Chapter 121 — My Son Is Back

The door closed behind Christopher and Evelyn, and the room fell silent.Not the comfortable silence that follows a successful dinner, but the heavy silence after a catastrophe.The guests began to disperse shortly afterward, Mariana with her bored husband, Helena with a fake smile on her lips, Sophie dragging the wine-stained senator. Beatrice Astor gave me a kiss on the cheek and whispered “courage, dear” before leaving.And then it was just us. The family.William was in his armchair, whiskey in hand, his blue eyes fixed on the fireplace. Victoria had set her tablet aside on the sofa and was massaging her temples. Eleanor was sitting on the floor, petting Astor, who was whimpering softly. Even he could feel the tension.“Well…” Victoria said, breaking the silence. “I think we can agree that it was a memorable dinner.”“Victoria.” I warned, but there was no strength in my voice.“What? It’s true. I will never forget the senator’s face with red wine running down his collar.” She sket

Chapter 56 — Who Ordered the Attack on My Woman?

Evelyn fell asleep with her head resting on my chest, her dark hair spread across the pillow.Her breathing was slow and regular, but I knew the sleep was not peaceful. Through the bond, I felt the remnants of what she had experienced during the dinner. The anger, the humiliation, the pain.Not the superficial anger of someone who is insulted. It was something deeper. Something ancient.I closed my eyes and focused on the bond. Her memories came like waves, fragments of the past that she rarely let show. The rain. The empty street. The gate slamming. The man in the dark overcoat who looked at her as if she were merchandise. The words he said: “Want some company?”Company. Companion. They were variations of the same poison.I felt the cold she had felt that night. The hunger. The fear. The loneliness of a fifteen-year-old girl who had nowhere to go. The pain of feeling insignificant.And then, today, that senator. “That’s what entertainment companions are for, isn’t it? To entertain.”

Chapter 123 — The Justice of a Demon

“It was… it was Pieter.”Pieter Van Der Werff. The younger brother. The same one who had made the unfortunate comment at the business dinner. The same one I had corrected with words, believing it would be enough.Clearly, it had not been enough.“What exactly did Pieter say to you?”“He… he commented that you were in love with a nightclub dancer. He said she was… exotic. That she was probably a luxury companion you had decided to take on.” The senator swallowed hard. “He laughed while telling me. He said you were ‘domesticated.’ That it was fun to see the untamable Christopher Rockefeller being tamed by a…”“By a what?”“By a… prostitute. That was the word he used.”I felt my eyes burn. The violet illuminated the room, and the senator shrank back, terrified.“I… I only repeated what I heard.” He stammered. “I didn’t mean to offend. It was a joke. A joke in bad taste. I…”“It was not a joke.” My voice was ice. “It was a calculated insult. Pieter planted the seed, and you watered it. He

Chapter 124 — The Invitation from a Mother

The pocket dimension was quiet at that time of the afternoon.The fake windows showed a twilight sky that had never existed, and the golden light from the lamps bathed the main room.Mortyss had moved the furniture aside with a distracted gesture, creating a wide space in the center. He had installed a pole, yes, a professional pole, because the dimension was versatile and he was obsessed with every detail of my comfort.I was training.My hands on the cold metal, my hips drawing circles, my legs wrapping and unwrapping around the pole. The music — something slow and pulsating, with deep bass — played softly on the dimension’s sound system.It was a different dance from the ones I did for clients. More intimate. More personal. Something I was creating not to seduce, but to feel.And, on the black leather sofa, Mortyss watched.He was sunk into the cushions, legs crossed, violet eyes fixed on me. Nox was curled in his lap, purring. Mortyss’s tail snaked lazily, caressing the iridescent

Chapter 125 — She Is Proud of You Too

The café Celeste had chosen was a charming confectionery on the Upper East Side, with small iron tables on the sidewalk and an interior decorated with floral wallpaper and crystal lamps. We arrived at three o’clock sharp, Nox in his cat form nestled in my arms.Celeste was already there, seated at a table near the window. She wore a light blue suit, her silver hair pinned in an elegant bun. When she saw us, she smiled and waved.“Darlings!” She stood up and hugged me. “Evelyn, you look radiant. And Christopher, you look handsome, dear.”“Thank you, Mom.” Mortyss murmured, but there was a reluctant smile on his lips.“And this is the cat!” Celeste stroked Nox, who accepted the affection with a loud purr. “How cute! What’s his name?”“Nox.” I replied.“Nox. What a mysterious name. It suits you both.”We sat down. The waiter appeared immediately, and Celeste ordered the full afternoon tea: sandwiches, scones, apple pie, and a selection of teas that included Darjeeling, Earl Grey and cham

Chapter 126 — The Look That Should Not Exist

My cell phone vibrated on the dressing room counter while I finished adjusting my lipstick.“Eve!” I answered, putting it on speaker. “Finally! I thought you had been abducted for good by the hot guy in the overcoat.”Evelyn’s laugh sounded on the other end of the line, and I smiled. It had been a few days since we had talked properly. She had been busy being protected from who-knows-what, and I had been busy trying to process the fact that the supernatural existed.“I wasn’t abducted.” She replied. “I’ve just been busy. Training. Surviving. Going to dinners with billionaires.”“Dinners with billionaires? That’s new.”“It was a disaster. I’ll tell you later.” A pause. “But first: the costume.”“THE COSTUME!” I dropped the blush brush and threw myself into the chair. “Tell me everything. All the sordid details. Did he lose it?”“He lost control.”“What?”“Like, eyes glowing, skin changing color. He tried to take the costume off, but I decided I wanted him restrained.”“RESTRAINED? YOU