The temperature in the room seemed to plummet as Knox’s eyes bored into the incriminating image. The air grew thick and difficult to breathe due to the icy chill that seeped from his very pores.His fists clenched tight around the photograph until it abruptly disintegrated into a fine ash that slipped through his fingers to scatter across the floor in a gray haze.Seven watched the display with undisguised amusement dancing in his pale eyes, his lips quirking ever so slightly at the corners. "That picture is misleading. It was taken from a precise angle to make it appear as though Donna was being...intimate with that stranger." He spoke up in his usual mild tones, seemingly unbothered by the tension crackling through the air.“Ouch… that stung like a bee!” Killian's grunt drew their attention. Seven’s head instantly whipped toward direction to see the latter roll himself off the blade that held him stuck to the wall. Killian’s gaze scanned the room, landing on the seething Kn
There was no warmth in Knox’s tone, no hint of the respect and almost filial affection he had once held for this man who had been a mentor and father figure to him through the years. Only an undercurrent of steely menace and a promise of violence should his demands for answers go unmet tonight.The other set of glowing amber eyes seemed to narrow almost imperceptibly, as if their owner could sense the dangerous undercurrents swirling just beneath Knox's stoic exterior, churning like a riptide beneath a deceptively calm surface. Then, after a moment's tense silence that stretched between them like a taut bowstring, a low chuckle drifted through the darkness - rich and indulgent, laced with a hint of sardonic amusement."So it seems, my boy," a deep, cultured voice responded at last, the words seeming to caress the shadows cloaking the room. As if on cue, the bedroom was abruptly flooded with light, causing Knox to narrow his eyes against the harsh glare. There, seated in a high-b
Serena jolted awake to the incessant buzzing of her phone on the nightstand. She groggily reached for it, squinting at the bright screen that seared her sleep-blurred vision. Serena's brow furrowed. Why was her manager calling so early in the morning? "Hello?" she mumbled in a voice still thick and groggy with the remnants of slumber."Oh my god, Serena! Have you seen the news?" Kate's voice was high-pitched with panic on the other end, causing Serena's stomach to clench with a tendril of dread."Seen what news?" She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the lingering cobwebs of sleep clouding her mind as wakefulness slowly seeped back in."There's a video circulating online of you being intimate with some strange man!" Kate babbled in her frantic rush to get them out. "It's going viral as we speak! There are also medical reports of you undergoing a virginity patch three years ago, before you and Alex met, as well as another from the night you were detained. It says that you h
The luxurious black sedan carrying Serena rolled to a smooth stop in front of the imposing wrought-iron gates of the sprawling presidential villa estate. A second gunmetal gray SUV filled with her personal security detail pulled up right behind, the heavily-tinted windows giving no hint of the armed men within. Serena peered out through the rear passenger window, eyeing the security keypad with an unreadable frown creasing her brow. She punched in her entry code, half expecting the numbers to glow green. However, the screen flashed an unmistakable error message."Nothing unexpected..." Serena muttered under her breath, jabbing at the buttons again with more insistent force. Still nothing but that mocking red "ERROR" displayed on the tiny screen as though the system were deliberately taunting her.A shrill alarm began blaring from somewhere within the compound's depths on the third futile attempt.Within seconds, a small army of men in crisp black suits and mirrored sunglasses ca
Mutters of disbelief rippled through the crowd."What the hell? This can't be right...""Son of a bitch, they can't do this!""I've been with the network for fifteen years!"Serena watched the scene with furrowed brows. Every single paparazzo and reporter present had just had the professional rug ripped out from underneath them in one decisive move. As if losing their luxurious media positions wasn't enough of a punishment, they were instantly followed by a series of menacing rumbles coming from the street.The crowd split like a wave when two luxurious black SUVs, armed to the teeth with heavily armed men pulled up to flank Serena's convoy.The reporters watched in stunned silence as the rear hatches opened and a small army of imposing figures piled out, fanning out to surround the entire crowd in a loose semicircle. These weren't the typical rent-a-cops most were accustomed to dealing with - these men were clearly trained military operators. Their icy professionalism and t
Mutters of disbelief rippled through the crowd."What the hell? This can't be right...""Son of a bitch, they can't do this!""I've been with the network for fifteen years!"Serena watched the scene with furrowed brows. Every single paparazzo and reporter present had just had the professional rug ripped out from underneath them in one decisive move. As if losing their luxurious media positions wasn't enough of a punishment, they were instantly followed by a series of menacing rumbles coming from the street.The crowd split like a wave when two luxurious black SUVs, armed to the teeth with heavily armed men pulled up to flank Serena's convoy.The reporters watched in stunned silence as the rear hatches opened and a small army of imposing figures piled out, fanning out to surround the entire crowd in a loose semicircle. These weren't the typical rent-a-cops most were accustomed to dealing with - these men were clearly trained military operators. Their icy professionalism and t
Alex had been in a state of disbelief when Khylie had shown up, waving around a medical report she'd somehow managed to snag from the hospital where Serena had ended up after her wild night out. He had always thought Serena was above that sort of behavior - using her body as a weapon for revenge. But now...His eyes narrowed to slits as the answer suddenly became clear. Indeed, someone had been pulling the strings and filling her head with dangerous delusions of power and entitlement that she could never earn on her own merit. A slow burn of anger began kindling in the pit of his stomach as his gaze raked over Dimitri and the rest of Serena's hulking bodyguards once more with their icy demeanors and telltale bulges of concealed weapons beneath their tailored suits.A cruel smirk twisted Alex's lips when the final piece clicked into place in his mind. "I see it now," he sneered, giving a slow, mocking shake of his head as he looked back towards Serena with undisguised contempt. "The l
Serena’s perfectly manicured finger hit the dial for Jenkins on the phone screen long after they left her father’s villa. "Serena? Jesus, are you okay?" Jenkins' panicked voice exploded from the speaker as soon as he picked up."You saw the videos I assume? With dear old stepmom, Kylie and that snake Alex?" Serena spat with venom. "Yes, God, Serena what were you thinking confronting them like that?" Jenkins sounded exasperated. "Especially with that dobbed sex tape shitstorm everywhere online. You should be lying low, not stirring up more drama!""Those fucking cowards leaked it to sabotage me before I could take them down for what they’d done." Serena erupted, stabbing an accusatory finger toward the empty seat in front of her as if Alex was sitting right there."I figured as much," Jenkins sighed. "Still, just showing up at the estate like that? Your face is all over the internet now. I thought we agreed you'd lie low until we could get ahead of this mess.""Until what?" She clutc