Happy New Year, lovies!
CELESTINAThe moment Sevastian pulled the box from under the bed, I leaned back against my chair, a slow smirk tugging at my lips. The small camera hidden in the corner of the house gave me the perfect view of his every move. His shoulders were tense, his grip on the fabric so tight that I half-expected him to tear it apart.“God, Celestina,” Cleo drawled, sipping her champagne lazily from the couch across from me. “Of all the things you could have left him, you chose that? Your... undies? Really?”I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my composure. “It’s symbolic,” I said, waving her off. “He gave them to me. It’s only natural I return what’s his.”Cleo raised an unimpressed brow. “Symbolic, huh? Looks more like you’re toying with him in the most deliciously petty way possible.”Lilith, seated on the floor near the coffee table, let out a snort, exhaling a puff of cigarette smoke. “I mean, sure, returning them is one thing, but did you have to fold them so neatly in that box? Damn! It
CELESTINASevastian Ortega…I witnessed how powerful, cunning, and ruthless he is when he killed someone without batting an eye. Could I really trust him with everything?My thoughts consumed me until Lilith’s voice broke the frozen silence, pulling me back to reality.“Babe, we’re not saying you’re wrong for what you’re doing. Just… don’t lose yourself in the process, okay?”I gave her a small nod, though her words stirred an ache I didn’t want to acknowledge.The monitor flickered, drawing my attention back to Sevastian. His car came to a stop in the middle of nowhere, his movements sharp and precise as he stepped out. The GPS on his phone was probably screaming at him, sending him in circles after another false lead I had planted. A bitter smile tugged at my lips. He was relentless. Sevastian didn’t know how to give up, and that was exactly what I was counting on.Cleo’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts again. “You’re really putting him through it, huh?” She chuckled lightly,
CELESTINABecause my mind was too clouded with thoughts, I decided to end my surveillance session with Sevastian.With a soft click, I shut my laptop and began gathering my things.“I’m off now,” I announced, pushing back my chair.Lilith raised an eyebrow, her lips quirking in a mischievous grin. “Off, huh? You sure you’re not running away?”I rolled my eyes at her, but before I could reply, Marge chimed in with her usual cheek. “Maybe she wants Sevastian to catch her. What was that word he used in his message, again? Oh yeah, punishment. Sounds like you’re looking forward to it, huh?”Cleo chuckled, swirling the remains of her wine in her glass. “Admit it or not but there’s something thrilling about it. The danger, the chase. Him finding you, it could be... exciting… right, dear?”I gave them all a pointed look, tilting my head slightly. “I’m leaving because I have things to take care of. Not that I need to justify myself to you three gossip queens.”Lilith smirked, leaning back in
SEVASTIANI couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched Celestina bolt for the door. Her movements were quick, but not quick enough. Just as her fingers grazed the doorknob, I was already there. With one smooth motion, I slammed the door shut and pinned her against it.Her breath hitched, her wide eyes darting up to meet mine. I drew closer, my smirk growing with every second I held her gaze, savoring the mix of fire and doubt swirling in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. Of course, after what she did to me? Did she really think that she could run away again? Dream on, my dear. Because I will make sure that your fucking legs will be useless. “Where do you think you’re going, little fox?” I murmured, my voice low and taunting. “You really thought you could play your games and just waltz out the door? Oh dear, not tonight, my dear wife.” I pressed closer, trapping her completely. “Tonight, I’m going to make sure you’ll be too sore to even think ab
CELESTINAThe moment Sevastian leaned closer, I could feel the heat radiating off his body, his presence suffocating me with each passing second. His lips were just inches away, taunting me with their closeness, daring me to make the first move. But I wasn’t about to let him win and do whatever he wanted. I was angry.Angry that he thought he could just overpower me, angry that he thought I’d simply fall into his control. But then again, what was I supposed to do? Let him win without a fight? I wasn’t that weak.So, I gave him what he wanted.I leaned in, just a fraction, making sure he could feel the tension in the air between us. My lips brushed against his, a light touch at first, testing the soft skins on his lips. But as soon as our mouths met, I felt a jolt of heat rush through me. I could feel him smirk against my lips, knowing exactly what I was doing.For a moment, I held back. My mind screamed at me to stop. But my body betrayed me. His kiss deepened, and I couldn’t r
SEVASTIANThe moment my hand brushed against her scar, something inside of me froze. It wasn’t just her skin beneath my touch, it was the truth that Donovan’s words are fucking right. A cold, nauseating feeling spread through me, and I felt as if the ground beneath my feet had suddenly disappeared.The scar, it was small, almost invisible to anyone who wasn’t looking for it, but it felt like a fucking betrayal.I wasn’t prepared for it. It wasn’t just the mark itself, but the realization that the woman Donovan had been searching for, the woman whose past had been tangled with his, was right in front of me, and that is my wife, Celestina. The thought of it made my blood boil, my fists tightening. My chest constricted with the fury that burned through me. This woman, this woman I had married, had a past one that I hadn’t even known about until this moment.I was furious. And I didn’t know if I was more angry at her or at myself for not knowing.I glared down at her. “So this is what
