Chapter 86 BEGINNING OF SOMETHING BIG
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AUTHOR’S POV
Adeline sat on the plush velvet couch, her legs crossed at the knee, fingers drumming rhythmically against her thigh.
The dim glow of the overhead chandelier cast long, eerie shadows across the sleek black marble floors, the soft hum of the city beyond the tall windows the only sound in the silence between them.
Across from her, Charles leaned back in his chair, one arm draped lazily over the armrest, a glass of whiskey in his other hand.
He swirled the amber liquid absently, his sharp gaze never leaving her face.
“Tell me, Adeline,” he began, his voice smooth, measured, dripping with mock curiosity.
“Why are you still with Luciano, knowing everything that’s happening?”
Adeline exhaled, shifting slightly in her seat, before rolling her eyes in pure exasperation.
“Charles,” she said, voice edged with irritation.
“Enough.”
Charles raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her response, but she wasn’t finished.
“I know,” she continued, her voice firm, unwavering.
“I know about the love triangle between you, Luciano, and Elena.”
The second the words left her lips, the air in the room shifted.
For a brief moment, Charles’s smirk froze, his expression flickering into something unreadable. Something almost dangerous.
But it was gone as quickly as it came.
And then—he smirked.
A slow, knowing curve of his lips as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his fingers tapping against the glass in his hand.
“So, your beloved told you?” he mused, his voice dripping with something close to amusement.
Adeline chuckled under her breath, shaking her head.
“You think I didn’t already know?” she shot back, tilting her head slightly.
Charles didn’t answer immediately.
He only watched her, his smirk never fading, his dark eyes gleaming with interest.
Then, just as smoothly as he always did, he changed the subject.
“What do you think of Bianca and Leonardo?”
The question was deceptively casual, but the weight of it was anything but.
Adeline’s fingers stilled against her knee. Her expression didn’t change, but the shift in her demeanor was unmistakable.
Her eyes darkened, her lips curling into a slow, deliberate smile.
“What do we do?” she asked, her voice a whisper, filled with something chilling.
Charles leaned in slightly, his smirk growing.
“Then let’s shoot our first hit tonight.”
A beat of silence stretched between them.
Then—
Adeline smirked.
It was slow, almost unnoticeable at first, but as she locked eyes with Charles, it grew.
Charles matched her expression, his smirk deepening, dark amusement dancing in his gaze.
But before they could say another word—
The door swung open.
A sharp slam echoed through the room, shattering the silence like glass.
“No.”
The voice was low, sharp, filled with venom.
Adeline turned, her breath catching for a fraction of a second.
Vladimir.
He stepped into the room with a slow, purposeful stride, his shoulders tense, his eyes dark and unreadable.
The dim lighting from the chandelier above cut sharp lines across his face, making him look even colder, more dangerous.
His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned.
“I don’t want it to be a slow-burn revenge,” he said, his voice unwavering.
He took another step forward.
“I want them to die instantly…” He let the words linger, his lips curling into something far more dangerous.
“Yet in a very painful way.”
His hands clenched into tight fists, the veins on his arms visible beneath the skin.
“And I will kill him with my own hands.”
The room plunged into heavy silence.
Adeline watched him carefully, taking in every detail—the hard set of his jaw, the barely restrained rage coursing through him, the way his chest rose and fell with slow, controlled breaths.
She had always known that Vladimir had anger buried deep inside him, but tonight, she saw something different.
This wasn’t just anger.
This was pure, unfiltered vengeance.
A darkness had settled in him, one that could no longer be contained.
For the first time, Adeline had no words.
Because she understood him too well.
She had seen this fire in her own reflection.
She knew what it was like to be consumed by it.
Charles, however, simply sat back, observing Vladimir with mild amusement before letting out a low chuckle.
“Your wish is my command.”
His voice was smooth, dangerously calm, the embodiment of a man who thrived in chaos.
Adeline turned to look at him, locking eyes with Charles once again.
And he stared right back, his smirk never faltering.
Because they both knew—
Tonight would mark the first move in their war.