“You need to stop scowling like that,” Noel murmured, standing up on his toes to kiss the side of Vincenzo’s mouth.Vincenzo didn’t react at first. His eyes were still sharp, his arms crossed, muscles flexed like a loaded spring. The glow from the beach party lights flickered in the distance behind them, the music dull against the thrum of his boiling blood.“They touched my fucking club, Noel,” he said through clenched teeth. “That wasn’t just business. That was personal.”“I know,” Noel whispered, his lips brushing against the shell of Vincenzo’s ear. “But this… right now… isn’t about them. You need to breathe. Let me help you.”He leaned in and kissed him again, softer this time, coaxing his lips to move. Slowly, like the pull of the tide, Vincenzo gave in.Noel smiled against his mouth. “There he is…”“You’re playing with fire,” Vincenzo muttered, pulling him closer by the waist.“Then burn me.”Vincenzo let out a low grunt and kissed him back, rougher, deeper, hands clutching the
As they danced, Noel’s eyes flicked across the floor, just for a second…his gaze landed on Vincenzo.Vincenzo sat like a king, shadowed by the dim lighting near the bar, a glass of something dark in his hand, his posture unreadable. But his eyes…They were locked on Silvio Ricci.Silvio was sitting a few feet away, leaned against one of his men, still bruised from the earlier beating. His lip was split, cheekbone darkened with the start of a deep purple swell. Yet his smugness didn’t waver. Not even a little.He raised his glass in a slow toast toward Vincenzo and smirked.Vincenzo didn’t blink. He just tightened his grip on the glass until his knuckles went white.Across the venue, far from the dance floor, Sven sat in a little VIP alcove surrounded by three or four pretty-faced friends, all sipping champagne like they owned the island. His legs were crossed, a perfectly manicured hand lazily resting on his thigh as he whispered something to the girl beside him.The blonde leaned for
Elene sat in her suite, fingers tapping against her wine glass as she watched an encrypted feed on her tablet…Noel on the dance floor, laughing with his friends, Vincenzo’s shadow never too far.She zoomed in. Noel’s lips against Vincenzo’s. Their hands on each other. Intimacy. Trust.Disgusting.Her best friend Cassie twirled her blonde hair beside her, equally absorbed. “You really think that freak Julian can get him back?”Elene smiled slowly. “I don’t need him to get Noel back. I just need him to break them.”Cassie glanced at her. “And if that doesn’t work?”Elene looked down at her phone. A message sat unsent: Plan B is in motion. Be ready.She locked the screen.“Then we go to war.”Meanwhile, across the city, Julian sat in a dark hotel room, lit only by the glow of his phone. He stared at the video…Noel laughing on the beach, twirling around in the sun, happy, unbothered.His thumb hovered over the message Elene had sent. Coordinates. Names. Information.He didn’t need it.He
The knock on the door echoed like a warning.Heavy. Deliberate. Unmistakable.Noel's father, Carlton Laurent, looked up from his glass of brandy. He wasn’t expecting anyone. Not today. And certainly not anyone bold enough to disturb him this early in the evening.“Who the hell…”Before he could finish the sentence, his butler entered, pale and visibly shaken.“Sir… there’s a man here to see you. He says… he says his name is Don Ramon De Luca.”Carlton froze, his glass still halfway to his lips.“…De Luca?”The butler gave a small nod. “He insisted.”Carlton stood slowly, his fingers tightening around the glass. “Show him in.”When Don Ramon De Luca entered, the temperature in the room seemed to drop by ten degrees. He was tall, composed, dressed in a sharp black suit with a long overcoat, his aura cold, commanding.Carlton had never met the man before, but he didn’t need an introduction.This was the lion of New York’s underworld.“Mr. Laurent,” Don Ramon said, his voice low and polis