CELESTINA I waited until I heard the heavy thud of Sevastian’s footsteps fade away as he stormed out of the apartment. A chill ran through me, but I refused to let myself break. I couldn’t afford to. Not now, that I must protect someone so important to me. The moment I was certain he was gone, I stumbled to my laptop, my hands trembling as I sat down at the desk. My body felt weak, but my mind was racing. I had to act fast. I couldn’t let Sevastian go through with this. I can’t allow Sevastian to kill Leo’s father, Donovan hasn't seen his son neither my twin sister, Velaria. I opened a new message, quickly typing in my friends' names: Lilith, Marge, and Cleo.“I need you to do everything you can to save Donovan,” I typed as quickly as my fingers would allow, my anxiety building with every word. “If possible, hide him. He can't die. Leo and Velaria need him.”I paused for a second, the weight of my words sinking in. I had never asked them for something this dangerous, but it was
CELESTINAI must have drifted off without realizing it. The noise outside jolted me awake. Rubbing my eyes, I hurried out of the room. Agent Rivera's face was tense, and my friends Cleo, Marge, and Lilith were anxiously preparing to leave."What's happening?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.Lilith glanced at me, her expression grim. "The Ortega group is on their way. Somehow, they've discovered our location. We need to move, now."Confusion and fear twisted inside me. How could they have found us? Unless... Without wasting a moment, I inspected my clothes. There, hidden at the back, was a tiny tracking device. I cursed under my breath."Sevastian," I muttered, anger boiling within me. "He must have planted this on me."Agent Rivera's jaw tightened. "We need to evacuate immediately.""No," I said firmly. "Have your men leave. You and my friends should stay.""That's out of the question," Agent Rivera replied."Please," I insisted. "If they find us all here, none of us will b
CELESTINA I didn’t breathe until Sevastian was gone.The weight of his glare still pressed against my skin like ash, clinging and suffocating. The echo of his footsteps retreating down the marble hallway felt louder than the music humming from the speakers. God, I wanted to scream and stop him from leaving. I wanted to run away from here and grab him yet I couldn’t. But instead, I stood still paralyzed in a silk dress and borrowed confidence, clutching a wine glass filled with poison I never intended to drink.“You didn’t have to defend me that hard,” Hector said casually, strolling to the bar as if my world hadn’t just cracked open in front of him. “Makes you look a little too convincing.”I didn’t answer. If I opened my mouth, I was afraid something would spill my rage, guilt, or maybe just my pride.Instead, I turned my back on him and walked to the window. The city below glimmered in artificial light, a thousand lies flickering in every window. How fitting.“You know…” he co
SEVASTIANI’ve been inside Hector’s penthouse for a couple of hours now, lurking inside of his disgusting small house, and every passing second with him breathing the same air as Celestina makes my blood boil. I was itching to put a bullet between his eyes the moment he stepped in with her like he owned the damn night.They probably didn’t know I was already here watching, waiting. But neither of them said a thing. I kept my eyes fixed on Celestina as she disappeared into one of the rooms, her figure slipping behind the door like a dream I couldn’t reach.Then I turned my attention back to the bastard who thought he could play God.“Celestina, do you want red or white?” he called out, smug and casual like this was some kind of date.“Red. Make it strong,” she replied from behind the door.“Got it!” he said, wearing a smirk that made my fists clench. Then I watched him, that smug little prick, slip something into her drink. A small white capsule, crushed into powder, stirred into th
CELESTINAAfter weeks of finalizing the plan, everything was finally set into motion. I'd started going out with Hector more frequently, attending every event he dragged me to, dressed to the nines and playing the perfect, obedient little lover.There’s a saying: keep your enemies close and strike them without realizing it. Right now, I sat beside Hector at some fancy, overpriced event filled with mafia rats dressed in tailored suits, each one pretending they weren’t covered in blood beneath their silk shirts. My arm curled around his, and I forced my lips to twitch into a coy smile as we made our way through the ballroom.Everyone seemed fooled. Everyone… except the man sitting across the room, lounging like a king in his fortress of shadows, his fingers wrapped lazily around a glass of whiskey, his eyes fixed on me.Jack Kostov.He was watching me — no, studying me. Like I was a riddle he already knew the answer to.I turned my head slightly, pretending to listen to Hector talk a
