Chapter: This is not overAlinaI couldn't move. My feet were cemented to the sticky wooden floor. I could only hear the violent rushing of blood in my ears.His hand slowly slid from my shoulder to the back of my neck, his fingers curling into my hair with a painfully familiar grip."Turn around, darling," Liam whispered, his breath ghosting over my ear. "Look at your husband."I slowly turned, my body trembling so violently I thought my knees would give out.Liam. He was dressed in a pristine, charcoal-gray tailored suit, his golden-blond hair perfectly styled, his handsome face curved into a cruel smile. He looked like a prince who had accidentally wandered into hell.But I knew the truth. He was the devil himself.His eyes, a pale, icy blue, raked down my body. They took in the smeared makeup, the oversized, faded black t-shirt, the tiny velvet shorts and the platform boots.His smile widened. "Look at you, Alin." Liam laughed, a soft, mocking sound that sliced straight through my chest. "My beautiful, el
Huling Na-update: 2026-07-16
Chapter: Meeting the brassAlinaWhen it ended, I practically collapsed through the velvet curtain. By then, my chest was heaving and my legs trembling violently.My raw hands were clutching a thick wad of crumpled dollar bills, slick with my own sweat. The deafening roar of the crowd faded slightly behind the thick fabric, replaced by the ringing in my ears and the triumphant beating of my own heart.I leaned my back against the concrete wall of the hallway and slid down until I hit the floor.I did it. I survived the fire."Well, well. Look who decided to grow some claws."I looked up at the voice. Roxy was leaning against the doorframe of the dressing room with a fresh cigarette pinched between her fingers. Her heavy makeup was smudged but a genuine smirk played on her dark red lips.I forced myself to stand up. My platform boots felt a hundred pounds heavier than they had an hour ago. But I managed to walk over to the cracked mirror and dropped the fistful of cash onto the vanity."Well… I didn't have a c
Huling Na-update: 2026-07-15
Chapter: Orchestrated meAlina Gabriel didn’t look at the crowd. He didn’t yell at the men to shut up. He didn't have to. His lethal presence was enough to suck the air out of the room. He didn’t offer his hand to help me up. Instead, he stepped closer, his thighs pressing against the edge of the raised stage. His hazel eyes brunt with a dark, furious intensity that was fixed solely on me. "Get up." Gabriel’s rough voice rumbled. It wasn't a request. It was an absolute command. "I can't…" I choked out, a single tear escaping and tracking through my makeup. "My hands—" "Then don't use your fucking hands." His voice was barely audible over the roaring music, but it commanded my entire body. I swallowed hard. Gabriel stepped closer, pressing his thighs right against the edge of the stage. Then, he reached out and wrapped his large, ringed hands around my bare waist. A violent, electric shock shot straight through my core the second his skin touched mine. "Use me." He commanded in a low, dan
Huling Na-update: 2026-07-13
Chapter: I had failedAlina“Coming!” I croaked as I scrambled off the thin mattress and unlocked the iron deadbolt. Roxy stood in the dimly lit hallway, a cigarette dangling from her dark red lips. She looked me up and down, taking in my pale, terrified face. "Time to earn your keep, Angel," she said, blowing a stream of gray smoke into the air. "Let's get you ready."The dressing room was a chaotic mess of glitter, hairspray, and raw nerves. Roxy forced me into a new outfit. It was a deep crimson corset that cinched painfully tight around my waist, pushing my breasts up, and a tiny, jagged black skirt that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. She strapped the massive, seven-inch platform boots onto my feet and aggressively brushed out my tangled hair until it fell in wild, dark waves over my bare shoulders."Remember," Roxy warned, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at my heavily lined eyes in the cracked mirror. "You are the god up there. Do not let them see you bleed."When I finally pus
Huling Na-update: 2026-07-12
Chapter: It’s showtimeAlina I immediately unstrapped the platforms and stepped off the stage barefoot. The sticky, cold floor sent a shiver straight up my spine. I hurried to keep up with his long strides, carrying the heavy boots in one hand. We climbed the grated iron stairs to a second-floor catwalk that overlooked the entire club. It led down a narrow hallway lined with heavy wooden doors. The air up here smelled intensely of stale cigarette smoke and leather. Gabriel stopped in front of the last door at the end of the hall. He unlocked it with a heavy brass key and pushed it open. "In," he ordered. I stepped past him, my bare arm brushing against the thick leather of his cut. A jolt of electric heat sparked at the contact, but I ignored it, stepping into the room. It was tiny and bare. A thin mattress lay directly on the concrete floor, covered in a faded gray blanket. There was a small, rusted sink in the corner, a single exposed lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, and a small, barred window t
Huling Na-update: 2026-07-11
Chapter: AngelAlina By the time Roxy finally slapped her hand against the silver pole to signal we were done, the grimy windows near the warehouse ceiling were glowing with the dull, gray light of dawn. Every single muscle in my body was trembling. I leaned against the cold steel, my chest heaving. The velvet shorts and lace bralette were soaked in cold sweat, sticking uncomfortably to my skin. My palms were a mess of raw blisters and smeared blood, and my thighs were burning from gripping the metal. "Good enough," Roxy panted, grabbing a towel from the edge of the stage to wipe her face. She looked me up and down, her sharp eyes no longer filled with mockery, but something resembling grudging respect. "You won't win any awards, but you won't break your neck, either. The brothers like the broken, pretty ones anyway." She tossed a second towel at my face. I caught it clumsily with my stinging hands. "Go get some sleep, princess," Roxy said, hopping off the stage with practiced ease. "Toni
Huling Na-update: 2026-07-09
