VINCENT“It’s time, Don,” Bianchi said with a wicked grin as he strolled into my office like he owned the place.I didn’t need him to say it twice. The moment I laid eyes on his sharp, all-black getup and the gleam in his eyes, I knew it was game time. My blood surged with anticipation, and my mouth watered at the thought of what awaited us on the other side of town.“Finally,” I said, pushing back from my desk, a slow smirk creeping across my face. “I’ve waited long enough. I can’t wait to get my hands on him.”Bianchi chuckled, dark and satisfied. “It’ll be worth every second, Don. Picture it every major player in one room. A real feast.”“Of course,” I murmured, already imagining, the chaos I would unleash on all of them. The downfall of all the men who thought they could betray me. “It is a foolproof plan. And that idiot jumped at the opportunity like a dog chasing scraps. He’s so hungry for power, for recognition, that he walked right into our jaws.”I leaned back, my voice dro
BELLA“What do you want to do this weekend?” Carmen asked, sipping her smoothie through a neon pink straw.“Nothing,” I said flatly, digging my fork into the slice of chocolate cake on my tray. “I’m usually stuck at home, so I doubt this weekend’s gonna be any different. Plus, it’s still three days away.”The rich sweetness melted on my tongue, and I couldn’t help but hum in satisfaction. I took another bite, letting the sugar work its magic on my mood.“I know,” Carmen said, undeterred. “But I want us to do something together.”“Like what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.“We’ll figure it out,” she said with a shrug. “I just want us to go out, do something fun. You know, exist outside of school for once.”I paused. She had a point. Since I got back, we’d only hung out between classes or during lunch. It wasn’t for lack of effort on her part, either Carmen had tried. I just didn’t know how to convince Vincent to let me out of the house for something as simple as hanging out.But things h
BELLAI gasped as Vincent slammed the door shut behind us, pressing me up against it with a hunger I hadn’t seen in him before. His hands were everywhere, urgent, searching as he pulled me into a kiss that stole the breath from my lungs.There was nothing gentle about it. This wasn’t the soft, tentative kind of kiss we’d shared before. This one was raw, full of want like he’d been holding back for far too long.I moaned into his mouth as his hands slid under my shirt, finding the curves he seemed to know like a map. His tongue tangled with mine, and I met him with equal intensity, clutching the back of his neck, grounding myself in his warmth.He broke the kiss only to trail fire along my skin, lips attacking my neck, finding that one sensitive spot he always seemed to zero in on first. I whimpered when he bit down gently, his hand moving in slow, tantalizing circles around my boobs that sent sparks shooting through me.“Let me see you,” he breathed, voice low and thick with desire. “
BELLA“Five more minutes,” I mumbled, curling deeper into the blanket as another gentle tap landed on my shoulder.“Princess, that’s the seventh time you’ve said that. Wake up, we’re here.” Vincent’s voice was soft, and coaxing, and I groaned, forcing my eyes open.“I thought you were excited to start our vacation?” he teased, tugging the blanket off me with a smirk.“I am but I’m also exhausted,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes.“I know, Princess. Come on.” Vincent took my hands, warm and steady, and pulled me up to my feet. My legs wobbled a bit, but he held me close, guiding me off the now-empty plane. Outside, the sun greeted us with a golden glow, and I spotted our guards already waiting with our luggage stacked neatly beside a sleek black car.I yawned again, and Vincent instinctively wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close. “You can go back to sleep when we get to the resort,” he whispered against my temple.But I shook my head. No way.How could I sleep now? I was finally
BELLAWe finished eating in complete silence. Not a word from Vincent. He didn’t need to say anything. I could feel the anger coming off him in waves.I was frustrated. And not because I cared, because I didn’t. Or at least I told myself that. His silence crawled under my skin and wormed its way into my thoughts. It irritated me how much it bothered me. Why did I care if he was pissed? Why did it matter if he wanted to act like a brooding asshole?He wasn’t my friend. He wasn’t anything. I hated him. I hate Vincent. He could drop dead and I wouldn’t flinch.By the time we got to my room, my patience had worn thin. I huffed. “Goodnight,” I muttered, not even sparing him a glance before I shoved the door open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind me.The moment I was alone, I exhaled sharply and dropped onto my bed, limbs heavy with tension.Of course, that peace didn’t last. My phone lit up, buzzing against the sheets. I frowned and grabbed it, flipping the screen toward me.Who
VINCENTThe whiskey burned as I gulped it down, but the sting barely registered. My mind was too consumed by Bella. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. Watching her laugh and lean in, being all touchy with Miguel, made the air feel colder. Every giggle, every playful nudge, felt like a dagger to my chest.I had told myself I wouldn’t care. But why the hell did it feel like a goddamn firestorm every time I saw her so free with him?Frustration clawed at me. I threw my empty glass down on the bar, the sound sharp.“Get me a glass of your strongest drink.” My voice was tense, almost dangerous. The bartender looked at me, a brow raised in silent question.“Are you sure you can handle it?” he asked.I scoffed, letting the annoyance bubble up. “Make it two,” I snapped, not even caring how it sounded. Not when Bella was over there, laughing like I didn’t exist.Did she forget I was here as well? I felt like picking Miguel up and throwing him in the fucking ocean.The bartender didn’t argu
