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Crimson 28
Last Updated:
2025-02-14 00:13:25
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The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 1
The warm rays of the Italian sun caressed my skin as I walked through the gardens, the vibrant blooms swaying gently in the breeze. To anyone else, this might have been paradise—a private villa on the outskirts of Milan, sprawling gardens that seemed to stretch forever, and the undeniable luxury of a life untouched by struggle. But to me, it was a cage. A beautiful, gilded cage, but a cage nonetheless.I stopped near the edge of the fountain, the sound of trickling water mingling with the distant chirping of birds. It was peaceful here, but peace was something I had never truly felt. There was always the weight of expectations pressing down on me, a suffocating reminder that no matter how far I wandered in this vast estate, I could never escape the invisible chains that bound me to my family’s name.I reached down to touch a rose, its petals soft against my fingertips. Even flowers like these seemed freer than I was. They could bloom without anyone watching their every move, without s
Last Updated : 2025-01-23The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 2
The dining room was breathtaking, as it always was during these gatherings. The chandelier hanging above the long, polished table sparkled like stars, casting its golden glow across plates of meticulously arranged food. Crystal glasses caught the light, reflecting it back like diamonds. It was a picture of elegance and wealth, but for me, it might as well have been a stage.I sat beside my father, just as I was supposed to, my back straight and my hands folded neatly in my lap. My dress was perfect, my makeup flawless, and my smile faint but polite—everything expected of the daughter of Giovanni Moretti. I was the picture of control, but inside, I felt completely out of place.Around the table sat some of the most powerful men in the Italian mafia, all engrossed in conversations about territory disputes, smuggling routes, and alliances. They spoke in low, serious tones, their words dripping with power and tension. Occasionally, they would glance my way, offering a polite nod or a half
Last Updated : 2025-01-23The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 3
The air in the underground meeting room felt colder than usual. It wasn’t because of the Moscow winter but because of the man standing at the head of the long, metal table. Damian Volkov, heir to the Russian Bratva, didn’t need to shout to make his presence known. His cold, piercing blue eyes were enough to silence a room, and the men seated before him knew better than to speak without his permission.The room was dimly lit, with a single light casting shadows across the table. Damian stood, tall and unmoving, his sharp features set in a mask of calm authority. He rarely sat during these meetings. Sitting implied comfort, and comfort wasn’t something he allowed in moments like this.“Speak,” he said, his voice low but firm.The men glanced at one another nervously. No one wanted to be the first to talk, but the silence only made the tension worse. Finally, Mikhail, one of Damian’s most trusted lieutenants, cleared his throat.“There’s been movement near our eastern border,” Mikhail sa
Last Updated : 2025-01-28The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 4
The mansion was silent, the kind of silence that felt heavy and alive. Damian Volkov stood alone in his study, staring out at the snow-covered grounds of his estate. The night was calm, but his mind was anything but. No matter how many years had passed, the memories always returned when the quiet stretched too long.On his desk sat a small locket, simple and worn. Damian’s fingers brushed over the cold metal as he picked it up. Slowly, he opened it to reveal a faded photograph of his parents—his mother’s warm smile and his father’s proud, steady gaze. For a moment, the mask of control Damian wore so well cracked. The memories he worked so hard to bury surged forward, dragging him back to the night that had changed everything.---It had been a warm summer evening, though the heat felt stifling in the backseat of the sleek black car. Damian was fifteen, sitting beside his mother as the vehicle cruised down a quiet road on the outskirts of Moscow. His father, Chael Volkov, sat in the fr
Last Updated : 2025-01-28The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 5
I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. The woman I saw wasn’t someone I recognized. She was a woman who had no say in her own life, whose future had been decided by others. A woman whose entire world had just crumbled around her.It was hard to believe what had just happened, what my father had announced. My heart was still racing, my mind reeling. Damian Volkov. I was supposed to marry him. The heir to the Russian Bratva.The words echoed in my head, drowning out everything else. Marriage. Damian Volkov. It was like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.The meeting had been brief, almost clinical, as if my father was discussing the weather rather than the fact that he was offering me up as a pawn to the Volkov family. Giovanni Moretti, the man I had always looked up to, the man who was supposed to protect me, was throwing me into this arrangement like I was nothing more than a tool.A tool for power. A tool to seal a truce with the Bratva.How could he do this to me
Last Updated : 2025-01-28The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 6
