GRAYSON Lord Andre’s face remained hard as stone, his eyes never leaving mine. He didn’t move, didn’t blink, just let the weight of his words sink in. The silence stretched between us like a taut rope, ready to snap. Without another word, I turned and walked out, not bothering to look back.As I stepped outside, the cool evening air hit me, but it did little to cool the fire raging inside me. My thoughts were a whirlwind of anger, confusion, and frustration, the photos still flashing in my mind like a bad dream.I barely noticed Deborah standing on the porch, her arms wrapped around herself as if shielding against the chill in the air. She shifted slightly as I approached, her arms crossed as if trying to hold herself together. As I passed her, she spoke, her voice tentative but laced with desperation. “Have you… have you heard anything about my husband?”I stopped in my tracks, my jaw clenching. Without turning to face her, I replied coldly, “I have no business with your husban
ARIANA I woke up to the warm weight of Grayson’s arm draped over me, his body wrapped around mine like a protective shield. My heart hammered in my chest, the rapid thudding echoing in my ears as I took in the situation. I could feel his steady breaths against the back of my neck, each exhale sending shivers down my spine. I shut my eyes tightly, willing my heart to stop its frantic race. The memories of last night came flooding back—his quiet request for me to stay, the vulnerability in his voice, the way he held me without a word, just needing my presence. And now, here we were, entangled in a way that felt both terrifying and…comforting.I swallowed hard, carefully prying myself from his hold. My movements were slow and deliberate, every inch I gained feeling like I was tiptoeing around a lion. I finally freed myself and sat up on the edge of the bed, but as I moved, my gaze fell on his face, and my breath caught in my throat.He was still asleep, his face softened in slumber, so
ARIANA I sat at the dining table, absentmindedly stirring my spoon through the bowl of oatmeal in front of me. The sounds of clinking utensils and quiet chatter filled the room, but my mind was elsewhere. Every few minutes, my eyes would dart toward the door, scanning the hallway for any sign of Grayson. But he never appeared.Why was I waiting for him? The question kept gnawing at me, yet I had no answer. Maybe it was because of what he’d said earlier. Maybe I just needed to see him to understand if he really meant it—if he was truly ready to let me go.I chewed on my bottom lip, the taste of breakfast completely lost on me. Across the table, Matthew was happily shovelling food into his mouth, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing inside me. I didn’t know how he could be so carefree, especially after barging into Grayson’s room earlier, like a bull in a china shop."You gonna eat that or just stare at it?" he mumbled through a mouthful of toast, raising an eyebrow as he motioned t
ARIANA I stood frozen for what felt like hours, my mind spinning as I tried to process everything the old woman had just said. My cheek still stung from her slap, but the pain was drowned out by the flood of questions crashing through my thoughts. I straightened up, my fingers trembling as they brushed against my cheek one last time. Then I took a steadying breath, squared my shoulders, and made my way out. As I walked down the corridor towards the foyer, I stopped in my tracks, a sudden thought crashing into me like a wave. The cameras. Grayson had cameras in almost every corner of this house. Could he have seen or heard what just happened earlier? I looked up, scanning the ceiling for the usual glint of the small black cameras that dotted every corner of the mansion. My heart sank.There were none.Why are there no cameras here? I murmured under my breath. My eyes swept the hallway again. It didn’t make sense. Every hallway, every room seemed to have surveillance, yet this o
ARIANA As the car cruised down the city streets, my thoughts were still spinning from everything that had just happened with Florence and the cold indifference in Grayson's one-word response. I stared out the window, trying to shake off the lingering tension. Matt was rambling on about something—probably another joke about shopping—but I barely registered his words.When the car finally came to a stop, I glanced up, my heart skipping a beat. We had parked in front of a massive shopping mall. At first glance, it was just another sprawling complex of glass and steel, but as I looked closer, a strange sense of familiarity washed over me. The design, the layout, and even the tall glass windows shimmering under the morning sun—it all reminded me of a mall back in my hometown. The one I went to before everything changed.I blinked, trying to push the unsettling feeling aside. This was just a coincidence. There was no way it could be the same. Yet, the nagging thought refused to leave as I
ARIANA My body felt heavy, like lead, as I drifted back to consciousness. Darkness surrounded me, thick and suffocating. My head throbbed painfully, a dull ache spreading from the spot where I'd been struck. I fought to open my eyes, my lids feeling like they were weighed down with concrete, but after a few groggy blinks, I finally managed to pry them open.The first thing I noticed was the flickering light—dim and orange, dancing just beyond my line of sight. I squinted through the haze, my vision slowly adjusting to the low glow of flames crackling in the distance. Fire. The realisation hit me, and I froze, my heart pounding in my chest.I was lying on the cold, hard ground, the surface beneath me uneven and gritty. The sharp scent of smoke and burning wood filled my nose, mixing with something else—something metallic and acrid. Fear tightened its grip on my throat as I became more aware of my surroundings.I wasn't alone.Through the slits of my barely open eyelids, I saw them—fiv
