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Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I have always been cold. The day I found my mother swinging from the ceiling something inside me just... broke, cutting away all the things that made me human. My mom and I weren’t close. Not in the way people mean when they talk about family. She didn’t hold me when I was scared, didn’t kiss my scrapes when I fell, didn’t braid my hair or tell me I was beautiful. She spent most of her time trying to pretend I didn’t exist, like if she ignored me long enough, I’d just disappear. It took me years to figure out why. By the time I pieced it together, she was gone, and I was standing in the ruins of her life, wondering why it didn’t hurt more. This kind of coldness doesn’t just happen. It’s made. It’s earned. And I earned every jagged edge. But then Alessandro Costello came crashing into my life, all suits and beautiful blue eyes, a smile that would make any woman's panties fall to the ground and those walls didn’t stand a chance. I hate him for it. God, I hate
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. They were too bright, too sterile. The hum wasn’t just background noise, it echoed in my head and that pissed me off. I sat at the table, my badge and gun placed neatly in front of me. I stared at them, those symbols of authority, of loyalty. Of everything I was supposed to be. But right now, none of it felt right. My mind wasn’t in this room. It was with him. Alessandro. The man I’d spent years chasing, fighting, and falling for. The man I just put behind bars. A man who was everything I should hate—but everything I couldn’t. Because love didn’t belong here. Not in this place. Not in this world. I lifted my eyes, scanning the room. It wasn’t just the job—it was the weight of knowing that no matter what side I was on, I was losing something. Someone. Still, I straightened in my chair and squared my shoulders. I had a role to play. A duty to uphold. This was my life. This was where I belonged. Even if it meant breakin
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ They say when you love someone, every little thing about them starts to matter in ways you never expected. I didn’t believe that until now. Because if you’d told me six months ago that I’d be standing here in the middle of my shattered life, worrying about a cat that doesn’t even belong to me, I’d have laughed in your face. But here I was. Magnus's silvery fur brushed against my fingers as his bright amber eyes darted around. He probably didn't like being outside, not without Alessandro. I could feel his small body tense as I adjusted my grip on him, but his purr vibrated against my chest. He trusted me. Too bad I didn’t trust myself anymore. I approached the nondescript building, its bland gray exterior concealed by the vast, featureless horizon. No signs, no windows, just a block of concrete with a steel door and cameras discreetly planted along the perimeter. The sun was almost up, and my boots crunched on the gravel as I walked toward the site. Each step f
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I’m not the type to lose track of things. Misplacing something, forgetting about it long enough for it to disappear? That’s not me. My life, my job, doesn’t allow for those kinds of mistakes. I couldn’t stop running scenarios in my head, trying to retrace every step. The address wasn’t just missing—it was gone, and that fact itched under my skin like a splinter I couldn’t reach. I replayed the last time I saw it: the way I folded it neatly, the exact spot I’d tucked it into. My thoughts kept circling back to Alessandro. No. There was no way. If he’d found that address, this entire operation would’ve imploded before it even began. Still, doubt crept in. He never stayed at my place long enough to come across something that incriminating. Not to mention, if he had, I’d already be dead or worse. I shook my head, dismissing the thought, though it didn’t fully leave. Something else had to have happened. The missing motel address wasn’t just a loose thread—it was
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ The uneasiness had taken a root inside of me since the moment they had clamped those handcuffs around his wrists. It sat in the pit of my stomach like a void threatening to swallow me whole. No matter how hard I tried to shake it off, it lingered, a constant fucking reminder of everything I’d done and everything I’d lost in the process. What terrified me more than anything was the thought of sitting across from him in that interrogation room and facing him. I chose to be in there. I wanted to be in there. Needed to be in there with all of them. Watching them from behind a pane of glass felt too distant. I needed to see their faces up close, to catch every flicker of emotion—or lack thereof. To hear the cadence of their words, the way they'd twist the truth like it was second nature. But most of all, I needed to know how he was holding up. I ran a hand through my hair, nails digging into my scalp just enough to ground myself, “Get it together, Kane,” I muttered
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ Lilianna Costello wasn’t just a movie star. She was the wife of Marco Costello, one of the higher ranking members of the Cosa Nostra, he was bound to the whole thing by blood. Logan and I stepped into the room, the door clicking shut behind us. Lilianna didn’t bother looking up at first, her focus trained on her manicured nails, painted the same shade of red as her lipstick. Her lawyer, Frank Arnoult, sat beside her. He didn’t even glance at us, casually flipping through papers in his leather folder. Arnoult was another Marston. The Costellos wouldn’t settle for anything less than a legal dream team, and Arnoult was as ruthless as they came. I dropped the case file on the table, the sound echoing in the small room. Lilianna finally looked up, her lips curving into a slight smile. It wasn’t friendly. It was filled with rage. By now, the whole family knew about me. “Mrs. Costello,” I began, sliding into the chair across from her, “thank you for speaking with us.”
