Chapter 331
Chapter 331
Cupid
$20 Free Coins
The living room felt like a cage tonight. Walls too close, air too thick, every shadow sharper than it should be.
Marlik’s house in the heart of the city had always been a sanctuary, all warm wood and soft lights, but right now it pressed in on me like a warning.
The courtroom broadcast still echoed in my skull. Feroz Alpha’s voice, low and lethal, promising vengeance on whoever dared move his stolen empire.
A vow. A threat. The first of its kind ever uttered in open session, before a judge, before the world’s unblinking eyes. Historic. Unprecedented. And aimed straight at me.
It had taken only seconds after he spoke for the realization to slam home. He hadn’t surrendered to justice.
He had surrendered to force my hand. To make me, the shadow who had quietly claimed those warehouses, stand up in public and declare his poison would never touch the streets.
A message carved in front of cameras, judges, and every pack that still whispered the moon goddess’s name.
He knew I was watching. He knew I would hear every word. And gods help me, I believed he would keep that promise.
I lifted the wine glass to my lips again, letting the rich, dark taste roll over my tongue, something to ground me while my mind raced.
Raced not in fear, never but in relief. My goodness. Finally he is out of his way, at the destination I can sneak in and kill him. I smile half to myself.
I had come here with Desmond straight to Marlik’s house for the hearing. Yesterday had been brutal, endless hours coordinating the first batch, making sure every crate was accounted for, every runner in place, every safe house ready.
Last night had been worse. I hadn’t slept at all. I’d paced the warehouse floors myself, eyes burning, checking seals, counting vials, waiting for the gavel to fall and Feroz to be locked away forever.
Then he’d opened his mouth and turned the verdict into a declaration of war.
A small, bitter smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I remembered his exact words. Credit where it was due. The bastard was clever. He knew exactly who we were.
He knew what we were capable of. But he had no idea, no idea, what happened when someone threatened my blood like that.
We didn’t answer threats with noise. We answered them quietly. Methodically. Permanently. Whatever it took to make sure his plan never saw daylight.
“Jahan p>
Marlik’s voice pulled me back. I lifted my gaze slowly.
We were all here. Desmond sat alone on the smaller couch, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like he could burn holes through it.
1/4
Chapter 331
Mother and Yasmin shared the longer sofa, shoulders touching, faces pale.
Domestic staff moved silently in the background. Trays, glasses, quiet footsteps but no one spoke.
20 free Com
Marlik stood in the center of the room, arms folded, staring down at me with that unyielding seriousness he reserved for moments when the world was about to crack open.
“Jahan,” he said again, quieter, but no less certain. “You should return his drugs p>
The glass slipped from my fingers.
I caught it an inch from the marble, barely before it could shatter. My heart slammed against my ribs. I set the stem down with exaggerated care, then looked up at him like he had lost his damn mind.
“Marlik…” The word came out low, dangerous.
“Don’t.” He stepped closer, eyes blazing. “Don’t even start. Listen to me. I know you. I know what you can do. I believed you when you said you had this locked down. But this p>
He jerked his chin toward the invisible weight of Feroz’s threat still hanging in the air.
“This isn’t a war you win without bodies. And it won’t be yours on the ground. You might bury him in the end, you always do, but think. Really think. Your girlfriend. Our sister. Mom p>
His gaze flicked to the sofa for half a second, then back to me.
“He will go straight for the people who mean everything to you. He’s already proven he’ll do the unthinkable. You know that better than anyone p>
My heartbeat slowed to something painful and heavy. He was right. Brutally, sickeningly right. But the way he’d said it, right in front of her, as though Mother weren’t sitting there breathing the same air lit a fuse inside me.
She was staring between us now, confusion carving deeper lines into her face. Her hands twisted together in her lap, knuckles whitening.
