Orange Song

« Si tu vexes l'Alpha Charles, Inès peut encore plaider pour toi. Mais si tu agaces Inès, il ne restera même pas tes cendres. » C'est une phrase très répandue dans les cercles aristocratiques des loups-garous. Je suis Inès. À cause d'un simple jeu, j'ai décidé de rompre le pacte du couple avec Charles. Dans le jeu, complètement ivre, il a dit : « J'adore poser ma tête sur le ventre d'une femme enceinte pour écouter les battements du cœur du bébé. » Un silence de mort a envahi la salle. Tous les regards des loups-garous se sont tournés vers moi. Il n'y avait pas de surprise dans ces regards, seulement de la pitié pour moi, la Luna légitime, et de la panique face à un secret révélé. J'ai compris instantanément : ils savaient tous que Charles avait un enfant avec une autre femme, mais ils l'avaient tous aidé à me le cacher. Tout simplement parce qu'ils savaient que j'étais la raison de vivre de Charles. Si j'apprenais la vérité, je partirais. Et Charles, il deviendrait fou. Je devais admettre qu'ils me connaissaient vraiment bien. Après avoir découvert la vérité, j'ai décidé de faire trois choses. Premièrement, j'allais jeter dans un fourneau l'alliance que Charles avait conçue pour moi. Deuxièmement, j'allais enregistrer sur une clé USB la vidéo dans laquelle Lily m'avait provoquée avec son enfant. Troisièmement, j'allais déposer un dossier auprès du Département des Affaires des Loups-Garous pour devenir chercheuse sur l'île glacée, isolée du monde. Le jour où j'ai quitté la tribu était justement le jour de notre septième anniversaire de mariage. Et moi, je disparaîtrais de sa vie comme un filet de fumée.

Si Zarina Alcantara ay isang misteryosang babae. Walang nakakakilala sa kanya ng lubos. Tahimik, maganda, at tila may tinatagong lihim na hindi maabot ng sino kahit pa ang kanyang future husband. Si Damian Hidalgo naman ay isang CEO. Guwapo, masungit, ngunit mapagmahal na apo sa kanyang lolo. Hanggang isang araw, ang dalawang tao na ito ay pinagtagpo sa pamamagitan ni Matthew, kung saan ipinagkasundo silang ikakasal ayon sa gusto ng matanda. Para kay Lolo Matthew, nagkasundo ang dalawa. Hindi maganda ang una nilang pagtatagpo dahil sa simula, hindi pag-ibig ang nagdala sa kanila sa pagsasama kung hindi isang kasunduan lamang. Ngunit, paglipas ng panahon, hindi napigilan ng dalawa ang mahulog sa isa't-isa sa kabila ng kanilang magkaibang mundo. Hanggang saan ang kanilang pagsasama kung balang araw ay natuklasan nila ang lihim ng isa't-isa? Pipiliin ba nila ang kanilang pag-iibigan o hayaan ang mga sikretong wasakin silang dalawa…

Vincenzo Moretti was Stonehaven’s youngest financial titan— a tech mogul commanding a multibillion-dollar empire, gracing the covers of business magazines as a modern legend. But only a select few knew the truth: he was also the ruthless Don controlling the East Coast mafia. To him, wealth and power were mere chips in a game. And I? I was just another pawn used to stabilize a fragile family alliance. In our ten-year marriage, he slept with my friends, my coworkers… every single person I once trusted. Then one morning, as I took our one-month-old baby for a routine checkup, Sienna Newton, his latest mistress, ran me down with her car. The baby screamed endlessly. I begged her to take us to the hospital, and when Vincenzo arrived, he looked at me with cold disdain. “Isabella,” he sneered, “when did you learn to stage accidents? “Even if you died here, I wouldn’t bat an eye.” Then he took Sienna’s hand and walked away without a backward glance. By the time I was rushed to the hospital, the child in my arms had suffocated. Upon hearing the news, my mother suffered a heart attack. She didn’t survive. I slipped into a coma for two days. When I finally woke up, I found out that Vincenzo never visited. Instead, his father, Renato Moretti, the true king of the Moretti empire, stood by my bedside. I looked at him calmly and said, “Let me go. Whatever I owed your family, I’ve repaid in full with two lives.” Later, that same Don who had once looked down on me knelt before me, begging me to come home. But I was no longer the woman who waited, silent and broken, for his change of heart. I was the Don’s wife who turned away and never looked back.