I stood at the entrance of the dining room, my stomach twisting into tight knots. I had hoped this day would never come, or maybe, somewhere deep down, I had known it was inevitable. The reality of it was like a weight pressing on my chest, harder to bear with every passing second.The large dining room was already filled with the usual family and close associates—people who were here for business as much as for family. The familiar faces were now strangers to me, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at any of them. My father, Giovanni Moretti, was seated at the head of the table, his posture as commanding as ever. His eyes met mine as I stepped inside, and though he smiled at me, it didn’t reach his eyes. His smile was calculated, just like everything else he did.“Isabella,” he greeted me in his usual calm voice, “Come, sit.”I forced my legs to move, but every step felt heavier than the last. I sat down at my designated place beside my father, trying to look composed, but inside, I
Last Updated : 2025-01-28The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 7
The chandelier above me sparkled like thousands of tiny stars, casting shimmering reflections across the grand ballroom. Everything about this engagement gala was designed to impress—the towering floral arrangements, the golden accents on the tables, the soft sound of a live orchestra filling the air. It was breathtaking. And yet, I couldn’t breathe. My dress, a stunning emerald-green gown, felt like a cage wrapped around me, its fabric clinging to my skin as if it wanted to suffocate me. The guests—powerful men and elegant women from both the Moretti and Volkov families—moved around the room like pieces on a chessboard, exchanging pleasantries, shaking hands, making deals hidden beneath polite smiles. This was not a celebration of love. It was a performance. A performance I wanted no part in. I stood beside my father, Giovanni Moretti, who greeted each guest with the confidence of a man who ruled his world. To his right was him—Damian Volkov. My fiancé. The man I had been forced
Last Updated : 2025-02-13The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 8
The cold night air stung my skin as we sped away from the burning remains of my engagement gala. My heart was still pounding, my hands shaking. The echoes of gunfire and screaming guests rang in my ears, refusing to fade. My emerald-green gown, once pristine, was now torn and stained with blood—some of it mine, but most of it not. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I had known this engagement was built on politics, on power. But I never expected a war to erupt in the middle of my engagement party. Whoever sent those assassins didn’t just want to disrupt the event. They wanted to kill us. I turned my head to Damian, who sat beside me in the backseat of the car, his sharp jaw clenched, his piercing blue eyes fixed on the road ahead. He looked completely calm, as if this were just another business meeting gone wrong. How could he be so unaffected? I swallowed hard and forced out a question. “Do you know who they were?” Damian didn’t look at me. “No.” I narrowed my eyes. “A
Last Updated : 2025-02-13
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The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 28
I never trusted Petrov. From the moment he first appeared, warning me about things I barely understood, I knew there was more to him than he let on. But after everything I’d learned about Damian—about his past, his sister—I couldn’t shake the feeling that Petrov knew more than he was telling me. And now, he was offering me answers. At a price. I met him in a quiet café on the outskirts of the city, far from Damian’s territory. It was a risk meeting him alone, but if I had brought anyone with me, he might not have spoken at all. Petrov sat in the corner, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. He looked different from the last time I saw him—less composed, more worn down. The years of whatever war he had been fighting were starting to show. “Isabella Volkov,” he greeted, his lips twisting into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Or should I say, the woman foolish enough to love a Volkov?” I stiffened. “I never said I loved him.” Petrov chuckled. “No, you didn’t. But you’re
The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 27
The bruises on my wrists had started to fade, but the feeling of helplessness still clung to me like a second skin. I stood in front of the mirror in my room, staring at the faint purple marks left by the ropes that had bound me. My kidnappers had underestimated me, but I knew the truth—I had been lucky. Lucky that I managed to free myself. Lucky that Damian had found me in time. Lucky that I was still breathing. But luck wouldn’t always be on my side. For days after my kidnapping, I felt the shift in how people looked at me. The whispers, the wary glances from the staff, even Nikolai’s careful tone when he spoke to me—it all pointed to one thing. I wasn’t just Isabella anymore. I was Isabella Volkov. I had no choice in the matter. The moment I was dragged into Damian’s world, my name became more than just a name—it became a target. And if I wanted to survive, I had to stop relying on luck. I had to learn how to fight back. I found Damian in his office, sitting behind his m
The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 26
I should have known something was wrong the moment I stepped out of the building. The meeting had ended without issue, and Damian had stayed behind to discuss last-minute business. I had insisted on waiting in the car, wanting to get some fresh air after being trapped in a room full of intimidating men. The street was quiet—too quiet. The driver stood near the car, checking his phone, while one of Damian’s men, Nikolai, leaned against the passenger door. I wasn’t alone. I should have been safe. And yet, the moment I walked past the alleyway beside the building, I felt it—an eerie prickle at the back of my neck. I turned my head slightly, catching movement in my peripheral vision. A dark figure lurking in the shadows. My stomach tightened. “Nikolai,” I started, but I never got to finish. Pain exploded at the back of my skull as something hard struck me. My vision blurred. My legs buckled beneath me, and I barely registered the strong arms catching me before I collapsed. I strugg
The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 25
