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Chapter 18
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2025-01-31 16:23:51
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Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 19
Chapter 19ALEJANDRO POV“What have you got?” I asked as I settled into the seat of the Cadillac, Viper slithered into the seat beside me, excitement bubbling from him like he was a kid about to show me his favorite drawing. I waited patiently.“You are not gonna believe it.” He smiled as he pulled out his iPad again and scrolled a few pages before thrusting the device my way. I grasped it and saw a picture of foreign men. Utterly foreign. I tried to search my mind as to where I had seen their ugly faces before, but I came out blank. They were all too new to me. “This is?” “That is the new Turantello Familia.” He pointed to the device, and confusion poked holes into my brain. “I am listening.” I probed, as calm as winter snow. That’s what sex did to me. It calmed the raging blood lust and made me reason with a clear head. “Since the former Turantello was absorbed by us, and its Dons gave you all the rights to their lands and everything, what you see there, are former members of
Last Updated : 2025-01-31Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 20
Chapter 20ALEJANDRO POV“What gave her out? I swear I wouldn’t have thought she was a spy.” Viper said as the craft soared through the clouds, taking us to Naples where we were going to settle this mess once and for all. Somehow Francesco needed to know who the real boss was. I guess letting him just be made him think that he could go around branding shit in my territory. He was still in disbelief that we had encountered that, and that the girl almost outsmarted him just like that while he was blinded by the blue British eyes. “A few things. One, how she seemed to know exactly who we were as soon as she walked it. Two, the wine bottle was already opened. If the gun plan failed, then the poisoned wine would definitely get us. And three, the fake Alissia name? Anyone could tell that she is a bloody descendant of Athelstan.” I pointed out causing him to shake his head in disbelief. He wiped a hand down his face before slouching into his seat, causing Kaito to chuckle where he was ca
Last Updated : 2025-01-31Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 21
Chapter 21RAYANA POVMy back hit the mattress as I plopped onto my bed, exhaustion seeped out of the pores of my skin, evaporating into space. I stared blankly at the white ceiling above my head, my thoughts scattered around the place. I became a spectator to a game called my life, trying to figure out where everything suddenly changed. It was not that fateful night I spent in jail. It had to be earlier than that. I went from being a normal, royal girl to somebody recognized by everyone globally, and that idea alone scared the shit out of me. Somewhere along the line, I drifted to a peaceful sleep because when someone knocked on my door, I almost jumped out of my skin. The door creaked open just as I pulled myself into a sitting position, my eyes taking in the subtle darkness that had already filled the room.Yahp! I must have dozed off there. “James…” I breathed out in surprise as my older brother came waltzing into my room on slow, defeated strides. He came to stop before my
Last Updated : 2025-02-01Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 22
Chapter 22ALEJANDRO POVThe sun had just set when we arrived in the heart of Naples. Something inside my wretched soul had told me that it would be just right to pop when the light of the world had just disappeared, right when the night started to blanket the world with its darkness. After all, I did not like dealing with my problems in broad daylight; too many eyes, and loud noises. The night, however; it was a perfect cradle for all evil things in this world. And I was just that someone whose middle name was evil!It was about 7 in the evening when we pulled up in an abandoned alley just behind Francesco’s pub. Unlike the rest of the environment which was bustling with people, this one was cold, deserted, and perfect for me to execute all that I had planned. I was thankful to my second in command for taking the time to learn and print the outlay of the pub to his memory, which made invading much easier.We left the car parked in the alley, hidden away by the dark of the night,
Last Updated : 2025-02-04Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 23
Chapter 23RAYANA POVI felt him before I could even see him. I threw my eyes toward the entrance and then watched from across the airport lounge as he walked through. Maybe it was just my mind, but his perfect strides were filled with so much confidence it looked as though he was moving in a slowed motion. My heart thumped against my rib cage, taking all of him in his might and how he seemed to have sucked all the air out of the giant first-class lounge with simply his being.Our gazes collided with what felt like an electrocuting crash that zapped through my brain, wrenching a tiny moan from my throat. Even from a yard away, this man’s stare held me captive. That was not normal. No way in hell or heaven that was normal.I hadn’t noticed he was walking with another man who was about the same height as him, except about an inch shorter, with a smaller frame. And unlike his perfect, Italian self, the man was Japanese. They stopped in front of me and reality suddenly walked back int
Last Updated : 2025-02-05Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 24