The Moretti Family's Thanksgiving party was in full swing downstairs—crystal clinks, fake laughs, classic mafia gloss. Meanwhile, I was curled up in a servant's room on the third floor. Jackson Moretti's wife. Legally, anyway. My hands were ice. I gripped the ultrasound report like it could anchor me. Three heartbeats. Strong, steady. It was supposed to be a surprise—his big Thanksgiving gift. To the outside world, Jackson was a polished Stanford grad, running a top-tier consulting firm in San Francisco. But behind the scenes? He ran the Moretti empire—cold, calculated, pulling strings in the West Coast's darkest corners. Three years of marriage and we barely spoke, but I still clung to the hope that maybe... maybe there was something real left. Then I heard him downstairs. "You really not letting your wife come down?" "Isabella?" He laughed. "She'd kill the vibe." Another voice chimed in. "Lina's back, right? Wild you married her twin. Which one do you actually like?" Jackson didn't miss a beat. "Isabella's just a stand-in. Quiet. Predictable. I could tell her to drop dead and she'd say 'okay.'" "So when are you ditching her?" "Dunno. She thinks she matters. I'm just playing her." I slapped a hand over my mouth to muffle the sob. A minute later, I was heading downstairs, numb. I brushed my fingers over my belly. "Sorry, babies," I whispered. Triplets. His. He thought I was blind. Weak. Stuck. What he didn't know? A quiet woman, once she snaps—she can burn it all down.

Vincent Gredi adalah pebisnis sukses termuda di Kota Neysa. Dia memimpin sebuah perusahaan teknologi dengan saham senilai puluhan triliun dan merupakan pendatang baru legendaris yang sering terpampang di sampul majalah keuangan. Namun, hanya segelintir orang yang tahu bahwa dialah pemimpin mafia dari Negara Amsyah Timur yang sesungguhnya. Bagi Vincent, kekayaan, kekuasaan, dan takdir tidak lebih dari sekadar alat tawar-menawar. Aku pun pernah menjadi pion yang dia gunakan untuk menjaga stabilitas aliansi keluarga. Selama sepuluh tahun pernikahan kami, Vincent meniduri semua teman dan rekan kerjaku. Padahal, aku sangat memercayai setiap orang itu. Pagi itu, aku membawa bayi kami yang berusia satu bulan untuk menjalani pemeriksaan fisik. Namun, kekasih terbaru Vincent, Syafana, menabrakku dengan mobil. Anakku menangis hebat dan aku memohon pada Syafana untuk membawa kami ke rumah sakit. Saat Vincent tiba, ekspresinya terlihat sangat menghina. "Abella, sejak kapan kamu belajar buat menipu orang?" "Sekalipun kamu mati di hadapanku, aku juga nggak akan memandangmu." Setelah itu, Vincent berbalik badan dan berjalan pergi sambil menggenggam tangan kekasih barunya. Saat dibawa ke rumah sakit, bayi dalam gendonganku sudah mati lemas. Ibuku terkena serangan jantung setelah mendengar kabar itu dan segala upaya penyelamatan tidak efektif. Aku koma di rumah sakit selama dua hari. Saat aku terbangun, Vincent tidak ada di sana. Hanya ada ayahnya Vincent, Reyhan Gredi, yang merupakan pemimpin sebenarnya. Pria itu berdiri di depan tempat tidurku. Aku pun berbicara kepadanya dengan tenang. "Lepaskan aku. Aku sudah membayar utangku pada keluarga kalian dengan nyawaku." Setelah itu, suami mafia yang memperlakukanku dengan dingin itu …. Dia benar-benar berlutut di hadapanku dan memohon agar aku pulang. Namun, aku bukan lagi wanita menyedihkan yang dengan patuh menanti kepulangannya. Aku adalah istri mafia yang begitu berbalik badan, tidak akan pernah lagi menoleh ke belakang.

"Ms. Rowe, are you certain you want to delete all identity records? Once they're erased, you'll be completely removed from the system. No one will be able to find you again." Eva Rowe pauses for a moment before nodding with quiet resolve. "Yes. I want to disappear from this world. I want to make sure no one can ever find me." Two seconds of silence follow on the other end, as if they're giving her one last chance to reconsider. "Understood, Ms. Rowe. The wipeout protocol will be completed within 14 days. By then, you'll be officially 'dead' in all databases. Please make the necessary arrangements." With that, the call ends. Eva books a one-way ticket to Felnor, scheduled for 14 days later. Then, she turns off her phone, watching as the screen goes dark. She stands by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the endless city lights, and lets out a soft, cold laugh. She is no longer anyone's Eva.

I had been with Lars Carter for six years. The head of Midas Capital in Eastwind City, he was a rising star in Riverton's Silver Street—the heart of this nation's financial world. Few knew his true roots. Within him flowed the Vitalus bloodline. Lars descended from an old mafia clan from the city of Virgil in Vitalus, the Viktors. Midas Capital was ours. We built it from the ground up together; Lars would haunt private clubs, ironing out business deals amid drinks. I would stay by his side, doing the accounts, steering the direction of the negotiations, and memorizing every detail of the high-stakes contracts. We did everything together—a tight team. Or so I thought. In my naivete, I was convinced I would rule the city alongside him. The woman behind the man, so to speak. …Until Pearl Ross arrived two months ago. His childhood sweetheart moved from Virgil to Eastwind City. It was then that I knew—she was the one he was waiting for all along. It had always been her. "Lars, I want to get married." Lars' face tightened; hesitation veiled in businesslike concern. "Bianca, you know the company's at a critical stage… We're mid-fundraising. I can't right now." I smiled, calm and composed. "That's fine." He misunderstood. I was getting married—just not to him.

