“It’s her,” Iden breathed—barely audible, like the wind had to lean in to catch it. His fingers trembled. Ana’s warmth slipped from his hand as he backed away. A few bills fluttered to the café table. The note crinkled as he stuffed it into his pocket—then he was gone. The door slammed behind him, the bell above it chiming far too sweetly for what had just cracked open inside him. Outside, the heat hit like a slap. Sunlight bouncing off metal, coffee-stained air tangled with car exhaust. His lungs burned. His heart hammered—wild, primal. Where did she go? Those eyes. Purple . Sharp. Too knowing. Or was the light playing games again? Now? Gone. Like smoke trailing from a blown-out match. Was it her? A ghost? A trick of memory? 'But if it was just memory, what the fuck this goddamn note doing in my pocket?' Footsteps behind him. Fast. Sharp. “Iden!” Ana’s voice cut through the heat. “What the hell was that?” He didn’t answer. Just turned, his face drawn tigh
The door creaked open. A glint of silver flickered—then disappeared into its sheath. A shadow stepped back into the dimness. “You—what are you doing here?” the woman gasped, jolting upright in bed. A man stood in the doorway. His face was tight with dread. “She’s back,” he said. “She’s out of prison.” Her pulse slammed against her ribs. “That’s impossible. She was locked away for life! There’s no way—” “I thought the same.” His voice trembled, torn between disbelief and certainty. “But my informant isn’t wrong.” He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her trembling frame. She gripped him like he was an anchor and the world had just tipped. In the far corner of the room, where shadows stretched and light dared not reach, a woman in black watched. Her eyes glittered—silent, unreadable. Then, without a word, she turned and vanished into the dark. --- She moved through the mansion like smoke. In the library, the scent of old books curled around her—dust, l
The morning light seeped through the obstinate trees, their leaves swaying gently in the breeze, droplets of dew glimmering like precious gems under the soft kiss of the sun. Birds flitted from branch to branch, their songs weaving through the air, distant yet soothing. In the white-painted hospital room, the curtains shifted lazily, revealing fleeting streaks of sunlight that stretched toward the figure lying motionless on the bed. His closed eyes fluttered twice at the distant murmur of voices. Iden’s heavy lids parted, revealing dark eyes clouded with confusion. His gaze drifted upward, meeting the blank, sterile expanse of the white ceiling. His chest rose and fell unevenly, the stiffness in his neck sparking a dull, persistent ache. “What… What am I doing here?” His voice cracked, each word clawing its way from his dry throat. He ran a hand across his face, feeling the roughness of fever-chilled skin. The pounding in his head mirrored the disarray of his thoughts. James steppe
The man in the hospital ward scrolled through his phone, his silver-grey eyes narrowing slightly. Those eyes—the sharp blend of angelic grace and devilish intensity—seemed to pierce through whatever they landed on. Even in the simple hospital gown, he exuded an authority that demanded the world’s obedience. Iden Ruan rose from the edge of the hospital bed. The clean, minimalistic lines of the room seemed to bow to his commanding presence. His frame, towering above six feet three, moved with a predatory elegance. Muscles rippled beneath the fabric, their angular definition hinting at raw power. A strong jawline, cut as if by a master sculptor, framed a mouth that was both cruel and inviting, while strands of black hair shimmered faintly under the morning light streaming through the window. In less than fifteen minutes, Iden had washed away the residue of rest, dressed in a perfectly tailored coat, and was walking briskly out of the ward. His movements were calculated, the click of hi
A petite woman with short, cropped hair lounged on her couch, her face masked in a thin layer of cream. A novel rested in her hands, its pages slightly bent from her grip. Her legs dangled over the armrest, swinging in a playful rhythm that matched the soft melody drifting through the room. The music wrapped around her like a comforting embrace, blending seamlessly with the quiet hum of her thoughts. A sharp knock shattered the tranquility. She froze, her gaze darting toward the door. With a sigh, she placed the novel on the table and peeled off the mask, revealing skin flushed from the warmth of the room. Her lips curved into a sweet smile as she swung the door open, but the visitor’s expression didn’t mirror her joy. Before she could speak, Ellaya grabbed her hand and dragged her inside, her grip firm and unyielding. The door slammed shut behind them. Ellaya released her abruptly, her movements sharp and deliberate. She stepped back, her eyes narrowing into slits. “How did you get
The party hall was lavishly decorated with every imaginable detail. Men and women were laughing, drinking, talking, and displaying their status. Mr. and Mrs. Stone cut the huge cake, while holding each other's hands and smiling affectionately. Music played and couples danced. Only one man was leaning against the railing of the balcony watching everything with his colourless beautiful orbs. To put straight his hawk-like eyes searching for someone. People were perplexed by his presence today, much like he was. He was not a partygoer. The world knew that no one could make Mr. Iden Ruan attends their personal parties. Not even his immediate family. He never understood the concept of broadcasting their special day to the world and wasting the most expensive thing. Time. And despises wasting his time on such frivolous pursuits. But today, he was here to spend his most important time. BORED. He was smoking while leaning against the balcony. Men attempted to approach him but were turned aw
