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Chapter 65 - A Scandal Unfolds
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ:
2025-04-12 19:18:04
Tabitha #scandal #game #unfolds
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The Devil's Game   Chapter 66 - Media Frenzy
He set the envelope down, fingers tightening against the edges. "Youâre playing a dangerous game," he murmured.Ayra tilted her head. "Am I?"He didnât answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back, assessing her with a careful, measured look. "What exactly are you trying to accomplish here?"She smiled, but there was no warmth behind it. "Thatâs for Lucian to figure out, isnât it?"A beat of silence. Then:"You want me to do something with this."Ayra reached for her wine glass again, swirling the liquid absently. "I want it to be known," she said simply. "I want the world to talk."Nico exhaled, setting the envelope down as if it were something poisonous. "You do realize that if I take this to him, youâll regret it?"Ayraâs gaze sharpened."Iâll regret nothing," she said quietly.Another silence stretched between them.Finally, Nico let out a slow, resigned breath. "You really donât care if he burns everything down over this, do you? And by the way, it's practically impossible for him
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-12The Devil's Game   Chapter 68 - Unintended consequences
The silence gnawed at Ayra.For all her careful orchestrationâfor the balcony appearances with tousled hair and artful smudges of lipstick, for the planted photographs handed to Nico, for the media blitz that followedâLucian had yet to respond. No message. No confrontation. No fury.No presence.Ayra wandered through the silent halls of the manor like a ghost in her own haunting. It had been two days since she fed the flames of the scandal herself, tipping the scales and watching Lucianâs pristine, untouchable image buckle under the weight of betrayal. It had spread like wildfireâfirst, the hushed reveal of their secret marriage, then the carefully timed photos of her supposed affair with Leon. The media had eaten it up, ravenous for every scandalous morsel.The silence that followed was not relief.It was strange, like waiting for an earthquake after watching the ground crack beneath her feet. She expected retaliation, the burn of his fury, maybe even for Lucian to return and demand
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-04-12The Devil's Game   Chapter 1 - Selling of Ayra Russo
The view from the high-rise office should have been breathtaking. The sprawling city bathed in the golden glow of sunset, endless skyscrapers reaching for the heavens and a russet color smeared across the sky. But all Ayra Russo could feel was the tightening grip of dread in her chest, threatening to suffocate her. The pristine glass windows felt like a cage, trapping her in a decision she didnât fully understand.Despite the warm air spilling from the conditioning unit, the room was cold - far too cold.Her father sat across the table, his hands trembling slightly as he pushed a crisp sheet of paper toward her. His voice wavered as he spoke. âIt... is for the best, Ayra. Youâll be taken care of. This... this is your chance at a better life.âAyra felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes and clutched the hem of her coat tightly.She scanned her father's face for any shred of remorse - any sign that he regretted what he was doing - but his face was stoic and stern, his eyes glinting
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-10-19The Devil's Game   Chapter 2 - Testing Boundaries
The days after blurred together into one long stretch of misery. Ayra caught no sight of either her sister or her father during the next three days, secluded as she was in her corner of their mansion. The absence of Lisbeth she could deal with - her elder sister was not the most likable of people - but the fact that her father had all but abandoned her twisted her insides in hate and loathing.Occasionally her thoughts turned to Lucian and her impending... Wedding, as it were. She also couldnât stop replaying the cold certainty in his voice, the way he had claimed her without a second thought, as if her life was nothing more than another business deal to him. It terrified her more than she cared to admit, and while she didn't hold much of an idealized view of her marriage, she did not want it to be... This. She'd spent hours upon hours poring over the contract, studying every word, every clause futilely, just because she refused to sit on her ass and cry like a little girl. The le
