coffee table, then walked out of the room without looking back. Her steps were slow as she walked out but it was clear she didn’t want to be part of whatever was going on between them. Juan didn’t speak until the door closed. Then he turned to Dominic, still holding the drink in his hand. He didn’t take a sip. "You’re walking a fine line, Dominic," he said. "You come into my house, you look at her like that, and you speak like you’ve forgotten who owns her." Dominic chuck
“What happened to Giuseppe?” Juan asked, turning to face Marco Reina with his eyebrows raised.“Well, he might be into this deeper than you think,” Marco replied, “but I don’t think he realizes that the Meridian Circle is simply using him to get to you.”Juan nodded. “But why exactly should the Meridian Circle be after me?”Marco rolled his eyes, then stood up and walked toward him.“Do you realize how much influence, power, and land you have in this place?”Juan simply shrugged, shifting his weight onto one foot as he leaned.“And what does that have to do with anything?”“Oh, please,” Marco said, rolling his eyes again. “You have acres and hectares of land across Sicily and in Venice. Areas of vineyards that too many people have coveted. Your father acquired so much, and you’ve found a way to expand—buying up other people’s land.”Juan shrugged again.“And why should that be a problem to them? Every single thing about my wine business has been acquired legally. The only thing I woul