جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 60

Ava POV The gala arrived like a storm. The estate transformed overnight. Workers had been moving through the halls for days, hanging black silk and crimson velvet, filling every corner with roses so dark they looked almost black. The ballroom was lit by a thousand candles, their flames flickering against the polished marble. The air smelled like wax and perfume and something metallic underneath. Blood, maybe. Or anticipation. I stood at the top of the grand staircase, my hands gripping the railing. The dress Margot had sent for me was blood-red, tight at the waist, flowing like water to the floor. It felt like armor and a wound at the same time. Marcus stood beside me, his hand resting on my lower back. "We stay close. No matter what." "I know." Damien and Lucas flanked us, both in black suits, both armed with weapons the guards hadn't found. We'd been carefu

Ava POVThe applause still echoed in my ears when the guards came.They surrounded us quietly, efficiently, like wolves closing in on wounded prey. Margot had already turned away, gliding through the crowd, accepting congratulations with that cold, satisfied smile. But her people knew their orders."Mrs. Sterling," one of them said, his voice low. "Madam Kessler requests a private word.""It wasn't a request." I didn't look at him. "It never is."The guard didn't deny it. He just gestured toward a side door, half-hidden behind a curtain of black silk. Marcus stepped in front of me, his body a wall."She's not going anywhere alone.""Madam Kessler said you would say that." The guard's expression didn't change. "She also said to remind you that the oath is not yet sealed. Your cooperation is expected. Your resistance is... anticipated."The word sent a chill down my spine. Anticipated. Like she'd already planned for every move we might make. Like she was standing at the center of a web,

Ava POV It took an hour to clean Damien's wounds. Lucas worked in silence, his hands steady, his face unreadable. Marcus stood by the door, his arms crossed, his jaw tight. I sat on the floor beside the couch, watching Damien drift in and out of consciousness. The drugs Margot's people had given him were still in his system, making his words slur and his eyes glassy. But when Lucas pressed a cold compress to his broken ribs, Damien gasped and came awake. "Easy," Lucas said. "You have three cracked ribs. Possibly a concussion. You're lucky it's not worse." "Lucky." Damien laughed, then winced. "Yeah. That's me." Marcus moved from the door. "You think this is funny?" "Marcus," I warned. "No." Marcus stepped closer, his hands clenched at his sides. "He's been holding out on us. On you. For days. Maybe longer. And now we'

Lucas POV The house was silent when I left my room. I moved through the dark corridors like a shadow, my footsteps soundless on the marble. The others were asleep—or pretending to be. Marcus had taken the chair by Ava's door. Damien was still recovering in the sitting room. I'd waited until their breathing evened out, until the only sound was the distant ticking of a clock somewhere in the depths of the estate. Then I slipped away. The guards didn't stop me. They watched, their eyes cold and empty, but they let me pass. That should have been my first warning. Margot had been expecting me. The door to her private study was open. She sat behind her desk, a glass of wine in her hand, the serpent-rose ring gleaming on her finger. She didn't look surprised to see me. She looked pleased. "Lucas Reed." Her voice was silk and steel. "I wond

Ava POVThe truck doors slammed open.Irina stood in the pale dawn light, her gray suit immaculate, her face as cold as the morning air. Behind her, a dozen guards fanned out, their weapons raised. The driver—Stefan, or whatever his real name was—had already disappeared."Did you really think it would be that easy?" Irina asked again, her voice dripping with contempt.Marcus moved first. He shoved me behind a stack of crates and fired through the open doors. The shot hit a guard in the shoulder, spinning him backward. Chaos erupted."Go!" Marcus shouted. "Through the trees!"Lucas grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the truck. We hit the ground running, bullets whipping past us. Damien stumbled behind us, still weak from his injuries, but he kept moving. Marcus covered our retreat, firing into the line of guards.The trees were close. So close. If we could reach the tree line, we might have a chance. The forest was dense, the terrain rough. We could lose them in the underbrush."This