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-10-19The Devil's Game   Chapter 3 - Lucian's Isa
The sleek black car hummed quietly as it sped along the highway, the city lights casting fleeting shadows across Ayraâs face. She sat stiffly in the backseat, her arms crossed tightly, eyes staring blankly out the window. Her father sat beside her, his face set in a stern, unreadable expression.For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was suffocating, thick with unspoken anger and confusion. âI donât understand why you did this,â her father finally broke the silence, his voice low and filled with disappointment. âDo you have any idea what youâve risked? What youâve put at stake?âAyra didnât respond at first. She continued staring out of the window, her heart pounding as she tried to contain her emotions. She clenched her fists in her lap, her knuckles turning white as a mix of shame and frustration churned in her gut. Getting caught was all part of her plan, yes, but confronting her father was still decidedly uncomfortable. She thought it would be Lisbeth who
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-10-19The Devil's Game   Chapter 4 - Ayra's Despair
The cold hit Ayra hard as she was dragged back into the mansion, but it was nothing compared to the chill in her chest.Her fatherâs iron grip on her arm, his men trailing like shadows, and the oppressive silence, crushed her.She didnât cry. Didnât scream. She wanted them to believe she'd spent all her fight in her escape attempt. Now she was a shell of the determination she once carried. The mansion loomed in the dark like a silent judge. Its halls, so familiar, felt foreign and sterile.She barely registered her fatherâs clipped, furious whispers to the guards. All she could feel was the weight pressing down on her. Oh, she knew the escape attempt would have failed - she had planned for it to fail, after all, as her father was simply too cunning a fox that a singular attempt would see her free - but perhaps deep down inside her, she had wished he would have let her go. Just... turned a blind eye. The days blurred into a suffocating haze of monotony. Ayraâs room was no longer her
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-11-20The Devil's Game   Chapter 5 - Pushing Buttons
Lisbeth leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed in that haughty way Ayra had come to despise.She looked immaculate, of course, her dress tailored to perfection, every strand of hair in its rightful place.Ayra, in her hastily thrown on clothes and with an aura of depression she couldnât shake, felt a fresh wave of resentment.Lisbeth had always been good at making her feel small without even trying - or maybe she was trying, all the time.Anyway, the point stood; Ayra did not like Lisbeth one bit.âI see captivity hasnât done much for your style, little sis,â Lisbeth began, her tone dripping with mock sympathy."Honestly, I thought youâd at least attempt to look presentable. But I suppose itâs hard to care when you're only so so.âAyra clenched her fists, the nails biting into her palms. Donât react, she chanted within her mind. Donât give her anything. Sheâs waiting for you to snap. As she always did. But Lisbeth wasnât one to settle for silence. She pushed off the doorframe
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-11-21The Devil's Game   Chapter 6 - Aunt Eleanor
Ayraâs heart sank. âYou... what?ââOh, come on,â Lisbeth rolled her eyes. âItâs not that shocking. And I simply must tell you, Lucian was a dream to work with. A man like that? He saw the opportunity right away. All I had to do was paint you as someone who could beâĶ easily shaped.â"Lisbeth, I..." Ayra struggled to find words. "Do you truly hate me so much?"âOf course,â Lisbeth said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. âAnd by the way, someone had to make the hard decisions around here, and we all know you werenât going to. Honestly, you should be thanking me. If it werenât for my little nudges, youâd still be floundering around with absolutely no direction in life.ââDirection?â Ayra spat. âYou mean being sold off like some business asset? Thatâs your idea of a direction?âLisbeth waved a dismissive hand. âOh, donât be so dramatic. No one sold you off. Don't make it sound so horrible.Itâs securing the familyâs future. And letâs face itâyou were always the weak link.