The sun glinted off the waves, casting golden ripples over the ocean. Noel stood with his feet in the water, letting it rush past his ankles while Aria and Nico splashed each other behind him. Their laughter echoed around, but Noel was lost in thought, his fingers clenched around his phone. He’d been quiet all morning, withdrawn, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed. “You good, babe?” Aria called from behind, brushing her wet curls back as she walked toward him. Before Noel could answer, his phone rang. His breath hitched when he saw the name on the screen. Dad. He hesitated before answering. “What do you want?” he asked, voice low. “You little bastard! You’re just like your mother!” his father’s voice thundered through the phone. Noel flinched. His knuckles went white around the phone. “You think you can just disappear and shame me like this? You better get your ass back home!” “I’m not in the country, Dad,” Noel snapped, louder than he intended. Aria stopped in her tracks. Nico w
The rhythmic crash of waves against the shore played in the background as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. The air was thick with the scent of salt and the distant aroma of grilled seafood from nearby tavernas. Noel stood at the edge of the beach, toes sinking into the cool sand, eyes fixed on the horizon.“We have to go back,” Noel murmured, breaking the tranquil silence.Vincenzo, lounging on a beach chair beside him, turned his gaze toward Noel, studying the tension in his posture. “Back?”Noel nodded, swallowing hard. “Tomorrow evening. I need to face my father.”A heavy pause settled between them. The distant laughter of Aria and Nico, engaged in their playful antics, seemed to fade into the background.Vincenzo rose, closing the distance between them. “Are you sure about this?”Noel’s eyes met his, a storm of emotions swirling within. “I don’t have a choice.”Vincenzo’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Then we leave tomorrow.”A sudden
Noel sat curled in the corner of the jet’s plush couch, knees pulled to his chest, a thick blanket wrapped around him even though the cabin wasn’t cold. His face was pale, eyes red-rimmed and unfocused as they stared blankly out the window at the dark stretch of ocean below.Vincenzo sat across from him, elbows on his knees, hands clenched into fists. His shirt was stained with blood…Ezra’s. His jaw twitched as he watched Noel, silent, helpless, seething.Nico sat beside Noel, rubbing his back gently, whispering things only he could hear.Aria sat on the floor near the couch, her legs crossed, staring straight ahead. Her fists were clenched. Her earrings swung with every tiny tremble of her body. “I should’ve followed him. He was gone too long. I should’ve…fuck.”Lucas stood near the cockpit, arms folded, head low. Guilt clouded his expression. “This was on all of us.”“No,” Vincenzo growled finally. “It was on me.”Noel blinked slowly, like he hadn’t even realized they were speaking.
“Noel,” Vincenzo’s voice was low, dark, and dangerous as he kicked the penthouse door open, carrying Noel in his arms like he weighed nothing. The door slammed shut behind them with a finality that sent a chill down Noel’s spine.“You’re safe now,” Vincenzo growled, striding through the shadows of the luxurious space, lit only by the flickering city lights bleeding in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. “No more running. No more hiding. You’re mine.”He laid Noel on the bed with an unexpected gentleness, brushing hair from his flushed face. Noel was trembling, still hazy, drugged, but his eyes found Vincenzo’s, glassy and wanting.“Don’t leave,” he whispered. “Please… stay.”Vincenzo turned to go…but Noel’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, tight. “Stay,” Noel said again, voice cracking. “I need you.”Vincenzo stilled. His jaw clenched.“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he said, voice guttural.“I do.”Vincenzo’s control shattered.He climbed on top of Noel in one smooth,