I told myself it didn’t mean anything. It was a mistake—just a fleeting moment, a lapse in judgment. But every time I closed my eyes, I could still feel the way his lips crushed against mine, the heat of his body pressing into me, the way the air had vanished between us as if the world had stopped turning. And yet, Damian was pretending it never happened. It started with an argument. Of course, it did. I had spent the entire day trying to shake off the memory of what happened in the car after the business meeting. Something had shifted between us, something neither of us had acknowledged, and I hated the way it made me feel—off-balance, uncertain. Damian, on the other hand, seemed determined to act as if nothing had changed. He had barely spoken to me since we got back. If anything, he had been avoiding me. And that irritated me more than it should have. So when I found him in his office that evening, pouring himself a drink, I didn’t hesitate. “You’ve been ignoring me,” I a
The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 24
The air between us had changed. It wasn’t warm, not by any means. Damian still carried that coldness, that sharp edge, like he was always prepared to strike first. But something was different. There was a quiet understanding now, an unspoken truce. I wasn’t sure when it had happened—maybe that night when I found him haunted by nightmares, or maybe when he let me stay instead of pushing me away. Whatever it was, it wasn’t just in my head. I could feel it in the way his gaze lingered a second longer than necessary, in the way he no longer snapped at me as quickly as before. But just because we had reached some kind of fragile peace didn’t mean he suddenly trusted me. So when he told me I was coming with him on a business trip, I knew it wasn’t out of kindness. “You’ll stay quiet and let me handle everything,” Damian said as we sat in the back of the sleek black car, heading toward the private airstrip. “I don’t need you making this more complicated than it already is.” I crossed m
The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 23
Damian hasn’t spoken to me in days. After our last fight, he shut down completely. He wasn’t just cold—he was absent. At first, I told myself that it didn’t matter. I had no reason to care. He had made it clear that his past was off-limits, and I had no right to pry. Maybe I should have listened. Maybe I should have just walked away. But I couldn’t. Not after what I had read in Nadia’s journal. Not after seeing the way Damian had looked at me when I confronted him about Petrov. There was something there—something deeper than the ruthless man he pretended to be. And whether he wanted me to or not, I had seen it. And now, I couldn’t unsee it. For the next few days, the mansion was eerily quiet. Damian kept his distance, and the staff, sensing the tension, barely spoke in his presence. At meals, he ignored me completely, eating in silence before disappearing into his office. I tried not to let it bother me, but it did. I hated that I had become so affected by him. That I care
The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 22
I wasn’t supposed to know. That was the one thought running through my mind as I sat in my room, staring at the leather-bound journal in my hands. Nadia Volkov. Damian’s sister. I shouldn’t have found it. I shouldn’t have taken it. And I definitely shouldn’t have read it. But I did. And now, I couldn’t ignore the words written on these pages—the desperate, aching words of a girl who had loved her brother more than anything but had feared the world they lived in. --- It had all started earlier that day when I went to the library. I wasn’t searching for anything specific. I just needed space—needed to clear my head after what happened with Petrov. The way he had spoken to me, the way Damian had reacted so violently to his presence… something about it wasn’t right. I didn’t trust Petrov, and clearly, neither did Damian. But why? I wasn’t stupid. I knew that Damian had a past—one filled with blood and power struggles, with secrets so dark that no one dared speak of them. And y
The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 21
For the past few days, something about Damian had changed. It wasn’t something obvious—his voice was still sharp, his posture rigid, his orders just as unyielding. But there were moments, brief flickers in time, where his mask seemed to slip. A hesitation before speaking, an unusual silence when I challenged him, a momentary softness in his eyes that disappeared as quickly as it came. I noticed it late at night, when the house was quiet. I had gotten used to the silence of the Volkov estate, the eerie stillness that settled over the halls after dark. But tonight, there was a shift in the air, something restless and uncertain. As I passed the study, I saw the faint glow of light seeping through the door. Damian was inside, sitting at his desk, staring at a glass of whiskey he had yet to drink. His face was unreadable, but there was something in the way he sat—shoulders tense, jaw clenched—that made me pause. I could have walked away. I should have. But something held me in place.
The Devil's Vow #1: Crimson Promises Crimson 20
The room was silent except for the crackling of the fireplace. The heat did nothing to warm the icy tension between us. Damian stood across from me, his posture rigid, his expression unreadable. I should have walked away. I should have let it go. But something inside me refused to. “Say something,” I demanded. His jaw clenched. “Like what?” I took a step forward, my heart hammering in my chest. “Like the truth.” His sharp eyes darkened. “The truth? The truth is, you shouldn’t have pushed me this far, Isabella.” “I wouldn’t have to push if you weren’t always shutting me out!” I snapped. His fingers curled into fists. “You think I do it for fun?” “I think you do it because you’re afraid!” His entire body tensed. “Afraid?” he repeated, his voice dangerously low. “Yes.” I met his glare without flinching. “You act like you don’t care, like nothing can touch you, but I see through it. You push people away because you’re terrified of losing them.” His nostrils flared, but before h