“What drugs?” Her voice was small at first, then sharper with rising panic. “Whose drugs are you talking about p>
She stopped, eyes locking onto mine p>
“Marlik is wrong. Jahan is a model. He advertises for his father’s company. He told me himself.” A desperate, trembling hope entered her tone. “Right, Jahan? That’s all you do. Right p>
Silence crashed down like a physical weight.
I swallowed hard, throat suddenly sandpaper–dry. Words I’d buried for years refused to surface.
She waited. Fingers rubbing together faster now. Praying. Begging every ancestor she’d ever lit incense for that this was a mistake.
“You didn’t…” Her voice cracked open. “You’re not involved in any crime, Jahan. Right p>
I turned my head slowly toward Marlik. My jaw locked so tight I tasted blood.
“You will pay for this,” I said, each word carved from ice. “I swear it p>
2/4
1:52 pm P P DD·
Chapter 331
The threat hadn’t even finished leaving my mouth before Mother’s sharp gasp tore through the room.
Her face drained of color in an instant. Ashen, fragile, like she might shatter if she breathed too hard.
Yasmin reached for her hand, shaking her head slowly, silently pleading with me to take it back.
rasmin spoke first, voice soft but steady.
+20 Free Coins
‘While I was still trapped in Feroz’s harem, we only ever heard whispers about the warehouses. He’ll get those drugs back. If he can’t…” She let the rest hang, heavy and final. “Then he’ll make damn sure you never sell them p>
rolled my eyes, sharp and furious.
‘We will sell them p>
‘Jahan!” Marlik snapped.
match his energy, temper finally breaking free like a dam giving way.
‘What the fuck do you want me to do? Wave my hands and make it disappear? The product is already in the stream, deep in the underworld. It’s moving. Contacts are locked in. I can’t just… return it. It doesn’t work like that p>
*Then go into the underworld and take it back.” His voice was steel wrapped in calm. “You’re the boss. The King p>
“I have people I answer to.” The admission tasted like bile. “This isn’t some crew I threw together like nothing. The structure has stood for decades, longer than any of us have been breathing. There are rules. Law. Obligations. I walk away without permission, they bury us all p>
*Then retire p>
The voice was quiet. Too quiet.
I turned.
Mother stated seated. Tears already shimmered along her lashes, but her spine was straight, her gaze locked on mine unwavering, heartbroken, resolute.
“Retire, Jahan p>
The words hit harder than any blow I’d ever taken.
I crossed the room in three strides and sank to one knee before her the way I used to when I was small and the night terrors came. I reached for her hand.
“Mother p>
She pulled away gently, almost regretfully, pressing her fingertips to her cheeks to catch the tears already falling.
Tears of disappointment. Not rage. Not betrayal. Disappointment. The kind that cuts deepest.
“Retire p>
“It’s not that simple p>
3/4
pm
Chapter 331
“Then we run.” Her voice trembled, but the iron beneath it never wavered. “We disappear. All of us?
“They will find us.” I met her eyes, unflinching. “It’s a Mafia Organization. I have many chips embedded under my skins. They will get me. They always do p>
She searched my face then, really searched as though she could still find the boy she’d raised beneath the man who knelt before
her now.
Her gaze drifted briefly to Marlik, to Yasmin, then back to me.
Finally she lifted her hand. This time she didn’t pull away when I let her palm settle against my cheek. Her touch was cool, trembling, but steady.
“Think about your girlfriend,” she whispered. “What will she think when she learns the truth? That the man she loves wears two faces. One she kisses goodnight, and one that moves poison through the shadows, kill people?” She swallowed hard, tears spilling freely now.
“Peace with little is better than abundance soaked in blood and fear, Jahan. Just… retire p>
The room held its breath.
I stayed on one knee, her hand warm against my skin, the weight of her plea sinking deeper than any courtroom threat ever could. And for the first time in years, the carefully built empire inside me trembled not from enemies, not from power plays, but from the quiet, unbreakable love of the woman who had cared for me as if she was the very one who had given me life.
I closed my eyes.
And for once, I had no answer ready.
Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.