The opera house ruins loomed like a carcass in the night.Fog curled over the broken steps, swallowing the splintered marble columns and shattered stained glass windows.The SUVs crawled to a silent stop a block away.Vincenzo sat in the backseat, staring out the tinted window.Beside him, Noel shifted, his legs bouncing with nervous energy he couldn't suppress.Lucas spoke first, keeping his voice low. "Visual confirmation. Ten of their men outside. Unmarked vans. Heavily armed."Vincenzo nodded once. "Positions?""East and west entrances covered. Main hall's open." Lucas paused. "But it's a kill box. They want to herd us through it."Vincenzo’s lips curved into something that wasn't a smile."They think we're that stupid."Lucas shrugged one shoulder. "They think you're desperate."Vincenzo leaned back, turning his head toward Noel."You ready?"Noel swallowed hard, nodding."I'm not leaving without them," he said."You won’t have to."Noel hesitated. "You’re not either."Vincenzo r
The room was dark, save for the low orange glow of the antique lamp on the bedside table.Vincenzo lay on his side, arms locked tight around Noel, feeling the slow, soft rise and fall of his chest against his own.For the first time in what felt like eternity, it was peaceful.Warm.Real.He buried his nose in Noel’s hair, breathing in the soft scent of him…clean, faintly like vanilla. His heart tightened. If he could, he would stay like this forever. No wars. No blood. No betrayals.Just them.His phone buzzed, sharp against the silence.Vincenzo cursed under his breath and reached over Noel’s sleeping form for it.The screen read: Elene Ricci.His jaw flexed.He carefully shifted out of bed, covering Noel with the heavy comforter, and padded across the ridiculously large bedroom Isadora had given them. It was nearly the size of his penthouse master suite. Gilded mirrors, marble floors, velvet drapes that made no sound even as they swayed with the wind.He answered on the third buzz.
The house was eerie silent.Olivia tiptoed across Carlton’s velvet-carpeted study, her heels long discarded in the hallway. Her pulse was a silent drumbeat in her throat.She had five minutes. Maybe less.She opened the drawer she’d memorized during one of his drunken rants. Bottom right, third file in.Her fingers brushed past forged deeds, bank routing numbers, old court records..and then..“Bingo,” she whispered.The black envelope was thick. Sealed in wax. Labeled: Transfer of Ownership – Laurent Holdings.Olivia smiled. “Oh, baby, you just bought me that Santorini yacht.”She stuffed the file into her large purse and glanced around.“Maybe I’ll even learn how to mix cocktails and dance barefoot. Far, far away from this old, greedy bastard.”She turned.And froze.Carlton was standing in the doorway, shirt half-unbuttoned, a vein pulsing in his temple.His voice was low and venomous. “What the fuck are you doing?”Olivia blinked. “Darling, I was just…”He stormed forward.She tuck
The city hadn’t slept since the Ricci ambush failed.Vincenzo hadn’t slept since Noel was taken.He stood shirtless on the De Luca balcony, wind clawing at his back, a storm pressing against the sky like a held breath. The city lights blinked below, but his eyes didn’t move from the distant hills.“Boss,” Lucas said behind him, voice tight.Vincenzo didn’t turn.“They’ve confirmed it. The Saturns took Noel.”“And his mother?”Lucas nodded slowly. “She’s the one who ordered it. Not a scratch on him. It was surgical.”Vincenzo’s knuckles whitened on the railing. “Where?”“We’re narrowing it down. Five possible estates. No known layout. No confirmed guards. Total ghost territory.”“I’m going in.”“You can’t.”“I will.”Lucas sighed. “I’ve already sent men. But boss…this isn’t like Ricci. The Saturns don’t play loud. They make you bleed in silence.”“I’m not afraid of silence. I’m afraid of losing him.”Inside a black Rolls Royce weaving through the outskirts of the city, Noel sat in sile
The sky over the De Luca estate was a brooding slate of ash and violet.Thunder threatened. The kind of weather that promised something was about to break.Vincenzo stood in the center of the war room with Lucas, Gianni, and three of his top captains. A map of the city lit up beneath their hands.“The Riccis are moving fast. Elene’s taken command and she’s already rerouting the surviving factions to close in by dawn,” Gianni said, his voice tight.Lucas added, “The Saturns are ghosting. Not a single movement. Which makes them even more dangerous.”“She’s planning something,” Vincenzo muttered.“Smart woman,” one of the men scoffed.“She’s my problem,” Vincenzo said sharply. “You worry about the Riccis.”The room fell silent.Vincenzo turned away, his fingers twitching toward the gun strapped beneath his blazer.Outside, Noel stood in the hallway, listening through the slightly cracked door.He wasn’t supposed to hear.But he needed to.He needed to know what kind of monster he’d falle
