The lights of Ethan's mansion shone dimly in the misty night as Sasha drove up the long driveway. Her hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, her heart pounding as she replayed the events of the evening. Rico’s dying words echoed in her mind, haunting her with every breath. She could still feel the coldness of the gun in her hand, the heaviness of the glass she had forced him to drink. Her best friend, the person who had once shared her innocence, was gone, and it was by her own doing.Trembling, she stepped out of the car and approached the door. It was late, but Ethan had always told her that she was welcome at any hour. She barely noticed the warmth of his mansion as she stumbled through the doors, a shivering mess of guilt and sorrow. One of his guards led her to his study, where Ethan was waiting, his expression immediately darkening as he saw the tears streaking down her cheeks."Sasha," he said, standing up quickly, his voice filled with concern. "What happened?"She
Ethan Leo knew he needed to figure out if last night was a set-up orchestrated by his stepbrother to manipulate him out of his position as the president of the Leo Empire. Seated on a couch in the presidential room of one of the family-owned hotels, now under his ownership, memories of last night's intense and satisfying events flashed in his mind. It was the first time he felt such intimacy, which troubled him because he never wanted to develop feelings.Interrupting his thoughts, a knock at the door prompted him to say, "Come in," confident who would enter."Here she is, sir?" reported one of his bodyguards."Thank you, you may leave," Ethan replied, and the bodyguard nodded before exiting the room.Standing before him was Sasha Brooks, her fingers interlocked, but her trembling knees betrayed her anxiety. Observing this, Ethan chuckled, realizing she was afraid of him. That fear, he thought, would make it easier to extract the information he needed."How dare you seduce me?" Ethan
Jonathan Leo stayed silent while he endured thirty minutes of scolding from his mother, Lilly Leo. She was very pissed on the other end of the phone, and she did not try to hide it."How could you fail to set your brother up with the girl we had arranged for him?" Lilly fumed. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to drug your brother? We finally got him, and you ruined it by not putting our girl in that room. We might never get this chance again.""Calm down, Maa," Jonathan said, trying to diffuse the situation. "I'll think of something.""You'd better," Lilly snapped. "Find the girl he was with, give her an offer she can't refuse, and make her talk to the media. She needs to tell them she was raped. That's the only way we can get the shareholders to want to remove him as the company's CEO. They won't want something like that to spoil or be associated with the company's image. That's the only way you can be in charge,""Do I have to be in charge?" Jonathan said before he could s
Ethan sat relaxed in the back seat of his black 2023 Prado while his personal assistant, Peter Stroke, read out the information he'd requested earlier. The air inside the car was tense as Peter began, "Her name is Sasha Brooks. She has a younger brother, Chris Brooks, who's been in a coma for six months after an accident." Ethan's jaw tightened, but he stayed silent. "She also has two half-siblings, twins Amanda and Dean Brooks, who are two months older than her. Their father, Charles Brooks, was still in a relationship with his first love while married to Sasha's mother, Linda Miller, heiress of the Miller family. Sasha only found out about the twins two years ago after her mother passed away. Charles then married his first love, Lilly Sanders. He brought her and the twins into the family, taking over the Miller properties and businesses." Ethan's anger simmered as Peter relayed the information. He didn't fully understand why he cared so much, but something inside him wanted to pr
Sasha sat quietly beside her brother, Chris, in the dimly lit hospital room. Her eyes were fixed on his pale face, which looked peaceful yet distant. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor punctuated the heavy silence, a reminder of the thin thread of life that still connected Chris to the world.The room was filled with the typical paraphernalia of a hospital setting for a comatose patient. An IV stand stood next to Chris's bed, tubes snaking down to his arm, delivering essential fluids and medications. A vase with fresh flowers on the bedside table added a touch of color and hope to the sterile environment. A get-well-soon card, filled with heartfelt messages from friends and family, rested against it.Medical equipment surrounded the bed: a ventilator to assist Chris's breathing, a feeding tube ensuring he received necessary nutrients, and various machines monitoring his vital signs. The air was cool and clean, with a faint antiseptic scent. A small window allowed a sliver of su
Sasha paid the taxi driver and bolted out, running into the clubhouse. She stopped at the reception desk where a young white woman, looking to be in her early twenties, sat. Amidst her heavy breathing, Sasha managed to say she was the new cleaner and was asked to start work that evening. The receptionist nodded and led her to the changing room for staff, where Eve was waiting.Sasha saw various lockers inside the changing room, each bearing a staff member's name. Eve stood before a locker with her name, her afro full enough to cover her shoulders. Her hourglass figure complemented her glowing black skin and beautifully structured face. With full lips and a pointed nose, she looked like a goddess. Sasha watched as Eve changed into her work attire, a provocative lingerie set. Eve was a stripper at the clubhouse, but not just any stripper—she danced exclusively for VIPs who rented the various secret rooms in the building, not like the regular strippers who danced at the poles in the nig
