LOGINThird Person POV Violet stood outside the imposing iron gates of the Hartley family estate, her hands trembling as she clutched the strap of her bag. The grand stone mansion loomed ahead like a predator, its windows dark and unwelcoming even in the daylight. She had come here as a last resort, dressed in the best clothes she still owned, makeup carefully applied to hide the redness around her eyes.She needed their help.She needed the Circle.After what felt like forever, the gates opened. A silent servant led her inside.The council room was cold. Seven elders sat around a long mahogany table, their faces carved from stone and indifference. They didn’t offer her a seat.Violet’s voice shook as she spoke.“Please… I need protection. Jason… he rejected me. He wants nothing to do with me anymore. I did everything for this family. I tried to bring Aria down. I even… I stabbed him when he tried to leave me. But he still chose her. Please, help me. Give me another chance. I can still b
Jason's POV Where am I?My eyes opened to nothing but darkness and haze. Everything felt bottomless, like I was floating in an endless black sea. The pain in my side was a dull roar, but it was distant, muffled, as if my body belonged to someone else. I tried to move, but my limbs felt heavy, and disconnected. Machines beeped somewhere far away, steady and cold.I blinked hard, forcing my vision to clear.A long hallway stretched before me, marble floors stretching into shadows that never ended. I knew this place. The old family house. The one that still haunted my nightmares.I started walking. My bare feet made no sound.I had walked a very long distance when I saw him.My father stood at the end of the hallway, tall and imposing, wearing the same dark suit he always wore when he wanted to remind everyone who held the power.“Well done, son,” he said, his voice echoing like it came from all directions at once. A cold smile spread across his face. “You’re doing well. Handling the
Third Person POV Kyle watched her struggle for a long moment, his expression unreadable.“You’ll see eventually,” he whispered. “When you’re mine completely, you’ll understand why I had to do this.”Aria screamed his name as he turned and walked toward the door, leaving her alone in the elegant prison.“Kyle! Please don’t go!”The heavy door clicked shut behind him.The next morning, Aria woke up slowly, her body heavy and aching.She tried to move her arms and realized she couldn’t. Her wrists were tied to the headboard with soft silk ropes. Her legs were spread and secured to the bottom posts. She was completely naked, the cool air brushing against her exposed skin.A sharp gasp escaped her as the full reality crashed down.Pain radiated through her muscles from the previous day’s struggle. Her head throbbed. Her wrists burned. Between her legs felt sore and vulnerable.Tears filled her eyes instantly.Everyone she had ever loved had hurt her. Everyone had abandoned her. Jason had
Third Person POV She sat on the edge of the bed, phone pressed tightly to her ear, heart hammering against her ribs. The line rang once, then went straight to voicemail. Again.“Elena… pick up,” she whispered, voice cracking. She tried a second time. The automated voice repeated the same cold message: The number you are trying to reach is switched off or no longer in service.Just like Claire’s number. That after the short, polite text saying she was relocating for work and wouldn’t be reachable for a while. There had been absolutely no calls. No replies. Nothing.Her fingers trembled as she lowered the phone. The room felt too small, the air too thick. A wave of dizziness washed over her, making the edges of her vision blur. She didn’t know who to trust anymore. Everything in this family felt wrong … layered, hidden, rotten beneath the surface.She couldn’t sit here waiting for answers that would never come.Grabbing her jacket and the old leather-bound book she had found in her u
Third Person POV Lucien pinned Elena against the cold basement wall, his body flush against hers, trapping her completely. Her wrists were held high above her head in one of his large hands. Blood still trickled from the wound on her scalp, mixing with the dried streaks on her face. She breathed hard, chest heaving, eyes blazing with defiance even as pain radiated through her body.He stared at her for a long moment, something dark and hungry burning in his gaze. Then he lifted his free hand, gripped her chin roughly, and forced her face up toward his.Elena tried to jerk away, but he held onto her firmly.Lucien leaned in slowly and dragged his tongue across her blood-streaked cheek in one long, deliberate lick. The metallic taste of her blood mixed with the salt of her skin sent a shudder of raw pleasure through him.Elena turned her head violently, disgust twisting her features.“Let me go,” she hissed, voice hoarse but sharp.Lucien chuckled low in his throat, the sound vibrat
Third Person POV Lucien Moreau paced the dimly lit living room of his isolated estate like a caged animal.The clock on the wall read 3:17 a.m. He had been drinking for hours … expensive whiskey that burned down his throat but did nothing to quiet the storm in his head. The bottle was nearly empty now, yet sleep refused to come.He stopped in front of the large mirror on the wall and stared at his reflection. His shirt was unbuttoned, hair disheveled, eyes wild with that familiar manic energy. As the Circle’s executioner for years, he had learned to bury every emotion. Cute girls, fear, tears … none of it touched him anymore. He had seen too much. Done too much. Broken too many.But Elena…That small, bleeding woman with fire in her eyes.She had looked at him with pure disgust and kept fighting.No begging. No tears. Just raw, unbroken spirit.It had shocked him to his core.Lucien poured the last of the whiskey and downed it in one gulp. The alcohol did nothing. His mind kept rep
Aria’s POV - Three Days LaterI stared at my phone for the fifth time in ten minutes.Claire still hadn’t responded. It has been three days of silence. No texts, no calls, nothing.We were supposed to have dinner on Tuesday night. I’d texted her that morning to confirm and got nothing back. I figur
Aria’s POVThe food kept coming.First, the oysters…plump and briny, served on ice with mignonette sauce that tasted like the ocean. Then seared scallops that melted on my tongue, followed by lobster tail so buttery I had to close my eyes to fully appreciate it.Kyle watched me with amusement. “Wh
Aria’s POVI woke up to sunlight streaming through the guest room window and the buzz of my phone on the nightstand.A text from Marcus: “Papers are ready. Come by the office at 8 AM.”I checked the time. 7:15 AM.Jason’s bedroom door was already closed when I passed it on my way to the shower. I c
Aria’s POVI sat on the edge of the guest room bed, with my hands folded neatly in my lap. The suitcases Jason had carried back upstairs sat unopened at my feet like evidence of my failed escape.Everything was perfectly still.I was perfectly still.And then I started laughing.It was very quite







