I couldn’t see my father anymore. It stung, everything Livia had done these pasts months… What she had gotten me into it all stung. It hurt that she keeps getting away with everything. She can wreck my life, hurt me, take away my dad, plunge me into this sick reality that is my life with Levi and be so unaffected about it all.I put on my comfiest sweater, feeling uncomfortable being in the house alone. I need to leave, I need to do something, I can’t just sit on my hands and watch them control me.“Moms study.” I said to no one in particular. We’d left my moms things untouched in the house, even long after she she had died. Dad couldn’t bring himself to let go of hee things and we just kept pushing it. Then he got sick… well.I stand up abruptly, “there has to be something there… I just know it. All those files, preserved for years. There has to be a reason. An explanation. If I can’t as
The day had come. Livia was going to make her move this afternoon, at her oh so dramatic press conference. I put on a link coco Chanel set, that was sent to my room this morning by Levi, a matching pear year drop earring and dainty necklace to accessorize it. The colors and everything picked out was so intentional, the pink symbolized so much innocence. I stared at myself in the mirror, putting finishing touches on the minimal make up, my hair curled in loose voluminous waves cascading down my back.“Are you ready?” Levi said behind me, startling me. I didn’t even know when she walked in.I swiveled to stare at him, hair bouncing with each movement.Levi’s eyes grew wide, his face changing with so many emotions rapidly at once.After a brief moment he composed himself and tried to speak. “You… look breathtaking.”Taken aback by the compliment, I stutter, stumbling on my words while trying to ma
“That was exhilarating,” I said practically squealing as I spring and jump into Levi’s arms.He took me in his arms and spun me around. “You were brilliant,” he said.He looked dazzling in the moonlight, I don’t know if it was the adrenaline of what I’d just done. I stood up to my aunt, finally. In front of the world. It was beautiful, I felt like I was worth something. He was beautiful. Especially the way he was staring at me right now, he made me feel giddy like I was the only one there. Granted I was, I leaned in.His breath tickling me as I heard how fast his heart was beating. I want to kiss him so much. But I stop myself, at the end of the day he was still Levi Vanderbilt, no matter what, I’d never be anything to him.Feeling the mood shift, he dropped me. “Let’s get out of here before Livia gets here.” Levi said.•••This was a victory,
The atmosphere in Levi’s study was too tensed for my likening. It felt like he was a trapped tiger waiting to pounce, he paced back and forth with his movements too deliberate and inhuman. I made sure to keep my knees crossed very tight to prevent them from trembling and my fingers grabbed the edge of the leather cushion, I sat on the edge of the couch. The subtle scent of old wood and bourbon grounded the air, adding to the weirdness of the whole situation making me so aware of theimpending storm.“We’re out of time,” Levi said suddenly, breaking the silence. He stopped his pacing abruptly and turned to me, his blue eyes stormy grey like flint, ready to spark.I raised an eyebrow. “Out of time for what, exactly? You haven’t told me anything beyond your usual cryptic nonsense.”“I’m not being cryptic,” he snapped, but his voice softened almost immediately, like he realized
The sharp clatter of boots echoed in the narrow corridor, every step deliberate and furious. Levi moved ahead of me, his body tense, radiating purpose like he was a man walking into hell with a map he drew himself. The hideout was colder than I expected—concrete walls, dim lights casting jagged shadows. It felt like a mausoleum, the kind built for people still alive but too dangerous to roam free.I kept close, swallowing the ache in my ribs every time I stumbled to keep pace. Levi hadn’t looked at me since we got the location. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was focused or because he couldn’t stand to.“You shouldn’t be here,” he muttered, breaking the silence without turning around.“Don’t start,” I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended. “I’ve been ‘shouldn’t’ my way through everything since this nightmare started.”
The monitor flickered, illuminating the dimly lit room with a light blue hue. Every keystroke was a struggle against the tremble in my fingers as my hands hovered over the keyboard. Levi’s security codes had worked, but not without tripping alarms. Somewhere out there, someone was already scrambling to figure out who had breached the Vanderbilt system. I just prayed I’d have enough time to make this worth it.And then I saw it: a flagged alert buried in a sea of encrypted files. A warning about the estate’s northern perimeter.Breached. Time to detonation: 12 minutes.My heart stalled. In my mind, the ticking clock was so loud and merciless that I could almost hear it. I froze for a fraction of a second, trying to comprehend the magnitude of it. However, a harsh and unwanted voice then reverberated in my mind.“You’ve survived worse. Move."I grabbed my phone, dialing Levi’s private line.