Ethan was sure someone was in the wardrobe. He wondered who would dare spy on him, but it didn't matter; whoever it was would be as good as dead. He signaled his men to form a semicircle around the wardrobe, pointing his gun towards it as he opened the door."Don't shoot, please!" a terrified Sasha screamed.Ethan stopped immediately, recognizing her. He turned around and blocked his men from seeing who it was. "Take the bodies out and dump them near the beach. I’ll handle this," he ordered. The men did as they were instructed.He turned back to the woman who had occupied his thoughts for 24 hours. She looked so tiny in his presence, shaking and scared.“Please don’t harm me,” she begged, her voice trembling. “I came to clean up the room, and time went by. That’s why I was still here. When I heard you coming in, I hid in the wardrobe. Please don’t kill me.”Something about her fear turned him on. He let out a dry laugh and walked toward her, pressing her against the wardrobe. “But yo
Sasha could not believe she had slept with Ethan again. She couldn't understand why her body couldn't resist him. Why was she so infatuated with this man? This was very bad. She knew she was attracted to Ethan, but why on earth would she be attracted to Hades of all people? Fear ran down her spine. The fact that she had laid with the most dangerous man in the country was terrifying. He was someone she couldn't afford to offend. The way he killed those two men without remorse was scary, but something in her wanted to be pulled into his world. She didn't mind being with him, which surprised her. Was she willing to learn to kill just to be in hell with him? What was wrong with her? She had spent only two nights with this man and was already losing her senses. She needed a way to escape him. She needed to focus on Hue, her fiancé, who had been so good to her. She felt bad for cheating on him, but she honestly didn’t feel bad about cheating with Ethan. Even though he was the devil himself,
The lights of Ethan's mansion shone dimly in the misty night as Sasha drove up the long driveway. Her hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, her heart pounding as she replayed the events of the evening. Rico’s dying words echoed in her mind, haunting her with every breath. She could still feel the coldness of the gun in her hand, the heaviness of the glass she had forced him to drink. Her best friend, the person who had once shared her innocence, was gone, and it was by her own doing.Trembling, she stepped out of the car and approached the door. It was late, but Ethan had always told her that she was welcome at any hour. She barely noticed the warmth of his mansion as she stumbled through the doors, a shivering mess of guilt and sorrow. One of his guards led her to his study, where Ethan was waiting, his expression immediately darkening as he saw the tears streaking down her cheeks."Sasha," he said, standing up quickly, his voice filled with concern. "What happened?"She
The night was cold as Sasha drove down the empty streets, the city lights flickering in her rearview mirror like fading stars. She had always been careful, had always walked the line between who she once was and the life she’d been pulled into. But Rico was closing in, his relentless pursuit drawing closer to truths that could ruin everything she’d built with Ethan. And now, she was at a crossroads she never imagined she’d face: she would have to kill him.As she reached the Miller mansion, her mind was clear, cold as steel. She pulled on a pair of black gloves, knowing every step would need to be precise, leaving nothing behind. She climbed the stairs to her bedroom, opened the hidden compartment in her closet, and retrieved a small vial of poison. She had kept it for years, a tool she hoped she’d never need. But Rico had left her no choice.Her fingers grazed over the gun in the drawer. It felt heavy, both in weight and in purpose. Rico was her friend—a part of her past, her childh
The morning sun was filtering through the high windows of her office when Sasha’s phone buzzed on her desk. She reached for it, glancing at the unfamiliar number on the screen. Frowning, she answered. “Sasha Brooks.”“Miss Brooks,” the voice on the other end was firm and professional. “This is Agent Wyatt with the Secret Service. We need you to come down to our office for questioning.”Sasha felt a wave of unease wash over her. “Questioning?” she asked, forcing her voice to stay steady. “Can you tell me what this is about?”“I’m afraid we can’t discuss the details over the phone,” Agent Wyatt replied. “Please come in at your earliest convenience.”The line went dead before she could ask anything more. Sasha lowered the phone, her heart pounding. She’d known that Rico’s investigation wasn’t over, but she hadn’t expected him to summon her like this. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. If Rico wanted answers, she’d give them—but only what she wanted him to know.An hour later, Sas
