The Monster they Made.

The Monster they Made.
Alice’s POV

I found myself in the bathroom—and broke.

My knees hit the tiles before I could stop them, the cold biting into my skin, but nothing compared to the ache tearing through my chest.

It hurt so badly I wished my heart would just stop. Just… cease. Anything to escape the hollow, burning pain inside me.

There are no words for it.

Five years—Rick had thrown away five years of love, laughter, and shared dreams, and the betrayal cut deeper than any knife. 

What hurt most was knowing I’d seen the signs—his late nights with Yvonne, their lingering glances. 

I wanted to end his friendship with her so many times, but I held back. I convinced myself that childhood friends could be innocent—that nothing was happening.

How could I have been so stupid? The truth hit harder now—as the reality of their deception crashed over me. 

Sweet, aching memories of Rick and me flashed through my mind: Our first date, our passionate nights tangled in sheets when love still felt real.

The way we celebrated every milestone together, side by side.

He was a model—sometimes even played the sultry vixen in my music videos, unapologetically proud to be mine.

After grueling tours, when exhaustion and stress threatened to break me, he was there, his arms my safe haven. 

How could I have imagined he’d betray me so terribly?

Tears burned my throat, choking me, until I couldn’t hold them back. 

A scream ripped from my lips, raw and unhinged, echoing off the bathroom walls. I didn’t care if Tiberio heard, if Silas or the entire mansion knew my pain. 

Let them hear—I was shattering, and the sound was all I had left. 

My body slumped further, the tiles icy against my skin, and I sobbed. The sobs faded, replaced by a burning anger that seared my soul. 

“You’ve made a monster, Rick, Yvonne,” I whispered, my voice trembling with fury. “I won’t rest until I see the ashes of your skeletons.” 

If this were just betrayal, I might’ve found a way to forgive, but they’d taken too much. 

They didn’t just rip my heart; they’d stolen everything—my money, two years of my life, and my grandmother, the only family I knew. 

Her death was on their hands.

And their child? The one they’d conceived in their deceit, wouldn’t escape my wrath either. 

A life for three lives, because I’d burn their world to the ground before I let them win.

I stood slowly, wiping the tears from my face.

Enough grieving. I needed to get closer to Silas.

Tiberio was unpredictable, and I didn’t trust he’d ever truly help me.

Silas, though? He needed me. That made him useful.

I knew what I was doing, and I didn’t care.

Maybe I was becoming someone I didn’t recognize. Maybe that was the point.

Tiberio’s POV

The sharp sting of the bullet wound in my arm throbbed, blood seeping through the makeshift bandage, but I barely registered it. 

Reid’s voice cut through the haze, his tone cautious but insistent. 

“Don, are you sure we shouldn’t take care of that?”

I shot him a hard glare, my jaw tight, and shrugged it off, the pain a familiar companion in my world of blood and betrayal. 

“This isn’t new, Reid. What is new is finding out who the hell Yvonne Sterling really is.”

Rage burned in my chest, a fire stoked by the audacity of Christian Montez’s ploy. 

How had she slipped through so easily? Not a single damn red flag.

I should’ve sensed it—the sudden influx of actresses eager to audition for our latest porn release.

Christian knew the adult film arm of my cartel was the one area I paid little attention to—a blind spot he’d exploited with precision. 

My fist slammed onto the desk, the impact rattling the whiskey glass and neatly stacked papers.

“Yvonne isn’t the only one. My eyes snapped to Reid’s. 

“Find out which audition batch she came from. I want every name on that list—male and female. Christian couldn’t have sent just one mole.”

My mind raced through the possibilities of his scheme. 

Reid nodded stiffly, his face a mask of obedience, but I wasn’t done. We

“We need to be vigilant. Everyone’s a suspect, including…” I paused, my gaze hardening as a name burned on my tongue. 

“Alice Rodriguez.”

Her name slipped out, sharp and heavy, and Reid’s eyes flickered, his posture stiffening. 

That subtle shift—his throat bobbing, a sign that rose suspicion. 

My eyes narrowed to slits. 

“What happened, Reid? You got something to tell me?”

I crossed my arms, the movement pulling at the wound, but I ignored the pain, my focus razor-sharp on him. He shook his head, too quickly, his composure cracking for a fraction of a second. 

I’d known Reid my entire life—his loyalty was ironclad, but he had one flaw: he couldn’t keep a secret from me.

Without hesitation, I drew my gun, and leveled it at his chest. Fear flashed in his eyes, though he tried to mask it, his jaw clenching.

“I swear, Reid, if you don’t tell me what happened between them now, I’ll blow your brains out,” I seethed, my voice a low, dangerous rumble.

He took a half-step back, exhaling heavily. 

“Look, Don, it’s not her fault. Silas put her in the situation.”

My brow arched, my fingers tightening around the gun, though I lowered it slightly, the barrel still trained on him. 

“Did he touch her?” I demanded, my voice barely above a whisper.

Reid’s silence was answer enough, and the image of Silas’s hands on Alice, her defiance melting under his touch—ignited a surge of anger I didn’t expect. 

Jealousy, raw and unbidden, roared through me, a beast I couldn’t tame. 

Why did it burn so fiercely? She was just a tool, a body to sate my desires, a voice to soothe my brother’s madness. Yet the thought of her with him twisted something deep inside, something I refused to name. 

In a burst of rage, I fired the gun upward, the shot cracking through the ceiling, plaster dust raining down as I vented the storm in my chest.

“Leave me alone,” I snarled, my voice shaking with barely restrained fury.

Reid bowed, his face pale, and turned to leave, but I stopped him cold. 

“And Reid?” My voice was quiet but deadly. 

“Never forget where your loyalty lies. Next time you hide something from me, you’ll be the next body dumped in the canal.”

He swallowed hard and slipped out, the door clicking shut behind him.

Alone, I let the beast loose. I shattered everything in reach—the lamp, the glass, the bottle of whiskey. 

My desk was splintered by the time I was done.

My arm screamed with pain, blood soaking the bandage, but it was nothing compared to the roar in my chest, a fury that drowned out the physical ache. 

Alice. Her name was fire in my blood. 

I’ll enjoy breaking you. Then putting you back together just to break you again.

I’ll paint your skin with my name. I’ll make your soul scream for me until you know you belong to me. 

I’d prove why I’m Tiberio DEVescori, why no one defies me—not Silas, not you, not anyone. 

You’re mine, Alice. Mine.

I grabbed my phone, my fingers trembling with rage, and dialed Elaine. She answered on the second ring, her voice rushed. 

“I—I’m sorry, Don, I wasn’t with my—”

“Elaine,” I cut her off, “I’m not asking for Alice Rodriguez’s information again. Get every detail—every single detail or prepare your organs for donation.”

I hung up, slamming the phone onto the desk.

Alice was a puzzle, a threat, a temptation—and I’d unravel her, no matter the cost.