로그인“Yeah… how long will it take to get here? I have a man who’s halfway to death and he’s staining my couch with his blood…” Lena’s voice trailed off as she paced her living room, her eyes never deviating from Julian who was sprawled out on her couch.“Thirty minutes?” She pursed her lips. “You’re sure? I don’t want to have to kill him myself…”A smile touched her lips at whatever the person on the phone said before she hung up.“Are you calling your hoodlums to come finish me off?” Julian asked.Lena chuckled. “Unlike you, Julian, I’m not a part of some organized crime group. Just shut your mouth and wait for the doctor to get here.”Before Julian could say anything, she was already ascending the stairs of her home. She dialed Leo. He answered immediately like he had been waiting on her call. “Hey—““Don’t try to be friendly, I haven’t forgiven you yet.” She cut him off. “Are you coming back from your trip anytime soon or do you need to stack up your kills first?”Leo’s heart sank. “C
It was late into the afternoon when Lena received a call from Julian’s number. She didn’t want to answer it, she already had so much going on in her life and given the betrayal, the fact that he was involved in crime and hadn’t told her, she had added that to the list of things Julian Black did to her.But as smart as her brain was, her heart was all over the place. And her nerves… that was another story.So she convinced herself that she was answering the call just to reprimand Julian and finally cut him off completely.But when she swiped that icon, the voice that came through wasn’t Julian’s voice.“I’m so sorry to disturb,” a distorted female voice came through the speaker. “There was a little incident at the club. Mr. Black was involved and was seriously hurt. He refused to be taken to the hospital… which is why we’re calling his emergency contact.”Lena paused.One, Julian was hurt badly enough for someone to even consider taking him to a hospital?Two, she was his emergency con
The dinner had been exhausting.Long.Tense.Every conversation at the table felt calculated, measured carefully so nobody said too much and yet somehow everyone still managed to say enough to make Julian’s headache worse.Pedro King had left hours ago.Leonardo had disappeared almost immediately after dinner ended.Antonio had been unusually quiet the entire night, drinking more than speaking.And now Julian stood in his father’s study with a glass of whiskey in his hand, staring out at the dark gardens outside.The room smelled of cigars and expensive wood polish.Behind him, Luoni Black sat at his desk in silence.Watching him.Studying him.“You’ve changed,” Luoni finally said.Julian took a slow sip of whiskey. “People usually do after seven years.”“You became softer.”Julian huffed a quiet laugh. “That sounds insulting.”“It is.”Julian glanced back at his father briefly before returning his attention to the window. “Then thank you.”Silence stretched again.Heavy.Neither man
“She’s sick.”Leo’s expression shifted. “What?”Antonio rubbed at his jaw. “The woman I’m supposed to marry… her name is Emilia Moretti—”“I don’t give a fuck about her name. Don’t insult me by telling me about another woman, Antonio.”Silence.“Always so impatient.” Antonio gave a soft smile that almost melted Leo. “Anyway, her family and ours have been allied for years. She’s… she’s dying.”Leo’s brows deepened into a furrow.Antonio looked exhausted. “She has a neurological condition. It’s terminal.” His voice stayed low and flat. “The doctors already told her family there’s not much time left.”Leo stared at him without speaking.“She approached me herself,” Antonio added. “Said she didn’t want to die unmarried because of pressure from her family. Said she wanted one year of normalcy before…” He trailed off briefly. “Before things get worse.”The hallway became quiet again.Leo’s anger faltered slightly. Only slightly.Antonio noticed and continued. “She told me the marriage would
The hallway outside the basement was quiet.Too quiet.The only sound was the low hum of the estate’s ventilation system and the occasional muffled thud from downstairs whenever Julian shifted too aggressively against the chair he was tied to.Leonardo leaned against the wall with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, staring blankly ahead.Antonio stood beside him. Or rather, hovered around him.Restless energy rolled off him in waves. He checked his watch. Lit another cigarette. Put it out halfway. Dragged a hand through his hair. Looked at Leo. Looked away. Looked at Leo again.Leo noticed every single thing and deliberately ignored all of it.“You know,” Antonio started casually, “you swing a bat like a psychopath.”Leo didn’t respond. The only reaction he gave was a roll of his eyes.Antonio clicked his tongue. “I’m serious. Watching you beat my brother felt strangely attractive.”Still nothing.Antonio smiled faintly to himself. “Though I think you bruised one of his kidneys.
Julian woke up to pain. It was neither the sharp nor dull kind. It was the kind of pain that sat behind his eyes and throbbed through his skull with every heartbeat.His lashes fluttered once.Twice.A groan scraped out of his throat as consciousness slowly settled in.He looked around, first taking note of the darkness—the dark ceiling.Panic shot through Julian and he was almost at the cusp of struggling when the smell of cold air wafted through his nostrils, when the faint scent of cigar smoke and bleach made him shiver.Julian’s brows furrowed immediately.He knew this place.He knew it too well.This was his father’s estate. The underground basement.That was when he recalled his brother being in his penthouse and spewing nonsense before he was claimed by darkness.A humorless laugh nearly left Julian before another pulse of pain hit his head.“You finally decided to join us.” A voice echoed as the lights came on, nearly blinding Julian. It was Antonio’s voice. “Such a deep sleep
The door shut behind Rose and Julian with a muted thud.The room was quiet in a way that felt deliberate, insulated from the pulse of the club below. Thick curtains blocked out the city lights. The faint hum of the building’s systems was the only reminder that the night outside was still alive.Jul
The roar of congratulations had settled slightly, and now Lena was with her father, speaking to a few of his friends who attended his birthday party.They spoke of everything and nothing at the same time. Some of the men spoke mostly of Lena’s beauty and carriage and the way they’d like her to meet
The night was truly worth every bit of Lena’s time. Physically, at least. Emotionally, however, she felt hollow. Empty. So empty that she in fact began to wonder why she had easily succumbed to sexual temptation.Was it because she was jealous of the chemistry between Rose and Julian? Lena asked he
Lena returned home hours ago, but as the sun began to set and night fell, she began feeling guilty about how she had left her lunch with Jack.Which led to picking up her phone and dialing his number.Jack answered on the first ring. Though the act made it seem as though he was eager, he did not sa







