2024-02-29 23:05:34
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Fame Building System Chapter 73
The gunshot echoed in the air, and the tension was louder than silverware against porcelain plates. The Abellis cast me cautious glances, while my family kept their eyes downcast on their desserts, stiffer than the chairs they sat on.Leaning back, I rested a forearm on the table and focused my gaze on the cigarette I rolled between my fingers. The anger was strong enough I had to choke it down. It burned in my throat, in my chest, and marred my vision with a red mist.My eyes skimmed up an inch to find Luca, my underboss and only reliable cousin, wiping a hand across his mouth in a poor attempt to hide his amusement. My gaze darkened, conveying I might just go for shooting two cousins today. He sat back in his chair, his humor fading.He’d just won a bet that we couldn’t get away without any altercations today. And won double because anything involving the Sweet Abelli had been a bonus. My family gambled on everything— everything. Any possible chance to gain a buck, they exploited it
Fame Building System Chapter 74
I wasn’t usually a sadist, but Jesus, it was kind of hot. A reluctant rush of heat ran to my groin.Talking about sadists, my gaze found my cousin Lorenzo a couple seats down. He was staring at the girl like it was his job. And not any job I’d given him—because he was good at turning those to shit—but like a vocation or something. You’d never know looking atthe man nor talking to him, but the bastard had an inclination for S&M. Knowing that and watching him stare at Mira Abelli, a sliver of irritation ran through me.She probably liked it sweet and vanilla.Probably preferred the man to get on his knees and beg a bit.Lorenzo would.I’d rather shut my dick in a car door.She’d glared at me at church today, and I’d wondered what the Sweet Abelli could have against me. I’d known the nickname before I even met the girl. It was an innocent pet name that became well-known—well, among men—because not only was she sweet, she had the sweetest body around.I’d heard more about this girl’s ass
Fame Building System Chapter 75
“Right or left?”Tony’s jaw ticked but he didn’t say a word, just sat in the chair across from his papà’s desk like he was at a board meeting. Blood dripped from his lip onto his white dress shirt, though he still wore a darkly entertained expression.So I hit him. Again.A burn traveled through my cracked knuckles.His teeth clenched, but he took it without a sound. Tony was one of those men who were so high on their own shit they couldn’t feel pain. He’d fucking feel something before I left this room.Rays of sun shone through the blinds into Salvatore’s office, lighting dust particles in the air. All the guests had filed out, and it was safe to say this lunch was a failure. Which only meant more lunches and parties I’d have to attend. None of the families wanted to risk acquainting everyone at such a large event, because shit like today could happen, before escalating into a bloodbath with women and children present.Luca stood in front of the door, his cold eyes focused on the bac
Fame Building System Chapter 76
Honestly, it was hard to feel sorry for Tony. He’d cheated on Jenny with that servant, Gabriella, and I wouldn’t doubt others. I didn’t take Nicolas as a man to sleep with other men’s girlfriends for the hell of it, though, and I had a feeling... “What did you do to him?” A not-so-nice smile tugged at Tony’s lips. And there it was. There were always two sides to every story. He took another pull, and with a frown, I watched the blood drip down the side of the island and collect into a small pool. Drinking was only going to make him bleed more. I pushed off the counter and pulled the bottle straight from his lips. Whiskey splashed down his chin and chest. His eyes narrowed, but his next words were slurred. “Jesus, Mira.” He looked wasted, or really close to passing out. I unwound the shirt from his hand and recoiled. “Oh my god! You have to go to the hospital, Tony!” A bullet-shaped hole went straight through his hand, like the barrel had been placed directly in it. I covered my mouth,
Fame Building System Chapter 77
His gaze flicked to the TV.“He deserved worse.”This man was going to watch the news with a fistful of my hair? My God. Maybe it was due to my head being at an awkward angle and my blood not circulating as well, but my brain wasn’t getting enough oxygen. And the fact that he smelled so good, like clean soap and man, made the corners of my vision hazy.“You’re not a judge and jury,” I breathed. His gaze came down to me.“He almost got you killed, yet you stick up for him?”“He’s my brother.” His expression hardened.“He’s an idiot.” My mamma’s voice filtered into the room from down the hall, and slowly, he unwound his fist from my hair and took a step back. A moment later, she entered the room.“Nico, I didn’t know you were coming today.” Mamma’s tone was tight.She didn’t like that he’d shot Tony either, but she must have known it was coming and hid in her room all night.“Will you be staying for lunch?”“I’m sure he’s got plenty of stuff to do, Mam.”“That sounds great, Celia.”“Gre
Fame Building System Chapter 78
I just explained the plot of her book club novel.“I don’t even feel bad for not reading that one.” She hadn’t read a single one of them—I had.“Okay, I have to go,” she said, putting a heel on with one hand and an earring in with the other.“Your papa and Christopher are out, but Dominic is in the basement. Oh, and help your sister pick out her cake flavor. Tua zia Liza needs to know today. Please, Mira!” I sighed and climbed off my parents’ bed.“Leaving!” Mamma’s voice drifted out of the room.I heard a faint “finally” from my nonna as she passed the doorway with her servant Gabriella in tow. She’d gone on her afternoon walk, or, more likely, sat on the patio for five minutes of fresh air while gossiping.A couple of moments later, I pushed the kitchen door open. Adriana sat cross-legged on the counter with two plates of cake before her. Her elbows rested on her knees, and her fists were under her chin while only wearing her yellow polka-dot bikini.“What are the flavors?” I asked,