I arranged a lavish dinner cruise in Alpha Lucien Grimfang's honor. However, I mistakenly wore the ceremonial gown that had once belonged to his late Luna, Sylvia Wilder. In front of all the guests, his ten-year-old son, Rhett Grimfang, suddenly rammed me into the champagne tower. The shattered crystal glasses left deep cuts across my skin. "Don't think that you can replace my mother just because you're wearing her sacred gown! You're nothing but a dog—obedient and always at my father's beck and call! Don't you dare dream of claiming a Luna's honor!" His cold, scornful expression mirrored Lucien's perfectly. "I can make you leave anytime I want!" I forced myself to look up at the pup I had raised. "Don't trouble yourself. Tomorrow, I'll submit my resignation to the Elder Council and leave for good."

Being the only daughter of the Calhoun family, a mafia family in Merovia, I am doted on like a princess. This changes when I turn 18, when Mom dies. On the way back from a family meeting, the car blows up, and Mom shields me beneath her. Even as she lies in a pool of blood, her gaze is tender as she says to me, "Don't blame yourself, sweetheart. I love you." Still, after Mom's death, everyone in the family starts blaming me for what happened, including Dad and my older brother, William Calhoun. I go from being the princess of the family to the jinx that everyone hates. Soon after that, Dad brings home a new adopted daughter, Juliet Calhoun. William favors her and detests me. Even my childhood sweetheart, Shawn Kramer, takes a liking to her and ignores me. Dad says his new adopted daughter is way better than his biological one. They all agree to attend my college graduation ceremony. But on the day, they end up taking Juliet onto our family's yacht and holding a cocktail party out on the water to celebrate the official addition of a new family heir. This is the 100th time they ditch me for her. Unable to stop myself from an emotional breakdown, I cry out, "I'm the one who's related to you by blood!" Dad shields Juliet, who backs away from me out of fear. Then, he slaps me on the face. "I wish I'd never had you." "Who wants to have a younger sister like you? I wish you'd died with Mom!" William roars in contempt. This time, I've decided to let it all go. I call Aunt Marissa, Mom's sister. She's the founder and a therapist at MindCare Treatment Center. "Come here. This is your home now." I know that Mom's death was a conspiracy. This isn't just me leaving, but withdrawing myself from the family entirely. I hope that the next time I meet the Calhouns, there won't be tears on my end. Instead, judgment will befall them.

Vincenzo Moretti était le plus jeune magnat de la finance à Paris. Il dirigeait un groupe technologique coté en bourse, pesant plusieurs milliards d'euros, et faisait la une des magazines économiques comme l'un des nouveaux prodiges de la capitale. Mais seuls quelques initiés savaient qu'il était en réalité le parrain qui contrôlait le cœur même de la mafia du sud de la France. La richesse, le pouvoir, le destin… à ses yeux, ce n'étaient que des pions sur un échiquier. Et moi, je n'avais été qu'une pièce qu'il avait utilisée pour sceller une alliance entre familles. Dix ans de mariage… pendant lesquels il avait couché avec mes amies, mes collègues, avec des personnes en qui j'avais placé toute ma confiance. Un matin, je portais notre bébé à peine un mois pour aller à un contrôle médical. Sa dernière maîtresse, Sienna, a foncé sur moi en voiture. Mon enfant pleurait à s'en étouffer et je l'ai suppliée de nous emmener à l'hôpital. Lorsque Vincenzo est arrivé, son visage n'exprimait que le mépris. « Isabella, depuis quand as-tu appris à te jeter sous les voitures ? Même si tu mourais devant moi, je ne te jetterais pas un seul regard. » Puis, il a tourné les talons, la main serrée dans celle de sa nouvelle conquête. Quand j'ai finalement été conduite à l'hôpital, le bébé avait déjà cessé de respirer. Ma mère, en apprenant la nouvelle, a été foudroyée par une crise cardiaque… elle n'a pas survécu. Je suis restée deux jours dans le coma. À mon réveil, Vincenzo n'était pas venu. C'est son père, Renato Moretti, le véritable vieux parrain, qui se tenait devant mon lit. Je l'ai regardé dans les yeux et j'ai dit calmement : « Laissez-moi partir. Ce que je devais à votre famille, je l'ai déjà payé de ma vie. » Plus tard, cet époux mafieux qui m'avait toujours traitée avec froideur s'est agenouillé devant moi pour me supplier de revenir. Mais je n'étais plus cette femme pitoyable qui baissait les yeux en l'attendant. J'étais… celle qui tourne les talons et ne se retourne jamais.