Chapter 88 TOO MANY SECRETS
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AUTHOR’S POV
Adeline stepped into the elevator, the soft ding echoing through the hallway as the doors slid open.
She was alone—at least for a moment—before two figures walked in right behind her.
She didn’t react immediately. She didn’t need to.
But as soon as she heard the voices, she knew.
Leonardo.
And worse—
Elena.
She kept her expression neutral, her head slightly turned away as if uninterested, but inside, her blood burned.
The dim golden light of the elevator reflected off the sleek, polished walls, casting an almost intimate glow inside the small space.
Leonardo stood to her left, effortlessly confident, his presence oozing power. He wore a black suit, but the first few buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a glimpse of inked skin beneath.
And then there was Elena.
She looked… different.
Her dress was far too revealing, cut high on her thigh, the neckline dipping so low that Adeline nearly scoffed. Desperate.
Elena laughed softly, her delicate fingers tracing the lapel of Leonardo’s suit.
“You’re such a tease, Leo,” she purred, tilting her head up at him.
Leonardo smirked, sliding a hand into his pocket.
“Am I?”
Adeline clenched her fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms.
Fucking hell.
What the hell was Elena even doing?
With Leonardo?
The same Elena who swore she loved Luciano?
She had sobbed to Adeline once—sworn that she couldn’t live without him, that her heart belonged to him.
And now she was here, throwing herself at another man like a pathetic little whore.
Adeline bit the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to stay calm.
She kept her gaze forward, watching the glowing numbers above the doors tick higher—7… 8… 9…
Leonardo chuckled, tilting Elena’s chin up with a single finger.
“You think you can handle me, sweetheart?”
Elena grinned, biting her lip.
“Why don’t we find out?”
Adeline nearly rolled her eyes.
If she didn’t have a mission to complete, she would have laughed in Elena’s face.
Leonardo was playing her—and she was eating it up like an idiot.
A fucking joke.
The elevator chimed, signaling floor 13.
Leonardo and Elena stepped out first, and Adeline waited half a second before following.
But then—Elena hesitated.
Instead of walking with Leonardo, she turned and joined a group of girls gathered near the hallway.
They were dressed like her—too much skin, too much makeup—laughing, whispering.
And then it hit Adeline.
They were strippers.
These girls were heading to Leonardo’s party.
And Elena?
She was one of them.
Adeline took a deep, slow breath, controlling the fury that surged inside her.
She wanted to laugh.
This is who Elena had become?
From claiming to love Luciano with all her heart, to throwing herself into Leonardo’s world like she belonged there?
Pathetic.
Adeline shook her head, finally turning away, walking toward the opposite end of the hallway.
She had wasted enough time watching that trainwreck.
She needed to focus.
But then—
She felt it.
A presence.
Someone standing directly in front of her.
Her pulse stilled.
Her instincts sharpened.
Slowly, she raised her gaze.
And there, at the end of the dimly lit corridor, stood Luciano.
A Collision of Fates
He looked like he belonged to the dark.
Dressed in all black—his fitted shirt rolled up at the sleeves, his powerful frame tense, his sharp jaw set.
But it was his eyes that stopped her heart.
Cold. Unreadable. And yet, burning.
His gaze locked onto hers, heavy, unrelenting, like he was trying to see through her, past the disguise, past the secrets.
For a moment—neither of them spoke.
The air between them was thick, buzzing with something dangerous and electric.
Adeline’s lips parted slightly, but she said nothing.
She didn’t need to.
Because Luciano already knew.
He had seen Elena walk into that suite.
He had seen Adeline watching.
And now—
He was here.
Watching her like a storm waiting to break.
Adeline swallowed, keeping her chin high.
Luciano took a slow step forward.
Her breath hitched.
His eyes darkened, flickering down to her dress—the way it clung to her, the way she looked too sinful to be safe.
His fists curled at his sides.
Possessive. Unforgiving.
His voice, when he finally spoke, was low, controlled, but lined with something deadly.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Adeline?”
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The hallway stretched before her like a path leading straight into the mouth of the storm.
Adeline stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat as she locked eyes with Luciano.
He was a dark silhouette against the dim hallway lights, his presence an unshakable force that seemed to bend the air around him.
His broad frame was clad in black, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing the veins along his tanned skin.
The top buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing just enough of his defined chest to hint at the raw power beneath.
But it was his eyes that stopped her heart.
They weren’t just cold—they were burning.
A silent rage simmered behind them, barely contained, like a fuse that had already been lit.
Adeline’s hands curled into fists at her sides, her breathing uneven as she processed the situation she had just walked into.
What the fuck was he doing here?
Her pulse hammered in her ears, drowning out the distant chatter and music from the rooms behind them. The scent of expensive cigars and whiskey lingered in the air, mixing with the faint trace of Luciano’s signature cologne—dark, deep, and intoxicating.
He was watching her like a predator watching his prey—not moving, not speaking, just absorbing.
And she knew.
He had seen her.
Seen her watching Elena.
Seen her in this dress, looking like she belonged in Leonardo’s world.
His jaw tensed. His fists clenched.
And then, finally—
He took a step forward.
The sound of his leather shoes against the marble floor sent a chill racing down her spine.
Adeline swallowed hard, lifting her chin slightly, refusing to back down.
The space between them closed with every slow, controlled step he took—each movement calculated, precise, like he was savoring the tension between them.
And then he was right in front of her.
The heat radiating from his body seeped into hers, suffocating, intoxicating.
She could feel the unspoken storm brewing inside him.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low, dangerous, and laced with something lethal.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Adeline?”
The words brushed against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine.
Adeline parted her lips to answer, but no words came.
Because she wasn’t ready for this.
She had prepared herself for Leonardo.
She had prepared herself for Charles, for the mission, for revenge.
But she hadn’t prepared herself for Luciano finding her here.
Not like this.
Not when he looked like he was one second away from fucking losing it.
She inhaled sharply and looked at Luciano confused and …… terrified.
“ what is going on here? “