Chapter 36 – Secrets, Seduction, and Schemes**
Celeste stormed into the Evernight estate, fury burning in every step. The grand chandelier above cast a golden glow over the pristine marble floors, but she barely noticed.
Vivienne Evernight stood by the large floor-to-ceiling windows, her silhouette framed by the city skyline. She turned slowly, her icy blue eyes settling on her daughter.
“Celeste,” Vivienne said smoothly, sipping from a glass of wine. “You look… furious.”
“Because I am!” Celeste snapped, slamming her designer bag onto the table. “Do you know who I just saw today? Raine.”
Vivienne’s fingers tightened slightly around her glass.
“She’s alive,” Celeste continued, voice trembling with frustration. “And she’s changed. She’s beautiful—stunning, actually. Strong. Confident. And she’s with Xavier Draven and his little rogue pack.”
Vivienne’s expression darkened. “Explain.”
Celeste launched into every detail, from the moment she saw Raine to the way Kieran had looked at her—as if he had never rejected her, as if he wanted her now more than ever.
“She humiliated me, Mother,” Celeste hissed. “Right in front of everyone. She told me—” Her jaw clenched, mocking Raine’s words. “‘Tell your mom I said hello.’”
Vivienne’s lips pressed into a thin line. “That girl always had a sharp tongue.”
“She needs to be dealt with,” Celeste growled. “She’s a threat.”
Vivienne exhaled slowly, placing her glass down. “And where is your sister?”
Celeste rolled her eyes. “Probably fucking some guy, as usual.”
Vivienne’s gaze sharpened. “Find her. Now.”
\---
**Across Town – Lila’s Night of Sin**
Lila Evernight was not thinking about her family.
She was not thinking about business, power, or even her twin sister’s petty grievances. No, Lila was currently spread out on silk sheets in a luxurious penthouse, her bare skin warm under the soft glow of city lights, her body tangled with another’s.
Beneath her, Nikolai Kane—Kieran’s best friend and second-in-command—gripped her hips tightly, his breath ragged as he thrust into her from below.
“Fuck,” Nikolai groaned, his hands roaming up her thighs, fingers digging into the plush curves of her ass. “You’re so goddamn tight.”
Lila moaned, tilting her head back, her long black hair cascading down her back. She ground down on him, feeling every inch of his thick cock stretching her. “Mmm, you like that?” she purred, rolling her hips in slow, deliberate circles.
Nikolai growled, his hands sliding up to grip her waist before flipping her onto her back. Lila gasped, then laughed, wrapping her legs around his waist as he pressed her into the mattress.
“You tease,” he murmured against her throat before biting down just enough to make her whimper.
Lila’s nails raked down his back. “Then fuck me like you mean it, big boy.”
Nikolai smirked, gripping her thighs and pushing her legs wider. Then, without warning, he slammed into her, hard and deep.
Lila cried out in pleasure, her nails digging into the sheets. “Yes—fuck, just like that!”
He set a brutal pace, his thick cock driving into her over and over, stretching her perfectly. The room was filled with the sound of their bodies colliding, with Lila’s breathy moans and Nikolai’s deep groans of satisfaction.
“You’re a fucking dream,” he growled, biting at her collarbone. “So damn wet for me.”
Lila smirked, arching into him. “Who said I was just for you?”
That set something off in Nikolai. With a low growl, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head, his thrusts growing rougher, deeper, hitting her in just the right spot.
Lila gasped, her body tightening around him. “Shit—Nikolai—I’m—”
“Come for me, baby,” he commanded, his thumb finding her clit and rubbing circles over the sensitive nub.
That was all it took. Lila’s body tensed, a sharp cry leaving her lips as pleasure crashed through her, waves of ecstasy making her tremble. Nikolai groaned as her walls clenched around him, pushing him over the edge. He buried himself deep inside her, his cock twitching as he filled her with his release.
For a long moment, they stayed tangled together, their bodies slick with sweat, their breaths mingling.
Lila smirked lazily. “Not bad.”
Nikolai chuckled, rolling onto his back and pulling her against him. “Not bad? That was the best sex you’ve had all month, and you know it.”
Lila hummed, dragging her nails lightly over his chest. “Maybe.”
He nipped at her shoulder. “Maybe?”
She laughed, stretching like a satisfied cat. “We should do this again sometime.”
“Anytime, sweetheart.”
Lila smirked. She had no idea that, by morning, her fun little distraction would be the least of her problems.
\---
**Back at the Evernight Estate**
Celeste paced in the grand study, her anger still simmering. Lila was nowhere to be found, as expected.
“She’s a disgrace,” Celeste muttered. “Sleeping with Kieran’s best friend like some common whore.”
Vivienne, however, was not focused on Lila’s indiscretions.
She was thinking about Raine.
After a long silence, she finally turned to Celeste. “We will not act in haste.”
Celeste frowned. “What?”
Vivienne’s cold blue eyes locked onto her daughter. “Raine’s return is not just a minor inconvenience. She is a problem that requires a precise solution. If she has grown powerful, we must first understand how.”
Celeste’s lips curled in frustration. “So what? We just wait?”
Vivienne smiled thinly. “We strategize.”
Celeste’s jaw clenched, but she knew better than to argue.
Vivienne picked up her phone and made a single call.
“Keep an eye on Raine Evernight,” she instructed the person on the other end. “I want to know everything.”
She hung up and turned back to Celeste. “Soon, my dear,” she murmured. “Soon, we will remind her of exactly where she belongs.”
Celeste smirked. “At our feet.”
Vivienne lifted her wine glass, eyes gleaming. “Precisely.”
\---
Meanwhile, miles away, Raine sat outside on Xavier’s balcony, staring up at the night sky.
She should have felt safe. She should have felt at peace.
But deep down, she knew—
Something was coming.