GRAYSON My foot slammed down on the gas pedal, the car roaring as I sped down the street like a maniac. My mind was racing just as fast. The phone call still echoed in my head—the driver muttering something about Ariana being taken by men from the Genovese Circle. I gripped the steering wheel harder, my knuckles turning white.I swerved around a corner, barely registering the blaring horns of other cars I cut off in my haste. I had one goal: to get to her. To fix this. And to make those bastards pay.When I reached the location the driver had given me, I slammed the brakes, the car skidding to a halt. Without thinking, I jumped out, my boots hitting the ground hard. The driver stood by the car, but before he could even open his mouth, I was on him. My fist connected with his face in a brutal punch, sending him stumbling back."What did I tell you to do, you bastard?!" I growled, my voice a low, dangerous rumble.He barely managed to catch himself before he fell, his hands shooting up
GRAYSON I drove in silence, the weight of my thoughts suffocating me. The betrayal gnawed at the back of my mind, each second ticking by like a bomb ready to explode. Tony. My most trusted man. The thought alone sent my stomach into knots. But I couldn’t jump to conclusions. Not yet.When I reached the phone technician’s shop, I parked the car and grabbed all three phones that had been in the car with me. I strode inside, the bell over the door jingling as I entered. A young technician sat behind the counter, his head popping up from behind a laptop as he saw me walk in.“Check these,” I said, tossing the phones onto the counter with a deliberate thud, my tone clipped. “See if there’s anything on them—tracking devices, bugs, anything.”The guy blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden demand, but quickly nodded. "Sure, I’ll take a look."I leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, my jaw tight. As he got to work, my mind churned. Tony, wherever you are... I whispered to my
ARIANA Grayson’s steady presence over the past few days had been a balm to my frayed emotions. He wasn’t overly affectionate or smothering, but he stayed by my side in quiet solidarity, offering comfort in ways only he could. Whether it was the small gestures, like ensuring I ate or sitting with me during my sleepless nights, his presence had become a lifeline.It was after one of those long, quiet nights, with dawn breaking and spilling soft light into the room, that I realized I was ready to let go of the past—or at least try. Clinging to the pain wouldn’t change what had happened. And Grayson, in his own way, had shown me that moving forward was the only way to truly live.Grayson and I hadn’t spoken much about Florence or Skyler since that explosive confrontation. But I knew he’d made his decision, prompted, no doubt, by my brothers. Gabriel had insisted he let them go, arguing that the cycle of anger and vengeance had to end somewhere. To my surprise, Grayson agreed—not because
ARIANA The tension in the car was thick enough to cut with a knife. Grayson drove in silence, his grip on the steering wheel firm. Gabriel sat in the passenger seat, his usual stoic demeanour intact. In the back, Ethan on my left stared out the window, while Mathew on my right leaned back, his eyes darting between me and the others. I couldn’t sit still, my thoughts spinning wildly after everything Gabriel had told me.Florence, our aunt. Skyler, her daughter. And yet, I still had questions. Questions Gabriel hadn’t fully answered.Unable to stay silent any longer, I leaned forward, poking my head between the front seats. My eyes fixed on Gabriel. “Are you absolutely sure you had no clue that Skyler was her daughter?” Gabriel sighed, his expression as unreadable as ever. “No, Ariana,” he said firmly. “I didn’t.” I looked ahead at the road, my mind spinning. Then, almost involuntarily, my gaze flicked back to Gabriel. “But why does she look so much like…” My voice trailed off befo
ARIANA Gabriel's sharp gaze softened unexpectedly, catching me off guard. "As much as I want to break you two apart, I won't," he said, his voice calm, almost resigned. "I'm not here to do that. I just wanted to check on all of you, but it looks like you're much better than I thought." My mouth fell open. Had I heard him, right? Was this some sort of trick? My heart raced even faster than when he had first walked through the door. I tried to read his face, but his expression was maddeningly neutral. Gabriel wasn’t the kind of man to sugarcoat his words or play games. If he wanted to make his disapproval known, he would. But now...he was standing here, saying he wouldn’t tear me and Grayson apart. My chest tightened, confusion swirling with a strange relief. "Y-you’re serious?" I managed to say, my voice cracking slightly. Before Gabriel could respond, Mathew—never one to stay silent—opened his mouth. "She and I nearly—" Panic shot through me like lightning. Without thinking
