"What's going on?" Nikolai asked pensively. "I think it's a break-in" she replied. "Why didn't the alarms go off then?" "I don't know" Kamila shut the door behind them. "Papa?" Faina asked "He'll be here soon, kroshka" she whispered hugging her daughter to her chest. When siblings, Faina and Nikolai, find themselves estranged from home after the death of their parents, they must do everything to avenge their loss. Including, taking on new identities. But what happens when they're both caught up in the deepest of betrayals?
September 11, 2004. San Diego, USA.
Coronado's streets were bathed in serene silence, the only sound being the gentle lullaby of the ocean waves. The city's inhabitants, a mix of weary tourists and families, had succumbed to the day's exhaustion, their dreams no doubt filled with visions of sun-kissed beaches and endless summer fun. But amidst the slumbering homes, a few windows still glowed like beacons, shining bright with the promise of late-night laughter and adventure. And in one of these illuminated havens, the Kuznetsov family's story was just beginning to unfold.
"It's past your bedtime Faina. Don't make me chase after you every night" Kamila called after her daughter, her voice laced with exhaustion and playful sternness as the little girl darted to the living room and straight into her father's lap.
"We're on vacation mama! I want to stay up for longer this night"
Dominik smiled down at the eight-year-old clinging to him before beseeching his wife "Just let her be for an hour more, Mila" and the girl squealed in delight at her victory while Kamila shook her head.
"You spoil her too much, Dominik" The woman folded her arms across her chest "And you can put her to bed. I'm done for the day" she huffed before retreating to the bedroom, leaving her husband to handle the bedtime battle.
Faina pouted, "Why does Nicky get to stay up and not me?"
Nikolai entering the room replied bluntly, "Because I'm a teenager" and Faina scowled, her brows furrowed in discontent.
"That's not fair. I want to be a teenager too"
"And you will be, eventually" Dominik patted her head while he raised a questioning brow at his fifteen-year-old son who barely ever left his room.
"Just came to grab this" Nikolai says reaching for his headphones on the dining room table "Go to bed Fay" he addressed his baby sister.
"Papa says I can stay" she huffs and Nikolai shoots a blank stare at his father before returning to his room without a word.
Dominik indulged his daughter in her endless nonsense chatter until she passed out in his arms.
"Finally," he whispered scooping her up and transporting her to the room to tuck her in.
...
As Dominik entered the room, the soft creak of the door broke the silence. Kamila lay in bed, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling with slow deliberate breaths. He approached the bathroom, the sound of running water and gentle humming filling the room. After freshening up, he slid into bed beside her.
"I know you're still awake" he whispered. Kamila often feigned sleep when upset, avoiding conversation.
When she didn't respond, he drew her close, his arms wrapping around her "I'm sorry, miliy" he said softly brushing his lips on her shoulder.
Kamila rolled over facing him, her eyes flashing with frustration. "You always indulge her and she never listens to me"
Dominik's boyish smile flashed, his eyes crinkling at the corners "She's my little girl"
Kamila corrected "Our little girl" her voice firm but gentle "I don't want to raise a spoiled child"
He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and his gaze locked on hers. "You're an amazing mother. Our children are perfect" Kamila smiled, her eyes softening as Dominik's voice dropped to barely a whisper in the dim light. "You have me wrapped around your finger, just like she does. You're all my weaknesses".
"You're all my strength" she whispered and their lips met in a tender kiss.
He peppered kisses down her neck to the swell of her breasts as his hands disappeared beneath her silk nightgown, exploring her thighs. Kamila's breath quickened, her hands tangling in his hair.
"Dom-" she sighed when his hands wandered deeper between her legs-
A sudden jarring crash shattered the brief euphoric moment, startling them both.
"What was that?" Kamila asked, her voice laced with worry as she clutched her husband's arm.
Dominik's face masked seriousness as his instincts ran on high alert. "I don't know" he replied.
Before they could process the noise, a louder bang resonated through the house, enough to stir unsettlement in the couple. Dominik's expression turned grim with his mind already breeding the worst-case scenarios. The noise was enough to wake their neighbors if they didn't have soundproof homes.
He sprang into action, his voice firm and commanding. "Get the kids, Mila, and lock yourselves in the basement" he reached under the hidden compartment of the bed to grab a gun and shove it behind his pants.
She gave him a firm nod and raced to the door with him following close behind.
"Be safe, Dom" she whispered and he gave he a reassuring nod in response.
"Don't come out unless I come and fetch you" he added. "Mila-" he warned when she didn't heed.
"I'll try"
As Kamila hastened to the children's rooms, she found Nikolai already carrying Faina. "This way" she instructed, taking Faina from him and leading them to the basement.
"What's going on?" Nikolai asked pensively.
"I think it's a break-in" she replied.
"Why didn't the alarms go off then?"
"I don't know" Kamila shut the door behind them.
"Papa?" Faina asked
"He'll be here soon, kroshka" she whispered hugging her daughter to her chest.