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2024-11-22
āļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ
The Devil's Game   Chapter 68 - Unintended consequences
The silence gnawed at Ayra.For all her careful orchestrationâfor the balcony appearances with tousled hair and artful smudges of lipstick, for the planted photographs handed to Nico, for the media blitz that followedâLucian had yet to respond. No message. No confrontation. No fury.No presence.Ayra wandered through the silent halls of the manor like a ghost in her own haunting. It had been two days since she fed the flames of the scandal herself, tipping the scales and watching Lucianâs pristine, untouchable image buckle under the weight of betrayal. It had spread like wildfireâfirst, the hushed reveal of their secret marriage, then the carefully timed photos of her supposed affair with Leon. The media had eaten it up, ravenous for every scandalous morsel.The silence that followed was not relief.It was strange, like waiting for an earthquake after watching the ground crack beneath her feet. She expected retaliation, the burn of his fury, maybe even for Lucian to return and demand
The Devil's Game   Chapter 66 - Media Frenzy
He set the envelope down, fingers tightening against the edges. "Youâre playing a dangerous game," he murmured.Ayra tilted her head. "Am I?"He didnât answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back, assessing her with a careful, measured look. "What exactly are you trying to accomplish here?"She smiled, but there was no warmth behind it. "Thatâs for Lucian to figure out, isnât it?"A beat of silence. Then:"You want me to do something with this."Ayra reached for her wine glass again, swirling the liquid absently. "I want it to be known," she said simply. "I want the world to talk."Nico exhaled, setting the envelope down as if it were something poisonous. "You do realize that if I take this to him, youâll regret it?"Ayraâs gaze sharpened."Iâll regret nothing," she said quietly.Another silence stretched between them.Finally, Nico let out a slow, resigned breath. "You really donât care if he burns everything down over this, do you? And by the way, it's practically impossible for him
The Devil's Game   Chapter 65 - A Scandal Unfolds
She told herself it was necessary, what she was doing.But in the past few days, something inside her twisted in ways she couldnât quite name.It was easy enough to play the role, to smirk when she needed to, to let her fingers trail over the stem of a wine glass as if she had all the time in the world. But every time she stepped onto that balcony, feigning the remnants of an intimate encounter, a part of her coiled tight in discomfort.Lucian had done nothing but let her fester in silence, leaving her with no choice but to force his hand. She needed him to reactâto do something. If he wanted to play the game of indifference, she would break that facade piece by piece.And yet, she hated that it had come to this.That she had to use someone else just to make herself seen.At night, when the estate was quiet, she would stand by the mirror in her room, staring at her own reflection as if it held the answers.What did she expect Lucian to do?What did she want him to do?She wasnât sure a
The Devil's Game   Chapter 64 - The Slow UnravelingÂ
Ayra led Leon into her chambers with steady steps, her fingers brushing against his arm in a way that suggested intimacy. Yet as she stepped over the threshold, a quiet revulsion coiled deep in her stomach.The thought of him hereâof his presence in this spaceâleft a bitter taste in her mouth.Still, she had to see this through.She glanced at the walls, at the high corners of the ceiling. She suspected Lucian had placed surveillance somewhere in the house. That would explain his silenceâhis patience. Heâs waiting for proof. Waiting to see if she would really go through with it.Fine.If he needed proof, she would give it to him.Leon, oblivious to the storm brewing inside her, exhaled a slow breath as he stepped into the room. "You know," he murmured, turning to face her, "I wasnât expecting this tonight."She forced a small smile. "Change of plans."He studied her for a moment, his gaze dark, his amusement barely concealed. "And here I thought you enjoyed the chase.""I do." She cros
The Devil's Game   Chapter 63 - The Illusion of More
