All Chapters of KNIVES AND HEARTSTRINGS: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

I’ve been in the hospital with my mom a day now, and her condition only seems to be getting worse. She woke up a few hours after the doctor had given us her prognosis. Since then, she has been in and out of sleep, only waking up occasionally to eat, drink, or use the toilet.I still refuse to believe that Mama’s chances are slim. She’s strong. Always has been, and I know she’ll fight this too. She just needs us by her side.I was still lost in thought when my phone buzzed. Annoyed, I frowned—hadn’t I everyone not to disturb me today? I took today off specifically to be with my mother and had explicitly told Thea, my PA, to cancel all my meetings for the day.Picking up my phone angrily, I saw it was a text from none other than Andronikos.Demon👿: Meet me at my company now.First off—he has a company? And yes, I know I should probably know that, but I kinda washed my hands off anything related to him when I got tangled up in his mess. Secondly, is he insane?I texted back with my usua

The threats hadn’t come in days, and though everything seemed quiet, I knew this was just the calm before the storm.Like a lion, the enemy lay in wait for its prey to sleep, and I was going to make sure we never shut our eyes.“How’s the training going, Kace?” I asked Adira’s assigned bodyguard, though I already knew the answer. The cameras I’d installed a while ago—for her protection, of course—allowed me to watch them and her. Hence why she was made to wear leggings instead of shorts like before.I can’t let another man look at my woman’s ass.“It’s going well, boss. She’s greatly improving, but she still has a long way to go.”I nodded in response. My little flame was strong and smart, so I knew she’d pick up fast, but the issues she was facing will be a big detriment to her focus and I couldn’t allow that.“I want you to work with Iason on something,” I started, turning to regard Kace. “Someone has managed to swindle Adira in her company, and she’s in knots over who the person is

I can’t believe Andronikos left again just like that. I hate that I always put myself in situations like this. I couldn’t have resisted him even if I’d tried. He looked so good in those grey joggers—almost every woman’s weakness—and when he apologized, I couldn’t even ignore him again. I had to jump his bones.And now, I regret it.After taking a shower, I headed to the hospital see my mom. I hadn’t seen her in a long while since I’d been busy with work, but I wasn’t going to postpone my visit anymore.Kace was beside me, as usual, when I arrived at Mama’s hospital room. Baba told me the doctor said her condition was stabilizing and that she should be ready to start chemo. I was terrified about how it would go, but I would do anything to make Mama better.“Agapoula,” my mother called as soon as I entered the room.“Mama,” I said excitedly. Running toward her, I threw myself on her as gently as I could manage, hugging her tightly.She laughed, hugging me back as tightly as her weak fra

As much as I wanted to laugh at her current facial expression, I was still offended that she thought me callous enough to leave her alone in the bed I had fucked her relentlessly for hours.I mean, yes, I know I can be a bit uncaring at times, but not this time.“Oh…” she said, a look of realization settling on her face.“Let me guess—you saw it but dismissed it as something trivial, didn’t you?”“But I mean, who the hell writes a note on a yellow piece of paper?” she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation.“Adira,” I lifted her chin. “Every normal person does that.”“I’m—”I shut her up with a kiss, not wanting to hear anything more from her mouth.She melted instantly, her body giving into mine like it always did. Drawing away from her lips, I pulled her bottom lip with my teeth.“Don’t bother telling me sorry, yes?”She nodded in response.“Good girl.”Taking her body wash, I began to form a lather on the loofah.“What are you doing?”“Bathing you, of course.”I took my time c

I had come to the realization that I couldn't do this alone, so I called on the assistance of an old friend. We hadn't spoken since our fathers had tried to indoctrinate us into our dark world-a lifetime ago-but hopefully, there's no bad blood between us.Yuna Komori.That was her name the last time we met. As the only child of the Kumicho, the head of the Yakuza, she was set to inherit the crime syndicate-something her people resented.But now, she goes by the name Shizugai.A moniker earned through sheer ruthlessness. The silent killer. She leaves only corpses in her wake after dealing with her victims.My men stood behind me, armed to the teeth, their hands resting on their holsters, eyes scanning for the first signs of trouble. The gated loomed before us, a towering emblem of power, emblazoned with the insignia of a wyrm devouring a dragon-her mark.Moments later, the gates creaked opened.A group of guards stepped forward, weapons drawn, their gazes cold and unyielding."What's y