CELESTINAAs Sevastian turned his back and returned to the couch, I noticed a glint of metal on the table before me, a knife seemingly within reach. My heart raced as I contemplated seizing it, a desperate bid for control in this perilous situation.Summoning my resolve, I inched my hand toward the blade, my fingers trembling as I reached it. Just as I was about to grasp it, a deafening gunshot shattered the tense silence.The bullet struck the knife, sending it clattering across the floor, well beyond my reach.Startled, I snapped my gaze to Sevastian.He was now seated on the couch, one leg casually crossed over the other.In one hand, he held a revolver, its barrel still smoking; in the other, a glass of whiskey.His cold, unyielding eyes bore into mine, a chilling reminder of the man I was dealing with."Interesting," he drawled, his voice laced with mockery."You hesitate to kill Donovan, yet you don't think twice about attempting to kill your own husband."His words dripped wit
CELESTINAI watched Sevastian return to the couch, his movements deliberate, calm, and unhurried as if everything around him favors him. When he finally reached the couch, he sank into the plush leather, and his arms stretching out along the top of the couch, his post in a posture of effortless command.His eyes burned with desire as he stared at me. He crossed one of his legs over the other, his gaze suddenly bearing down on me cold, detached, and utterly unreadable."Crawl to me," he commanded like a fucking sort of king.A surge of reluctance flared within me. I glared at him, as my body tense with resistance. But the glint of the gun in his hand, aimed steadily in my direction.And because of that, I erased any thought of rebelling in his commandSwallowing my pride, I lowered myself onto my hands and knees, the hard floor pressing painfully against my palms.Each movement was a struggle, my muscles protesting as I inched forward, the weight of humiliation bearing down on me.Se
SEVASTIANThe belt struck her thigh with a resounding crack, and I watched as Celestina flinched, her body tightening in response. Yet, even now, even after the searing lash of leather against her skin, she didn’t cry out. Her silence was maddening and her stubbornness infuriated me beyond reason.I tightened my grip on the belt, the leather creaking under the strain of my clenched fist. The sight of her, kneeling there getting bruised yet so stubborn, ignited the fire inside me. Every strike I made was met with the same infuriating obstinacy, as if she were daring me to break her.I scoffed. She would rather endure my wrath than submit and beg for my mercy, huh?I made another lash, this time across the curve of her backside. Her breath hitched, but she bit her lip, trapping the pain behind clenched teeth. My chest heaved with the force of my rage, the storm of emotions threatening to consume me. How could she choose this? How could she willingly endure my fury, my punishment, r
CELESTINAI flinched when the belt struck my thigh again, it was sharp and precise, the sting shooting through my skin like a fire. How long do I have to endure this kind of punishment? Does he really think that I will kill those two just because of his petty jealousy? “Ahh!” A soft moan escapes from my lips when he hits me. In peripheral vision, I saw him smirk when he heard my voice. With a satisfying smile on his lips, Sevastian struck me again with his leather belt. My teeth dug into my lip as I held back my gasp. His face turned dark sullen when he saw me trying to hold my breath as I accepted his madness. He loomed over me, his gaze was cold and piercing through my flesh. “I’ll give you one more chance,” he said in a low voice laced with warning. “Beg for mercy.” He added, as he grabbed my hair roughly and forced me to meet his eyes. The pain radiating from my scalp made my eyes sting, but I refused to look away. Instead of cowering, I smirked. “Why?” I asked, the wor
SEVASTIANAs I pulled the torn fabric free from her wrists, her hands dropped limply to her sides. The red marks I’d left on her skin were stark against her pale complexion. For a moment, I lingered, waiting for her to speak, to say anything, but she remained silent, her glare sharp enough to cut.I turned on my heel, ready to leave. But before I could take another step, something soft struck the back of my head.A pillow.I froze, my shoulders stiffening, and slowly turned to find Celestina glaring at me with a mix of defiance and fury. If I wasn’t already consumed by anger, I might’ve been amused by the sight of her. My fierce wife, bristling with indignation, upset that I hadn’t finished what I started.But the humor was short-lived.Her past loomed like a shadow. I couldn’t bare the fact that the person who’s close to me has a past with her. The truth is, it doesn’t matter to me if she were a virgin or not. She’s not wrong when she said that she was once Savelli's wife and I di
SEVASTIANThree days had passed since Celestina collapsed, slipping into a state of unconsciousness that felt as heavy as the guilt I refused to acknowledge. The silence in our home was louder than my pride, but I was too stubborn to let it crack me open.Since she hasn't returned to her original state. I called our family doctor. To be precise, my cousin Natasha Ortega. She had her medical bag slung over one shoulder, a stethoscope draped like a noose around her neck as she examined my wife. When she was done, she turned to me, her dark eyes sharp enough to cut through bone. “Stress,” she said bluntly, slipping the stethoscope into her coat pocket. “And, judging by the bruises on her arm, I’m guessing you had a part to play in this.”I didn’t flinch, but her words were a bit harder than I wanted to admit. “She brought it on herself,” I replied shamelessly, my voice cold and unrepentant. I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest. “If she had just begged like