BELLAWho the hell does he think he is, walking up to me like nothing happened like he wasn’t just acting like a horny idiot with that girl?I stormed toward the lift, jamming the “close” button over and over again as if my life depended on it. The last thing I wanted was to be trapped in a box with him. Just seeing his face was enough to make my blood boil.“Bella,” Vincent called out, slipping his hand between the doors right before they could shut him out.“Why didn’t you wait for me?” he asked like he hadn’t just humiliated me five minutes ago.I let out a cold laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry. Should I have waited for you to finish tongue-fucking with her? My bad, I didn’t realize I signed up to be your chaperone.”He looked stunned like he genuinely didn’t get it. “Where is all this coming from?”I stared at his reflection in the polished door, refusing to turn around. I needed to get out before I said something I’d regret or worse, something I meant.“Can you just talk to me and stop bein
VINCENTI held my shoes in one hand as I walked the shoreline, letting the breeze work through the mess in my head. In the distance, the bonfire still crackled, laughter and music echoing faintly. The party hadn’t slowed down, but I was long past the mood for it. I just needed out. Out of that room. Out of my head.The wind brushed through my hair and I sighed, letting the salt air wash over me. It didn’t fix anything, but it dulled the edges a little. I sank into the sand, elbows resting on my knees, staring out at the dark horizon. I wasn’t thinking but I wasn’t free of thought either. Just somewhere in between.“Didn’t think I’d see you out here again.”The voice was soft. I turned to see Ann, a few feet away, her sandals dangling from one hand, dress fluttering with the breeze.“Can’t believe you ditched an epic party just to come here and sit alone,” she said, dropping onto the sand beside me.I glanced over at her. “What are you doing here? Thought you’d be living it up.”She ga
VINCENT“You can’t seriously be considering this, right?” Bianchi’s voice cut through the silence like a blade, his eyes locked on mine with a mixture of disbelief and fury.I let out a long, weary sigh, dragging a hand down my face. I was tired, tired of thinking, tired of feeling, tired of the war inside my head.“You have got to be kidding me,” he snapped, stepping closer. “After everything that’s happened, after what she did, you really believe that child is yours? She’s been working with Santiago. Santiago!” he exclaimed.“How the hell can you be sure they haven’t been screwing behind your back the entire time?”His words were sharp, like shards of glass, cutting through my thoughts with brutal precision.“She’s a liar,” he continued, voice rising with frustration. “You know that. Even if she is pregnant, that doesn’t make it your problem. Just because you slept with her doesn’t make you the damn father.”I stared at the floor, jaw clenched. Every word he said echoed the fears I
BELLAA searing cold shock slammed into my chest and I gasped, the scream catching in my throat as the freezing water drenched me in an instant. My body jerked forward, but the ropes bit deeper into my wrists and ankles, holding me firm against the wooden chair. My heart was beating rapidly, my breath coming in sharp pants, teeth chattering before I could even open my eyes.“What the hell!” I rasped, voice hoarse and shaking. Water clung to my lashes, and when I blinked it away, Santiago stood there calmly staring at me, like he hadn’t just dumped a bucket of ice water on me like I was some prisoner of war.His dark eyes flicked over me, with annoyance in them. “Time to wake up, Bella.”I glared at him, hatred burning in every part of my body. “You could’ve just said my name.”He crouched in front of me, the corner of his mouth twitching. “You don’t get comfort anymore. You lost that privilege the second you allowed Vincent to find out our plan. You failed and now you will spend the r
VINCENT“You cannot be fucking serious,” Bianchi growled, pacing furiously across my office.“This is madness! And I swear to God, I won’t let you take one goddamn step out of this house, over my dead body!” he ranted, voice sharp and wild. “I’m not about to stand here and watch you throw your life away for some pathetic betrayer.”I sat back, silently watching him storm across the room, my fingers pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. His yelling unnerved me but I let him speak. I always had. Bianchi had earned the right to say whatever the hell he wanted, even if every word right now felt like a knife.He turned back to me, eyes blazing. “Do you even realize what would’ve happened if we hadn’t caught onto her little scheme? She would’ve handed you over to Santiago like a lamb to slaughter! She would’ve let you die, and not lost a single fucking tear over it.”His voice cracked slightly, thick with rage and something else, something that almost sounded like fear.“She doesn’