“Sing with me, everybody!” Her voice rang out, electrifying the crowd. “Rock on!” they roared back, their energy palpable. “Rock the world!” she sang with fierce conviction, her microphone extended toward the audience. The masses erupted, their synchronized chants reverberating through the packed concert hall. “Rock the world!” The words bounced off the walls, amplified by the sea of voices. Ellaya leapt onto the stage, the black leather of her pants glinting under the vibrant lights. Her halter tank top, adorned with shimmering belts and jewels, caught every beam, turning her into a dazzling force of nature. Her long, multi-colored hair whipped through the air like brushstrokes on a blank canvas, adding to the chaos of her commanding presence. She moved as though she owned the world, her confidence radiating in waves that made the audience lose themselves in her rhythm. The group of dancers flanking her moved in perfect harmony, their glittering outfits catching the light as they
“You recently returned from France and successfully took over your hometown’s business. I am very proud of you, my son,” Devid Ruan said, his voice carrying the weight of both pride and expectation. Iden sat across from his father, his posture straight yet subtly tense. His father was behind his grand oak study table, the pipe in his hand a reminder of his habit of filling moments with purposeful gestures. “As mayor, my duty is not just to serve the nation but to inspire young people to step into politics,” Devid continued, his tone firm yet inviting. “Every citizen’s primary duty should be to their country. Politics isn’t just a realm for retirees—it is a stage for the young and driven. And I need your support in the upcoming elections to spread this message.” Devid puffed on his pipe, exhaling calmly, as though his argument was undeniable. His eyes gleamed with pride, sweeping over his son like a silent applause. Iden had proven himself as a businessman, taking Ruan Industries to
A gust of wind tore through the room, sweeping papers off the desk like shreds of the past being ripped into the present. Kai stood in the doorway, chest heaving, drenched in sweat. One hand dragged a man by the collar—a mangled heap of flesh and bone. The man's face was grotesque, beaten to a pulp, barely conscious. Blood dripped steadily from his nose, painting a red trail behind them like a signature of vengeance. Arthur followed, silent as thunder before the strike. His fists were clenched so tightly the knuckles bled white. His eyes—cold, ruthless—locked on Iden like a scope lining up its mark. Without a word, Kai kicked the man’s legs out. He collapsed at Iden’s feet in a graceless heap. Silence held its breath. Then a weak, hoarse cry spilled from the man’s throat. He trembled, unable to meet Iden’s eyes. “Having fun, Danny?” Angelo’s voice sliced through the stillness, low and mocking as he crouched beside the man. A cruel smile twisted his lips. “Didn’t expect t
“This is the video we pulled,” Angelo said, turning the laptop toward Iden. He hit play. Young Ellaya hurled a glass of wine at Leo. Her voice sliced through the air like a blade. “You sewer rat! You don’t belong here! You should’ve died in the gutter you crawled out of!” Her finger jabbed toward his face, trembling. “You’re dirt-poor—and that’s exactly what you deserve! You should die like the scum you are!” Then, louder—each syllable laced with venom: “You’re poor—and that’s all you’ll ever be. Die in it.” Iden’s jaw locked. He didn’t blink. Couldn’t. His stomach twisted into a slow, suffocating knot. He’d seen this video so many times, it was seared into his memory. Burned in rage. It was the reason he hated her—or tried to. Failed to. But this clip, this moment... it was the beginning of everything. He had sworn over his friend’s grave to destroy her. And he did—masterfully. “She’s yelling at Leo,” Angelo said. “That’s what the clip shows. And we all believ
She smirked as she shoved a stray book off her lap. “You know… you don’t have to be the Don. You can just be who you are.” Iden tilted his head slightly, lips twitching into a faint smile—small, but real. “You’re the only one who gets to say that.” And in that moment—grief shadowing his eyes, the scent of blood still faint on his shirt—he smiled. He rubbed her hair playfully, gently mussing the strands like he used to when they were kids. “Really?” she grinned, sitting cross-legged on her bed. “Okay… if you say so. But I can tell you mine.” She beamed, reaching for a thick leather diary. “I used to keep memos, you know? I’d write down everything I enjoyed. The places I loved, food I liked, people I met. Kinda old school.” Iden sat down beside her, intrigued despite himself. Her glittering eyes—so full of life—reminded him of someone else. Someone who once laughed shyly and smiled like an idiot. Ellaya. His gaze drifted from his sister to the window, where night pressed it