CELESTINAI was already awake when I felt someone’s intense gaze through me. My body remained still, my breaths slow and unsteady as I feigned a deep sleep they likely assumed I was in. But who is it? I felt more than one person inside of this room. “But because she had a child with Bristol, that child must die. We can’t afford an heir who isn’t of Ortega blood.” A woman’s voice cut through the silence. Beneath the blanket, my hand clenched tightly around the bedcover, the fabric twisting under my grip. It was a small mercy that the blanket shielded the trembling rage running through my fingers, or else I will find the finest glass to slit her neck. Who was this woman? I didn’t recognize her voice, but the malice in her tone makes my hands itch to kill her. I swear, if she touches him I will burn her to hell. I had to protect him. Whatever it took, I had to get him away from here, from them. Leo isn’t safe anymore, I must hide him again. “And I will be the one to find th
NATASHAI was not expecting Sevastian’s wife to suddenly throw herself into my car, let alone look as though she had just escaped a war zone. Her eyes darted around nervously, her chest heaving as if she had been running for her life.But what truly surprised me was the sheer panic that flickered across her face when she realized someone was already inside the car.“Where should I bring you?” I asked, my voice calm, though I couldn’t help the hint of curiosity creeping in.She didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze lingered outside the window, her shoulders tense as if bracing for the sound of someone pounding on the car door. Then, slowly, she turned to face me.“I don’t know…” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. Her fingers twisted nervously in her lap, and she lowered her gaze. “I just want to go somewhere… anywhere, away from Sevastian.”Her words hung in the air, heavy with exhaustion with fear and despair. I couldn’t quite tell, but the rawness of her tone tugged at so
NATASHAAfter Sevastian and Leah left, my attention was directly focused on the woman in front me. She’s happily having a chat with the man beside her. A smirk painted on my lips. The world had a cruel way of playing tricks on us, making the dead walk among the living as if they had never vanished in the first place.She vanished in thin air and afterwards, we didn't hear anything from her. As if she was utterly gone. Celestina...I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her.She was standing there, effortlessly gaining everyone’s attention in the room, with her crimson dress that clung to her making her curves more transparent. She looks like a woman who came to dominate this room, no. I would rather say that she came today to devour everyone and to show the power she holds. By watching her from afar, I could tell that she’s untouchable. Huh! So this is what grand entrance she made? What a clever thing. It had been a year since we all thought she was dead, a year since she disappeare
CELESTINAA smirk tugged at my lips as I scanned the room, my gaze drifting over familiar faces frozen in shock. It had been a year since I meticulously planned this moment. After a year of suffering, bleeding, and fighting myself to survive from that wrath, I was able to reclaim my freedom. Now, standing in front of them, feeling the weight of all their stunned gazes on me, it was all worth it.I could see the how and why in their faces. In my peripheral vision, I caught sight of Valeria, my twin sister.Her wide eyes, the slight parting of her lips, the way her fingers tightened around the delicate stem of her glass. Shock, disbelief, questions that she dared not voice aloud. She wasn’t the only one. The Ortega’s, too, sat in varying degrees of surprise, their expressions wavering between confusion and wariness.Good. It’s working under my plan. But then, just as I basked in the silent triumph of my return, my gaze shifted and I felt the floor tilt beneath me.Sevastian, my e
VALERIAOne year and twelve months of silence. Three hundred and sixty-five days of not knowing whether my twin sister was alive or buried in some unmarked grave.A full year since Celestina disappeared.The last memory I had of her was burned into my mind like a scar that refused to fade — her voice, calm, and firm as she proved that Valeztina wasn’t responsible for Amara’s murder. It should have been a moment of clarity, a revelation that set everything right.Instead, it was the spark that ignited chaos.Priscilla Ortega had spiraled into madness, dragging the rest of the Ortega’s into her personal warpath. Alliances shifted. Blood was spilled. Loyalties fractured. And through it all, we searched, we waited and we hope that one day she would return. But Celestina never came back.And now, a year later, I stood at an event that felt meaningless, my fingers wrapped around the stem of a champagne flute I had no intention of drinking. The air buzzed with the low hum of conversa