Chapter: No more runningRomeoThe glass of scotch sitting on the mahogany dresser had been there for ten minutes.This time, I picked it up. I didn’t need it to numb the pain, and I wasn't staring at it out of a desperate need to escape my own mind. I raised the crystal glass and took a smooth, burning swallow.A hand clapped down on my shoulder, nearly making me spill the rest."Easy, Doctor…" Dante’s deep, rumbling voice echoed in the room. I looked at my older brother through the mirror. He looked sharp in his tailored black tuxedo but the entirely uncharacteristic grin on his face ruined his intimidating Loscuro aura completely. "You need to be upright for the ceremony. Galantes don't have the record to pass out before the vows.""I am perfectly sober, Dante." I muttered, setting the glass down and adjusting the cuffs of my crisp white shirt. "And I am not going to pass out.""You are sweating.""It's a heavy suit."Dante didn't look convinced. He leaned against the dresser and crossing his arms. "You
Huling Na-update: 2026-06-25
Chapter: YoursIreneJulian stopped right in front of us, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked down at me, his face dead serious.“You are saying yes to this?” Julian asked, gesturing vaguely at Romeo, who was still kneeling in the dirt.My stomach dropped into my shoes.Julian. The man who had spent the last few months actively trying to win my attention. I had pushed him away, completely ditching him every single time he tried to get close because my heart had been entirely trapped by the doctor currently glaring up at him.I braced myself. He was here to blame me. He was going to make a massive scene about how I had led him on, or how I had wasted his time only to run back to the Galante family.For three agonizing seconds, Julian stared at me with a hard, unreadable gaze.Then, a completely ridiculous grin broke across his face."I mean, look at him," Julian joked, his serious facade instantly melting away. "The guy is crying in the dirt, Irene. Are you sure you don't want a do-over? I ow
Huling Na-update: 2026-06-25
Chapter: Open skyIreneThe silence of the garden rushed back in, but it didn’t feel suffocating anymore. It felt vast. It felt empty, like a blank canvas waiting for us to finally start writing something new.I looked down at him, this proud, complicated, beautiful man who had spent years running from his own reflection, now completely on his knees in the dirt, offering me his entire soul without a single shield left to hide behind.Adrian had been a cage that demanded my submission. Romeo’s past had been a cage that demanded my silence.But this? The way he was looking at me right now, completely stripped bare, begging me to just let him love me? This wasn’t a cage at all. This was the open sky.“Irene?” he prompted softly, a flicker of panic crossing his face when I didn’t answer right away.A choked, watery laugh broke out of my throat. The tears came fast then, hot and blinding, blurring the image of the ring and the man holding it.“Yes,” I sobbed, stepping forward and instantly dropping to my kn
Huling Na-update: 2026-06-25
Chapter: Just you and meIreneThe present opening lasted for another hour.I stayed near the edge of the patio, leaning against a stone pillar, tracking Romeo's every movement. He helped Elara unwrap a massive, intricate dollhouse, handling the fragile plastic pieces with the exact same focus he used in the operating room. But he was still distracted. Twice, he looked around the yard until his eyes found mine, holding my gaze for a long, heavy second before Dante intentionally bumped his shoulder to snap him out of it.Dante gave him a knowing, subtle smirk—a look so rare on my brother-in-law's face it made my internal alarms go off.Then I noticed Isabella. She was watching me from across the lawn, a soft, secret smile playing on her lips. She didn't look confused or detached anymore. She looked like someone who knew a secret I was completely blind to.They are all in on it, I realized, my chest tightening with a sudden, nervous flutter. Whatever is wrong with him, the whole family knows.As the sun final
Huling Na-update: 2026-06-25
Chapter: Something was wrongIreneThe Galante estate did not look like a mafia fortress today.Pink and gold balloons floated above the sprawling gardens and the usually quiet stone courtyards echoed with the loud, joyful screams of children running through the grass. Elara was at the center of it all, spinning in a sparkly tulle dress that Dante had probably paid a ridiculous amount of money for.Standing near the patio, I watched Isabella hand out slices of birthday cake. Dante stood right behind her, his hand resting gently on her waist. Isabella was laughing, her eyes bright and clear, back to the woman who held this entire family together.Everything was perfect.Except for Romeo.I took a sip of my sparkling water, my eyes scanning the crowd until I finally spotted him standing near the stone archway of the rose garden.He looked incredible, as always, wearing a crisp white button-down shirt and dark slacks. But something was completely off. The calm doctor who never cracked under pressure was currently
Huling Na-update: 2026-06-22
Chapter: Make your moveIreneA month can do a lot to a person. Thirty days of quiet routines, of waking up without the scent of antiseptic burning the back of your throat, of learning how to breathe without waiting for the other shoe to drop.For five years, my life had been dictated by the shifting tides of the Galante estate. But tonight, the world shrank down to the size of my small kitchen table, a mismatched deck of cards on the counter, and the click of wooden chess pieces.“You are stalling…” I said, leaning my chin on my palm.Romeo didn’t look up from the board. He was sitting on one of my cheap wooden chairs, looking entirely out of place and yet completely at ease. Tonight, he was wearing a simple charcoal sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, exposing the thick veins in his forearms.“I am not stalling, firecracker.” he murmured, his thumb tracing the top of his knight. “I am analyzing. There is a difference.”“You have been analyzing that specific knight for four minutes.”“It’s
Huling Na-update: 2026-06-22
Mag-log in