Fame Building System Chapter 79
The quiet purr of an engine broke through my thoughts. My eyes flew open. Swimming toward the side, I grasped the edge of the pool and watched a shiny black car park next to Ryan’s truck. I didn’t know who it belonged to, but soon enough, the door opened, and the worst person who could show up stepped out. A cold sweat drifted through me. Disaster loomed in the distance. More blood. Young, lifeless eyes. No. It wasn’t going to happen again.I pulled myself out of the pool and headed toward the front of the house, ignoring the itch to go in the opposite direction. Nicolas held a manila envelope in one hand and shut the car door with the other. My skin buzzed with a cool sensation, and my bare feet paused at the end of the walkway. I stood there in a white bikini, soaking wet, while my heart beat a mile a minute. When his gaze finally came up to me, he stopped in his tracks. We stared at each other. He was only wearing black dress pants and a white short-sleeve shirt. I swallowed. It fe
Fame Building System Chapter 80
I stopped Adriana midway and closed my eyes in disbelief.“Papà is going to kill you,” I told her.“Good,” she muttered, adding a long arc with her paintbrush to the canvas that leaned against the wall.The painting would be a rainbow if it weren’t all black. My sister had been brooding since Ryan came over. She went to her classes but otherwise stayed in her room. The week crawled by with her casting a black cloud over the house with her emo paintings and sappy music. I was beginning to feel guilty again, but there wasn’t a part of me that wanted to put myself in her place. I’d rather have a husband who wasn’t so rude, wasn’t as womanizing as I’d heard, and was truthfully less handsome. Maybe that sounded odd, but to me, it made perfect sense.Laughter filtered up the stairs, and I closed my eyes once more. Adriana’s engagement party had started five minutes ago, and she currently sat cross-legged on her floor in overalls, covered in paint. I could see Papà’s temper not far in the di
Latest Chapter
Chapter 161 (Finale)
The man—male—down the alley was Skull .After ten years, after all the executions and burnings, a Skull male was prowling toward her. Pure, solid Skull . There was no escaping him as he emerged from the shadows yards away. The vagrant in the alcove and the others along the alley fell so quiet Mia could again hear those bells ringing in the distant mountains.Tall, broad-shouldered, every inch of him seemingly corded with muscle, he was a male blooded with power. He paused in a dusty shaft of sunlight, his silver hair gleaming.As if his delicately pointed ears and slightly elongated canines weren’t enough to scare the living shit out of everyone in that alley, including the now-whimpering madwoman behind Mia , a wicked-looking tattoo was etched down the left side of his harsh face, the whorls of black ink stark against his sun-kissed skin.The Morse codes could easily have been decorative, but she still remembered enough of the Skull language to recognize them as words, even in such a
Chapter 160
What she wants?Mia wasn’t naive. She knew very well that Christopher wouldn’t be able to get out of this mess without her. It seemed he had made the mistake of angering Arthur and at least, she was able to help him. Even if it meant giving up her own freedom.Why she was so nice to the same man who had abandoned her many times when she needed him but now she felt the urge to give herself up to help him… she didn’t know. But he was her brother and she felt somewhat responsible for him.“I… I want my brother safe,” she began to speak after a moment's pause. “I want him to leave alive. I want to see him leave alive and for your men to never go after him again.”“And in return, you’ll take my offer,” he mused. Mia nodded and the smirk on Arthur’s face widened.“That’s a deal,” he responded, his tone final. Mia felt a little bit of relief, even though her heart pounded in her chest.Then, his hand snaked up her arm and she gasped at how warm his palm was on her cool skin. Up her arm, to h
Chapter 159
The next morning Mia and the Emissary set off to the King's palace. She had figured out a way to get back without any suspicion and while she had instructed the Emissary to help find Thorne, it was left to her to find a means to get to the location of the Shadow Star.Stepping into the boaders, where the gigantic palace had been built upon, all Mia needed to do was to act as though she had been hurt and with her skills in pretence, no one would question her.The moment she noticed the guards were coming close to her hideout, Mia stepped out, holding one part of her arm and hissing in pain. She looked up to see the guards coming towards her direction. The moment they laid eyes on her, one of them rushed over to help steady her body. Mia looked to see the others moving to her hideout to figure out how she had arrived. As they arrived at the entrance of the mansion, some of the soldiers also rushed over to help her and while they head into the luxurious living room, Mia over hears one o
Chapter 158