The game unfolded slowly, piece by piece, each move carefully placed on the board.It started with simple meetingsâcasual, almost meaningless to an outsider. Ayra and Leon continued their rendezvous in high-end cafÃĐs, lounges with dim lighting, and restaurants tucked away in discreet corners of the city. They never once met at the same place twice. That alone was enough to stir whispers among those who paid attention.She ensured Lucianâs men saw them. She played her part well, letting moments linger, leaning in a fraction closer than necessary despite the roiling in her gut, letting a smirk or a laugh escape at the right moments. There was no real intimacy, but to anyone watching, it didnât matter. The illusion had begun to take root.And then, she took the next step.She invited Leon to the house.It was a slow escalation, deliberate in every way.The game unfolded over two weeks, methodical and deliberate. Ayra knew the power of suggestion, the weight of unspoken words, and the way
The Devil's Game   Chapter 62 - Playing with Fire
The message came just before dinner.Leon: Had a great time chatting today. Wouldnât mind another roundâthis time, somewhere quieter?Ayra sat back on the plush sofa of her sitting room, twirling the phone in her fingers. She had been expecting him to reach out. Encouraging it, even. Yet, staring at the message, she hesitated. The line between playing a game and getting caught in it was dangerously thin.But Lucian had yet to react to anything sheâd done. Not the staff replacement, not the disorder sheâd caused in the estate, not even her blatant attempts to provoke him. He remained distant, untouchable, as though she didnât even exist. It burned.Maybe this would be the thing to get under his skin.She typed her response carefully.Ayra: I wouldnât mind that. Where do you suggest?His reply came within moments.Leon: I know a private lounge near the East District. Great wine, even better company.She smiled faintly. He was charming, smooth. Just enough to make this easier.Ayra: Send
The Devil's Game   Chapter 61 - Another Phase
The afternoon sun cast a golden glow over the city as Ayra stepped out of the car, the sleek black vehicle blending seamlessly with the polished luxury of the district. The streets here were lined with designer boutiques, private lounges, and high-end cafÃĐsâplaces that oozed exclusivity, where only the elite could afford to linger. It was the kind of setting she had been raised in for the later part of her life, yet now, standing before one of the finest cafÃĐs in the city, she felt strangely like an outsider.The cafÃĐ, Bellaria, was known for its privacy and refinement. It wasnât a place for loud conversation or rushed meetings; here, the rich came to drink imported coffee, discuss business, and subtly flaunt their power. It was exactly the kind of place Lucian would be seen in.That was part of the reason she had come.Ayra pushed open the glass door, a small bell chiming above her head. Inside, the space was decorated in dark wood and gold, the air rich with the scent of roasted co
The Devil's Game   Chapter 60 - A Thorn in His Side
Nico stepped into Lucianâs office, the weight of his report pressing down on him. The room was dimly lit, the glow of the evening cityscape filtering through the large windows behind the man seated at the desk. Lucian didnât look up immediately, his attention fixed on the documents before him, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the polished wood.âSpeak,â Lucian said, his voice low, controlled.Nico took a slow breath before delivering the news. âItâs about Ayra.âLucianâs fingers stilled. He finally looked up, his expression unreadable. âWhat did she do now?ââSheâs replaced the staff.âSilence.Lucian leaned back in his chair, studying Nico with an eerie calm. âCome again?âNicoâs jaw tightened. âShe fired the entire estate staff. Threw them out and replaced them with her own people. None of the original staff are left. Worse, they refuse to return.âLucianâs gaze snapped up. âRefuse?âNico hesitated, then nodded. âTheyâre scared, boss.âLucian scoffed, leaning back in his cha
The Devil's Game   Chapter 59 - Come to Talk
By the time the dust settled, the house was eerily quiet.The last of the protesting staff had been escorted off the premises, their voices still ringing in Ayraâs ears.The replacement staff stood awkwardly near the foyer, waiting for orders. But Ayra had none to give.She should have felt victorious.She had made her statement. She had taken control.But all she felt was exhaustion.The butler was the only one who hadnât been forcibly removed. He still stood by the staircase, arms clasped behind his back. Unlike the others, he hadnât fought. He hadnât shouted.And that made him all the more annoying.Ayra met his gaze, a strange tension hanging between them.âYouâre still here,â she observed.âI am,â he replied.âI told you to leave.ââYou told them to leave,â he said with an insipid little look on his eye. âBut you did not fire me.âAyra exhaled through her nose. âDo you really think Lucian would let me? Would he be happy if I did so?âThe butler smiled slightly, but it was devoid o
