Chapter: Chapter 16JULY 10 – DULSIE’S NINTH BIRTHDAY It was mid-afternoon. The sun hung low in a glassy sky, casting shadows across the lawn like blades. The air held a breeze, lazy and warm, brushing through the garden where Lucia darted from one corner to the next, setting up little umbrella shades for her daughter Dulsie's birthday party. Colorful balloons swayed. Paper streamers fluttered. On any other day, it would’ve looked like paradise. Candela had arrived just after dawn with her husband and two children, ready to help her sister make the celebration perfect. The kids disappeared inside the house for a round of hide and seek—laughing, shrieking, completely oblivious to the storm heading their way. Candela’s daughter, just four months older than Dulsie but never tired of claiming the upper hand, kept bragging she was already ten. Elvio—Lucia’s husband—had driven off to pick up the birthday cake and a few groceries. Esteban, Candela’s husband, manned the barbecue. The meats, mostly chorizo and
Last Updated: 2023-04-08
Chapter: Chapter 15It was Friday night, and like clockwork, the Euphoria Discotheque pulsed with artificial energy. Neon lights sliced through the smoke-heavy air, casting warped shadows of dancers against the velvet walls. Valentina stood behind the thick curtain, peering through a slit with deadened eyes. She wasn’t searching for anything in particular. She just scanned—an instinct carved from survival. Then she saw him. A young man, seated alone, his back turned to her. Something about his posture—it was too composed, too controlled. She felt like she’d seen him before, maybe even recently, but memory was a fragile thing these days. She saw dozens of men each week—some violent, some indifferent, some pathetically kind. They all blurred together. A pressure began to build in her chest—tight, suffocating. The sounds of the club—laughter, music, glassware clinking—dissolved into a distant hum. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the vial hidden behind the vanity mirror. Two pills. She dry-swallowe
Last Updated: 2023-04-07
Chapter: Chapter 14Marcus entered the dimly lit room with slow, uncertain steps, both hands gripping the handles of a small, weathered nylon bag. The place reeked faintly of sandalwood incense and something metallic—perhaps blood or rust—lingering under the surface. He stood near the center, unsure whether to set the parcel down or wait for someone to claim it. He was still wrestling with indecision when a soft shuffle of feet broke the silence behind him. He turned instinctively—too quickly—and nearly collided with her. Josefina. She stood inches from him, her breath warm and steady, caressing the nape of his neck. She had a presence like cold silk—elegant and unnerving. He hadn’t heard her enter. "I—I'm sorry. I was sent to deliver this," Marcus stammered, placing the bag on the edge of the bed as though it might explode. He made to leave but froze when her voice cut through the tension. “I said... what’s in there?” Josefina repeated, more deliberately now, her eyes sharp with curiosity. Marcus me
Last Updated: 2023-04-04
Chapter: Chapter 13“Hola. I’m Christanté.” Valentina turned sharply, startled by the voice behind her. A small boy stood barely a foot away. His smile was wide, too practiced for someone his age. His teeth were stained, his clothes worn thin, but he radiated an odd kind of energy. Hopeful, maybe. Or just desperate to be seen. He couldn’t have been more than ten. Valentina crouched down and gently ran her hand over his unkempt hair. The boy chuckled, but the sound didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m Valentina,” she said softly. “What are you doing here, cariño? This… this isn’t a place for a child.” Christanté shrugged. “I work here,” he replied, his smile still fixed in place, almost like it had been stitched to his face. Valentina's stomach clenched. “Work? What kind of work?” He hesitated. The smile faltered. His eyes dropped to the floor like something in him collapsed. “I clean the bar. Serve drinks. And sometimes…” He trailed off, fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Silence stretched. The
Last Updated: 2023-02-28
