Chapter 71: Shattered Glass

GAVINMy fingers kept fumbling with the silk of my red bow tie as I struggled to make it look presentable. In the mirror, my reflection looked blurry because my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.“Get it together,” I muttered to myself under my breath, gripping the mirror stand until my knuckles turned white. I stared hard into my own eyes, searching for the calm, controlled man who had spent months preparing for tonight.But all I saw was a complete mess.Everything had changed the moment I learned about Logan or Silvio. Damn it, whatever name he went by now.I slammed my fist against the wall, the same hand I had already injured before. Sharp pain shot up my arm as I let out a frustrated scream, squeezing my eyes shut.I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that my brother was alive. He hadn’t died that night. For ten years, he had been out there, working with the same people who had shot him. The same family we had been trying to take down.What the hell was I supposed to do when

Chapter 72: Dangerous Desires

GAVINI barely heard the sound of the glass shattering at my feet. The broken pieces scattered across the floor like tiny diamonds, and a few guests turned to look, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Melanie.What the hell was she doing with Reynold?Seeing her arm linked with his made something dark and possessive rise inside me. After everything that the bastard had tried to do to her, tearing at her clothes and trying to force himself on her, she was standing there beside him like they were a real couple?Had she lost her damn mind?“Oh my God, Gav, look what you’ve done,” Cassandra hissed next to me, clearly annoyed.Her voice pulled me back for a second. I glanced down at the spilled champagne and broken glass. A waiter was already hurrying over with a cloth.“Yeah, sorry,” I muttered, not really caring.My eyes went straight back to Melanie. She was looking everywhere in the room except at me, deliberately avoiding my gaze. Then she leaned in close to Reynold, whispered something i

Chapter 73: Stolen Moments

MELANIEI never expected it to be this easy to get Gavin alone and pressed up against me.He pulled his hand from under my dress and stepped back, chest rising and falling fast as he looked at me. I could see the internal battle in his eyes, whether to run or stay.I knew the moment I won the battle when he walked to the door, turned the lock with a soft click, and walked back toward me. His hands cupped my face roughly as he kissed me hard.I moaned into his mouth and grabbed his tuxedo jacket, pulling him even closer, tasting champagne on his tongue.“Damn it, Mel,” he growled against my lips, breaking the kiss for just a second. “You’re going to get us both in serious trouble.”“Then get in trouble with me,” I whispered, biting his bottom lip.He spun me around and pressed my front against the mirror. My hands landed on the cool marble counter as he stood behind me. One of his hands pushed the slit of my gown higher up my thigh while the other wrapped around my throat, tilting my h

Chapter 74: Exposed

MELANIEI thought I heard him wrong. I whipped my head around so fast I nearly got dizzy, staring at Reynold like he had grown a second head, my heart already hammering wildly in my chest.“What did you just say?”His smirk grew wider, clearly loving that he had my full attention now. “You heard me, Mel. You’re hooking up with my coach.”My jaw dropped. My lips parted, closed, then parted again like a fish gasping for air. Then I let out a really strange, flat laugh that sounded like it came from someone else. “Have you been drinking?” I tried to brush it off, but I knew the denial was too weak.“Hmm.” Reynold tapped a finger against his cheek, pretending to think deeply while looking at the wall. “So… was Gavin the reason you didn’t want to sleep with me? Or did it start after that night?”“I—” “Another thing,” he cut in, his voice suddenly deadpan. “I’ve been wondering who helped you that night, but I didn’t want to bring it up…”I felt like my heart was about to burst out of my c

Chapter 75: The Ghost Appears

GAVIN“Gavin, where are you?” Joe’s voice came through the small earpiece I had just tucked into my ear as I stepped out of the restroom hallway and blended back into the crowd of tuxedos and sparkling gowns.“Right behind you,” I murmured quietly. Joe spun around, eyebrows raised. I walked past him without stopping, acting like he was just another guest, trying desperately not to blow our cover. “You vanished for nearly an hour,” Joe pressed, his tone tightening with suspicion. “What happened?”“I’m back now," I replied flatly. "Keep your eyes on the room, Walker, not on me.” I pressed the button to end the transmission. My jaw tightened. He was always so damn nosy.I glanced back and caught him smirking like he knew exactly what I had been doing. I ignored him and kept moving.Then my eyes found Melanie.Reynold stood right beside her, staring straight at me. A heavy feeling settled in my stomach. What was she doing with him after everything that had happened?I forced myself to lo

Chapter 76: Tangled Lies

MELANIEThe moment Eva walked in holding Silvio’s hand, my whole body tensed up. She had tried calling me several times after the fight at Derek’s house, but the hurt still felt too fresh. I couldn’t bring myself to pick up.“Damn, Eva got herself a rich boyfriend,” Reynold muttered beside me, staring at the couple as they made their way through the room like they were the main celebrants.I ignored him and looked away, just in time to see Gavin walking through the crowd. He passed right by us without even glancing in my direction. Not a single look. Not even a small change in his expression, or even, I don't know, a subtle wink.He just kept walking as if I were a piece of rented ballroom furniture.My jaw clenched hard. Did he only want me when we were behind locked doors? Was I just a secret to him, someone he could fuck in hidden corners and then pretend didn’t exist? The thought burned in my chest.Reynold tried to get his attention, but Gavin didn’t even acknowledge him. He just