Chapter 221Hannah had walked away angrily from the table she had sat on. She wondered how Isabella dared to approach her and warn her to stay away from her husband. Who does that? she thought angrily. Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned swiftly and saw Lucas. He had just arrived at the party.“Hey, are you alright?” He asked as he noticed the look on her face.“Yeah, I’m okay?” She said in response and then raised her eyebrows wondering what he was doing at the party. “Did you receive the flowers?” Lucas asked and Hannah nodded.“Yeah but that was a lot of flowers, you shouldn’t have gone through the stress of getting me those, besides I do not like flowers, “ Hannah said and Lucas's face fell immediately. Hannah, who had noticed the look on his face, quickly rephrased her words. “I love the flowers though, they were really beautiful, “ she said and he smiled. “I’m glad you love it,” he said in response and she gave out a small smile.“Mom said you apologized t
Chapter 222Hannah had just drank that one glass of drink and she felt strange. She picked up the empty glass of drink, and stared at it, checking if there was something inside. Maybe I'm the one overthinking it, she thought and then raised her head and stared at Jessica who had drank more than five glasses and was feeling so drunk already. “You are drunk, Jessica, that's enough. Let's go home” Matthew said as he stood up and helped her stand up from the chair. “No, I don't want to go home yet, we just arrived, I want to stay and have fun” she pouted.“I promise, you will have fun when we get home, but now we need to go home,” Matthew said as he carried her in his arms. She rested her head on his chest and then wrapped her hands around his neck and closed her eyes. “Are you okay?” Matthew asked as he noticed the look on her face.“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, trying so hard to compose herself. Matthew nodded in response before walking out of the house. He walked towards his car an
Chapter 223“Well, go tell your brother Hannah is mine, she belongs to me” he said and then Lucas stared at Hannah who was looking weak and sweating intensely, he frowned deeply as he felt a surge of anger run through him.He moved toward Jeff and punched him so hard on his face and he quickly let go of her and staggered backwards. “How dare you hit me?” Jeff yelled and wanted to punch Lucas when he held his hands and squeezed his fingers making him wince in pain and then he pushed him to the ground. Lucas rushed towards Hannah who was about to fall and held her. Her vision was blurry, as she could barely see anything. She just closed her eyes. “Hannah, are you alright? What happened to you?” Lucas asked but she didn’t say a word. “What did you do to her? Did you drug her?” Lucas asked as he turned to Jeff angrily. “No, I didn’t, I met her this way,” he said and Lucas stared at Jeff angrily and then at Hannah. “Just so you know, you’ve entered my blacklist. Watch your back beca
Chapter 224“Don’t go, stay with me. I need you” Hannah said and Brandon nodded and held her hands. Just then she went silent. He let go of her hands and hopped inside the car, he ignited the engine and zoomed off at once.Meanwhile, the moment Brandon left with Hannah, Lucas turned to Jeff angrily.“And who the hell told you I’m in love with Hannah” he asked as he moved towards him and gripped him by his collar then punched him by his mouth.“Even a blind man can see it by the way you stare at her” Jeff said as he spit out blood and Lucas punched him again.He kept punching Jeff but just then Thomas pulled Lucas away from Jeff.“What do you think you are doing?” He asked as he held Lucas, and then turned to Jeff who was bleeding.“What the hell is going on here?” Thomas asked but then Lucas didn’t say a word, instead, he gave Jeff one last glance before walking away.Thomas moved towards Jeff and helped him stand up from the ground.“Are you okay? What happened? You are bleeding” He
Chapter 225“What?” Hannah muttered with a weird look on her face.“I can still remember how you were begging me not to stop…” Brandon teased enjoying the look on her face and the way she was acting. “Stop!! Stop now!! I would never beg you for sex, or even let you lay beside me, I’m sure you were the one who forced yourself on me. Oh God” she said out loud as she stood up from the bed pacing to and fro.Brandon chuckled softly and she paused and turned to him with a frown on her face wondering what was funny.“You fucking took advantage of me and you are laughing. Jeez,” she tightened a fist and gritted her teeth. She closed her eyes briefly trying to remember what had happened last night but she just couldn’t remember. She remembered going to the party, and then Isabella approached her, she dealt with her and then saw Jessica, they sat together and then a waitress brought a drink to her, after that she didn’t remember what else had happened. She stared at her dress and noticed s
Chapter 226Hannah was struck in amazement by what she had seen. Her eyes widened but then she quickly looked away.“What do you think you are doing walking around naked like you are some ten year old” Hannah yelled and Brandon rolled his eyes. “You could have knocked before entering the room,” he said in response and Hannah frowned. “Knock? Knock in my room “She turned looking furious but then she saw Brandon was still standing looking naked. She quickly turned again. Brandon laughed.“Have you got no shame? Put on some clothes” she said and Brandon smirked as he moved towards her.“Why should I be ashamed of my wife,” he whispered as he moved closer to her.“What are you doing Brandon?” She swallowed into nothing as she felt his hands grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to himself. She gasped, as she felt his manhood from behind her.Hannah's eyes flashed as she felt it becoming hard. She felt her breath becoming intense as she stiffened her body, she felt her heart was about