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ My head snapped toward Logan, his face already pale as he grabbed his jacket and his gun. “Flames are spreading fast. We need evac down here now!” The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My stomach dropped, my heart kicking into overdrive. I shot a glance at Fitz, and the look in his eyes told me he was thinking the same thing: This wasn’t an accident. "Move!" someone shouted, shoving past me. I grabbed Logan’s arm, pulling him closer. “The evidence... all of it—” “I know,” he cut me off, “We need to get there now.” We pushed through the confusion and the havoc, agents shouting into radios, others trying to direct staff toward the emergency exits. My mind raced, scenarios piling up in my head. As we reached the corridor leading to the evidence room, the smoke hit us like a physical force, burning my lungs and stinging my eyes, I coughed, clearing my throat. The heat radiating off the walls was suffocating, and the acrid smell of burning documents and p
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ The moment Bianca walked into the interrogation room, it felt like the oxygen had been sucked out of my lungs. She had a striking resemblance to her brother in some ways, like right now her eyes looked at me in the same way Alessandro had looked at me when I told him who I really was. Hatred. Her dark, wavy hair was tied back tightly, making her cheekbones and jawline all the more pronounced. "Special Agent Viviane Kane," Bianca said my name with a slight clench of her teeth. “Bianca Costello,” I began, flipping the file open. “It’s been a while.” She smirked, tilting her head. “Not long enough.” Behind her, her lawyer walked in, Veronica Steele, the infamous “Viper” of the criminal defense world. God, Costellos and their lawyers. “Thanks for taking the time to speak with me,” I said. She laughed, “Speak with you? Is that what we’re calling it? I don’t remember this being voluntary...more like you are trying to ruin our entire family.” I kept my face neu
Viviane☩═✦═☩Viviane stood in the corner of the FBI breakroom, clutching a folder close to her chest. The news still buzzed in her veins. The Costello case. She’d been handpicked to assist. It was the kind of opportunity rookies could only dream of. Her cheeks ached from holding back a smile, but this wasn’t just personal excitement; it was validation. The kind of validation she’d never been given before. Logan was across the room, leaning back in his chair, his arm draped lazily over the backrest, laughing too loud at a joke one of his buddies had told. He was the golden boy of the bureau, always surrounded by a pack of equally smug agents and he’d set his sights on Viviane the moment she walked through the door. At first, it seemed harmless, his charming smiles, the way he stayed near her desk. Viviane had brushed it off as standard office flirtation, nothing she couldn’t handle. But Logan Barlowe had a way of making himself unavoidable. He’d always be there, offering help sh
Viviane☩═✦═☩I leaned against the edge of the cot, hands gripping the fraying blanket as if holding on to something real could keep me from losing it completely. The old clock on the wall ticked louder with every second. My window...always locked, always barred reflected back the worst version of myself. Midnight was close. Two more minutes, tops. I knew all the guards, their routines: the same steps, same timing, the same coffee break that would leave my hall unguarded for exactly seven minutes. Seven minutes to slip out. Slipping out during the evening, when agents moved freely, was manageable but once night fell, the security tightened considerably.I grabbed my hoodie from the chair, tugging it on and flipping the hood up. I glanced at myself in the mirror and only saw tired eyes, tight jaw, mouth pressed into a line. I carefully arranged the blankets on my bed, pillows propped just right to mimic a sleeping body. My phone stayed on the bedside table, screen dark but pre-prog
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ We stood outside the courthouse, my FBI badge clipped to my belt. I forced myself to appear calm. The world was watching, even if I couldn’t see the cameras. Logan stood beside me. The faint smell of coffee clinging to him like always. “Viv,” Logan said softly, leaning closer so only I could hear. “We’re going to find her. You know that, right?” “I know,” I replied. “You’re not alone in this. We’ve got everyone on it, Viv. We’ll get her back.” I nodded stiffly, though I avoided looking at him. He meant well, but his words scraped against the rawness inside me. If only he knew. I didn’t need them to find Felicity, I’d made sure she was out of their reach. I needed them to believe me. And if I cracked, even for a second, it would all come crashing down. The faint rumble of engines pulled my attention, and Logan turned his head, squinting down the street. A line of sleek black SUVs rolled up, gleaming under the harsh midday sun. “Costello,” Logan muttered, his
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ The front door slammed behind him, the sound echoing in the silence of the room. My whole body flinched, and I gripped the sheets tighter, holding onto them like they were the only thing that was real around me. My chest felt hollow, like he’d ripped something out of me on his way out. And no, it wasn’t the physical part...I could live with that. It was the words he’d left behind, cutting me open and leaving me bleeding in ways I couldn’t see. I still smelled like him—whiskey and his cologne. I let out a shaky breath, but it felt like it wasn’t enough, like I couldn’t get enough air. He was gone. My throat burned. I thought I was done crying, but the tears were there again, stinging my eyes. I looked around the room—his room. The bed was a mess, the black sheets wrapped around me. His glass was still on the nightstand, empty now, just like the bottle beside it. The faint morning light from the window stretched across the floor. I ran a hand through my hair, m
