The sound of approaching footsteps barely registered in Nirvana’s mind. She sat by the hospital window, her gaze fixed on nothing in particular. Outside, the world moved on…cars passing, people walking, life continuing as if hers hadn’t been shattered into something unrecognizable.Behind her, the door opened. She didn’t turn. She didn’t need to. The air shifted, darkened, carrying the weight of his presence.RAyNe was back.She expected some grand entrance…maybe a snide remark, a sarcastic comment, something to remind her he was in control. Instead, he simply stood there for a moment, watching her.Then, as expected…“You’re quiet today.”Nirvana didn’t answer. She kept her gaze on the window, fingers loosely gripping the edge of the bed.RAyNe moved closer, slow and deliberate, like a predator testing the waters. “Not even a glare? No sharp words?” He tilted his head. “I’m almost offended.”Still, she said nothing.A slow, amused exhale left his lips. Then…“I like you tamed.”Her f
Nirvana woke to the sound of knocking.Three sharp raps against the door.She groaned, blinking against the morning light filtering through the tall windows. “What?”The door creaked open, and a young maid stepped inside, her hands clutching a box wrapped in a silver ribbon. She kept her gaze down, avoiding eye contact. “The boss asked me to bring this for you.”Nirvana sat up slowly, stretching her arms before taking the box. She tugged the ribbon loose and flipped the lid open. Inside was a soft, pastel summer dress with thin straps and a delicate bow at the neckline.A dress.Of course.She scoffed, tossing the box onto the bed. “Let me guess. He expects me to wear this?”The maid hesitated before nodding. “Yes, miss. He’s asked that you join him for breakfast.”Nirvana rolled her eyes. So this was his game now? Dressing her up like his perfect little doll? Like she was just another one of his playthings, docile and submissive?She should have been irritated, but instead…she smirke
The door to RAyNe’s private office creaked open just enough for Nirvana to slip inside. Shadows stretched across the dimly lit room, the scent of expensive cologne and leather wrapping around her. She moved quickly, her fingers skimming the edge of the grand desk. If there was anything to find, it had to be here.Her heart pounded as she reached for the top drawer. Locked. Of course.“You little snake,” a sharp voice cut through the silence.Nirvana froze.Siara stood at the doorway, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with triumph."You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” Siara stepped closer. “Wait till RAyNe hears about this.”Nirvana turned, her mind working fast. If Siara made enough noise, she’d be caught. But if she controlled the narrative first…Before Siara could open her mouth again, Nirvana gasped dramatically and threw herself against the desk with a loud thud. A sharp cry left her lips, her body crumpling onto the floor.“Ahh..!” she moaned, clutching her side.Heavy footsteps e
The morning light bled through the massive windows, casting golden streaks over the silk sheets tangled around Nirvana’s legs. She stretched, muscles still thrumming with the memory of last night’s tension. RAyNe had played his game well, but so had she.A sharp knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.Before she could respond, Gianni stepped in, holding a sleek black box with a satin ribbon. He set it on the bed beside her."From RAyNe," he said.Nirvana arched a brow. "Should I be flattered or concerned?"Gianni smirked but didn’t answer. He turned and left, the door clicking shut behind him.Curious, she pulled the ribbon loose and lifted the lid.Her breath hitched.Inside lay a dress…a deep crimson masterpiece, cut low in the front and scandalously high on the thigh. Delicate chains draped across the open sides, held together by gold clasps. The silk fabric felt sinful against her fingers.She chuckled to herself.He thinks this will unsettle me?No. She'd wear it. And she'd m
The tension hung thick in the air, charged with an energy that neither Nirvana nor RAyNe could ignore. His fingers hovered at the curve of her waist, barely touching, yet she felt the heat of his presence sear through the thin fabric of her dress.“You might just get burned,” he warned, voice dangerously low.She tilted her head slightly, a teasing smirk gracing her lips. “Then make it worth the scars.”Before RAyNe could respond, Siara’s voice cut through the moment like a blade.“There you are,” she said, stepping between them with a smile too forced to be genuine. “RAyNe, come dance with me.”Nirvana suppressed a laugh, stepping back smoothly as Siara latched onto RAyNe’s arm.RAyNe didn’t move, his gaze locked onto Nirvana’s as if silently daring her to react. She didn’t. Instead, she turned to Gianni, who had been watching with a smirk of his own.“Dance?” she asked, her tone light, almost mocking.Gianni chuckled and extended his arm. “With pleasure.”As she walked away, she cou
Nirvana leaned back against the leather seat, her legs crossed, fingers lightly tracing the hem of her dress. "Let's go to High City Condos," she said, her voice dripping with something unspoken.Gianni nodded in the driver’s seat without question.RayNe, however, wasn’t so easily convinced. He studied her, the way she smirked like she was up to something. His instincts had never failed him before, and right now, they told him she was playing a game.He leaned in, watching her eyes flicker with something he couldn’t quite place. She turned, and their lips almost collided."What the hell are you doing?" she asked, pulling back, her breath slightly unsteady.RayNe didn’t answer. He just looked at her..long, deep, penetrating. Like he was peeling away every layer of her mind with his gaze alone.Then, in one swift movement, he grabbed her, pulling her onto his lap."You pervert! Let me go!" she squirmed, trying to push off his chest.But the sudden shade of red on her face betrayed her.