Chapter 24ALEJANDRO POVThe scars on my wrist pumped a dull ache into my arm as the car pulled in front of the big black iron gates of Windsor Castle- a telltale to the upcoming bad weather. I massaged it through my coat, careful not to disturb my little kitten as she was parading through emotions and questions in her mind while leaning against me.The ride from the airport was a silent one, and I was thankful because I got to bask in the silence and declutter the scenes that had cramped in my mind. It had been a busy week, one filled with blood and conspiracies, and being with Rayana gave me the sense of calmness I never knew I needed. The car came to a smooth halt as Kaito pulled it into the parking spot just before the castle. Rayana got up from the crook of my arm, leaving with her the heat of her body and the warmth that seemed to suck the coldness in my heart right through the arm she was touching. “You were not sleeping.” I pointed out as she fixed her hair, and then her ey
Last Updated : 2025-02-06Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 25
Chapter 25RAYANA POVThe morning arrived and I woke up with a start. My energy was fixated on solving this mess that James had dumped us right into as soon as I possibly could, and Alejandro’s presence gave me the assurance I never knew I needed. Somehow I felt safe and secure when he was here. And now that the said problem was none but an underworld group of people, I was more certain that we were going to deal with this accordingly and get done with it. With my mind running rampant about what could go wrong throughout our day, I left my room dressed in a black fluffy coat and jeans., my feet clad in leather boots. The weather forecast had foretold angry rain, and I knew better than to argue with Mother Nature. I stepped into the foyer to find Alejandro and Kaito already waiting. Their mere presence seemed to fill the entire space with so much testosterone I could hardly think. But it wasn’t just their presence. It was in the way one particular man carried himself. Even standi
Last Updated : 2025-02-07Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 26
Chapter 26ALEJANDRO POV“Okay, first of all, rude. Secondly, he is scary as hell. Thirdly, why the hell does he pretend like he doesn’t know you?” Rayana exploded facing James who had his hands pushed into the pockets of his coat. He glanced back into the direction we came from and shook his head slightly.“I came with company.” He responded nonchalantly. His response sparked something inside of me. I don’t know if my paranoia was getting the best of me, but something told me James William Mountbatten wasn’t being completely honest with us. I have been in this line of work all my life; I knew a deceitful facade when I saw one. “But that is no excuse to treat us the way he did. That man was downright arrogant. Like he had some formula to life or something.” A hint of a smile landed on my face at her sudden outburst. Looking at her expression; she was mortified. I couldn’t help but find that cute. The little baby had no idea just how ugly my world could be; just how horrible things w
Last Updated : 2025-02-08
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Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 54
Chapter 54ALEJANDRO POVI won’t lie and say I did not see it coming. I did! You do not raid the Russians THAT hard and sit back to enjoy the rest of your days with a bloody tea cup in your hand. That has never happened in all the history of the underworld. And my little angel may have known it, but she just invited us right to our doorstep, and this was it knocking. This was just the first of many!But fuck! The same day I acquiesced to her nagging about me always parading around her wherever she went; this kind of shit happened. “I am still trying to find out who could have planted the bomb,” Kaito announced from where he was seated, strapped in the passenger seat while typing furiously on his computer. I did not just promote him to being head of security because he was good as moving like a ninja and made no sound; the man was a fucking tech nerd and he knew all there was to know in the tech world. “Anything new?” “No! It’s like they froze all the cameras in the vicinity bef
Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 53
Chapter 53RAYANA POVIt has been a whole week since the UNDP conference wrapped up and came to an end. But the memory of all the happenstances that went down in Russia was running rampant and fresh in my mind like it was all yesterday. There was nothing I did or held without that little voice in my mind screaming at me when I remembered what had transpired.Every time I thought of all that, a shin of cold sweat ran down my spine; because there is no way in a thousand years I would have ever dreamed of doing what I did. But I just remember standing there after that phone call and thinking Alejandro was dead. That was the worst feeling in my entire life. And the way I reacted… Heck! Who knew I was capable of that? Negotiating with The President of Russia about dispatching the Mossad to aid me in the criminal aid? But then again, any woman would move mountains for the man she loved. That was just it. “Rayana.” My aunt- the queen- called out as soon as I stepped into her lounge room
Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 52
Chapter 52RAYANA POVThe twenty-minute drive to Odintsovo seemed to be taking an eternity. The President and Melanie had tried convincing me to stay behind while the Mossad took care of the criminals, but I kicked the idea straight to hell. I was not going to stay tucked safely in the white house while Alejandro fought for his life. Like he did with me, I was going to stand in front of bullets and carry them with my back instead. The tension was thick and cloying in the truck as we neared the base. I barked directions to the driver, and he patiently listened to my ramblings while swerving the car expertly until we arrived at the gate. Somehow we managed not to get lost and made it to the base. My prayer knew no end as I asked god to keep him alive until backup arrived. Alejandro needed to live.My heart leaped into my throat when I realized the giant gate was torched to the ground. I covered my mouth to stifle the cry that followed. There was no hope. There really was no hope.
Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 51
Chapter 51RAYANA POVThe conference was utterly unlike anything I have ever been to before. The topics were long dragged, the arguments never ended, people called out each other with horrible names and the shit hit the fan way sooner than one would expect. But at the end of the day, everything was brushed off in such a formal manner I failed to understand how these people functioned. It was during this conference I realized that my life had really pivoted. And I am talking real ass change. From drafting the budgets for the archduchy to representing the whole of the UK and the crown was something I never dared to even fathom in my entire life. And it looked like it was just the beginning. Just as Alejandro had said.I knew there were many more conferences like this one I would attend, and I wish my aunt, the queen was here for a quick hug. This was such an eye-opener. I smiled from where I sat, alone and assessing everything before my eyes. Ambassadors smiled and chatted about ho
Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 50
Chapter 50 ALEJANDRO POVThe throb on my side was slowly making me lose my mind. The drive back to Odintsovo seemed to be longer than usual, and somewhere along the ride, I felt my vision giving out. I ground my teeth, hating how weak I suddenly felt. Fuck. The knife must have been poisoned. That’s how shady the Russians were. “Hang in there.” Kaito rattled as he shifted gears and literally threw the car into sport mode. The roar of the engine and the exhaust pipe filled the streets, tires screeched, and all the side-to-side swaying made me even more dizzy. “Fuck. I told you we should get out of here.” He banged the steering wheel. “I am fine. This is nothing a medical patch won’t fix.” I said through clenched teeth, my skin growing hotter and hotter with each passing second. I could feel bids of sweat dripping down my spine, and I knew that if this continued, I might not make it. And fuck. My Rayana!“The Russians are going to come knocking at our door. Hard.” He took a sharp
Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 49
Chapter 49ALEJANDRO POV“Call me as soon as the conference ends, you hear me?” I growled out the window at Rayana who stood there looking feverish and so excited about this whole new thing. She looked like a kid on her first time trip to Disney Land. And the mere look at her calmed the storm inside of me. “Yes sir. Even when I want to let out a stinky fart, I will surely reach out to you.” She teased with a wink, then laughed at her own joke before peeking through the window and stealing a kiss on my lips, then rushed into the gates of the big guarded gates. Kaito chuckled at her joke as well. I realized I had one hell of a dry humor when that little joke didn’t faze me. “She is such a character.” Kaito commented with a shake of his head, and I couldn’t agree more. We waited until she was further inside before we pulled back to the road and drove away. I hated this place. Every nook of it reminded me of all the horrible things that are in this world. Yet slithering down the stre
Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 48
Chapter 48RAYANA POVAs It Was by Harry Styles poured out of the speakers of the Lexus SUV they picked us up with from the airport, and my hummings accompanied the tune while I continued bopping my head back and forth. Alejandro was clearly unfazed by my choice of music, and a snort of laughter bubbled out of me. He just shook his head and continued scrolling on his phone, not saying a word to me. The men who came to pick us up were more of the stuck-up Suitsthan Alejandro ever and nothing like Kaito, and I figured that it was a Russian thing. We drove for less than half an hour before we came to a heavily guarded black gate. The driver rolled down his window before leaning into the eye-detect security system. The green light flashed across his eye before a soft ping went by, and the gates whooshed open. I sat there, mouth hanging open while taking everything in. Not even the queen’s palace was THAT guarded. Heck, and the palace was known to be the most guarded place in the world
Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 47
Chapter 47RAYANA POV“Please tell me we are wrapping this HAL thing. My mind can’t handle working in circles.” Charlotte burst into my office before walking straight to my desk and dumped a large folder containing undoubtedly, a bazillion files I was supposed to look into. “The money was deposited into their bank account, the ribbon cutting was a success, and the construction has already started, so I tell you, we are wrapping the HAL thing,” I responded with a smile as I watched her plop on the chair in front of me, leaning back. “How are you, baby sis,” I asked, taking her fully in with her movements. There was no denying it, something had changed inside of her that night, something that killed the innocence in her heart and opened her eyes to the ugly world we lived in. A pang of guilt stabbed my inside at how I failed to protect them. She and Charles did not deserve any of that. My fight was with James and they didn’t need to get involved. “Winter is almost over, I can’t wait
Claiming The Archduchess Chapter 46
Chapter 46RAYANA POVThe rain poured out the dark clouds that hung from the skies, as though the universe itself was mourning the loss of my brother. But I knew it in me that it wasn’t that. To me, it felt like I was mourning my humanity, my humility. The innocence I had clutched onto my whole entire life believing this world was a solid black and white. Everything that had happened in the past three months taught me that it wasn’t it. There was so much that we didn’t see with our naked eyes, and I can’t believe just how naive I had been this entire time. I had been there when my brother’s life was taken from him, and even as I sat in Alejandro’s fancy penthouse- curled on the lounger- I still couldn’t feel even a small tinge of remorse inside of me.James had signed his death contract the minute he killed our father. Me casting him out of the family tree was just a simple way of teaching him accountability for his actions; making sure he knew there were consequences to every littl
