Aunt Cassie

Hades's fist, just inches from Gregory's battered face, stopped. The voice was cold, calm, and dangerously familiar. “Hades! Stop!” The woman stepped forward, her face now visible in the harsh light of the parking lot. She was older, but with a stunning, chilling beauty. She really had a striking resemblance to Claudine. Her eyes were a piercing blue, just like his wife's."Who the hell are you again?" Hades snarled, still holding Gregory's collar.The woman smiled, a confident, knowing smile that didn't reach her eyes. She gestured to Gregory with a hand, a casual, almost dismissive gesture. "He's all yours, darling. He's had enough for one night. Let him go."Hades hesitated, then dropped Gregory to the ground. Gregory just lay there, a broken, bloody mess. He looked up at Hades with a look of pure hatred. Hades ignored him. His eyes were locked on the woman."You haven't answered my question," he said, his tone low and laced with a deadly threat. "Who did you say you are?"She too

Last Updated : 2025-08-22

The Bounty

Cassie's smile was a cruel, confident thing. "I have more to tell you, my dear Hades. You see, when Indie's father was alive, so many people envied his position and his relationship with your father. So many wanted to take his share from the Omerta. You know why a war hasn't broken out? Because your dear brother here..." She reached out and grabbed Gregory by the face, pulling him closer.He flinched, but then let her. She kissed him hard, on the lips, a long, lingering kiss that was both a display of power and a grotesque spectacle."Your dearest little brother... my little Gregory," she continued, her voice a purr. "Has kept that from happening. He has been the one keeping the Kalashnikov clan in place. He's been the one pulling the strings. He's been the one making sure no one rises up against him. But now... once they find out the children are alive... Indie and Christian... these envious families will do anything to wipe out that lineage. Because you know what?"She looked at he

Last Updated : 2025-08-23

Chapter 123

Room filled with the scent of flowers and the low murmur of voices. It felt a world away from the chaos that had been her life for the past few weeks.Claudine lay in the hospital bed, her mind still a little fuzzy, her head feeling as if it was filled with cotton. She wasn't awake, not truly. She was in a dream, a terrible, beautiful dream.Her body was heavy, her mind was floating, and all she could see was Hades. She saw him on the floor, bleeding. She saw him fighting for her. She saw him with a look of pure, unadulterated love on his face.She felt a connection to him that was so strong, it was almost physical. It was a love that transcended the lies, the secrets, the betrayal. It was a love that had bloomed in the most desolate of places.Then, she felt a light hand on her forehead. A soft, soothing voice was speaking to her. "Claudine? My love? Are you awake?"Her eyes fluttered open, slowly, painfully. The world came into focus, a blurry haze of white walls and soft light. She

Last Updated : 2025-08-25

Getting her life back?

The door to the hospital room opened and a nurse walked in, holding a small tray with some food. "Just a small meal, ma'am," the nurse said softly, "to get your strength up. The doctor wants you to eat something light before you get your full dinner."The nurse put the tray on the table and checked Claudine's vitals, a practiced routine that offered a quiet, comforting rhythm. The group's conversation picked up again, hushed and warm, a feeling of camaraderie surrounding them. The nurse, a kind-looking woman with a gentle face, finished her work and smiled at the group. "Your friends are so worried about you, ma'am. It's so nice to see."Claudine's smile widened. "They're the best. I wouldn't be here without them."The nurse nodded, a look of understanding on her face, and made her way to the door. Just as she was about to open it, Svetlana gave Claudine a final, warm hug. "We'll go," she said. "We'll be back tomorrow. Rest, my dear. You need it.""Thank you," Claudine whispered, her

Last Updated : 2025-08-25

Chapter 125

•Song for this chapter - Way to break my heart by Ed she3ran•A cold evening in September.•The door clicked shut, sealing them in. The silence was not a friend; it was a cage. Heavy, suffocating, and charged with unsaid words and broken promises. Claudine lay in the hospital bed, her heart a frantic drumbeat against her ribs.She was awake, truly awake this time, and the past two days of unconsciousness were a distant, hazy nightmare.The reality was the man standing at the foot of her bed. Hades. He was a ghost of himself, his face a mask of sorrow, his eyes two burning pools of accusation and pain. The calm, cool façade was gone, replaced by a raw, unyielding despair.His shoulders were slumped, his body shaking with a barely controlled rage, a mix of heartbreak and fury.He didn’t move for a long moment, just stared at her. His gaze was a physical weight, pinning her to the bed. He finally took a step forward, his voice a low, gravelly whisper. It was the first time he had spoken

Last Updated : 2025-08-26

The confession

“I’m sorry.. terribly sorry.” She sobbed into her hands, shaking her head from the thoughts of what their current relationship has turned into.“Baby girl, look at me. Please?”She shook her head again, shutting her eyes tight while holding her face to process all what was going on. All her life? Was this all some sort of misunderstanding?“But..” she began.He walked to the side of the bed, his body shaking with a profound, a desperate need for her to understand. “But I don’t care about proving my masculinity and fierceness to the world,” he confessed, his voice filled with a raw, brutal honesty. “Nothing will happen to you. You’re the love of my life. And I can’t even hide it again. I just... I can’t. You are my world. And I can’t lose you. I just... I couldn’t lose you.”She just stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. She had prepared for his rage, his coldness, his indifference. But she had never, not once, prepared for this. She had never, not once, prepared for the sig