Nirvana tapped her manicured fingers against the phone, the sharp click echoing in the dimly lit room. She smirked as Clement Holt finally picked up."Clement Darling, you've got what I want and I wasn't able to get it back at the banquet” Nirvana smirked like he could see her.“you sly little bitch,” Clement growled over the phone“Careful now,I've got the upper hand here at the moment.” She chuckles.“If you fuck with me, I'll make sure you never see Olivia again.”Her voice was smooth but threatening and laced with danger. A beat of silence followed before Clement exhaled sharply.“What do you want?”“Your presence. At your daughter's place. And come alone.”The line went dead before he could respond.Thirty minutes later, Clement arrived. But he wasn’t alone.Nirvana’s lips curled upward as Adrian stepped in beside him. Instead of irritation, amusement danced in her eyes. She leaned back elegantly, legs crossed, her posture exuding power.“Hello, Mr. Ex-Fiancé.” Her voice dripped
"It’s even more beautiful in person," Noel whispered, taking in the stunning view before him. Santorini. The sky burned with streaks of pink and gold, melting into the endless blue sea. The waves crashed against the shore, a steady rhythm that should have been calming. But Noel wasn’t calm. He stood beside Vincenzo, nerves coiling in his stomach. The private beach house was breathtaking…modern, luxurious, and already prepped for their arrival. Gianni was inside, making final arrangements, but outside, under the open sky, there was tension thick enough to suffocate Noel. Vincenzo stood a few feet away, arms folded, staring at the ocean like it held all the answers. He hadn’t spoken much since the plane. Noel hesitated, biting his lip. Then, slowly, he reached out. His fingers were just inches from Vincenzo’s arm… Then a phone rang. Noel flinched. Vincenzo pulled his phone from his pocket. The screen lit up. Papa. Noel’s breath hitched. Oh, shit. Don Ramon. He swallowed,
RAyNe kicked open the double doors to his room, still carrying Nirvana over his shoulder like she was nothing more than a stubborn little package that had pushed every one of his damn buttons."Put me down! RAyNe! You psycho! Put me the hell down!" Nirvana shouted, pounding her fists against his back, her heels long discarded during the chaos."Be quiet, wild rose," he muttered darkly, voice low and dangerously calm.He walked into the grand bedroom…floor-to-ceiling windows, low lighting, the scent of leather and cologne clinging to the air. The heavy door slammed shut behind them.He finally tossed her onto the massive bed. She bounced slightly, hair splaying out over the pillows, chest rising and falling with her anger."You’ve really lost your fucking mind," she spat, crawling backward on the bed, her eyes flashing.RAyNe's blazer was already off. His shirt was halfway unbuttoned, revealing a hint of his chest, tattoos peeking out like dangerous secrets."Maybe," he said, stalking
The chandeliers dripped light like gold melting from the ceiling. Crystal flutes clinked against manicured nails, laughter trilled through the air like champagne bubbles, and soft classical music rose beneath the rich murmurs of elite society.Nirvana stepped into the grand hall, her arm looped with her uncle Darius Voltaire's, her presence enough to steal the breath from the room. She wore deep emerald silk that hugged her curves in reverence, her red hair cascading in sleek waves down her back, a sapphire pendant resting just above the swell of her collarbone."You look more like your mother every day," Darius said, his voice warm.She glanced up at him, the barest smile tugging her lips. "That’s the fifth time you’ve said that tonight. Are you trying to make me cry in the middle of a ballroom?"He chuckled. "Just trying to remind you who you come from. She’d be proud of you tonight. And so am I."Nirvana’s smile softened. "I hope so.""Now," Darius said, pausing as he glanced acros
The conference room shimmered with polished marble floors and high glass windows, sunlight slicing through like judgment. Nirvana stepped into the lion's den with fire in her eyes and vengeance pumping through her blood. She wore tailored black…power draped across her curves like it belonged there, like she’d never fallen, like the empire had never been stolen.Whispers swirled. Board members leaned in, startled. She didn’t flinch.“She’s back.”“Didn’t she vanish?”“Looks exactly like her mother.”Adrian sat at the head of the long mahogany table, leaning back in the leather chair with a smug grin and a sharp Armani suit that matched the venom in his voice.“Well, if it isn’t the runaway bride of the Castillo legacy,” he drawled. “Nirvana, dear, I thought you were dead.”Nirvana didn’t blink. “And I thought you were a man.”Gasps rippled. Adrian’s smile twitched.She moved to the seat directly opposite him. “Let’s begin.”The air grew taut as her uncle, Darius, stepped inside and nod
