Semua Bab Hiding The Devil Billionaire's Daughter : Bab 101 - Bab 110

SettlementLUCIAN "L" VITALE'S POINT OF VIEW The air in the high-ceilinged room sits heavy on my lungs-thick with cigar smoke that's been aging in wood and plaster for decades, and a fury so sharp you could cut it with a blade. Pakhan sits at the far end of the mahogany table, his hands folded flat on the polished surface. Every line in his face was carved there by choice: power earned, blood spilled, years stacked like bricks between him and mercy. We stand before him-me, Ace, Kieran. Our faces are smooth as river stone, emotion locked so deep inside it might as well be buried. After ten years in the Bratva, we learned this posture young: impassive, unreadable, even when rage burns hot enough to boil blood in our veins. They built us to be tools. Machines that don't ask questions. Four years ago, I broke every rule in the book. I faced the Serpent Trial alone. Walked into that cellar knowing I might not walk out. Who'd have guessed t

The PlanWARNING: This chapter contains sensitive and violent content. Please read at your own risk. LUCIAN "L" VITALE'S POINT OF VIEW "So basically-we need you to look like you got dragged through hell and back?" Kidd slumps against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. I'm on the couch, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees, listening as they toss ideas around. At first I thought they were joking-but they're right. Sera's still scared of me. She found out about the life I lead, what I've done... maybe she heard I'd threatened to kill her. It was never real, just heat of the moment, but that's probably why she ran. Show up unannounced, and she'll panic. The boys will too. We need this to feel real. Ace snaps his fingers, pulling us all back. "How about we beat the shit out of you? Three against one-you'll look pathetic enough to make her take you in." I smirk, leaning back. "If the three of you can actually

Lucian or NotSERAPHINA "Sera" MORTEZ'S POINT OF VIEW"W-What?!"My voice cracks through the small house, sharp enough to make the boys in the hall pause. My face feels tight-confusion warring with something deep and aching that I can't name. What is he saying? Why is he saying this?His brow furrows, and pain flashes across his face before he smooths it over. "Am I wrong? You're not my wife?""No!" The word bursts out before I can stop it.He clicks his tongue, a small sound of disappointment. "What a shame. Then why not? Who are you?"Who are you?The words loop in my head like a broken needle on vinyl, each repetition digging into my chest. I stare at him, my mind going blank. Is this really Lucian? What if I'm wrong? Just because he was with Ace and the twins doesn't mean it's him. Maybe I've been so desperate to see him again that I've made him into someone he's not-projecting onto a stranger with the same green eyes.Maybe he's not Lucian at all. The man I knew would be cold, di

Responsibility SERAPHINA "Sera" MORTEZ'S POINT OF VIEW "Woah! Are you a pirate?!" "They're twins too, Rio-look!" "Why do your eyes look different, sir?" "Maybe he can shoot lasers out of them!" I press my palm to my forehead, the cool ceramic of the bowl I'm rinsing a small anchor in the chaos. The boys' voices bounce off the walls, excited and loud. I'm finishing up the dishes-couldn't have guests finding the place a mess, not after they showed up out of nowhere. They're in the living room now, bombarding the three men with questions about their faces, their ink, their eyepatches. I catch glimpses through the thin curtain separating the rooms-enough to see Leo leaning close to inspect Ace's mismatched eyes, Rio shoving a toy truck into Kidd's hands. Good grief. I don't know what to do with myself. Four years, and seeing them again makes my chest tight-scared and embarrassed all at once. I'd only really known Ace back then; the other two were just quick shapes at the ai

Day Off SERAPHINA "Sera" MORTEZ'S POINT OF VIEW "I see... you must really love your names, then." "Yes! So beautiful-Mommy picked them out herself!" "Mine sounds like a lion, see? Roar!" Laughter drifted through the window screen, warm as afternoon sun on my forearms. I'd pulled the patio chair close enough to see them huddled on the sofa-three heads bent together, their eyes the same shade of deep forest green. Even the twins' cheekbones, when they tilted their faces up, mirrored the line of Lucian's jaw. I traced the edge of the chair's metal arm with my thumb. Four years I'd carried them, pushed through labor alone, wiped their tears and tied their shoes-and every time I looked at them, I saw him. The thought settled heavy in my ribs, a stone I'd learned to carry but never quite fit to my shape. And he still hadn't asked. Why would he? The memories he'd lost included every moment we'd made them. I didn't hear h