Chapter: Chapter 12"Querido, I’m heading out now. I’ll call once the interview’s done," Valentina said, tightening the cap over her dark curls. Her little backpack clinked faintly from the metal zipper tags as she slung it onto her shoulder. She stepped into the parlor where Jorge sat on the worn-out sofa, cradling their two little girls. Jorge rose immediately. The moment he saw her, a gentle pride lit his tired eyes. Despite everything, she still found a way to shine. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "If anything feels off, call me. Right away. No second-guessing." Valentina let out a soft laugh, trying to mask the ache in her chest. Her family was everything—her anchor in a storm. She broke away from his arms and scooped her daughters up for a final squeeze before heading out the door. She didn’t know this would be the last time she’d see her family as the woman she was. Valentina had always been resourceful—twenty-six, full of grit, already trying to stitch togethe
Last Updated: 2023-02-25
Chapter: Chapter 115:30 AM – Cuernavaca, Raúl's Compound The hallway was dead quiet, the kind of silence that only came after too many screams. The girl’s heels scraped the concrete with every step as El Toro dragged her by the hair like a sack of trash. Her nightgown clung to her body—drenched in sweat, dirt, and humiliation. Bruises marbled her legs, fresh and old ones layered like tattoos from the life she’d never chosen. Raúl lit a cigar with a gold-plated lighter and watched them enter like it was just another morning. He leaned back in his chair, behind a steel desk littered with black tar heroin, rolled-up bills, and a 9mm Beretta he kept polished like a trophy. “Elena,” he said coolly. “You know what this is.” She didn’t reply. She didn’t beg either. She’d already spent that energy trying to gouge a client’s eye out with a fork the night before. No one cared why. Raúl had to respond. “El Toro, bring me the gringo.” Barracks, same time The metal door flew open and banged against the wall.
Last Updated: 2023-02-03
Savage Honor: Blood Oath
In the underworld of ruthless power and unforgiving loyalty, I made an oath that would bind me for life—a blood oath sealed by vengeance, desire, and a woman who became my most dangerous weakness. They call me a monster, a king in a kingdom built on violence and fear. But I never asked for this life. I only wanted to survive.
Then she walked into my world—fiery, untamed, and brimming with secrets. Our bond was meant to be temporary. A flash marriage. A simple alliance in a world where trust is a currency no one dares to spend. But with her, everything changed.
The Mafia doesn’t forgive, and neither do I. She’ll learn that soon enough as I drag her through a storm of betrayal, bloodshed, and passion she never expected. Our marriage may have been a lie, but my hunger for her is very real.
Now, we’re both trapped by an oath we can't escape, each step we take pulling us deeper into a world that only one of us will survive. And in the end, the savage honor I live by might just be the death of us both.
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Chapter: 024: Ghosts of the ThroneI wasn’t sure how long I stood there, staring into the black metal mask that gleamed like death itself. The air was heavy in this underground chamber—an unsettling, clinical coldness that felt more like a morgue than a meeting room. And maybe that’s what it was. A place where lives were dissected, then buried, out of sight and out of mind. “You’ve been orchestrating this since the beginning,” I said, my voice low, cutting through the silence like a blade. “But why? What do you gain from all this?” The masked figure tilted their head. “That’s the wrong question, Luca. The right question is—what did you lose?” Behind me, Marco shifted, his hand resting casually on his hip—near his gun. He was tense. So was I. But pulling a trigger in a room full of secrets would be suicide. We were outnumbered. Outplanned. And possibly already out of time. “I lost everything,” I replied. “My family. My name. My control. You stripped it all from me.” A pause. Then the mask cracked—figuratively, not
Last Updated: 2025-05-18
Chapter: 023: The ReckoningI stood there, frozen, my mind struggling to process everything. The words Isabella had spoken were like daggers, cutting through what little trust I had left. She had played me—no, we had all been played. And I didn’t even know who the real enemy was anymore. The man in the sleek black mask watched me closely, waiting for a reaction. Marco was silent behind me, his presence like a shadow, barely noticeable. I couldn’t even bring myself to turn around and face him, not when the answers I so desperately needed were right in front of me, just out of reach. Isabella stepped forward, her heels clicking on the concrete floor as she approached. The cold, calculating look in her eyes told me everything I needed to know: she had no regrets. She didn’t care about the betrayal. It was all part of the plan. Her plan. The thought twisted my stomach. “Luca,” she said softly, almost as if speaking to a child, “You’re so predictable. I told you, from the very beginning, that I didn’t belong to yo
