Semua Bab Velvet Chains: Bab 131 - Bab 140

The city wore a strange silence the morning after the assault on Bianca Romano’s estate. It was the calm that came not from peace, but from stunned fear—like a dog cowering before the hand that beat it.Sera sat in Valerio’s study, barefoot, still wrapped in his black dress shirt, her damp hair a tangle from the rooftop hours before. The taste of victory clung to her lips like wine, intoxicating but dangerous. Bianca was locked in the deepest cell beneath the Thorne compound, her screams long since hoarse.But the storm wasn’t over.Marcus DeSanti hadn’t retaliated.Not yet.And that silence was louder than any war cry.Valerio entered the study without knocking, his hair still damp from the shower, black pants low on his hips, a bulletproof vest slung carelessly over his arm. His eyes found hers instantly.“You’re up early,” he said.“I never really slept.” She traced the rim of her coffee cup. “Neither did the city.”He approached and dropped a flash drive on the table beside her. “

The air was different.Thicker. Heavier.As if the city itself had paused to watch what the Thorne Empire would do next.After the death of Marcus DeSanti and Sera’s blood-oath claim to the throne, Eros City wasn’t just shifting—it was tilting violently off its axis. And Sera could feel it in her bones.She was no longer just Valerio’s lover, no longer a girl from a forgotten family legacy.She was the queen now.And every queen had to bleed to earn her crown.The day began with steel.Sera stood in the training hall, sweat beading down her back, the sharp slice of a dagger in her hand. Navarro circled her like a predator, throwing punches and swipes with real intent. They weren’t pulling back anymore. These were not practice hits.She dodged his elbow, dipped beneath his shoulder, and sliced the blade upward.He blocked it with the flat of his forearm, letting the blade glance off. “Faster,” he growled.“I am fast.”“Not fast enough to survive a Sicilian ambush. Again.”She didn’t ar

The Thorne estate was nothing short of a fortress—opulent and imposing. Marble floors gleamed beneath Sera’s feet as she followed Valerio through its endless hallways, each turn lit with golden sconces and guarded by statues that looked more like silent sentinels than art.But nothing could distract her from the storm swirling behind Valerio’s calm exterior.He was too quiet. Too still.They entered a conference room deeper in the estate—long glass table, walls lined with ancient weapons, a chandelier dripping crystal light overhead. Four men were already seated. All wore tailored suits, but their expressions were taut with unease."They've been waiting," Valerio said to Sera, gently brushing his knuckles against her arm before nodding toward the adjoining sitting room. "You can wait there. I won’t be long."She didn’t argue, but her eyes lingered on him.Valerio leaned down, voice low. "I need you close, but I don’t want you hearing this. It might change how you see me."Her breath h

The drive back from the Mirage Casino was silent, tension wrapped around them like smoke. Valerio kept one hand on the wheel, the other on his gun, knuckles white. Sera sat beside him, eyes fixed on the rain-slicked streets as Eros City blurred past the windows. Her pulse hadn't slowed since the ambush. Neither had his.They said nothing until they reached the estate.Valerio’s private compound was on full lockdown—armed guards doubled at the gates, surveillance drones sweeping the perimeter, and Matteo waiting by the front door, blood still on his sleeve."It was a setup," Matteo growled. "Cael Delacroix never came alone. He had two snipers on the east building. We didn’t even spot them."Valerio's jaw clenched. "We underestimated him. Never again."Sera followed them into the war room—a vast, windowless space below the main house with concrete walls, tactical maps, and screens showing every inch of the city.Valerio shed his coat, grabbed a bottle of scotch, and poured himself a gla

The glow of dawn bled through the blackout curtains, but neither Sera nor Valerio moved from the tangled sheets. The air was thick with the weight of things unsaid, with the fading pulse of what had happened between them—a kind of surrender that went deeper than skin.Sera stirred first.Her wrists ached from where his tie had held her last night, a soft bite of pressure that still lingered like a brand. She looked at the man sleeping beside her—his chest rising slow, lips slightly parted, a furrow still etched between his brows even in rest. Valerio Thorne. Her tormentor. Her protector. Her ruin.And her only salvation.She slid out of bed quietly, padding to the bathroom. The moment the door clicked shut, Valerio’s eyes opened.He wasn’t a man who slept through silence. Especially not now.He sat up, running a hand through his unruly dark hair, tension already creeping back into his shoulders like a second skin. Last night had been a release, yes—but it had also been a vow. He’d cla