GRAYSON I stood frozen, my mind reeling as I tried to process what he had just said. He was there? My father had done unspeakable things in his life, but the idea that Gabriel had witnessed one of those horrors firsthand made my stomach churn.“You were… there?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, struggling to keep my composure.Gabriel’s expression hardened, his jaw tightening as he nodded slowly. "I was there. I saw everything," he said, his voice low but steady. "I was in the car with my father that day. He took me with him but when we arrived at his destination he left me in the car and went inside the building. That's when I noticed another boy around my age. He was sitting in a nearby car, looking bored and tired. And recently I just found out that he was your brother." He paused, the memory sharpening in his eyes. "As kids do, we got caught up in our little world, talking and laughing like nothing else mattered. Then
GRAYSON I sat in the chair beside Ariana’s bed, watching her sleep, her face still pale, her breath shallow but steady. The quiet of the room wrapped around me like a shroud, the soft hum of the mansion's night air only adding to the stillness. I felt the weight of every hour that had passed, the clock ticking relentlessly toward dawn, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to move. It was as though time had slowed just for me, granting me a moment of respite to reflect on everything that had happened and the broken pieces of my life that seemed to be multiplying with each passing second.The doctor had come earlier, gave them both some medication, and thankfully, there were no major injuries or anything more serious. Florence... she had always been there for me. I had trusted her with everything. When I had lost my way, when I thought I needed guidance, she was the one I leaned on. She had become like a mother to me. But now, sitting here, with every
GRAYSON I pushed myself off the bed, the heaviness of the night and the weight of Ariana’s tense reaction pressing down on me like a suffocating smoke. The unease was unbearable, clawing at my insides. I couldn’t stay here any longer. Quietly, I grabbed my phone and left the room, making my way to my home office. The moment I stepped inside, I shut the door behind me, the silence of the space offering no solace. I reached for the whiskey bottle sitting on the corner of my desk, poured myself a shot, and downed it in one gulp. The burn seared down my throat, bringing a fleeting sense of relief—temporary, but it was something. I pulled out my phone and stared at it for a moment before scrolling to Lucian’s contact. It was late, but I knew my brother well enough—he would still be awake. I pressed the call button, bringing the phone to my ear. Lucian answered after the second ring, his voice low and indifferent. “Did you make up your mind already?” I ignored the question, my grip
GRAYSON The drive to Lord Andre’s estate felt endless, the weight of the envelope on the passenger seat an unbearable presence. My knuckles ached from gripping the steering wheel too tightly, my thoughts spinning in chaotic circles. Every photograph, every name, every signature—it all pointed to him. The man I’d spent my entire life trying to outshine, to escape from under his shadow. When I arrived, the towering gates loomed like the bars of a prison. I punched in the code, barely waiting for the gates to swing open before speeding through the driveway. The tires screeched as I parked haphazardly near the front steps. The house, always a symbol of his power, now felt like a fortress of secrets. I stormed through the entrance, my footsteps echoing against the marble floors. A few of his staff glanced my way but wisely stayed silent. My destination was clear—his office. I shoved the double doors open, expecting to find him beh
GRAYSON The car came to a halt in front of Lucian’s hotel, the sleek black facade gleaming under evening night lights. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, jaw clenching as I stared at the building’s entrance. Lucian always had a way of orchestrating his theatrics, and the thought of dealing with him only made my patience wear thinner. I stepped out, the cool night air doing little to ease the heat simmering beneath my skin. With purposeful strides, I made my way to the entrance. The doorman nodded, opening the grand glass doors as I walked inside. A polished worker greeted me immediately, bowing slightly before speaking. "Mr. Anderson, Mr. Lucian is waiting for you in the VIP private lounge. Please, this way." I followed him silently, the muffled sounds of classical music and faint chatter growing distant as we ascended to the exclusive floor. The plush carpet absorbed the sound of my footsteps, the hallway eerily quiet until the worker stopped in front of an intricately
ARIANA I stormed out of the room, the sharp sound of the door closing behind me echoing through the hall. My mind raced as I leaned against the door, pressing my ear to the wooden surface. Whatever Ethan and Florence were discussing, it was intense enough for him to shut me out. My curiosity burned like a flame. Their voices were muffled, but I could catch faint snippets of words—nothing clear enough to make sense of, just tones of urgency and frustration. I pressed closer, determined to hear more, when suddenly, the door flew open. I stumbled back, nearly losing my footing as Ethan stood in the doorway, arms crossed, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips. “I knew you’d be eavesdropping, Ariana,” he said, his tone a mix of exasperation and amusement. “Do me a favour and head downstairs.” I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him. “What business do you have with that woman, Ethan? You barely know her, yet suddenly you’re h