Lahat ng Kabanata ng His Serpent's Kiss: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

I refused to leave my bedroom until I was sure that bastard Nero was nowhere to be seen. He had flitted about the living and dining room like he was supposed to be there, unlike the many other days. He was often away working, but not today of all fucking days.I seethed inwardly, cursing every star that had brought me in contact with him. For the fact that he had killed Marcel… I hated him all the more. It was worse than when my father died. This time it wasn't simply pain and loss, it was a feeling of betrayal that enraged me to no end. I was powerless against it. Against him.A gentle knock came on the door, one that made me frown slightly.Only when it came the second time did I deign to rise from my bed and stride over to the door, opening it.“Why hello, Dante,” Cara’s smooth voice was full of a mild amusement, as she gazed at me. “You’re a hard man to find today.”I refrained from scoffing and stepped back, letting her in. She sashayed in, appearing all the more elegant, her lip

The door swung open with a small creak, and I swiftly slipped inside, shutting the door quietly.My eyes scanned the area, finding nothing amiss.The walls were lined top to bottom on one side with shelves, with books on one side—I snorted at it, doubtful that a man like Eric Ceretti would spend his time reading—and the other side with all sorts of knick-knacks. And fucking expensive ones by the looks of it. I reached out, taking hold of a paperweight. It was a geoid gem, and the edges were lined with gold.I idly traced the object in my hand, moving towards the direction of the safe as Avi had informed me. There seemed to be no cameras or hiding spots, not like Nero’s.Amateur.As I opened the safe, my ears and eyes were alert. If anyone came in here then I would be in a whole world of trouble. I paused, listening for any footsteps as I turned the last lock of the safebox, before grabbing the handle and opening it with a creak.I spotted the documents, large files lining the safe

I groaned softly, awakened by the barely-there sound of footsteps. It was obviously Nero, so I shut my eyes again, wincing slightly as the curtains were drawn, letting sunlight hit my body and eyes. He chuckled, aware of my reaction. I buried my head in the pillow which smelt subtly of lavender. My muscles strained in agony, and I feigned weariness. Last night had been… different. Not simply what happened after the party but before. Nero had given me a gift, two in fact. It was a new thing, one which I wasn't sure yet of how to receive it. I knew that it had to be a compensatory act, not simply because he longed to. Another way for him to control me. But still.. it was difficult to not consider that he had indeed taken time out to procure such a gift. Thinking of that, I exhaled softly, slowly drifting back into sleep. He had been too rough last night an

The next morning I was awoken with my phone vibrating. I instantly sat up, brushing aside Dante’s arms that had laid atop my waist and picked up the phone.“Speak,” was the first thing I said, grabbing a robe to cover my completely nude body. I walked out across the room to the balcony, where no one could hear.“Don,” it was Zach, breathing heavily. “I’ve gotten footage.”I cursed internally as I demanded, “Only footage, Zach? Are you losing your fucking touch now?”I was furious, HAD been furious from the second that I got the call. My office building, the shell company I had registered most of my operations under, had been attacked early the previous evening. I had already left, and had no communications with them, all the staff involved were either dead or injured. And the security cameras? Smashed to bits. This was an operation beyond anything I expected Angelo could bring up in a bit. That was exactly why I had stored the

At my announcement I could see Dante frown slightly, though there was curiosity in his eyes. “Where? And for how long?” He inquired after a beat. “Pack light. Three days. It’s business related,” I responded, keeping my tone clipped, while telling him the only things he truly needed to know. He nodded, and that was that. He knew better than to ask me more questions. I returned back to my study after dinner, having watched Dante and the nanny try to convince Marcus that vegetables were not the worst thing on the planet. Afterwards, Dante succeeded, after the promise of flan for dessert. The flan had already been prepared, I had no idea why Marcus assumed it was specifically for him. Nevertheless, dinner disasters were averted, and now, I scowled at the reports from Zach and Avi respectively. The attack on my company still bruised my pride when I thought about it. And yet, they hadn't been able to track the