The days since the elevator incident passed like smoke.Nirvana tried to shove it all into the furthest recess of her mind: RAyNe’s kiss, the haunting familiarity of his eyes, the twist in her chest that had nothing to do with fear. She spent more time with Darius, and even more time planning.But the scars of her life…the ones memory hadn't erased…burned hotter than ever.And so, when the invitation came, handwritten and sealed in black wax with a familiar sigil, she didn’t hesitate.A charity gala.Held by none other than Castillo Enterprises.Hosted by Adrian Holt.And sponsored anonymously by someone Darius called "a benefactor from the old circle." Someone who wanted Nirvana to attend. Someone who claimed to have answers.Darius was suspicious. Nirvana was curious. She wore blood-red silk and a knife hidden in the slit of her dress.She walked into that ballroom like a queen reclaiming her throne.The chandelier dripped with crystal. The air hummed with wealth and secrets.And at
The envelope sat on RAyNe’s desk like a cursed artifact.The letter inside was worse.A formal white page. A signature at the bottom. And a check.Fifteen million dollars.Lucian stood by the window, arms crossed. Gianni leaned against the bookshelf. Sienna sat quietly in the corner of the room, still pale but watching.RAyNe read it again."To Mr. RAyNe St. Trinity,This check is a settlement for the sum you paid in acquiring my niece, Nirvana Castillo, nearly a year ago. Her life no longer belongs to your world, and it is my wish to sever all remaining ties.Respectfully,Darius Voltaire."RAyNe’s jaw clenched as he gripped the check."He’s trying to buy her away from me," he growled.Lucian stepped forward. "Boss. It’s a settlement. Not a war."RAyNe’s hand tightened. "Why can’t any of you understand? I’ll never let her go. I can’t. She’s mine."He made to rip the check in two, but Lucian strode forward and snatched it out of his grip."This is madness, boss."RAyNe’s eyes burned r
“She doesn’t remember me.”RAyNe’s voice was quiet. Unstable. Wrung with something that bordered on disbelief and madness.The car rolled into the estate’s driveway, tires crunching against the stone. Nobody in the car said a word.He had been silent all the way home from the Paris event. Silent… but trembling. A storm with no outlet. A man who’d just watched the only person that had ever truly touched him look through him like he didn’t exist.When the car stopped, he was the first to move. He burst out like a fuse lit at both ends, unbuttoning his suit jacket in harsh jerks, tossing it to the floor the second they walked into the house.The silence was broken by the crash of a vase shattering against the wall.His tie followed. Yanked off, flung somewhere into the darkness.“She looked through me,” he said hoarsely. “Like I wasn’t even there.”Elias was next to enter. His calm, unreadable presence only made RAyNe more unstable.“You wanted the truth?” Elias said. “Here it is: I warn
It had been three months since Nirvana vanished.Three months since RAyNe had left her breakfast in the confined room, glancing once at the closed door before heading out to visit Sienna at the hospital.Three months since he came back to the bloodied pavement, Siara’s stammering lies, and the devastation of a girl who had jumped from a balcony just to escape the life he'd built around her.Three months of silence.Three months of rage.Three months of searching like a man possessed.And now, in the city of Paris, in the middle of a polished ballroom gilded with marble and diamonds, RAyNe stood at the edge of the grand chandelier-lit floor, staring at the woman he had bled for.She was laughing softly, her lips painted wine red. Her dress was black, silky, plunging dangerously low in the back and hugging every curve he remembered. But what crushed him wasn’t her beauty. It was the emptiness in her eyes when she glanced at him.No flicker of recognition.No anger. No pain. Nothing.She
The door to the black car shut with a solid slam.RAyNe exhaled sharply, blood still drying beneath the fresh bandage on his arm.Gianni glanced at him through the rearview mirror."Begin the search," RAyNe muttered. "Whoever took her... it has to be someone who knows me. Or someone who knows her.""Yes, boss," Gianni replied, already tapping into the secure satellite interface wired through the dashboard. "I'll mobilize all local trackers. If she's breathing, we'll find her."RAyNe leaned back, knuckles whitening.He wasn’t going to wait for fate to be kind.He was going to force its hand.The estate gates groaned open, and RAyNe stormed into the mansion with the rage of a god on the brink of destruction.Guards stepped aside.Siara was descending the stairs in a silky robe, holding a wine glass with her usual arrogance.She didn’t even flinch as he approached.Until his hand wrapped around her throat."RAy…!" she choked, glass dropping and shattering against the marble.He slammed h
"Fuck! They’re circling left!"Lucian’s voice thundered over the deafening sound of gunfire. RAyNe ducked behind a burnt-out SUV, blood spraying the side mirror as bullets ricocheted everywhere."I see them!" RAyNe growled, lifting his weapon and taking down two men with clean shots to the chest. "Move!"The deal had gone sideways the moment they’d stepped foot on the compound.A rival cartel had set a trap, and now, RAyNe and Lucian were knee-deep in blood, gunpowder, and chaos.His phone vibrated in his pocket. Again.Then again.He ignored it, too focused, too sharp…Until the last man dropped.Silence. For a second.RAyNe exhaled, panting. Then pulled out his phone.Gianni’s name flashed across the cracked screen.He answered."Miss Castillo... she jumped off the balcony."That was all he heard.A gunshot split the air.His body jerked.His phone flew from his hand and shattered against the pavement.Lucian shouted his name as blood poured from his shoulder."RAyNe!""I’m fine!"L