Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 41 - Chapitre 50

Maria Reyes I lay on my bed in the Reyes mansion, staring at my graduation photo on the nightstand. Naomi and I, arms wrapped tight, grinning like idiots. That day felt like someone else’s life now. Back then? Simple. No secrets. No fear. Just hope. The room stayed quiet. My lamp threw weak light that died before it hit the walls. Heavy curtains blocked the night, but not the mess in my head. My hands rested on my stomach, still trembling from everything that had happened. I thought I’d feel safe here, but I don’t. It doesn’t even feel like home anymore. A soft knock sounded at the door—almost too quiet to hear. My heart raced, and I sat up quickly. I got off the bed and opened the door. A stranger stood there. Black suit. His eyes slid over me, slow, making my stomach tighten. “Who are you?” My voice came out sharp. "Call me Jason, ma’am," he replied, lingering on me for too long. “Your new bodyguard.” “Where’s Tommy?” The question surprised me. When did I start caring? “Fired.”

Naomi VelezI walked quietly and quickly down the empty street. I could hear my steps echoing. The air felt cool on my neck. My hoodie stuck to my back, damp from sweat. I kept my hand in my pocket, fingers wrapped around the SSD. It's small and hard, the only thing that matters now.Viper's data is on it—proof of Project Phoenix, the cartel, everything. Maria's voice echoes in my head from that phone call, her words sharp and desperate. But I dumped the phone. No more risks. The Reyes mansion is ahead, but it's miles away. I keep moving, my breath steady but loud in my ears.My thoughts race. Maria doesn't know I'm in danger. She thinks I ran off. I needed to get to Maria, warn her. But Darian Wolfe—Maria told me not to trust him. He's the enemy, right? The one who started all this. I shook my head, pushing the doubt away. Focus on the road. One step at a time.Headlights flash behind me, bright and sudden. A car engine growls, getting closer. I walked faster, but the car slowed, mat

Maria Reyes My back was pressed so hard against the bedroom wall that I could feel the cold seeping through the plaster. Jason’s hand was under my dress, his fingers rough and cold as they dragged against my thigh. His breath hit my neck—hot, heavy—and every exhale made my skin crawl.The room reeked of the perfume I’d knocked over earlier, the sweetness turning sickly as it mixed with his musky sweat. My heartbeat was so loud I could barely hear anything else.Then the door swung open.Jason jerked back, his grip vanishing. I gasped like I’d been underwater, dragging in a shaky breath. His body tensed, head snapping toward the doorway. My eyes followed, blurry with tears, and there she was—Naomi.She stood frozen in the doorway, hoodie half-zipped, jeans creased from wear, her hair a messy halo around her face. Her eyes locked on me—my dress rucked high, my back against the wall, Jason far too close.Her jaw slackened, then her lips parted like she wanted to say something.The heat

The TV in Hector’s study was turned up loud enough to rattle the glass decanter on the shelf, its harsh blue light splashing over his face like a crime scene. The news anchor’s voice droned from the screen, each syllable slicing through me like barbed wire. "My chest tightened, my pulse hammering against my ribs. The air was thick, suffocating — the scent of old leather chairs and Hector’s heavy cologne hanging over everything like a funeral shroud. I shifted on my bare feet, glass shards from the earlier chaos in the foyer grinding into my skin. Tiny pinpricks of pain, hot and real, reminding me this wasn’t some nightmare I could wake from. Naomi stood at my side, close enough that her arm brushed mine. That faint, human warmth was the only steady thing I could cling to, but it wasn’t enough to stop the cold seeping into my bones. Hector’s eyes — sharp, black, and hungry like a hawk about to strike — locked on me first, then slid to Naomi. His face twisted, not just with anger, b

"Viper? Like Darian’s Viper? His sidekick?" I leaned forward, my voice sharp but eager, she’d just handed me a piece of forbidden gossip I couldn’t wait to unwrap. "Yeah, Viper," she sighed, the word dragging out of her like she’d been holding it in for days. She kept going, voice low and almost embarrassed. "It happened in that warehouse apartment. He’d drugged me at the bar when I tried to seduce him. I smirked. "Sounds about right for a guy called Viper." "You don’t get it, Maria," she snapped, but there was no heat behind it — just frustration that I couldn’t see it the way she felt it. "He’s funny. But not ‘tell a joke’ funny. Dark funny. The kind of fun that makes you laugh when you’re scared. He says the filthiest crap. Stuff that should make you want to slap him, but then you want to fuck him instead." I tilted my head, biting my lip. "So what happened in the apartment?" She didn’t answer at first. Then she exhaled and said it like it cost her something. "I seduced him a