As the night progressed, I sensed the burden of the event bearing down on me. The throng, the murmurs, the subtle flow of influence that permeated each discussion—it was simply excessive, utterly daunting. However, I was aware that I couldn’t go, not at this moment. Just as I was ready to speak to Alexander, the lights unexpectedly flickered. A loud bang reverberated in the space, causing the audience to burst into disorder. I glanced over to witness Alexander’s eyes blaze with rage, his hand clenching into a fist. And then I saw him.A figure in the shadows, slipping away into the night—Max Carter.But it wasn’t just him. Someone else was with him. Someone I hadn’t seen before.The room was about to erupt into something far worse than I had anticipated.Alexander’s grip tightened on me, pulling me toward him. “Stay close. And don’t make a sound.”I followed his orders, yet inside, I was aware: Max Carter had just played his hand, and everything would change from now on. As we ap
I wanted to speak, but the words were caught in my throat. The environment beyond the vehicle seemed far away, as if I were caught between what I ought to oppose and what I couldn't help desiring. His hand gently touched my cheek, clearing away my tears. “Dysis,” he murmured, disappointment threading through his tone. "What if I die?" I inquired, my voice quaking yet resolute. “Would it be important to you?” He didn’t respond right away. He glanced at the rearview mirror, the burden of unsaid thoughts shadowing his features. The vehicle halted before the Levi mansion, its shadowy form resembling a guardian in the darkness. Before I could react, Alexander was out, opening my door. His hand closed around mine, firm and unrelenting, as he led me toward the entrance in silence, his grip tightening with each step.I didn’t draw back. Not because I lacked desire, but because I was unsure of what other actions to take. Inside, the home was tranquil, the sound of our steps resonating t
The letter in my shaking hands seemed to weigh more than it ought to, as if the significance of its contents was pressing on me. My gaze shifted over the worn words written in rapid, nearly frantic script. The deeper I read, the tighter the walls appeared to constrict, the space becoming smaller and stifling. _know this and know I never left you. Your father's foolish game will end soon . He planned to sell you to a ruthless man for his own selfish reasons, I made a very dangerous decision but reminding the Levi’s about your father’s dept and told him to take you in exchange of your father‘s dept, knowing how desperate your father is he will also do the same without thinking to save himself, that way you’ll be protected from your father plans to happen. but also be aware of Alexander Levi cause I have no other choice_My heart pounded in my chest while my thoughts raced to understand what I was witnessing. My mother's signature was evident at the bottom of the page; the ink was sligh
The mansion was both a prison and a sanctuary, and it felt like both. Each room I passed felt like it was trapping me in its opulent walls, and yet I couldn’t deny that there was a strange comfort in the routine it provided. The days were no longer marked by the frantic uncertainty I had known all my life—days spent running from one bad situation to the next—but they were still far from peaceful. I was discovering how to breathe inside these confines, even though it seemed like I had to struggle for every breath, every step. Gradually, the external world began to disappear, and I felt ensnared in a web of influence, affluence, and dominance that I couldn’t break free from, regardless of how hard I attempted. The mornings were consistently similar: the sun sneaking through the thick curtains, throwing golden rays onto the ground. I stirred in a space that seemed excessively silent, excessively vacant. I would lie still for a moment, listening for any sign of life outside my door—fo
The door gradually opened with a creak, and I tensed, my heart racing in my chest. The individual who entered was enveloped in shadows, their appearance obscured by the dim illumination of the area. For an instant, I considered that it could have been Alexander coming back, but there was a different sensation in the atmosphere. An unfamiliar energy surged through the room, and my heart raced with anxiety. The figure stepped into the light, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.“Sofie?” Alexander whispered, voice low.My eyesfixed on the figure, and a calmness enveloped me. I have seen her before, I said to myself, but where could it be? The persistent sensation pulled at me, similar to a partially recalled dream, yet I couldn’t identify it. whose existence remained in my mind like a question without an answer. The woman who had sent a cold shiver down my spine upon our first encounter, despite her grace and beauty. And now, here she stood, facing Alexander in the gentle light of
Months had slipped by after Sofie came to the mansion, no sign of Max Carter ever since and this room had become my entire world. Once suffocating, the four walls now seemed almost familiar, but their confinement remained unchanged. I had felt seriously ill in the past few weeks, but thanks to Lucian's meticulous care and Vee's vigilant watch. I feel much better now. Yet despite my recovery, an invisible barrier still held me captive—the unspoken command of Alexander, who had ordered me to remain within this room. I sat in front of the mirror as Vee combed through my long, honey-toned hair. The afternoon light cast a soft glow on my skin, now radiant and healthy. But beneath the surface, a different ache had settled—a longing for freedom that grew more unbearable by the day. Vee, as always, worked with quiet precision, adjusting my dress and smoothing the fabric until every fold was flawless. As she tied the final ribbon around my waist, my frustration spilled over, my voice sharp an
The study door creaked open, signaling an unexpected arrival.Sofie moved first, her heels clicking sharply on the marble floor as she approached with deliberate grace. Her smile was sweet but laced with calculation. “Joe,” she said smoothly, “It’s been far too long.”A young man lingered just within the doorway, his authoritative presence undeniable. Wearing a fitted charcoal suit, his blond hair a bit disheveled and his blue eyes keen, he radiated refined charisma. Sofie glanced between Joe and the study. “I’ll leave you to it,” she said with a touch of curiosity. “Let me know if you need anything.” With a smile, she disappeared into the mansion’s shadows.Joe’s smile faded as she left. He turned, walking swiftly toward the study where Alexander waited. The tension between them was always palpable.Alexander sat reclined in a leather chair, absorbed in his book. The fire crackled softly, casting fleeting shadows, but his expression remained unreadable, unaffected by Joe’s presence.