Chapter 227“Girlfriend?” Hannah muttered surprised.“Yeah, I met her at the banquet party Last night,” he said and Hannah smiled at Susan. Lucas had met Susan at the banquet party last night after he had fought with Jeff. He went outside and stood by his car looking so angry when Susan approached him and asked him if he was okay. Then they had a few conversations and exchanged contact.They met yesterday and today they are dating? Weird!, she thought.“Welcome susan, make yourself comfortable,” she said as she moved towards her and hugged her.She pulled away from the hug and smiled at them before going back to the dining. “She's so nice, why did you tell her I was your girlfriend?” Susan asked.“To avoid questions, we both know you aren’t, that’s what matters,” he said and Susan smiled.“Come, let's go upstairs to my room, “ he said and held her hands and they both went upstairs to his room.The moment they got to his room, Susan smiled while admiring how big and well-decorated t
Chapter 228What is going on here?” They heard Lucas’ voice from behind.“You should ask the play thing you brought to the house what happened,” Jessica said and Lucas frowned.“She's not a plaything, Jessica, be nice” Lucas responded looking angry.“Really? Then why is she wearing a short dress, in our kitchen” Jessica said and Lucas signed and turned to Susan who had tears in her eyes.“I'm sorry when I woke up you weren't in the room and I was hungry, I decided to locate the kitchen myself and find food,” Susan said as the tears in her eyes streamed down her cheeks.Jessica became a bit calm the moment she saw her crying.“I'll leave now,” she said and rushed upstairs to change her clothes before leaving. Lucas stared at Jessica without saying a word and with that, he went after Susan.“What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you do such to the girl?” Matthew asked wondering what had come over Jessica. The Jessica he knows is not this way.“No, I should be asking you what is wr
Lucas had left the room to make some calls, leaving Hannah and Teresa alone in the dimly lit space. The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts, with grief and frustration too heavy to voice.Teresa watched Hannah closely. She looked hollow—her eyes distant, her shoulders sagging under a weight no one could carry for her.“You okay?” Teresa finally asked.Hannah blinked and turned her head, forcing a weak smile. “Yeah.”Teresa hummed in response, clearly unconvinced. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a practiced ease. Smoke curled in the air between them.“Do you smoke?” she asked, offering one toward Hannah.Hannah shook her head. “No. I never have.”Teresa chuckled, taking a long drag before exhaling. “Figures.”Silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the silence of two women who understood each other—different, yet bound by shared pain.“My mother-in-law used to hate me too,” Teresa murmured suddenly, he
Teresa sat in the back of a dimly lit bar, the scent of cigarette smoke and aged whiskey thick in the air. The place was quiet, the kind of underground haunt where no one asked questions, where secrets were currency, and where a person could disappear if they weren’t careful.She checked the time on her phone. Her contact was late.Across the table, Hannah fidgeted with the glass of water in front of her, her expression distant, lost in thoughts she wasn’t ready to speak out loud. Lucas sat beside her, his gaze locked on the entrance, his tension palpable.When the door finally creaked open, Teresa’s eyes narrowed as a tall, wiry man entered, his leather jacket scuffed and his face shadowed with stubble. He scanned the room before spotting her and sauntering over.“You’re late, Marco,” Teresa said, her voice edged with impatience.The man—Marco Ruiz—grinned as he slid into the seat across from her. “Good to see you too, Provenzano. You know how it is—hard to stay alive in this busines
Hannah stood in the dimly lit warehouse, her fingers clenched into fists at her sides. The stale scent of dust and oil filled the air, mingling with the cold fear settling deep in her stomach. The warehouse was one of many they had searched in the last twenty-four hours, but this one felt different. The moment she stepped inside, a weird sensation crawled over her skin, like a presence lingering just out of sight.Lucas moved beside her, scanning the rows of crates stacked high against the walls. His jaw was tight, his frustration barely concealed beneath his calm exterior. Teresa stood a few steps ahead, gun in hand, her eyes sharp as she surveyed their surroundings. They had all hoped—desperately—that this search would yield something more than dead ends and half-truths. But as the minutes ticked by, that hope was slipping.Brandon had vanished without a trace.Every lead they had followed led to nothing. Every whisper, every clue, every trail had been a carefully crafted illus
