Alle Kapitel von Kiss Me While The World Burns: Kapitel 41 – Kapitel 50

The bright camera lights were blinding. Hundreds of flashes went off every single second, turning the night sky completely white. Journalists were hanging over the golden velvet ropes, screaming Victoria’s name as she walked up the red carpet with Alexander James. Victoria kept her face perfectly calm. She smiled beautifully for the cameras, her hand resting lightly on Alexander’s arm. To the world, they looked like the most powerful couple in Monaco. To Victoria, this was just a game of chess. But the press was already buzzing with intense curiosity. "Wait, is that Alexander James?" a reporter near the front whispered loudly, shoving his microphone closer to the rope. "Why is he the one walking her in? I thought Victoria De Luca was dealing with the Salvatore family." "Who cares why?" another female journalist whispered back, rapidly snapping photos. "Look at them. They look absolutely perfect together. It is like a match made in billionaire heaven." "Do you think they are dating

The silence that followed Jamie’s bold declaration was deafening. Victoria stood perfectly still on the bottom step of the stage, the bright crimson of her dress matching the slow, burning heat rising under her skin. Her vision was starting to go red around the edges, a dangerous, heavy wave of pure jealousy crashing straight through her chest. It was a physical sensation, hot and sharp, making her heart beat with a wild, aggressive rhythm. But Victoria De Luca did not do public meltdowns. She did not scream, she did not throw glasses, and she certainly did not give a bratty Yakuza princess the satisfaction of seeing her lose her cool in front of a room packed with international media. Instead, her lips slowly curved upward. She let out a soft, chilling smile that did not reach her eyes. Her expression was completely relaxed, almost serene, but those who knew her knew that this specific smile was the most dangerous weapon in her entire arsenal. Alexander stood right beside her, and

The cold marble wall of the restroom did nothing to cool the raging fire between them. Victoria kept her fingers wrapped tightly in the lapels of Giordano’s crimson tuxedo, her knuckles white, her chest heaving as she pressed her body flat against his. The heavy, expensive fabric of his suit bunched under her grip, and she could feel the rapid, heavy thud of his heartbeat right beneath her palms. "Answer me," Victoria demanded, her voice a sharp, breathless whisper that scraped against the quiet of the room. "Are you playing me, Giordano? Did you fly to Switzerland just to sign a deal with the Toyoda syndicate behind my back? Are you playing double agent with my tech?" Giordano’s dark eyes burned down into hers, completely devoid of his usual mocking amusement. The raw accusation in her voice seemed to slice right through his composure. "Is that what you think of me?" his voice vibrated, low and dangerously rough. "You think I’d crawl to the Yakuza? You think I’d let some brat

Out in the grand ballroom, the energy of the gala was starting to fade. The clock was ticking past midnight, and the high-profile guests, exhausted from the drama and the free-flowing champagne, were beginning to leave. Near the grand exit, Alexander James was leaning against a gold pillar, a glass of dark whiskey in his hand. He looked completely calm, but his dark eyes were scanning the crowd with a sharp, calculating focus. The moment Victoria walked out of the hallway, his gaze locked onto her. His eyes swept over the new blue dress, then flicked up to her slightly swollen lips and the barely visible mark on her collarbone. Alexander’s expression didn't change, but his grip on his whiskey glass tightened slightly. Giordano was standing near the velvet ropes, Jamie still clinging to his arm like a stubborn burr. The moment he saw Victoria, he stepped forward, fully expecting her to walk away with him now that their private encounter had settled the score. "Victoria," Giordano

Inside the luxury private jet, the cabin was suffocatingly tense. The heavy, pressurized air felt thick enough to spark as they sat directly across from each other. Victoria sat in a leather captain's chair, having changed into a sleek, tactical black bodysuit and a tailored carbon-fiber jacket she had brought in her travel bag. But her blonde hair was still slightly damp, and her lips remained swollen. She stared directly ahead, her face a cool sheet of ice. Directly across the narrow aisle sat Giordano. He had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, his dark eyes fixed entirely on her, heavy with a dangerous, simmering heat. At the back of the cabin, the security as well as Kany, Tex, Malik, Bin, and Bruce—were crowded around the digital map table, doing their absolute best to avoid looking at the two bosses. The sheer knowledge of what both Victoria and Giordano had been doing just an hour ago was practically written on the walls. Kany slammed a tracking tablet onto the table, her