Semua Bab HIS BROKEN PLAYTHING : Bab 11 - Bab 20

CEDRIC POVPhiladelphia was a grand city, no doubt about it. But underneath all that old cobblestone alleys to the shiny skyscrapers downtown, was a battleground. A perfect place to run every dirty business under the radar. Each family had their slice of the pie, and the fight to keep it never stopped. The Alvadores ran the south like royalty. Old money, old connections, and a smug sense of entitlement to go with it. They didn’t need to flaunt their power; their wealth and ties to the city’s elite spoke loud enough. They enjoyed leaving all the dirty work to their dogs and lived a life where they couldn't care less of who is involved or not. All they wanted was control, and never cared how messy things got to get it. So long their reputation was still intact.The Vendicare family couldn’t have been more different. Bold, loud, and unapologetically reckless. They thrived on chaos and made sure everyone knew it. Every move they made reminded the world that they had power, and they knew

Late that night, I found myself kneeling in the dim light of my dingy apartment, a half-packed duffle bag splayed open on the floor. There wasn’t much to pack, just clothes, and not even many of those. My wardrobe was a patchwork of secondhand finds, worn out from years of stretching every penny toward my father’s medical bills and the mountain of debt I’d been left to carry. I couldn’t afford to want more or to dream of anything beyond survival. Romona cleared her throat. “Is this really all you have?” Her tone, blunt, almost indifferent. With her legs crossed, lipstick and mirror in hand. She adjusted her lips and patched them together without even giving me a glance.I, in return, didn’t bother looking up. “What does it look like?” I replied, stuffing a pair of jeans into the bag. “It looks depressing,” she claps the mirror shot before stuffing her items into her leopard bag. “And don’t take that the wrong way. I’m just being honest.” I zipped the duffle shut and sat b

CEDRIC POV The Abernathy estate we called home was a fortress. Built to keep the family close and everyone else out. If you weren’t blood, you had no business being here. Only a trusted few, like Dominic and a handful of loyal family bodyguards, were allowed inside. Even with them, we didn’t take chances. They were watched closely, every move monitored, every belongings checked, because trust in our world was fragile thing and hard to obtain when broken. The estate stretched over acres, a sprawling maze of cobblestone roads, perfectly trimmed hedges, and houses that looked like they came straight out of some rich man’s fantasy. At the center of it all stood the main house, a massive, gray stone structure that loomed like a fortress. It was there that the real decisions were made, the kind that kept the Abernathy name respected, feared and protected. Every condo surrounding it belonged to each member of the family. Mia, my older sister, lived closest to the main house with her two

I stood outside the judge’s hall, feeling like a complete and utter idiot. I was ditched on my very own wedding day, stuck here alone in a wedding dress that felt like it was a prank. How did I end up like this? This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I was supposed to be getting married, getting my debts paid and fulfilling my own part of the contract. Not standing here looking like a fool. I bit back my tears, swallowing it whole. I wasn’t going to let anyone see me fall apart, especially not in public. People walked past me, some barely sparing a glance, while others openly stared with questions written all over their faces. A bride with no groom. A girl in a wedding dress, alone, abandoned, standing there like she was waiting for someone to come back for her. But no one would. There were never plans for anyone to begin with, I was just too dumb to know it. I had nothing—no money, no phone, no way to get home. The irony made my stomach twist, and the anxiety made my head spin. Bu

I stood there, frozen, as Romona swirled the champagne in her glass, and Declan leaned against the wall with that smug, bored look on his face. I couldn’t breathe. My stomach twisted painfully, my heart thudding in my chest. I wanted to scream, wanted to throw something, anything, at them, but my body refused to cooperate. This was it. This was my life now. A lie. “What do you mean?”My voice came out hoarse, like I’d been screaming for hours. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking from the amount of rage bottled up.“What do you mean the contract is worthless?”Declan rolled his eyes, clearly irritated by my lack of comprehension. “Oh, for God’s sake, Lyla. Haven’t you been listening?”I shook my head so hard I probably looked possessed. "No. I have." I stopped, sucking in a shaky breath, mentally begging myself not to lose my shit. "I’m just surprised by the amount of bullshit you can spat all at once." Declan let out a cold, amused chuckle. Yeah, laugh it up, asshole but I wasn’t