Last Updated: 2025-05-18
Chapter: 022: The Unseen PlayersThe warehouse was eerily quiet as Marco and I stepped deeper into the shadows, the sound of our footsteps muffled by the thick layer of dust that coated the floor. The only light came from the faint glow of a streetlamp just outside, its pale beams filtering through the cracked windows. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched, even though no one was in sight. It was as if the very walls of the building were alive, whispering secrets, secrets that I was too late to uncover. My hand tightened around the gun, the cold steel a reminder of the gravity of the situation. “You ready for this?” Marco’s voice broke through my thoughts, low and strained. His eyes darted around, every corner of the warehouse scrutinized. I nodded, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready. How could I be? Everything I thought I understood about this game was wrong. Isabella’s betrayal, Viktor’s lies, even Marco’s sudden reappearance—it all pointed to one thing: I was just a pawn in someone else’s hands.
Last Updated: 2025-05-16
Chapter: 021: The Broken MaskI thought I was done. After everything that had happened—Viktor’s betrayal, the blood on my hands, the lies, the manipulation—I figured the game was over. But nothing was ever as simple as it seemed. Not with Isabella. Not with this world. I barely made it out of that room before the weight of what I had done hit me. The walls of the mansion seemed to close in around me as I walked, each step echoing louder than the last. I didn’t know where I was going, but the need to escape, to find some semblance of control, drove me forward. I couldn't go back. Not after everything. Isabella was still out there, somewhere. And I was going to find her. But there was more to it than that. I needed answers. I needed to understand why, after everything, she still thought she could play me like a pawn. I thought I had known her. But she had hidden so much from me. My thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion, of betrayal, but one thing remained certain: I wasn’t the same man I had been when this all s
Last Updated: 2025-05-16
Chapter: 020: Point of No ReturnI couldn’t breathe. My chest felt tight, as if the weight of the world had been placed on my shoulders and it was crushing me, squeezing the air from my lungs. Viktor was gone. Just like that. One moment he was breathing, the next, his life had been ripped away, and I was left with nothing but the aftermath of my own mistakes. His blood stained the floor, his eyes wide and empty. I should’ve been the one to die. I should’ve been the one to fall, not him. I was the one who had dragged him into this mess. I was the one who had made every choice that had led to this moment. I reached out, my fingers brushing against his cold skin, and it felt like the last piece of humanity inside me shattered. He was my closest ally. My brother in arms. And I had failed him. And for what? To play a game with a woman who never cared about anything other than her own power? I was nothing but a tool, a puppet in her hands. I stood up, my body trembling with the force of my rage. The gun was still in my
Last Updated: 2025-05-02
Chapter: 019: Betrayal’s EdgeI didn’t know how much longer I could keep my grip on reality. The world felt like it was spinning out of control, every decision I made leading me further into darkness. But I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop. Not after everything I had sacrificed, not after all the lies, the blood spilled, the promises broken. This was the only way forward, the only way to survive. Viktor was barely hanging on, his body weak, his breaths ragged. But I wouldn’t let him die. I couldn’t. He had been by my side through all of this, and I owed him more than just my loyalty. I owed him my survival. “Stay with me, Viktor,” I said, my voice tight, forcing calm into my words. The pain in my shoulder was becoming unbearable, but I ignored it. Focus. I had to focus. Viktor’s eyelids fluttered, his grip on my arm weak but steady. “You’re... not going to win this, Luca. She’s too far ahead. Too many steps ahead of you.” I clenched my teeth, the rage rising again. “Don’t talk like that. I’ve fought harder than
Last Updated: 2025-04-30
