The intensity of the moment was overwhelming. Feeling the mask over my face seemed to release something inside me, something wild and uncontrollable, as if that piece of black satin was the key to a side of me that I had hidden for so long. Masato knew what he was doing, and I hated to admit it, but he was getting what he wanted: control of the situation, of me.His lips left no room for hesitation, every kiss an unspoken promise, every touch a veiled demand. He knew my body like no one else, he knew exactly where to touch me, where to make me vulnerable. And I surrendered to it, despite the small, distant voice in my mind shouting that it was dangerous, that I was playing with fire.Masato stepped away for a moment, just long enough to look at me. His eyes shone with something more than desire - there was admiration there, a fascination that left me bewildered. The mask I wore, the role I took on, seemed to transform not only me, but also him."You know what you do to me," he murmure
Endless Paradise, or just Paradise, was the place where all desires were free to come true. The most diverse clientele, from the wealthy tycoon elite to the most questionable workers in even more questionable industries, felt free to consume what they paid for.And they paid well. Very well indeed.But the issue here was the perspective of who was the product. You were no longer you, but an instrument, a doll made for the pleasure of whoever could get it. And no matter how disgusting or unreliable your client seemed, if they could afford it, "no" was not an option.For the first time in my life, I was there as a potential buyer, not a plaything. It was strange to be back in that place, especially without my clothes and iconic mask. The other strippers were dancing practically naked to the sensual sound of the music, while the other potential buyers were circulating around, like at a spice market, looking for the best condiment.It was strange. I felt a pang of guilt for not being ther
Thomas entered the room with firm steps, tension filling the room. The security guards hesitated for a moment, surprised by his sudden appearance. He looked directly at the man holding me, his eyes as cold as ice.“I said, let her go,” Thomas repeated, with a tone that brooked no defiance.The security guard holding my arm loosened his grip, but his hand was still shaking with uncertainty. “Mr. Braxton, she was filming you. That violates club rules, and-”“I'll take care of it,” Thomas interrupted him, his voice sharp. “Get out. Now.”Slowly, one by one, they left the room, leaving me alone with him. The man in possession of my cell phone placed it on the iron table in the room. As soon as the door closed, a dense silence filled the air. I was still panting, trying to process what had just happened, but his presence, so close, made me feel even more uneasy.Since when did Thomas have such authority in there? How did the bouncers respond to him? I knew that nightclub like the back of
The Lady of the Night had barely arrived and had already left.For the control in Thomas's voice was so absolute, so unquestionable, that there was no beating it.“I want you here and now,” he continued, speaking in a low, controlled voice. “I want to know what sounds come out of your mouth when I treat you the way you want to be treated.”Trembling and tense, I ask:“And how exactly do you think I want to be treated?”“Do you think I don't notice the way you look at me? How that smile of yours opens when you see me? For God's sake, since the day you appeared in that coffee shop, I've wanted you. I've wanted you so badly, Bianca.”I felt a chill in my stomach at his words. The heat in his gaze intensified the tension in the air, and the reality of what he was saying began to sink into my mind. Thomas wasn't just joking; he was serious.Not that it was all that surprising. After all, Thomas was indeed a womanizer and didn't hesitate to date beautiful women. A few days ago, after all, w
“So today is your first day.”Masato was in my living room again, sipping a hot coffee. I was getting ready to go to Thomas's mansion. I was finally about to sign the contract and begin the long journey of incriminating and destroying the life of the archenemy of the man in front of me.“Yes. I'll probably just be introduced to my duties, and the real work starts from tomorrow,” I replied, swiping on my red lipstick as I looked in the mirror.Flashbacks of the night before ran through my head, making my cheeks hot. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to bring myself back to the present and get rid of those memories. I needed focus.Observantly, Masato tilted his head.“You look different today.”“Do I? I must be excited about the new job.”Of course, Masato Takahashi would never talk about what had happened between us the day before. I also avoided bringing it up. But as I turned around, I noticed that he was looking at me intensely. A split second later, his eyes fixed on the marks on
When I arrived at Thomas's mansion, I scanned his face for any emotion or tension from the night before, but there was nothing but a friendly, polite smile on his face. Yes, he played the part very well. Perhaps it was because Eva, his “lovely” wife, was right next to him. We were in the back garden of the house, and while the twins Erick and Frederick ran through the bushes and fruit trees, Thomas played the good husband and businessman:“Miss Evans, I hope you enjoy working in our lovely home.”He leaned in close to Eva, who smiled too, but without any joy in her eyes. A few minutes earlier, she had been there to see me sign the contract in Thomas's office. I could have sworn she almost jumped over the table to tear the document to pieces.The next few hours were more bureaucratic. After Eva had said goodbye to us, not without first making it clear with her gaze what she thought of me working in her house, Thomas and I took care of the financial part and the duties I would perform.