BELLAI opened my eyes slowly, blinking against the thick, suffocating darkness. Pain shot through my skull like a bolt of lightning and I gasped, my whole head throbbing as if it were on fire.A broken whimper escaped me as I tried to lift my hand to touch it but nothing happened.I yanked harder and that was when I realized that I was bound.Panic bloomed, fast and wild, as my heart slammed against my chest. I twisted, feeling the ropes digging into my wrists and ankles. My feet were trapped too, and when I tried to scream, it came out in a pathetic, muffled sound.Something rough and tight gagged my mouth, sealing any cry for help in my throat.I was completely trapped.My breaths came out ragged and shallow, as the reality of my situation sank in. That bastard Santiago had tied me down like an animal.The air around me was foul. The stench clawed at my nose, the disgusting smell of rot and something metallic. It made my stomach twist violently, and I had to choke back the urge to
BELLAI gasped as the men’s bodies hit the ground.Blood pooled beneath them, thick and dark, and my stomach twisted violently. I tore my gaze away, but the image had already burned itself into my mind.When I turned, it felt like the earth itself tilted beneath me.Vincent stood there, eyes blazing with such fury it was as if he could kill me with a look alone.He did this.He killed them.My blood ran cold. My heart pounded so hard it hurt.Why was he here?Had he found out? Had my secret finally been exposed?His entire body screamed bloody murder. There was no mercy written on his face, only a terrifying promise that he wouldn’t spare me.But how? How did he know?Did he follow me?Why today, of all days?Vincent hadn’t kept tabs on me for a long time. He had let me go so why did he follow me today of all days?The closer he came, the closer death seemed to creep up behind me.Santiago wasn’t faring any better. Even though he masked it well, I could feel the crackling tension, the
VINCENTMy eyes were glued to her every movement and every smile. I watched from the confines of my car window like I was on the outside of a world I used to belong to. My fists curled tight in my lap, nails digging into my palms as I watched her laugh like nothing ever happened. Like she didn’t leave a storm behind.There she was, chatting away in the cafeteria, carefree and unbothered, while I sat there drowning in anger and betrayal. I wanted to march in there and shake the truth out of her. To make her see the mess she created.Why?Was I not enough?Was my kindness not enough?Did I commit a crime by helping her?What did I do to deserve this betrayal?How do you look someone in the eye and feed them lies with the same lips that once said thank you?What stung the most wasn’t just the betrayal, it was the performance. The way she played me like I was just some pawn in a game she was playing with Santiago. And worst of all? I let her.“Don.”Bianchi’s voice pulled me from the spir
BELLA“What is happening?” I muttered into the darkness, my voice barely a whisper against the quiet hum of the night.“I thought we were past this… why is he still avoiding me?” My fingers gripped the edge of the blanket tighter as I stared up at the ceiling. “It’s like he doesn’t even want to see me anymore, and it’s not making sense. We were just on a date yesterday so what the hell changed?”There was no one to answer, no voice to ease the storm in my mind. I’d been lying here for over an hour, tossing, and turning, hoping sleep would come and wash him out of my thoughts but it was no use. Vincent was everywhere.His face. His voice. The way he looked at me like I was more than just another girl passing through his world.We were happy on that date. I remember the way his eyes lingered on me, the way he smiled genuinely, like the world wasn’t such a cruel place anymore.And then, just like that, everything shifted. Since that night, he’s been distant. Like I’m some stranger who me
VINCENT“Good morning, Don. Hope you had a pleasant night,” Bianchi said, and I gave him an annoyed look.“What is it this time around?” I asked, drained. I just wanted some time alone to think.“Someone’s grumpy,” Bianchi grinned, and I rolled my eyes.“Last night I hacked into her phone, and it’s amusing how she foolishly left everything there. She didn’t even bother to delete their messages,” Bianchi said, and I sighed as I looked up at him.“I’m actually surprised you didn’t call me because I already sent it to you,” he added, glancing at my phone that sat untouched on the desk. I hadn’t looked at it since last night.I wasn’t in the mood to deal with anything. My heart felt heavy, and there was still that lingering anger and irritation. Notifications kept popping up, but I ignored them. I was afraid of what I might do if I gave in to the rage, afraid of how far I’d go, especially when the person who hurt me was probably out there lounging without a care in the world.“I was too b
VINCENT“This better be important, Bianchi,” I snapped as I shut the door behind me, the weight of the moment I just left still clinging to my skin like perfume. I stalked toward my desk, fingers itching to be anywhere but in this room. “You dragged me away from something important.”“By important do you mean your little date with Bella?” he asked, bitterness laced in every syllable.The edge in his voice made me pause. Just slightly. But I didn’t appreciate the tone.“What’s with the attitude?” I asked coldly. “I get that you don’t like her, but what I do in my free time is none of your business, Bianchi. You interrupted a moment I’ll never get back.”He gave me a flat, unimpressed look. “Were you about to fuck her?”I scoffed, leaning against the edge of my desk with my arms crossed. “No.”“Good.” He tossed a manila envelope onto my desk. “Because that would’ve been the biggest mistake of your life. And possibly your one-way ticket straight to hell.”My stomach tightened. I didn’t m