All Chapters of VESPERA: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

21 Chapters

Charitable love

Prologue: When my sister and I were born, the doctors told my parents one of the twins would be dull and the other would be smart. Complications at childbirth, they said. As life would have it, I was the dull one, the one they felt they could abandon at any time. I grew used to it. I was the second choice, the after-thought, the shadow that didn’t deserve the light. Well, until I met him. The man who chose me. The man who was about to become my husband. "You look happy," Yolanda, my personal maid, said as she folded my clothes into the travel bag. Her eyes glistened with tears. "You are finally getting married to him, Miss Lorna." I nodded, perfecting my hair in the mirror. I was marrying the love of my life, and for the first time, I felt like I was breaking free from my family's cage. Tonight was supposed to be a night of joy. "Is Lynn back?" I asked, a small pang of sadness hitting my chest. Even now, my sister hadn't congratulated me. I’d hoped she would show up before I le

Three years later

Three years later."This is huge news for the entertainment business and a real hit for Unique Smith’s fans. It looks like Unique has stepped away from the cast of the much-anticipated thriller series, The Darkness Behind Me. There’s no word yet on who the new female lead will be, but insiders in the industry are saying the show is probably going to tank without its star..."The channel flickered as the man in the corner office on the top floor with panoramic view, switched to another news station, only for the screen to go dark a moment later.Ezekiel tossed the remote onto the big brown table and sat in silence in his office, staring into the dark screen of the TV. His eyes felt cold and empty, and his lips were drawn into a tight line, as if laughter had vanished from his life entirely.The heavy office door creaked open. His assistant walked in, holding a leather file."Boss, I’ve put together everything for tonight," he began, speaking quietly. "You’ve got the industry event toni

Vespera Nightingale

The elite social scene was always the same: a sea of artificial smiles, luxurious outfits, and fleeting bonds. It felt like an exhausting cycle of vanity, where finding even one genuine person was as tough as hunting for a diamond in a dump. Everyone mingled, sporting the expressions that looked best for the cameras.For Ezekiel Sterling, there was no need to put on a show. He stood there like an unmovable iceberg, cold, distant, and famously uninterested in the social antics around him. Next to him, a woman clung to his arm, the only person he truly tolerated. She constantly checked his expression, her laughter ringing a bit too loudly as she tried to close the gap between them.“Thanks for picking me up at the airport earlier, Kiel. I thought for sure you’d be swamped with work,” Lynn Astor said, her bright smile fixed on him.Ezekiel glanced down at her, maintaining a neutral expression. “I made time. It’s been a while since you’ve been home,” he replied, his voice steady and fam

A flawless stranger

The night air was cool, but Ezekiel felt as if he was burning up. He was just inches away from her, the woman who had filled his thoughts for the last three years. “I know it’s you, Lorna.”Vespera reacted instantly, her instinct to protect herself kicking in against someone she barely knew. It wasn’t guilt that made her flinch; it was sheer fear. She stepped back sharply, her heels resounding against the stone.“Lorna?” she echoed, her voice trembling as she stared at him, her eyes wide with alarm, like someone confronted with a danger in a shadowy alley. “I... I don’t know who that is. Mr. Sterling, you need to back off.”But Ezekiel stood his ground, his thoughts racing back to a moment before the accident. It was a private memory, just for him and Lorna.He recalled the small, unique scar on her collarbone, one she had always kept hidden, overlooked by a family that never paid her much mind.If only he could just see that spot, he’d know for sure.“Stop pretending,” he said hoars

FIVE: ~Love is a crazy concept~

“I’m really glad you picked me.” In the dream, the sun was always setting, bathing her in a warm, honey-like glow. She seemed delicate yet so strong in his embrace. “Zeke... I love the way your name sounds when I say it like this. I must be special since I’m the only one who calls you this way.” She had leaned closer, her hair carrying a scent of vanilla mixed with sweets. He felt like a protector, a hero, completely unaware that he was just an onlooker to her downfall. “I’m so happy we met. I want to belong to you forever.” She whispered it against his chest, her heartbeat syncing with his. He had promised her everything, not seeing that those very promises would become the burden that pulled her down. But then, everything came crashing down in an instant. The light morphed into an ugly, bruised shade of purple. The trust in her eyes shattered, replaced by a horrifying realization that the man holding her was the same one who would let her go. Tears spilled down her cheeks