Meanwhile, Dominik made his way to the living room in tentative steps to figure out the cause of the noise.
"I told you to be fucking careful" a man hissed angrily in an almost inaudible voice.
"Felix" A cold voice cut through the atmosphere, drawing the attention of the two men in his living room to him.
The man named Felix whipped around to the sound of the voice, temporarily startled. "Dammit," Felix cursed before putting on an eerie smile. "Dominik. A pleasure to see your face again after so long"
"What the fuck are you doing breaking into my home?"
"Visiting my brother?" Felix replied, voice dripping in sarcasm.
"My brother was dead to me over a decade ago" Dominik narrowed his eyes at him, the tension between them was palpable.
"Tsk, still so bitter. And here I thought finding another true love would've softened you" Felix chuckled.
"Enough games, Felix. Why are you here?"
Felix retrieved his gun from his suit pocket as Dominik did the same. Their movements swift and practiced that one would've missed it if they blinked.
Felix's eyes glinted with malice "I've decided your time is up"
Dominik's expression turned fierce, his eyes blazing with anger and the initial surprise of seeing his brother again and years, washed away "The audacity of you" Felix scoffed "I'm on vacation Felix, and I'd like to keep it that way. So, I suggest you take you and your dog-" he said referring to the man with Felix who hadn't attempted to move an inch "-out of my fucking house".
Felix tilted his gun to the side and pulled on the trigger, releasing a bullet an inch away from Dominik's head and straight into the wall. "I'm not here to fuck around with you" he sneered.
"And I'm not finding your intrusion particularly amusing either. I can do away with you both right now but for old times' sake, I'm giving you the option to leave. The offer is open for a limited time"
"You're fucking surrounded and outnumbered dumdum" Felix laughed
"Who sent you?"
"I'm nobody's servant!" Felix scowled.
"Yeah right"
In the basement, Kamila heard the faint sound of a gun going off and her heart pounded inside her ribcage
"Nicky, take your sister" she whispered urgently to her son.
"And where are you going?" Nikolai asked her worriedly.
Kamila pinned her son with a resolute stare "If I'm not back in five minutes, take your sister and use the escape door"
"What-"
"Now's not the time to rebel against me Nikolai. I don't feel good about your father being up there by himself". She opened a safe in the basement taking out a gun "Lock the door behind me" And with that, she left.
Dominik had stepped on a nerve and Felix had tackled him head-on. Two more men marched into the living room observing the two brothers in a fight.
"This is out of script" the first man who came in with Felix muttered. He was a tall broody man with sharp cheekbones.
"Do you think Felix knows what he's doing? We were given direct orders to assassinate the family quietly and leave, not start unnecessary hand combat" The second man replied already pissed. He was an inch shorter than Tall-broody with a lean physique.
"He's stalling on purpose" the third bulky man added with realization and pulled out his gun aiming it at Dominik as the brothers tackled each other on the ground and another gunshot was fired.
In a realm where greed and power are known by kings, daughters were born and given off in marriage to create blood-bonds to continue lineages. Peace was known in the realm, but peace never does last. Chaos, war, death, betrayal, these twirl the reality of this realm. A king different from other kings, an Alpha, a hybrid-Alpha born to conquer but made to observe, saw the greed of these kingdoms with the boredom of being left out of petty human business. The Alpha king joined the war to conquer leading to them revealing themselves to the humans. Lisa, a magazine editor working at the New York Times was unknowingly pulled into a world she never knew about. As a daughter of an aristocrat, forced to deal with a new world and also meet an unexpected mate, the Alpha king, and battle the forces of Good and Evil, the dark powers of witches, and escape prophecy which would lead to her demise, will love bloom? Will she be able to return to her world? Or will she accept destiny and accept her Alpha mate? Read on to find out.
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
"I stood at the edge of my heart and watched him choose her. In the end, I was not the one he needed. I was simply the one he settled for." - Noelle ~~~~~~~ I thought I was the one he loved. But a few days before our wedding, I saw him in a way I never had before. His eyes softened as he spoke to her. His first love, and the very woman who had left him in pieces. Heartbreak was something I knew too well. And as I watched the love he still held for her in his eyes, I realized what I had to do. I couldn't marry a man who wasn't truly mine. With no means to cancel the wedding and lacking the courage to confront him, I made a desperate choice to leave. I painfully gave his first love my treasured engagement ring thinking it was for the best and the only way to free myself. But when he saw that ring on her finger, the fragile world I had tried to escape began to shatter. His obsession to find me and bring me back ignited a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
Kara Martin was known as Miss Perfect. She was a beauty with good personality and successful career. Unfortunately, her life changed at one night. She was accused of adultery, losing her job, and abandoned by her fiance. The arrogant man who slept with her did not want to take responsibility. He even threatened to kill her if they met again. What's worse, Kara was pregnant with twins and she chose to give birth to them. Four and a half years later, Kara returned to work at a large company. As the secretary, she would frequently face their notorious CEO. Kara thought it wouldn't be a problem, but as it turned out ... the CEO was the father of the twins!
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"