All Chapters of Only in Vegas: Claimed by the Devils Son: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Unlocked by his thumbprint while he slept—too trusting, too careless—or maybe he wanted her to see. It was already open on the text thread. Unknown Number: 10 billion dollars. After the casino party I want her. Give her to me and I will fix all your problems. Axel: When? No hesitation. No argument. When. Like it was already in motion. Like she was just a product waiting for pickup. The screen burned into her vision—Axel’s reply to that unknown number, “When?”—a confirmation, a betrayal, a blade to the heart she didn’t know she’d offered him yet. She rushed to the bathroom on instinct. Lock. Twist. Shower. Noise. She needed the noise. Cold water pounding down, soaking her hair, her clothes, her skin, until she could barely feel the weight of her own body anymore. Her makeup smudging and streaking down her face like war paint washed away. Her breathing coming in sharp small pants as if she had ran a marathon. How could she still care about him? That was th

The days after the forest blurred into each other like one endless, suffocating moment. Axel didn’t visit. Not once. Not even a glance through the door. It was like she didn’t exist anymore, and that was somehow worse than the bruises or the fear or the danger. Now it was just silence. And silence could be crueler than fists. Mia sat curled up in the oversized chair by the window, her knees hugged to her chest, staring blankly at the city lights below. The same question had been looping in her head for days— Where the hell was Axel? Every minute that passed only made the ache in her chest worse. She hated that she cared. Hated that she missed him. After everything. After the forest, after Slade. After the terrifying moment where the man who’d ripped her sanity apart stood over them with murder in his eyes. Axel hadn’t touched her since. Not a word. Not a glance. Not even a whisper of his presence lingering in the hallway. Nothing. Part of her screamed to be angry, to

The bedroom was pitch dark and terrifying, a slight hum of the open world outside, forever out of reach. Her breathing came sharp, uneven, her fingers gripping the sheets like she was still falling. It was just a dream. But it felt like a warning. Throwing back the covers, Mia stumbled to her feet and padded silently into the bathroom. She turned the shower on without thinking, twisting the knob toward almost scalding heat as if that could burn the ghost of that life off her skin. Her dream wasn’t just wishful thinking. It was cruel. Because deep down she wanted it—and she knew damn well that kind of happy ending didn’t exist for people like her. Not with a man like Axel Morino. She stepped under the spray, closing her eyes, letting the heat wash over her as her thoughts spiralled. Tonight. The masked ball. The official naming of Axel as head of the Morino crime family. The wolves in tailored suits would be circling, old blood watching from behind silk masks, eager to t

Axel stepped back from the maid’s lifeless body, his jaw tightening as he fought the surge of bile rising in his throat. She’d been loyal—quiet, discreet, no threat to anyone. But this was a message. Slade’s fingerprints were all over it, metaphorically if not literally. Slade never missed an opportunity to remind Axel who held the strings, even when they were fraying. “Get this body cleaned up–Quietly. She’s outside the staff quarters.” Axel’s voice was low but sharp, cutting through the dense, perfumed air of the corridor. He held his phone to his ear with shaking fingers as he mentally assessed the situation. “Anything else Sir?,” The man on the other end answered crisply. “I want Mia escorted to the ballroom. Now. And nobody gets near her unless I’ve cleared it.” “Yes, sir.” The line went dead. Axel scrubbed a hand down his face, wiping the cold sweat clinging to his forehead. He couldn’t afford to fall apart—not now. The whole world would be watching tonight. Hi

Slade stepped forward to the edge of the staircase, his glass of port still in hand, tie slightly loosened like he hadn’t fully committed to dressing up. Like it wasn’t worth the effort. The room went quiet as the Morino boss smirked at the crowd, soaking in the attention like it was pure oxygen. “Well, I guess you’re all expecting a speech!” he began, voice smooth with a playful edge, “Tonight is the moment we all knew was coming. I’d like to say it snuck up on me, but nothing sneaks up on you when your son’s been planning your retirement since the day he was old enough to tie a noose.” There were a few tight chuckles, mostly from the older men in the room who knew better than to laugh too loudly at a Morino joke — especially not when the joke was aimed at the man now taking the throne. Slade continued, circling the platform like a predator stalking something slower than him. “I’ve built this family from the ashes left by the generation before. I’ve made hard choices. Killed