Noel woke up alone.The sheets were soft. The pillows cold. The room was luxurious…too quiet, too untouched. Not the De Luca estate. A private hotel suite, high above the city.His throat burned. His ribs ached.And Vincenzo was nowhere in sight.He sat up slowly, hand clutching the sheets. Dried blood still clung to the side of his neck, his wrists ached from the rope burns.He walked barefoot to the tall windows. Outside, the city looked too peaceful.But peace never lasted in his world.At the De Luca estate, Don Ramon’s phone rang. Private line. One of only three people had the number.He picked up, silent.The voice on the other end was cold silk.“I warned your son, Don Ramon.”His jaw tensed.“That boy he stole from me... you should’ve told him to stay out of Saturn affairs. But now, blood will answer blood.”“You dare threaten my family?”“I don’t threaten. I vow. Your empire is crumbling, and you’re too old to rebuild it. When I’m done, Vincenzo will have nothing left to blee
The city wasn’t quiet.It breathed under the weight of chaos…gunmetal skies bleeding into high-rises, smoke from a dozen fires coiling over rooftops like promises.And Vincenzo couldn’t sleep.He was perched on the edge of his mattress in the De Luca estate, gun in one hand, Noel’s scent still on his skin. But the sheets were cold.Noel wasn’t beside him.He hadn’t been for two days.Lucas entered, silent as ever, but even he didn’t try to mask the tension tonight.“They moved him again.”Vincenzo’s hand tightened around the Glock. “Where?”“The Saturns are ghosts. But there’s talk. A private estate north of the valley.”“You’re sure?”Lucas shook his head. “I’m never sure when it comes to them.”Vincenzo stood. Shirtless. Bruised. Hair loose, shadowing his face.“I’m going.”“Alone?”“You think they’ll let me bring an army?”Lucas said nothing. Just walked forward and slipped something into his pocket.A photo.Noel. Barely 17. Eyes too wide. Smile too small.“I found this in his thi
“Take him. The others are disposable.”The Saturns didn’t waste bullets. They fired with precision…one, two, three of Vittorio’s guards dropped like broken dolls. Blood sprayed across the gravel. Vittorio lunged, dragging himself behind a rusted barrel, breath wheezing, pain biting through his shoulder.He gritted his teeth. The boy had been taken.Good riddance.Let the Saturns deal with him now. He’d served his purpose.Vittorio clutched his bleeding shoulder, dragged himself across the gravel toward the treeline, heart pounding, rage boiling in his gut.Silvio was dead.His legacy, gone.But he wasn’t. Not yet. He’d claw his way back, and when he did, every single De Luca…and that bastard Noel…would drown in it.Inside the Saturn vehicle, silence hummed like electricity.Noel sat pressed against the window, jaw clenched, trying to control the shaking in his hands. His ears still rang with gunfire.The man in the passenger seat was large, immaculately dressed, quiet.The divider low
The De Luca estate lit up under the veil of midnight like a beast prepared for slaughter.12:03 AM.The first gunshot tore through the silence.Lucas was already in position, crouched by the north wing balcony, a sniper rifle balanced on his shoulder. His comms crackled."Contact. North gate.""Copy that," Vincenzo’s voice came sharp in his ear. "Initiate lockdown."Security alarms buzzed in short, silent pulses. Hidden gates slammed shut. Armed men moved into position. This wasn’t a defense. This was an ambush.Inside, Vincenzo snapped a magazine into place and turned to Noel."You stay in the master study. Don’t come out unless I come get you."Noel’s jaw tightened. "I’m not hiding.""You’re not dying either.""Vincenzo—"He kissed him hard, then shoved a handgun into his palm. "One in the chamber. You only shoot if it’s not one of us."Lucas’s voice cut in again. "They're breaching the south wall.""Let them in."---The estate's outer garden exploded in a flash of light as mines l