PRISCILLAThe moment Mateo and Kai escorted Valeria to the guest room, I turned to Natasha, my expression unreadable."It seems those three know more than they’re letting on." My voice was low, but there was no mistaking the edge in my tone.Natasha exhaled sharply, crossing her arms. "They’ve seen what’s happening inside Valeztina. That much is clear."I narrowed my eyes. Valeria’s reaction earlier—it wasn’t just grief. It was knowledge. She had felt something, and now I was sure. The BlackEagle protégé—Celestina’s own people—were hiding something."Let’s start with that woman. Lilia." I made my decision quickly. If there was anyone who would crack first, it would be her.Natasha gave me a curt nod before we both turned and left the drawing room, our steps swift and deliberate as we headed toward the secluded chamber where I had given them sanctuary.The door creaked slightly as Natasha pushed it open with more force than necessary.Lilia jumped.The second she saw us, she panicked,
VALERIAThe moment I saw her, my heart nearly stopped.Celestina.She wasn’t supposed to be here.Panic clawed up my throat as I stormed down the stairs, my pulse a relentless drum against my ribs. I barely registered the sharp sting of cold air when I shoved open the heavy doors and grabbed her arm, yanking her away from the mansion.“What the hell are you doing here?” My voice was a low, harsh whisper, but the fear bleeding into my words made it shake.She didn’t flinch. Didn’t hesitate. Her gaze met mine—empty, detached. A stark contrast to the sister I used to know.“Why?” she asked flatly, her tone devoid of warmth. “Am I not welcome in my own home?”Home.That word felt wrong. Home hadn’t existed for a long time, not for either of us.I tightened my grip on her biceps, fingers digging in. “You—you didn’t see my email?” My voice rose, but I forced it back down, wary of prying ears. “I told you, Celestina. I fucking warned you. No matter what happens, you cannot come back here!”S
SEVASTIANIt was 5:30 in the evening when I returned to Natasha’s mansion, my pulse a steady roar in my ears. The moment I received the call from Aunt Priscilla—that Celestina had left, leaving Leo and her friends under Ortega’s care—I felt something inside me snap.I barely remembered the drive. I only remembered pressing my foot down on the gas, gripping the wheel so hard my knuckles turned white, and replaying every single thing she had said, every moment leading up to this.But none of it prepared me for the sight of her empty room.I stood there, breathing heavily, my eyes sweeping over the vacant space that once carried her presence. The scent of her perfume still lingered in the air—a soft, delicate trace of jasmine and something uniquely hers. The bed was made, the closet doors slightly ajar, but stripped bare of her clothes.Gone.The realization settled like a blade to my gut, twisting cruelly.I stormed out, my strides heavy with barely restrained fury as I made my way to N
CELESTINAThree days.It’s been three days since Sevastian left without looking back.Three days since I stood in that room, contemplating my choice with regret. I’d spent my entire hours crying and blaming myself for my reckless decision. Now, as I sat here inside of the drawing room, staring at the documents spread before me, I could feel the weight of my decision pressing against my chest like a slowly tightening noose.“Sis, are you okay?”Lilia’s voice snapped me from my daze, her soft eyes searching mine with concern.I forced a small, reassuring smile. “Yes.” My voice was steady, even if my heart wasn’t. “Have you prepared everything?”“Yes. All that’s left is your signature,” she confirmed, neatly stacking the papers in front of me.The pen felt heavy in my grip.I started signing our divorce paper, it was my last chance to hold the Ortega name. His name, the only way to confirm that I was his. Mateo, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly broke the silence. “Do you reall
CELESTINAClick!The sharp snap of the lock sent a thrill down my spine.Sevastian’s arms were still around me, his presence firm and tough, instead of pulling away, I held him tighter.Maybe it was because of the alcohol clouding my thoughts. The heat is still lingering in my veins from my recent conversation with Natasha. Or maybe it was simply because it was him.The moment my body touched his, heat coiled inside me, it was thick and unquenchable. The sensation grew worse, it became stronger when my fingers brushed over the coolness of his skin in his neck. A dangerous contrast between fire and ice. Or maybe, Natasha was right. I was a bitch in heat, that once I felt his touch I couldn’t help but to feel a tingle sensation between my thighs. And I was starting to lose my head, his strong perfume is like a temptress to my lustful desire towards him. Before I could even process what was happening, Sevastian moved.In one swift motion, he threw us onto the bed. His body above mi
SEVASTIANThe whole room was dimly lit, with the only glow coming from the path lights outside the window.Smoke curled from my cigarette, twisting in the air like a small cloud before dissolving into nothing. The night was too damn quiet. The kind of silence that didn’t soothe me but rather, it was suffocating. Every breath I took felt heavier, pressing against my ribs like a fucking weight I couldn’t shake off. I tilted my head and saw my own face reflected in the glass window.Tired eyes, clenched jaw, muscles too stiff from holding in everything I can’t let go of.‘Let’s get divorce,’ her words etched inside my head and made my blood boil. I grind my teeth, feeling the anger crawl up my throat. Every time she said those words, it felt like she was digging a hole inside me. I can't stop thinking about it and I can’t stop feeling that pit in my stomach.Why the hell does she have to do this to me? After everything I’ve done? I’ve sacrificed myself to keep her fucking safe, an