The muzzle of the gun gleamed under the pale moonlight, unwavering in its aim. I felt Levi shift beside me, his body bracing like a coiled spring. Every breath felt sharp, like shards of glass working their way through my lungs.“Run,” he repeated, quieter this time. His voice carried a weight I didn’t want to name.“No,” I whispered back, my fingers curling into fists. “We finish this together.”The rival patriarch’s smile widened, predatory and amused. “Touching. But I don’t have time for domestic squabbles.” He turned his gaze on Levi, his tone turning hard. “You’ve played your last hand, Vanderbilt. The only reason you’re still breathing is because I haven’t decided how to make it hurt enough.”“And yet, here you are,” Levi shot back, his voice steady. “Still too much of a coward to get your hands
The fire had long since burned down to embers, the shadows in the study stretching like skeletal fingers over the walls. Although my hold on the glass had relaxed, I hadn't moved since Livia vanished. My thoughts often returned to her final remarks.It's not over yet.From the doorway, Levi spoke in a tired voice, "Could've left me some whisky." He entered, the glow of dying flames briefly illuminating his dark silhouette.I whispered, avoiding eye contact, "There's more in the cabinet."He stepped inside, his dark silhouette briefly illuminated by the flicker of dying flames.“There’s more in the cabinet,” I murmured, not looking at him.He ignored the suggestion, settling into the chair opposite mine instead. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, streaks of grime and dried blood visible against his skin. “It’s done. The patriarch is out of play.”I no
Years had passed since the day we fought for freedom, for peace, and for the life we have now. The life we had dreamed of for so long but never dared to imagine in the depth of our darkest days.Our home was no longer a symbol of chaos or fear—it was a sanctuary. The walls that once echoed with tension now hummed with the laughter of our children and the soft murmur of conversations that held no weight of the past. It was a place of peace, of love, of family.Levi stood by the window, looking out over the vast grounds of our estate. The sun was setting, casting a warm, golden light over everything. He had always been the protector, the one who looked out for everyone, but now, as I watched him from behind, I saw the shift. The years had softened him in ways I hadn't expected. His gaze, once sharp and filled with purpose, now held a quiet w
We stood together, the weight of the world no longer pressing down on us. For the first time in what felt like forever, I could finally see the horizon ahead—clear, unobstructed, and full of promise. The past had been a storm, one we’d weathered with everything we had, but now the skies were calm, the air sweet with the scent of new beginnings.Levi’s hand found mine, his fingers wrapping around mine with that familiar, comforting strength. We had come so far, from the darkness of a life we never asked for, to this—this quiet, peaceful moment where everything felt right. We had built a life together, piece by piece, through the pain and the loss, through every challenge that had come our way. And now, we were free.I looked down at our son, sleeping peacefully in Levi’s arms, his tiny chest rising and falling with every breath. He was a symbol of everything we had fought for, everything we had dreamed of. He was our future, and that
The world had changed for us. For the first time in a long while, I could breathe without the weight of the past suffocating me. Levi and I, side by side, were finally at peace. The endless battles, the constant fight for survival, all of it felt like it was behind us. There was no more running, no more hiding. We had built something together, something we never thought we’d have: a life that was free of fear, full of hope, and, most importantly, full of love.I watched Levi as he stood by the window, his hands resting lightly on the sill. The evening sun bathed him in a warm golden light, casting long shadows across the room. His face, once hardened by years of war and loss, now wore a calmness that I hadn’t thought possible. There were lines on his face, yes, but they were no longer lines of anger or sorrow. They were lines of experience, of wisdom. He had lived through so much, and yet, now, in this quiet moment, he was at peace. We both were.I leaned a
Levi held the envelope in his hands, his fingers tracing the edges of it as if unsure whether to open it. The silence was heavy between us, each of us waiting for him to make the first move. I could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on me. I had never expected to find myself in this situation, not with Levi’s mother standing before us, and certainly not with her holding something that could change everything. The tension was palpable, and for a moment, it felt like the room itself was holding its breath.I glanced at Levi, who was still staring down at the envelope, his jaw tense, his mind clearly processing everything. It wasn’t just the content of the letter that he was contemplating; it was the years of abandonment, of unanswered questions, of the emptiness that his mother had left in his life. No matter how much he tried to shield himself from it, the truth about her absence, the reason why she had walked away all those years ago, was something that