Thomas continued talking about the details of the event, but his words barely reached me. My mind was fixated on the woman in the photo and what she represented to him. There was something about that image, in the way he averted his gaze when he mentioned her, that told me this story went far beyond a simple friend from the past. As soon as he finished speaking, I seized the opportunity to say my goodbyes and finally distance myself from the mansion. I walked out the front door and took a deep breath, as if leaving a heavy atmosphere behind. My heart was racing, and I could hardly wait to read Masato's response.I grabbed my phone with trembling hands and opened the message. “Are you sure you want to know?” That was all he said. My brow furrowed instantly. What did he mean by that? Of course, I wanted to know. I replied with a simple “Yes,” trying not to show the urgency I felt, even though it was evident in every fiber of my being. I waited for what felt like an eternity until f
I was clearly obsessed.As I placed dinner in the microwave to heat, I turned on my laptop and went to a search engine. I had never been truly interested in learning about anyone other than myself, my mom, and my sister. At least, not in a genuine way. But this time, I needed to find more information.Using an image search engine, I uploaded the photo from my phone to discover more about the woman. A few newspaper headlines popped up. In all of them, the woman’s expression, whose name was revealed to be Cheyenne, appeared contemplative.Apparently, Cheyenne was a rising artist. Some of her paintings appeared in the news articles.I was interrupted by the sound of the microwave beeping. I grabbed my food and returned to the laptop.With the plate of food in my hands, I sat back at the table, the warmth rising from the dish as I continued to investigate Cheyenne’s life. The newspaper headlines painted a picture of her as a promising artist, but there was something more between the lines
"After you passed out, we managed to corner the old man who was hell-bent on taking my head off at all costs," Thomas began. "Then we got to you and saw you were in bad shape. The bullet grazed your head."I carefully touched my temple, finally noticing that a gauze bandage was there."I wanted to kill him right then and there," Masato continued, "but my priority… our priority was you. So, I smeared Thomas’s face with blood and sand to make him unrecognizable, and we headed to the boat where the Ravens were waiting for us.""And they didn’t suspect anything? Seriously?" I asked."No. I made up some excuse, and we slipped away. Afterward, I erased our tracks—or at least did my best—and brought us here.""But hold on. At no point did you guys explain how you didn’t kill each other the moment you were out of danger. I thought you hated each other."Masato scratched his chin."Well, we…""We talked about what happened. About Sheyenne."When Thomas said the name of their former girlfriend,
"You're only alive because she asked.""Funny, I was going to say the same thing."Feeling a terrible, pulsating pain on the side of my head, I tried to ask for a pill, but instead, I just groaned. The sound made Masato and Thomas quickly fall silent and come toward me."Bianca?" I heard Thomas’s voice, and someone holding my face, but a quick movement made the hand pull away."Hey!""Don't touch her," Masato ordered."I'm starting to reconsider whether I let you live or not, you worm.""Can you two stop, please?" I complained, trying to sit up with my eyes still closed."Don't push yourself too much," Masato said, sounding worried."Careful," Thomas said.Then I felt two pairs of hands on my shoulders and back, helping me sit up. I placed my hand on my forehead and winced in pain."I'll get you some medicine," warned the blue-eyed billionaire. I heard his footsteps moving away.A few seconds later, my other billionaire held my chin and asked, "Can you open your eyes?""I can." And th
A man in his fifties, dressed in the same attire as the Blood Ravens, entered the area where we were. He wasn’t pointing his weapon at us, though he held it in his left hand."I don’t know what kind of soap opera this is,” he warned, looking at Masato. “But you made a deal with us. The Hawk’s head is ours.”Thomas didn’t react. Masato looked confused, as if unsure of what to do. He glanced at me, desperate, but what could I do under these circumstances?!“Don’t let this happen,” I pleaded with Masato. “Don’t let them take Thomas. Please.”He didn’t even react. He just pretended he didn’t hear me.The silence felt heavy between us, like a silent threat. The Blood Raven man took a step forward, his disdainful smile illuminated by the faint light filtering through the trees. Masato looked frozen, as if every fiber of his being fought against some decision he knew he had to make.“So that’s it?” I shouted, my voice breaking. “You promised you were here to protect me, but now you’re going
Explosions and screams echoed around us as Masato and I ran, dodging debris and fallen bodies on the ground. The Royal Falcons and the Ravens were locked in an unending, relentless battle. The Blue Falcons, caught off guard, reacted immediately, but it was clear how exhausted they were.Worried, I bit my lip, wondering what they would do to Thomas. Had he already escaped to a safer place? I was genuinely concerned for him. As the man himself had said, the Blood Ravens didn’t take prisoners.Masato, with his focused and determined gaze, never let go of my hand, guiding me along a route that only he seemed to know.“We’re almost there,” he said as we ran, his voice muffled by the sounds of war around us. “The hidden pier is just behind those rocks. We have a boat waiting.”“Hidden pier?”“Yes. Thomas has a secret spot on this hell he calls an island. That’s probably where he’ll try to escape, though I doubt he’ll make it there alive.”I felt a knot in my stomach.“What if he survives?”
