All Chapters of Beauty And The Beast: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The Costello mansion was massive. Aiden tried not to stare too obviously as he followed Alexander up the grand staircase. The polished marble floors gleamed under soft lighting, tall windows overlooked the perfectly manicured gardens, and elegant chandeliers hung from high ceilings. Everything about the place felt more like a palace than a home. He had never been anywhere like this before. His family’s house had been big, but this… this was on another level entirely.Alexander walked ahead calmly, clearly used to the luxury that surrounded him. His mother followed a few steps behind them with a small, knowing smile on her face.“You two must be exhausted,” she said gently. “It has been a very long day.”“That’s an understatement,” Aiden muttered under his breath.Alexander heard him but didn’t comment, though the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. They reached the second floor, and Alexander stopped in front of a large wooden door at the end of the hallway. He pushed it open witho

The room stayed uncomfortably quiet after Alexander introduced Aiden. Some of the men nodded with careful respect, while others simply watched him with unreadable expressions. Aiden could practically feel their thoughts circling in the air."That’s the boss’s husband?" "He doesn’t look dangerous."He looks… normal."Aiden shifted slightly beside Alexander, trying hard not to look as uncomfortable as he felt. At eighteen, standing in a room full of hardened criminals who probably had more blood on their hands than he could imagine made his stomach twist. He kept his chin up anyway, refusing to shrink back like he had done his whole life in his own family’s house.Then one of the men leaned back in his chair and let out a low laugh. It wasn’t a friendly sound.“Well,” the man said, crossing his arms over his broad chest, “I didn’t expect our boss to marry someone like him.”The room went tense immediately. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Aiden frowned slightly, irritat

Alexander watched Aiden carefully. The younger man still stood in the hallway, looking slightly guilty after being caught listening outside the door.“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Aiden said quickly, words tumbling out in a rush. “I was just walking around and then I heard voices and....”“You stayed,” Alexander finished calmly.Aiden sighed, shoulders slumping. “…Yes.”For a moment, Alexander said nothing, his deep blue eyes studying him in that intense way that always made Aiden feel exposed. Then he stepped aside and gestured toward the room.“Come in.”Aiden blinked, surprised. “You’re not… angry?”“If I were angry,” Alexander replied calmly, “this conversation would be very different.”That didn’t sound comforting at all. Still, Aiden stepped into the room, heart beating a little too fast. A few of Alexander’s men were still there, but the moment they saw Aiden, they quietly gathered their things and left without a word. Within seconds, the room was empty again except for the two

Morning in the Costello mansion was quiet. Too quiet.Aiden slowly opened his eyes, still feeling a little tired from the nightmare the night before. His body ached with that heavy, drained feeling that always followed those bad dreams. For a moment, he forgot where he was. The soft sheets, the massive bed, the faint scent of expensive cologne lingering in the air, none of it belonged to his old life.Then he saw the tall windows letting in gentle morning light, the huge room that felt more like a luxury suite than a bedroom, and the other side of the bed.Alexander was already gone.Aiden sat up and stretched his arms above his head, letting out a long yawn. “Of course the mafia boss wakes up early,” he muttered to himself, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He could picture Alexander already dressed in one of his sharp black shirts, moving through the mansion like he owned every shadow in it. Which, technically, he did.Just then, someone knocked softly on the door.“Come in,” Aiden c

The mansion was unusually quiet that night. The kind of deep silence that made every small sound feel louder than it should. Aiden stood by the large window in Alexander’s room, staring out into the darkness. The moonlight spilled across the marble floor, making the room look cold and distant, almost unreal. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to shake off the lingering heaviness from the nightmare that had woken him earlier.Behind him, Alexander sat at his desk, going through documents, but his eyes kept drifting toward Aiden. Something was wrong. For the past few days, Aiden had been quieter than usual. The nightmares had returned again the previous night, and this time they had been worse, more vivid, more painful. Alexander could see it in the way the younger man carried himself, the slight slump in his shoulders, the way his dark eyes seemed distant even when he was right there.Alexander closed the file in front of him with a soft thud.“Aiden.”Aiden didn’t turn around.