Semua Bab Flames of love and war: Bab 101 - Bab 110

LauraI sidestepped immediately, moving to the right.Of course, she blocked me. “How's your dress? It's looking much better I see.”“I don't have time for whatever high school drama you're trying to stir up right now,” I tell her point-blank.“Do you think that this is a joke?” Her eyes narrowed to slits.“Honestly, I don't care. I would just like to have some peace okay? Enough with the threats and petty play, I'm not interested.”“Whether you're interested or not doesn't matter, you stepped on my toe, you're just going to have to deal with the consequences.” She ran a finger down my chin before waltzing up, her hips swaying as she walked.Rolling my eyes, I went in the opposite direction, running right into Skye who nearly collapsed from relief when she saw me.“Finally, I think looking everywhere for you! I was starting to think that you left or something…are you okay?”“I'm fine,” I reassured her, but it was like pouring water on a rock.She turned to look behind me, wincing a li

LauraThe chandelier was still swaying above them, fractured glass glittering across the marble floor like spilled diamonds.Smoke curled upwards in spirals from the wreckage below, and the once-grand ballroom of the Rocci estate had turned into a screaming mass of chaos.My ears rang as I pressed a hand to the side of my head, blinking rapidly to clear my blurry vision. A sharp, metallic taste filled my mouth….I spat out and my eyes focused on the substance.Blood.Around us, men were shouting in Italian, Russian, Spanish….each tongue sharp and hostile, each voice laced with fear.Damian Rocci, his tailored suit marred with dust and ash, was already barking orders at his men.“It was the Aldoraccos!” he roared, pointing toward Kelvin and his father as if the explosion itself had risen from beneath their table.“Careful, Rocci,” Kelvin’s voice was cold as he stepped forward, brushing glass from his shoulder like it was nothing.His men had already formed a tight half-circle around hi

LauraThe ocean had never felt this loud before.Waves slammed against the rocks in a rhythm that made the whole house shudder, as if the sea itself was restless tonight.I should have been asleep. Everyone else probably was. But my mind wouldn’t stop racing…. looping back to Damien and Rosie’s message, to the way Kelvin had gone silent afterward, and the thousand unspoken things floating in the air between us.He disappeared earlier today and came back in an even more sour mood before locking himself up in the office.He didn't bother to check in on me so I left him alone, but now that I was alone in the dark….my mind refused to be at rest.I gave up on pretending to rest and slipped out of bed. The night was cool, the hallway dim except for the faint silver gleam of moonlight leaking through the floor-to-ceiling windows.I didn’t even know where I was going; I just let my feet carry me as I needed air ….. needed to breathe fresh, clean air that wasn't polluted with tension and secre

KelvinThe night air felt heavy, thick enough to press against my skin.There was something off about Laura today…. something in the way her eyes kept darting away whenever I looked at her, the way she smiled without really smiling.She’d been quiet all evening, barely touching her food, her mind clearly elsewhere. I’d noticed her glancing at her phone more than once, the glow of the screen lighting her face like she was waiting for something…. or someone.I told myself to ignore it. To trust her.After everything we’d been through, after the way our relationship has been rocky of late, she deserved that much.But the truth was, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something. That she was slipping out of my reach and I didn’t even know why.So when she crept out of the bedroom and stepped out into the night, I didn’t stop her.I just sat there for a while, listening to the echo of her footsteps fade down the driveway. Then I reached for my phone as soon as she left the hous

LauraFor a moment, I thought that Kelvin and I were going to pounce on each other, but then came the knock. Not frantic, not polite.Three solid, measured taps.Then the guard walked in to whisper something in Kelvin's ears.Kelvin didn’t move.His expression didn’t betray anything, but I felt the tension crawl across the room like static.“I need you to stay in this room.” he had said quietly, not looking at me. “No matter what you hear, don’t come out.”That tone… calm but final… left no room for argument.But of course, the more he said don’t, the more my curiosity burned.So, when he stepped out to the terrace, I waited a few minutes… then I followed him.From the living room, I could see the faint silhouette of Kelvin pacing near the terrace, his phone in his hand, his jaw tight.The sea beyond the house was calm, too calm. Even the guards had that nervous edge tonight… the kind where they pretended to be alert but kept glancing at the gates as if waiting for something.One of