I froze, unable to process what was happening. Masato’s face, which I had thought lost forever, was right there in front of me, his expression serious and intense. My eyes filled with tears, a mixture of shock, relief, and anger bubbling within me.“Masato… you…” My voice came out shaky, broken by emotions. “Where have you been? How could you just disappear and leave me… with him?”I hugged him desperately. Despite the terrible sounds of the ongoing fight, the feeling of safety that washed over me was immense. There, in Masato’s arms, I knew I had nothing and no one to fear.“I didn’t leave you, Bianca. Believe me, it was the last thing I wanted to do,” he replied, his eyes burning with an unusual intensity. “To protect you and to get us out of this hell, I had to make a dangerous deal.”“A deal?” Horror mixed with relief in my chest. “With the Blood Ravens?”Masato nodded, a hint of surprise in his gaze as he realized I knew the gang’s name. He explained:“Yes. To reach you, to get y
Thomas's revelation hit like a cold stone in my stomach. I was still weak, my body barely recovered, and now we had a war ahead of us? The thought of more battles, more losses, more wounds was almost unbearable. But there was no time for hesitation.“How many?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.“More than we’re ready to face,” he replied, tension evident in his voice. “The Royal Hawks are determined to take control of the island and bring me down.” He paused abruptly. “And this time, they won’t make the same mistakes Adrian did.”“What do you mean by that?”Thomas sighed.“Our spies said they recently formed an alliance with another enemy group of ours.”“Another group?”The billionaire nodded, his lips pressed in nervousness.“Unfortunately, over time, as I expanded my empire, I made more enemies. Of course, the Eagles are still our biggest rivals, but other groups also want us destroyed.”I crossed my arms, distressed.“Okay, and who exactly have the Royal Hawks aligned with?”T
The darkness enveloped me completely, and time seemed to lose its meaning. There was no pain, no fear—only a comforting emptiness that almost made me forget everything that had happened.When I finally awoke, I found myself in a place that was initially unfamiliar. The ceiling was white, illuminated by a soft light. Blinking slowly, I realized I was in a comfortable bed, surrounded by machines and medical equipment. The sterile smell and the low hum of the devices around me made me realize that I was back in the hospital ward of Falcon Island.I turned my head slowly and saw Thomas sitting next to my bed, his elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped, and his eyes fixed on me. There was an intensity in them that seemed to suggest he was carrying the weight of the world. Upon noticing I was awake, he leaned closer, taking my hand.“How do you feel?” he asked, his voice low, almost as if he were afraid to break the silence.I tried to speak, but my throat was dry. Thomas quickly grabbe
Adrian's weight on my body felt unbearable. His blood trickled, hot and thick, down my neck and face, mixing with my own blood, which continued to seep from the wound on my side. I tried to move, but I was too weak. My arms trembled as I struggled to push his limp body away.It was then, amid my blurred vision and rising desperation, that I heard hurried footsteps approaching. My heart leapt as I saw Thomas appear in front of me, his gaze filled with a restrained fury and, at the same time, relief. In his still-trembling hands was the firearm that had fired the shot.He had saved my life… and killed his own brother.The man quickly lifted Adrian's body off me, his expression shifting to something between worry and despair as he took in my condition."Bianca," he murmured, his voice rough. His fingers shook as they touched my bruised, blood-covered face. "I'm... sorry it came to this."A solitary tear slid down my cheek as I tried to smile, even with the pain throbbing in every part of
My heart was pounding uncontrollably. I knew that if I approached, I would be stepping into a game where the rules belonged to Adrian, and any misstep could mean the end. But Carmélia’s life depended on my choice, and I couldn’t leave her behind.I cast one last look at Thomas, hoping he had a plan — anything. He clenched his fists, his eyes burning with helplessness and anger, but he made no move. I knew he was trying to stay calm, trying to think of something as I slowly walked toward Adrian.Each step echoed in the silence, increasing the weight of that decision. Adrian smiled, satisfied, as if he had already won. He pulled the weapon away from Carmélia and grabbed her arm, pushing her toward Thomas.“There you go, brother, I kept my part of the deal. Now, Bianca is my guarantee.” He pulled me to his side, keeping the gun pointed at me.I tried to stay steady, but my hands trembled. I looked at Thomas one last time, hoping he’d say something, do anything to stop Adrian from taking