Ethan was still savoring the aftermath of his election victory as he reclined on the leather sofa in his penthouse office. The city stretched out before him through the glass wall, lights glittering like stars. The high of winning still coursed through him, though Sasha’s words kept gnawing at the edges of his mind. But before he could dwell on her warning, his phone buzzed in his pocket. The number on the screen made him sit up instantly—one of his contacts at the SSS.He answered, keeping his voice low. “What’s going on?”The voice on the other end was brisk and to the point. “Mr. Leo, we just received word that Rico Morales obtained a warrant to search the Vegas Casino. He’s on his way there with his team.”Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. For a moment, he stared out the window, feeling a cold, creeping dread settle in. If Rico was coming after the Vegas Casino, it wasn’t a casual inspection. Rico had been investigating Jack and Carlos’s deaths for months, desperate to connect the dot
Rico leaned back in his office chair, rubbing his tired eyes. It had been over six months since he began his relentless pursuit of the shadows that haunted the city—the figures known only as Nyx and Hades. Six months of dead ends, sleepless nights, and watching blurry surveillance footage. Jack and Carlos were dead, their bodies leaving behind a silence that demanded justice. Yet every lead felt like sand slipping through his fingers.Jack had been his friend, someone he’d trusted. And Carlos, despite his flaws, had once been a key figure in the city’s underworld. Both men were gone now, and Rico knew that somewhere out there, someone was responsible. Someone powerful, calculating, and ruthless enough to cover their tracks perfectly.He switched on his laptop and resumed scrolling through the mountain of footage. Security footage from street corners, ATMs, storefronts—anything that might reveal even the faintest hint of Nyx or Hades. He was chasing ghosts, but his gut told him that pe
Ethan’s words hung in the air, a confession raw and vulnerable, stripped bare of any pretense. Sasha’s breath hitched, her mind racing to process what he had just said. She searched his face, seeing the weight of years of torment etched into his eyes.“Bipolar?” she whispered, her voice barely audible, as if saying it too loud would shatter the fragile honesty between them.Ethan nodded, looking away, unable to meet her gaze. “I didn’t know for a long time,” he admitted, his hands clenching and unclenching as he tried to steady himself. “There were… signs. But I didn’t want to believe it. I thought I was just… intense. Driven. I’ve always felt this… voice inside me, pushing me to take control, to act without thinking.” He paused, his voice trembling. “It’s not just a voice. It’s me. It’s a part of me that I can’t seem to silence.”Sasha felt her heart break for him, realizing how much he’d been struggling, even before they’d met. She wanted to reach out, to hold him, but she knew he n
Sasha leaned against her car, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she waited outside the police station. The last few hours had been a blur of emotions she could barely process—anger, sadness, and betrayal. Ethan’s confession replayed in her mind over and over, a loop that tightened her chest with every repetition. She wasn’t ready to face Chris. Not after what she’d learned about Ethan, about the accident that had torn her family apart without her even knowing it. But her brother needed her, and right now, he was all she had. She had promised him he wouldn’t be alone, and she intended to keep that promise. When Chris finally stepped out of the station, his expression softened as he saw her. For a moment, they just stood there, the weight of everything unspoken pressing down on them. Sasha took a shaky breath, then walked toward him, her eyes filling with tears she hadn’t even realized she was holding back. it felt good, it felt good to have him out of cell. She could not be
The world came back to Ethan slowly, like rising from the depths of a dark ocean. His eyelids felt heavy, and his entire body ached as if he’d been hit by a train. He blinked, trying to focus, and the sterile white walls of a hospital room gradually came into view. The dim light of early morning filtered through the blinds, casting soft shadows across the room. He turned his head, wincing as a sharp pain shot through him. But when he looked to his left, his heart softened. There, slumped over in a chair by his bedside, was Sasha. Her face was pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes, evidence of sleepless nights. She had one hand resting near his on the bed, as if she’d fallen asleep holding it but eventually drifted off from sheer exhaustion. He gently reached out, brushing his fingers against her hand, too weak to do more. Sasha stirred, blinking her eyes open as she processed what she was seeing. When she realized he was awake, her eyes went wide with relief and joy. “
Sasha stormed into the police station, her mind a storm of fear, fury, and confusion. She hadn’t even had time to process Ethan’s condition at the hospital before she found herself here, chasing the need for answers, for justice. She marched up to the front desk, trying to keep her voice steady.“I need to see the person you arrested for the hit-and-run on Ethan Leo,” she said, her tone as firm as steel.The officer behind the desk looked up, recognizing her from media appearances as well as from the sheer power of her name. He gave her a nod. “Right this way, Miss Brooks.”Sasha followed him through a dimly lit corridor, her heart pounding harder with every step. She felt an almost dizzying mix of dread and anger as she walked, but she pushed it down. She had to stay focused. Whoever this was… she needed to see them, to understand why they would do something so reckless, so cruel.When the officer finally stopped outside a cell, Sasha’s breath caught in her throat. Her whole world ti