Anna was taken out of the underground in silence to live in Christopher's mansion and resume the underground at night when she's well rested.Her room was beside Devon's room and well furnished, equally as his own, with luxurious closets large enough to open a boutique.Anna could not stop exclaiming and thought of exactly what was going on.It was the third day she was taking Christopher home after the night she passed out without seeing Christopher himself. She was left alone in the room, only to be taken care of by maids attending to her needs. She needs fresh air, at least, but at the same time, she is scared of breaking the rules.That morning, she had just showered up early and was creaming her body before Christopher walked into her half-nakedness.It was nothing to Christopher, as he has seen her that way several times, but the amusing part is the fact that Anna was covering her body and not throwing herself at him."Out of your clothes! Like right now, put it off." Christop
Chapter 157
“How dare you?" Christopher roared like a lion as the champagne got emptied on his dress and flowed freely down his pants. Anna shook terribly, looking for napkins to clean Christopher's suits and shoes. She just emptied a glass of champagne."I'm terribly sorry! I wa---sss" Anna stuttered, trying to complete her words, when Christopher dragged her hair and pulled her up. "You are here to pay your brother's debt, but it's obvious you're not capable!. "Christopher said with a very intimidating voice, letting out goosebumps on Maria's neck."Please, I feel weak! '' Anna begged amidst her tears. She had never felt this way in her entire life, looking for means of survival.She felt her strength leaving her and let her body fall on Devon's hold.Everyone in the VIP room's eyes widened."This baby is indeed grounded!" One of them commented and signaled Christopher to take Anna's body away from him.Before they could move, Christopher gave them a shock. He carried Anna himself to his cl
Chapter 156
Without doing extra training between the stacks, Mia found herself less exhausted when she left the library. Christopher had retrieved her from Windhaven after two and a half hours, and she’d already been so bored sitting in Rhys’s mother’s house that she’d nearly smiled to see him. But Christopher ’s face had been tight, his eyes cold and distant, and he’d barely spoken to her when Rhys had appeared. Rhys had barely spoken to her, either, but that was to be expected. It was better if they didn’t speak at all.Yet Christopher hadn’t said more than “I’ll see you later” before leaving again with Rhys after the High Lord had brought them back to the House of Wind, his face still tight and angry.With the extra energy buzzing through her that night, wondering incessantly why Christopher had been so upset, Mia didn’t feel like eating in her room and falling asleep. So she found herself in the doorway of the dining room.Christopher was lounging in his chair, a glass of wine in his hand, st
Chapter 155
Hoping Virgil wouldn’t come shove him over the railing for disobeying her orders, he said, “All right. Throw the right hook.”Mia did so. And dropped her damn elbow.“Get back into position.” She did, and he asked, “May I?”Mia nodded, and kept perfectly still as he made minute adjustments to the angle of her arm. “Punch again. Slowly.”She heeded him, and his hand wrapped around her elbow as it began to dip. “See? Keep this up.” He maneuvered her arm back into starting position. “Don’t forget to flow the weight through your hips.” He took her arm, keeping a good foot of distance between their bodies, and moved it through the punch. “Like this.”“All right.” Mia reset herself, and he took a step away. Without his order, she did the punch again. Perfectly.Christopher whistled.“Do that with more force and you’ll shatter a male’s jaw,” he said with a crooked grin. “Give me a combination one-two, then four-five-three, then one-one-two.”Mia ’s brows bunched as she reset herself. Her fee
Chapter 154
Five days later, Christopher sat before the desk of the library’s high priestess and watched her enchanted pen move. He’d met Virgil a few times over the centuries—found she had a dry, wicked sense of humor and a soothing presence. He’d made a point not to stare at her hands, or at the face he’d only seen once, when Mor had brought her in so long ago. It had been so battered and bloody it hadn’t looked like a face at all.He had no idea how it had healed beneath the hood. If Madja had been able to save it in a way she hadn’t been able to save Virgil ’s hands. He supposed it didn’t matter what she looked like, not when she had accomplished and built so much with Rhys and Mor within this library. A sanctuary for females who’d endured such unspeakable horrors that he was always happy to carry out justice on their behalf.His mother had needed a place like this. But Rhys had established it long after she’d left this world. He wondered if Azriel’s mother had ever considered coming here, or
Chapter 153
Curled up in bed, a book propped on the thick down comforter, Mia was just getting to the sizzling first kiss in her latest novel when a knock thudded on her door.She slammed the book shut and sat up against the pillows. “Yes?”The handle turned, and there he was.Christopher still wore his leathers, the overlapping scales of them full of shadows that made him look like some great, writhing beast as he shut the door.He leaned against the carved oak, his wings rising high above his head like twin mountain peaks.“What?” She slid the book onto the nightstand, sitting up further. His eyes dipped to her sleeveless silk nightgown, then quickly returned to her face. “What?” she demanded again, angling her head. Her unbound hair slid over a shoulder, and she saw him mark that, too.His voice was rough as he said, “I’ve never seen you with your hair down.”She always wore it braided across her head or pinned up. She frowned at the locks that flowed to her waist, the gold amongst the brown g