“Dysis,” Alexander said at last, his voice low and velvety, carrying the weight of command yet softened by an undercurrent of something she couldn’t place. “You’re late.”She swallowed, trying to steady the flutter in her chest. “I wasn’t aware I was being timed.”A shadow of a smirk tugged at his lips, but it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. He stepped forward, closing the remaining distance between them. His eyes swept over me briefly, not in judgment but with an intensity that left my feeling exposed, seen.“You’re here now,” he said simply, his tone quieter but no less firm.I nodded, my voice caught somewhere in my throat. I moved toward the car, but before I could reach the door, Alexander was already there, his hand resting lightly on the handle. He held it open for me, his gaze never leaving mine.“Go in.” He said almost like a command I hesitated, the silence thick with unspoken anticipation. I glanced at his outstretched hand, weighing the choice before me. Shoul
The cake shop felt like a universe unto itself, a little, modest haven amid a busy city. Outside, unaware of the little time Adam and Rosie had just experienced, the planet sped ahead. Inside, the air scented like vanilla and buttercream—the kind of scent that would have let even the hardest man forget the coldness of the life he led.Adam requested a slice of cake. He was unable to quite articulate why. Perhaps it was the way Rosie had eaten the sweets with such wild abandon, as though she had no regard for the guidelines of the society in which she lived. Perhaps it was because he experienced something not quite the keen edge of control for the first time in a very long period. Though it felt more than that, the cake was a rich, luscious treat, a transient pleasure. It felt like the start of something he was not yet able to name.Rosie didn't flinch as he sat beside her; his posture is always exact and tight. Though his presence still carried power, there was something different abo
Reviewing the files before Adam, he sat behind his polished mahogany desk, his fingers tapping steadily against the wood. High above the city, his office was a fortress of icy efficiency, every piece of furniture positioned with exacting accuracy. But even with all the grandeur around him, a great sense of unhappiness ate at his core. His life—the history, the expectations, the cold, deliberate actions that had gotten him to this point—pressed down on him ruthlessly. It all felt caught, suffocating him. And today, the approaching wedding plans of his father just served to intensify that pressure.Rosie. His mind kept returning the name, as it had for the last few days. With a force Adam could hardly ignore, her blazing red hair, calm, unwavering eyes, and rebellious attitude against everything he had made crashed into his meticulously created universe. She was his wife, a little pawn in the game of family politics, but she refused to follow the rules of his dominion. And in some weir
The Levi estate's marble hallways were amber as the sun sank below the mountains. Adam Levi's polished leather shoes softly clicked across the still corridor, a steady reminder of the weight pressing down his chest. Every stride he made towards a future he didn't desire. Glancing at his reflection in the polished glass of a window—a tall, sharp-faced man with jet-black hair and eyes reflecting the cold steel of his life—he His jaw tensed, his face as still as always.The dinner bell had rung. His father, Levi Harrington, had made it clear that tonight was important. A business arrangement. A legacy to secure. Marriage was no longer a choice, but a contract. And Adam, at thirty-two, had come to understand that the family empire could not be allowed to fall, not after all he had sacrificed.His father’s words echoed in his mind. *“A son, Adam. You need to secure a son. You know what happens if you don’t. You will lose everything we’ve built.”*His father had been right, of course. The L
There was still the smell of firewood and lavender.Soft. Faint.Dysis stirred.Her eyes fluttered open to a world softly lighted by the glow of a fireplace—the same room, but quiet now, surrounded in an unusual warmth. Her body felt as though it had been pulled apart and then put back together with excessively thin threads.A rustle of paper.A voice.“Oh, you’re awake, daughter-in-law.”Dysis turned her head, vision still a little hazy from the weight of whatever sleep—or unconsciousness—had claimed her. Across the room, seated in a burgundy armchair with one leg crossed over the other, was Adam Levi, dressed in a dark navy suit with silver cufflinks, reading a book that looked… far too delicate in his hands.Her eyes narrowed, trying to make out the title.How to Care for a Newborn.“What—” she began, her throat raw. “What are you…?”He grinned without looking up. “Just brushing up on my knowledge. Sooner or later we’ll have a newborn.”Who is he referring to dysis thought to herse