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ I swirled the whiskey in my glass, watching it catch the dim light from the rising sun. The bottle was empty now. I downed the last of the whiskey and set the glass down. I glanced over my shoulder. Viviane was still there, half-buried in my sheets. Her pale skin almost glowed against the black fabric, fragile like porcelain, like something I could shatter with the slightest pressure. Her breathing was shallow, the faintest hitch in each exhale told me she was alive. She wasn't crying anymore, but I’d felt her tremble once in a while. Now, she was still, too still, except for her fingers. They were curled into the sheet, clutching it like a lifeline. I turned back and stared at the wall in front of me. My shirt hung open, the buttons undone, the whiskey burning its way through my veins. I wasn’t drunk, not nearly. I wanted to feel every second of this. Loyalty was sacred, and she had none of it—neither professionally nor personally. She betrayed the FBI for
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ His tongue darted out, licking a tear from my jawline all the way to my cheek. The wet heat of it made me shudder. "You're such a pretty crier," he murmured, his lips brushing against my ear, "You should cry more often. It suits you." In an instant, coldness coursed through my veins. My chest tightened as I tried to blink through the haze of fear and disbelief, struggling to make sense of what I was hearing. I have heard these words before, haven't I? His head tilted slightly to look into my eyes, his lips curling into a harsh, twisted smile that made my stomach churn. No. No, this couldn’t be happening. I searched his face, desperate to convince myself I’d misunderstood, that I was imagining it. But then, his voice drove a spike of ice through my heart. “That’s it, Red,” he murmured, his grip on my neck tightening just enough to make me gasp for air, “Let me see it. Let me see all that pain you’ve been hiding.” My insides froze, the words slammed into me so
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ The words snapped something inside me. My blood boiled, my fists clenched, and before I could stop myself, I stepped right into his space and yelled, “The only reason you’re going to win is because of me!” His eyes flicked to my lips, just for a second, before snapping back to mine. The movement was so quick I almost missed it, but it was there, like a chink in his armor. And then, just as fast, his expression shifted back to cold indifference, like whatever I had to say didn’t matter. Like I didn’t matter. My chest rose and fell with the force of my breathing, adrenaline pounding through my veins. “You want the truth, Alessandro? You want to know what I’ve risked? What I’ve done for you?” I pursed my lips, trying to hold my tears back but failing. “The truth is, without me, you wouldn’t even know the FBI’s next move. Without me, you’d be in the dark, still trying to figure out who’s feeding them intel, who’s planning what.” I stepped closer, “You’re winning thi
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ Alessandro stood in the doorway, his broad frame blocking out the faint light spilling in from the foyer. He didn’t bother to turn on the lights; the dim glow from the corner lamp was enough to show his sharp, chiseled features, which were set in an expression so dark it felt like the temperature dropped several degrees. He didn’t speak at first, just stood there, his cold, penetrating gaze slicing through me, making my stomach twist into a knot. When he finally did speak, his voice was deep, and smooth, not rage-filled like I had expected, no, it was like velvet dipped in acid. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here.” I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. “I—” “Don’t,” his gaze pinned me to my spot, silencing me with nothing but his eyes, “Don’t insult me by pretending you have a reason I’d want to hear.” He moved further into the room, pulling off his tie like it irritated him. Tossing it onto the back of the armchair, he kept his eyes locked on mine, un
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ The dining room in Nikolai’s penthouse wasn’t designed for comfort. The long oak table stretched the length of the room. We sat around the table for hours, picking apart the trial with the lawyers, dissecting every move the prosecution might make. The room reeked of stale coffee and stress. By the time the lawyers finally packed up and left, I was one wrong word away from losing it. Then Grayson walked in. My control was slipping...had been since the moment Francesca’s name came up in the news. Every instinct screamed to get up, to demand answers, to start breaking things until someone gave me what I wanted. But the real fucked-up part was that my first thought wasn’t about whether Francesca was alive. No, my mind went straight to Viviane. To what she might be planning. To whether she’d use... that against me. The thought of her dragging my darkest secrets into the light made my stomach churn. The kind of secrets you don’t even whisper to yourself. The k