Days passed like smoke—slipping through fingers, vanishing before they could be held. Time didn’t move forward; it bled. Minutes dragged like hours, and weeks collapsed in on themselves. Iden didn’t sleep. He didn’t eat. He sat in silence, trapped in his own mind, spiraling deeper into a storm of memories and questions. The moon became his only witness. Some nights, he watched the stars, others, the rain. Most nights, he simply stared into the void, heart thundering beneath skin that no longer felt like his own. A storm churned in his chest—loud, endless, and hungry. He saw her face in every shadow. Heard her voice in every silence. Her scent still clung to his lungs like smoke from a fire he could never put out. It had been a week since the blast. A week of searching. A week without answers. She wasn’t listed among the dead. But she wasn’t among the living either. She was missing. And Iden knew—deep in the part of his soul that still burned for her—she was alive. Hidi
The room was breathtaking—paneled in dark mahogany, steeped in the scent of old paper and aged wood. Floor-to-ceiling shelves held leather-bound books, their spines gilded and cracked with time. But it was the massive oil painting that stole Ellaya’s breath. A woman with wild purple hair and luminous skin smiled down at them. Her eyes—familiar, haunting—seemed to follow Ellaya across the room. She froze. The resemblance was undeniable. Same striking bone structure. Same purple irises. But the woman in the painting looked lighter—freer. Her smile held none of the weight Ellaya carried. None of the pain. Photos cluttered every surface. In one, the woman stood beside a tall, devastatingly handsome man—mid-laugh, hand wrapped around her waist. Their wedding photo. They looked hopelessly in love. Another showed them cradling a baby. The man's eyes brimmed with pride. The woman’s arms curled around the infant like a shield. The baby… was her. There was no mistaking it. Ellaya stagge
Ellaya didn’t remember when they moved her. One moment, she was in her cell—cracked walls, the stench of sweat and rusted iron, a tray of untouched food rotting in the corner. The next, she woke in hell. Not the metaphorical kind. The real one. The kind where screaming and silence existed in the same breath. Where punishment wasn’t given for madness—it was fed to it. You weren’t treated. You were drowned. The asylum was never quiet. Men laughed at the ceiling. Women whispered to the walls. Eyes followed her—hungry, hollow. Human only in name. She didn’t scream. Didn’t fight. She just watched. Watched them drag limp bodies behind rusted doors marked “TREATMENT.” Watched them come back quieter. Emptier. Sometimes not at all. They said she was dangerous. Deranged. A monster in a pretty shell. She didn’t correct them. Let them think she was mad. Let them forget she existed. At least then, no one expected her to survive. She’d already buried herself inside. What was left to
The room hummed with tension. Blue light from dozens of monitors painted ghostly shapes across Angelo’s office. Cables tangled like veins across the floor, machines blinked like they were breathing. The sharp scent of hot metal, sweat, and cigarette smoke hung thick in the air. “Everything’s set,” Kai reported, voice clipped. “Cameras, medics, chopper in the air. Our men are spread across the asylum. She's walking into the lion’s mouth.” Iden stepped into the room, slow and silent. This was the war room. It looked like one. A place where lives were traded, decisions signed in blood. He moved to the center of the chaos, eyes drawn to the wall of screens. Every angle of the massive asylum flickered in shaky grain. Corridors lined with flickering lights. Rooms filled with twitching shadows—patients, doctors, ghosts. The asylum was a tomb disguised as a hospital. Built on illegal records and rotting experiments. A hellhole. A cover for human trafficking, organ harvesting, un
It had been a week. And their plan—cold, calculated, inhumane—was working.The medication laced into her system had done more than sedate her. It blurred the edges of time, pulling her into hallucinations stitched from trauma and shadows. She saw things that never happened. Heard voices that whispered lies in familiar tones. Faces from the past flickered before her eyes, only to vanish like smoke. And when she spoke, it was to people long gone.Kai gave the daily reports, short and clinical. “She’s deteriorating. Fast. The hallucinations are getting worse.”But Iden, arms folded and gaze fixed on the monitor, wasn’t convinced the drugs were fully to blame. “Or maybe it’s not the meds,” he said quietly. “Maybe it’s just her past… clawing its way out.”“Does it matter?” Kai muttered. “She’s breaking. That’s the goal.”It didn’t sit right with Iden. Nothing about this did. But the truth was, it was working.His eyes locked on the screen in front of him. There she was—sitting on the cold
*If she chooses never to return to your life… you’ll let her go.* The words dug into Iden’s chest like nails, each syllable burrowing beneath skin and bone until all that remained was a hollow ache. His mother's voice echoed long after she was gone, like a ghost haunting the edges of his sanity. He collapsed backward onto the bed, limbs flung carelessly like a marionette with severed strings. His arm dangled limply off the edge. The bedsheet twisted under him, bunching like the knots in his chest. His eyes didn’t move. Not even to blink. "Princess..." The word escaped his lips in a breathless rasp—more of a ghost than a name. *You are my knight in shining armor, my hero.* "I'm not," he choked, barely above a whisper. "I never was." His throat tightened. He swallowed hard, but it didn’t help—the guilt still rose like bile. "I’m the fucking monster, Laaya," he muttered, fist tightening in the bedsheet. "You should’ve avoided me. Hid from me. Run as far as you could."