Chapter 6: The Stranger Next Door

“Lorna again?”At the mere utterance of the name, Vespera’s expression turned distant, dimming as if processing a tedious solicitude. There was no indication of guilt on her face; instead, she looked worn out, like someone dealing with a relentless, unwanted salesperson. She turned her head just a fraction, meeting the steady gaze of the man watching her intently.“Seriously, Mr. Sterling?”Logan glanced between the two of them, surprise flitting across his face. The silence in the hallway was almost suffocating. “Do you... know each other?”Ezekiel didn’t respond. He couldn’t. His throat felt like it was lined with dry glass. Vespera didn’t wait for him to speak; she bent down and grabbed one of the shopping bags sitting outside her door. As she stood back up, her eyes locked onto Ezekiel’s with a look of mild, clinical disdain.“Common courtesy would suggest you apologize for your behavior yesterday,” she said, her voice smooth and lacking hidden meanings. “I get that you might’ve

The file

The manila folder sitting on Ezekiel’s desk might have looked thin, but what was inside was substantial. He found himself staring at a high-res photo fixed to the first page. Vespera Nightingale. The woman in that picture had a sharp, alert gaze that felt completely unfamiliar."She’s a strategist," Logan broke the silence, clearly eager to share. "Born in Zurich, raised in London. She got her Master's in Mathematical Statistics from Oxford. Before Jerry Gray brought her on for the lead role in The Darkness Behind Me, she was a senior consultant for a global logistics company. Her experience is rooted in data and logic, not performance."Ezekiel flipped to the next page, finding her passport scan. "So she’s only been in the country for forty-eight hours?""Exactly. There’s no record of her being in City F until this week," Logan confirmed. "She’s like a blank slate to the industry. She has no drama school background, no local connections, no history to speak of."Ezekiel leaned back

Chapter 8: The Morning After

Ezekiel stood in the middle of his bedroom, feeling the silence in the apartment weigh on him more than usual. He’d expected to spend the whole night tossing and turning, his thoughts racing about the fact that a woman with the same face as his late fiancée was just a few metres away from his room, sleeping in his guest room. The moment he closed the door behind her, he had questioned his own sanity. What had made him invite her in? And why had she jumped at the chance so eagerly, as if she had planned it?He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to her story. Everything seemed too convenient… the broken lock, the fact that she said she had no friends nearby, and the strange coincidence of her moving in next door.Still, despite his worries, he had fallen into a deep sleep, something he hadn’t done in three years. No nightmares about dark waters or wailing, tears disturbed him this time.A noise coming from the kitchen pulled him out of his thoughts.He got up and quietly w

Chapter 9: The Price of the Spotlight

Jumping into the entertainment world as a total nobody was never going to be an easy ride. For Vespera, being discovered by Jerry Gray and getting cast as the lead in a big-budget show like The Darkness Behind Me was like a mathematical oddity in the eyes of the public. Yet for her, it was just another project that needed the same level of focus she’d put into data architecture back in London. To her, it was simply a contract to complete, a role to play with accuracy.Signing on with Vine Entertainment, a giant in City F’s media scene, had solidified her place. But as she stood on set for her first day of shooting, the reality hit her that corporate logic didn’t always translate well to the unpredictable dynamics of a film set.The scene was a physical showdown between Sammie and her older sister, filmed in a gritty, abandoned warehouse set brimming with old wooden crates and debris. The air was filled with artificial dust and the palpable tension of the crew watching intently."Re

Chapter 10

Logan rolled his eyes, half-juggling the documents he was going through with one of the junior assistants and Ezekiel, who seemed completely uninterested in what was happening. "It's just an autograph, why are you so grumpy about it?" he asked silkily. The assistant, Sarah, chuckled lightly, admiring the relationship between her boss and his secretary. "Secretary Logan, you didn't even ask for boss’s sister's autograph, and now you're suddenly interested in this newcomer? Plus, how's Mr. Sterling supposed to know someone who just got here? From the news circling around, she just arrived in City F." Not wanting to get into his boss's personal business, Logan kept it professional. "The Sterling Group has a wide-ranging portfolio in media and entertainment, Sarah. The boss has tons of strategic connections. Staying updated on new assets is part of the job." Sarah nodded but then leaned in closer, her expression turning conspiratorial. In a low whisper, she said, "I heard Vespera Ni

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