The days after our vow renewal passed in a peaceful blur. For the first time in what felt like forever, there were no enemies at the gates, no secrets threatening to tear us apart. There was only the present—the quiet, intimate moments we shared as a family. Levi and I spent hours talking about our future, about the life we were going to build for our son. We reflected on all we had endured to get to this point, but even more so on the love we had for each other and the trust that had grown between us.In these moments, I felt a sense of calm that was foreign to me. In the past, I had always been on edge, waiting for the next betrayal, the next threat to arise. But now, in the safety of our home, with our son sleeping peacefully in his crib, I allowed myself to feel what I had always longed for—peace.Levi and I shared a quiet dinner one evening, the soft glow of the lights illuminating the room. Our son was asleep in his room, and for the first time,
As I watched Levi hold our son, the weight of everything that had happened seemed to melt away. It was hard to believe that just months ago, we were fighting for survival, struggling with betrayals, with enemies lurking at every corner. And now here we were, in a hospital room, surrounded by the soft hum of machines and the faint scent of antiseptic, with our child between us. I couldn’t remember a time when I had felt more at peace.Levi had always been the force of nature, the leader who commanded respect, but here, in this moment, I saw a side of him I hadn’t truly known before. The man I thought I understood—cold, calculated, driven by the mission—was now softened, changed by the simple act of holding our child. Our son, our little miracle, had transformed him in ways I didn’t think were possible.I turned my head to look at him, my hand resting gently on his arm. He was staring down at the baby with a soft expression on his face, his
The moment Levi held our baby for the first time was one I would never forget. I had seen him strong, cold, ruthless in battle, and yet here, in the quiet, dimly lit hospital room, all that faded away. It was just him, me, and the tiny life we had created together.His arms were gentle, yet his grip was firm, as if he were afraid to let go, as if the very idea of losing this moment, losing this piece of him, terrified him more than anything else. His face was soft, his eyes filled with a vulnerability I had never seen before. He looked at our child with a kind of reverence, his gaze intense and full of awe.“I never thought…” Levi’s voice faltered, thick with emotion, and for the first time, I saw the cracks in his armor. His gaze flickered from the baby to me, and there was a shift in him, something profound. “I never thought I could feel like this. So... so helpless. But in the best way. This... this little one has already changed
The world around me was a blur of motion, flashes of light and darkness, the steady beep of machines blending with the sound of Levi’s voice. He was calling my name, his hand gripping mine tightly, but everything felt distant, as though I was floating somewhere far from him.“Eliana, stay with me,” he said, his voice strained, as though it was costing him everything to speak. I could hear the panic there, the fear, but there was something else too—something I hadn’t heard before. Something raw. His hand tightened around mine, and I tried to squeeze back, but my fingers felt heavy, sluggish. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t stay present. My body felt foreign to me, as though I was losing control of it.“Eliana,” Levi’s voice broke through again, more urgent this time. “I need you to stay with me. Just a little longer, please.”I tried to respond, but no words came. Instead, I felt the p
I wasn’t sure how long we’d been fighting, but it felt like hours, maybe days. Each moment blurred into the next as we moved, fought, and fought some more. The Rossettis, Livia, even Mr. Rossetti—they had been obstacles, pieces of the puzzle, but they weren’t the true threat. They were pawns, caught in a game they didn’t understand. It was always her. Levi’s twin sister. I had sensed it all along, but I hadn’t been able to put the pieces together until now. Every step we had taken, every move, it had all been leading us to her. She was the one who orchestrated this entire nightmare. The Rossettis had been too predictable, too visible. It had been her, pulling the strings from behind the scenes. And now, as we stood on the precipice of everything we had fought for, it became clear. She was here. She was the storm we had been trying to survive, and now it was time to face it head-on. Levi’s anger was palpable beside me. I could feel the tension in his every muscle, the way he gripp