Low candlelight danced in the ballroom against gold and crystal. A violin softly wept through the speakers, the hum of little talks and clinking glasses just disguising the undercurrent of anxiety wrapped around my spine.I felt her before I saw her.A presence. A memory carved from a wound I’d tried to forget.Then I saw her.A woman in a deep navy cloak with soft curls pinned at her nape, her expression unreadable from across the room. But I knew. I knew. My blood turned cold even as my skin burned.Nani.My mother.The one who’d disappeared from my life when I was five. The one who’d sent me a letter so many years later that changed everything.“Thank you, Alexander,” she said, her voice just above a whisper—but in the sudden stillness, it carried. “For going this far for my daughter.”The violins halted, replaced by murmurs and the turning of heads.My hand reached the fabric of my garment first, gripping it as though it would prevent me from breaking. The air shifted. And beside
The great hall hummed with activity, a weird mix of nervousness and expectation. Each second dragging its own weight, guests crowded the aisles like soft rustling leaves. The chandeliers overhead threw golden halos, their light glittering off the marble flooring, lighting faces that had appeared so far-far now invading Alexander's own delicate sense of peace. The wedding had gone without a hitch, but Alexander felt as though all of it weighty in his chest like a stone. His body stiff as though he were getting ready for the blow of an invisible weapon, he stood next to Dysis at the altar. His tuxedo hung precisely to his strong build, the dark cloth absorbing the light and rendering him virtually in darkness. Every inch of him seemed deliberate, under control, yet within he was fraying like the seams of his coat. Usually chilly and impenetrable, his icy-blue eyes now flicked with something he couldn quite identify. His eyes kept straying to Dysis, the lady who had before cause
The morning of the wedding arrived with a disturbing quiet. Alexander's suite's tall windows let a subdued glow from the sun just starting to rise. As he changed the neat cuffs of his black suit, the air smelt of polished wood and costly cologne, an aroma that stuck to his skin.The fabric felt heavier than usual. Or maybe it was the weight of today itself.Expression unreadable, he stood before the mirror, his icy-blue eyes fixating on his reflection. Marriage. The word felt alien, like something not fitting men like him. And yet, here he was—on the precipice of something that should have been impossible.Dysis.She was the unexpected variable, the one thing that had disrupted the ruthless rhythm of his life. He had taken her, claimed her, branded her as his, yet a part of him still questioned—what would truly change once they were married?Would she be safer? More vulnerable? Would she accept this life completely?His fingers brushed against the watch on his wrist, an heirloom from
The wedding morning arrived wrapped in a terrible silence. The Levi estate's great halls were especially silent, the normal buzz of maids and guards replaced with an almost stifling hush. Outside, the marble flooring was covered in fractured patterns of colour as sunshine poured through the stained-glass windows, a pure hue of blue. Dysis stood at the vanity mirror, fingers tracing the delicate embroidery of her robe as her breath was steady but shallow. The dress was amazing—an off-the-shoulder masterwork of ivory silk nipped at the waist with complex lacework running down the wide skirt. Under the light, little pearls shimmered, each one expertly sewed as though the fabric itself weighted the moment. Standing behind her, Vee tightened the last lace at the rear and then turned away to view her. "You look...," She stopped and gently shook her head while grinning. “Like someone ready to transform the planet.” Dysis laughed breathily, but her stomach knot did not go away. She was
Dysis maintained her upright posture even as her gut tightened at the sight of Sofie seated across from Lili, drinking tea with the grace of someone who knew she belonged. Sofie's smile was slow, deliberate, like a cat that had just seen a mouse. “Oh, what a wonderful surprise this is.” Sofie set her cup down, her well manicured nails clicking against the porcelain. "Dysis, sweetheart, I never would have expected to find you here." Lili grinned, her look incomprehensible. "Dysis arrived for a fitting. Not bad, Sofie?”That is fantastic. Sofie's eyes glanced over Dysis's plain yellow dress, her smile growing. Great. Undoubtedly. I was simply wondering how much she may benefit from a small bit of refinement. Dysis turned away from the bait. She glanced at the older woman and added, "I appreciate the help, Lili," smoothly. "I want to see everything flawless." Lili examined her for a time, then gave a gradual nod of approval. "That's a healthy way of thinking. After