VALERIAThe air thickened as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. I couldn't stop staring at Victoria.So much of what I thought I knew about her shattered the moment she uttered those words. ‘And now… so are you.’Her voice didn’t rise. It didn’t need that quiet weight she carried sank deep, like stone tossed into still water, rippling all the way through me.I swallowed hard, trying to find something to say. Anything. But my throat felt dry, like ash was lodged in it.“You were… dragged,” I murmured finally, repeating the word like it would somehow make sense of all this. “And you didn’t fight it?”Victoria turned to me, eyes cool but not cold. “I did,” she said. “In every way I could. But when you’re young and someone like Jack sees something in you, it doesn’t matter how hard you kick. He doesn't pull you in. He lures you… until you think you’re stepping into light, only to realize it’s just fire dressed as gold.”Her words settled inside me like smoke.I looked
CELESTINAIt’s been a week since the three of us took shelter in this mansion, our supposed sanctuary, though peace has always felt like a borrowed luxury in this life.Everything felt… normal again, at least on the surface. Victoria had returned to her usual poised, icy self mask on, spine straight, and words that are carefully calculated. Valeria still carried the weight of our shared trauma, but in her own way, she remained the same—sharp-eyed and remained skeptical.I lifted my teacup, sipping the warm liquid before placing it back on the porcelain saucer with a quiet clink. “I plan to return,” I said simply.Victoria didn’t even blink. She calmly placed her own cup down with that same elegance she always carried, as if nothing could ever rattle her. “Are you certain?” she asked, her voice was searching for certainty. “You think you can handle it now?”Her gaze pinned me, unwavering, the kind of stare that could strip you bare if you weren’t ready. But I was. “Yes,” I answere
SEVASTIAN“Sevastian, let him go!” Aunt Priscilla’s sharp voice echoed in the whole room. But I didn’t move nor follow her words. My hand was already fisted in Hector’s collar, dragging him up just enough for his feet to lift slightly off the floor. My jaw clenched so tightly I could feel the tendons stretching down my neck. My blood boiled, and my rage pounding in my ears louder than anyone’s voice.Yet this bastard dared to smirk. That smug fucking smirk like he hadn’t just signed his death certificate.“Didn’t you hear her?” Hector taunted, lips twitching in amusement, his voice thick with mockery.I wanted to crush his windpipe. Right there. Right now.I glared at him, as I tightened my grip. He chuckled like I was a goddamn joke to him. “It seems your godson doesn’t want to collaborate with the Savelli,” he said, glancing over his shoulder.My gaze followed.And there he was.Jack Kostov.Sitting comfortably on the leather couch like he owned the entire fucking city. One han
CELESTINAA gentle touch brushes against my face, it was light and careful.I felt the warmth spread through me, it was so familiar that I felt so hurt. Slowly, I opened my eyes and for a moment, everything was hazy and blurred. But I didn’t need a perfect vision to know who stood in front of me.“Found you,” she said softly, poking my cheek like she used to when I was little.I blinked as I adjusted my vision until the haze cleared. There she was, the same woman I used to see when I was a child. The woman who appeared in my fragments of memory and fading dreams. A phantom I once believed was just a trick my mind played to comfort me when no one else would.I shot upright, my breath catching in my throat, and without even thinking, I threw my arms around her.God… I clung to her like I was drowning and she was the last thing keeping me above water.I don’t understand. I didn’t understand why my eyes were suddenly burning, and why my shoulders trembled, or why I felt like something
VALERIAAfter Celestina found out the truth about our father, and his connection with the Ortega's, something inside her shifted. No, not just shifted. She changed completely.The weight of it was too much. Knowing that Jack Kostov, a notorious Russian mafia figure with his hands in nearly every syndicate imaginable, was not only our father but also tied to the Ortega family. Even I, who heard about it, makes me tremble. Because I also know how powerful that man is. No, he’s no longer human but a devil in disguise. His works, his business are all in-human. It is widely known how that man was haunted by the government yet they couldn’t even put him in prison because Jack was also protected by some governor, mayor, and even some personnel in police. That’s why he was known as the King of Mafia’s. Some of them admired him and other’s hated him, he had so many enemies yet he was still alive for some reason. And I knew, just like how I felt. Celestina also felt the same, we’re twins a
SEVASTIANIt’s been three months since I followed Hector all the way to Celestina’s apartment, and I still remember every second of that night like it’s carved under my skin.There are memories that blur over time, yet it’s still vividly reminding me that Celestina doesn't trust me or see me as her husband. I clench my jaw tight as I recall how her hand gently touches his face. I buried myself in alcohol hoping it could lessen but none of it eases the one I felt. Rather, I felt more resentful and hated everything that came into my mind. That night left a mark, and no amount of distraction or alcohol could scrub it clean.“You seem to be lost in thought,” Aunt Priscilla said, her voice slicing through the fog in my head. She sat beside me on the long velvet couch like we weren’t waiting for a goddamn lunatic to walk through the door.I barely turned my head. “Isn’t that normal these days?”She raised an eyebrow but said nothing.“He’s coming today,” Natasha chimed in from across the