The night was thick with silence, the kind that felt like a living, breathing thing, pressing in on them as they stood at the edge of the abandoned docks. The stench of salt and rust filled the air, mixing with something darker—the unmistakable scent of blood.Teresa’s fingers curled around the handle of her gun as she scanned the area, her pulse drumming hard against her ribs. Her father was dead. That chapter of her life was over. But this? This wasn’t over. Not until she had him.Not until she had Brandon and brought him back to his family.“We should’ve heard something by now,” Hannah whispered, her voice tight with restrained panic.Teresa didn’t answer. She was thinking the same thing.The lead had been solid. Brandon had been held here—multiple sources confirmed it. The docks had been his prison. But as they stood here, surrounded by crates and shadows, the truth settled like ice in her veins.Brandon wasn’t here.And the blood on the floor was still fresh.Teresa crouched do
Teresa barely had a second to react before the door to her office swung open. The moment her eyes landed on the man standing there, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her father.Bernardo Provenzano. The man she had once idolized. The man she had spent her entire life trying to please.And now, the man she had just betrayed.He stepped inside with a slow, deliberate pace, shutting the door behind him. The soft click of the lock sent her heart into overdrive.“Oh, my little princess,” he murmured, his voice filled with mock tenderness. But his eyes… they were filled with nothing but hatred.Teresa’s hands gripped the arms of her chair, knuckles turning white. Fear slithered through her veins, but she refused to let it show.“How disappointing,” he continued, shaking his head as if she were a child who had misbehaved. “I thought you were different. Better. Not like your mother.”Teresa inhaled sharply.His mother.For years, she had believed the lie—that her mother had been killed by a r
The beeping of machines was the only sound filling the hospital room. Jessica lay on the hospital bed, her skin deathly pale, her chest barely rising under the weight of the oxygen mask secured over her face. Wires and tubes connected her to the machines, keeping her alive, but just barely.Hannah stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move. The doctor’s words still rang in her ears, cutting deeper than any wound ever could.“She has a five percent chance of survival,” the doctor had said, his voice clinical, detached. “She lost too much blood, and the delay in medical care worsened her condition. We’re doing everything we can, but you need to prepare for the worst.”The worst.Hannah clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. This was her fault. If she hadn’t suggested they escape… if she had just listened, just stayed put, Jessica wouldn’t be lying here, fighting for her life.And Brandon…A fresh wave of pain hit her. He was gone. Taken. She had watched him surrender himsel
The river had given them a chance, but it hadn’t given them freedom.Brandon collapsed onto the muddy shore, gasping for air. His limbs ached from the relentless current, but he didn’t have time to recover. Jessica.Lucas dragged her up the embankment, his breathing ragged. She was completely unconscious now, her body limp in his arms. The river had sapped whatever strength she had left. Her wound was bad—too bad. If they didn’t get her help soon…No. He couldn’t think like that.“Teresa,” Brandon barked, snapping back into survival mode. “Where’s the nearest hospital?”Teresa, still soaking wet, flipped open her laptop with shaking hands. Water dripped onto the screen, but she didn’t stop. “There’s one about six miles south,” she said breathlessly. “But there’s a problem.”Brandon exhaled sharply. “There’s always a problem.”Teresa gave him a grim look. “Bernardo’s men will have every major road blocked. They’re already watching the airspace. If we head to that hospital, they’ll find
The cave was damp and cold, the scent of moss and river water clinging to the air. Shadows stretched across the rocky walls, their flickering shapes cast by the distant glow of searchlights cutting through the trees outside. They had barely made it out alive.But they weren’t safe.Brandon pressed his back against the jagged rock, listening. Boots crunched against gravel just beyond the entrance. The soldiers were closing in. They had minutes—maybe seconds—before the cave was compromised.Lucas sat against the far wall, pressing his hand against Jessica’s wound. She was slipping fast, her skin pale, her lips trembling.“I can stop the bleeding, but not for long,” Teresa said, her voice tight with urgency. “But she needs real help, Brandon.”Brandon looked at Jessica’s barely conscious form, then at Hannah, who was up beside Teresa, shaking from the cold,she looked so pale. He had promised to protect her. He had promised to protect all of them.He clenched his fists. Promises meant not
The night was supposed to be theirs. They had escaped, survived impossible odds, and left Bernardo bleeding on the cold ground. But fate had other plans.They wondered how come he was alive. They had witnessed him go on his knees, blood all over him.The deafening roar of helicopter blades grew louder, sending shockwaves through Brandon’s chest. The floodlights cut through the dense trees, slicing through the shadows that had once been their cover. The tracker beneath the seat blinked like a taunting heartbeat—steady, unrelenting, and damning.Teresa’s fingers flew over her laptop, her breath ragged. “I need time,” she muttered, panic lacing her voice.“We don’t have time,” Lucas growled, yanking a rifle from the back. “They’re here.”Jessica shifted, barely conscious, her breathing uneven. Hannah took a deep breathe while having a second thoughts.Maybe she should just surrender herself to Bernardo and all this would be over. But Brandon here would rather die than watch her go back