Never let them see you break.
1485 Words
The front door creaked open, and RAyNe crossed the threshold, still carrying her. The house…his house…was quiet, almost suffocating in its emptiness. Everything about it was a reflection of what she had become in his world. No warmth. No comfort. Just cold, hard reality.
The air inside smelled of leather, polished wood, and something faintly metallic. His world was immaculate, a fortress built on power, control, and the idea that everything could be bought. Even her.
He walked up the stairs, his muscles straining slightly under her weight, but he didn’t slow down. He wouldn’t. He carried her into the room that had become her prison, the room that would serve as a constant reminder of what she had lost…and what she now belonged to.
He gently placed her on the bed, his hands lingering for a second too long. The vulnerability in her eyes…the way she looked at him as if he were the enemy…was unsettling. She wasn’t just broken. She was lost. Completely lost in this world he had dragged her into.
Nirvana curled into herself on the bed, pulling her knees to her chest as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. Her sobs filled the room, the sound almost haunting in its intensity.
RAyNe stood by the bed, unsure of what to do next. He could’ve left her there…let her wallow in her grief and misery. But something about the way she looked, so fragile, so alone, gnawed at him.
"I don’t know what you want from me," Nirvana whispered through her tears, her voice barely audible.
RAyNe’s throat tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. "You don’t have to want anything from me," he replied, his voice low and rough. "You don’t have to want anything from anyone. But I’m here. Whether you like it or not."
Nirvana’s sobs grew louder, more desperate, and for a moment, RAyNe thought she might shatter completely. He had broken her. Completely. And now, she was his to fix…or destroy.
But as he looked down at her, something dark flickered in her eyes. It was faint, barely noticeable, but it was there. A spark of defiance. A flicker of vengeance. She wasn’t done yet.
Her world had crumbled. But somewhere, in the ruins of her grief, there was something else. A fire that had yet to burn out. A fire that RAyNe wasn’t sure he was ready for.
And that, more than anything, unsettled him.
RAyNe sat on the edge of the sofa in the main lounge, the city’s dim light pouring in through the tall windows, casting sharp shadows across his face. His elbows rested on his knees, fingers steepled together as he stared ahead in silence.
"Bring me every scrap of information you can dig up on the Castillo family and Adrian Holt," he said without looking up.
Gianni stood at attention, jaw tightening. "On it, boss."
He turned to leave but paused, hesitating, before glancing back over his shoulder. "About your sister..."
RAyNe's head slowly tilted up, eyes locking on him.
"The men I assigned to keep watch on her... they sent something in this morning." Gianni stepped forward and placed a brown folder on the low marble table.
RAyNe reached for it. The moment the flap came open, something inside him snapped.
There were pictures…raw, gutting. Bruises. Medical reports. A swollen lip. A rib cracked in two. Handwritten notes by doctors: signs of trauma, signs of forced entry. Timid school photos where she looked like a shadow trying to disappear.
RAyNe’s fists balled. He slammed the file shut, the sound loud and final.
"Who? Did. This?" he asked, his voice low, trembling with contained fury.
Gianni didn’t flinch. "Rodney Moreau. Her supposed stepbrother. The Moreau's illegitimate son"
Lucian Devereaux entered the room like a ghost, his long coat brushing the floor behind him. He had heard enough.
"Do you want us to handle it, boss?" Lucian’s voice was calm, lethal.
RAyNe rose to his feet slowly, the storm behind his eyes now a warzone. "Oh, we’ll handle it. I’m done being patient."
But his gaze lifted to the stairs.
Nirvana.
She was upstairs, probably curled up, mourning her father, the only anchor she had left in the world. Could he leave her now, in this moment when she needed someone most?
"Gianni, you stay here. Don’t let her out of your sight. Make sure she eats. Make sure she rests."
"Yes, boss."
"Lucian, prep the jet. We leave in twenty."
Lucian nodded once and slipped back into the hallway.
RAyNe turned away, walking over to the bar. He poured himself a shot of whiskey and tossed it back like water. The burn in his throat was nothing compared to the fire in his chest.
Gianni cleared his throat gently. "You sure you want to do this now?"
RAyNe looked over his shoulder. "If I don’t move now, he’s going to do to her what he did yesterday. And next time, it won’t be bruises we’ll be looking at. It’ll be a grave."
Gianni exhaled, stepping back.
RAyNe adjusted the cuffs of his black shirt,tossed on his coat, and headed for the doors.
"Where is she?" he asked, pausing just before disappearing into the corridor.
"Still hasn’t left the room."
RAyNe nodded. "Good. Keep it that way. And if anyone so much as looks at her wrong…"
"They’ll wish they hadn’t been born," Gianni finished.
RAyNe gave a faint smirk. "Exactly."
The doors slammed behind him.
Lucian stood by the jet, wind rustling his coat, face unreadable. As RAyNe approached, he handed him a tablet.
"Surveillance footage. Rodney's movements. Their house is secure but there’s a side window. Weak point in the security."
RAyNe’s jaw clenched. "Good. We’ll go in tonight."
Lucian handed him a small, silenced pistol. "Just in case."
RAyNe took it, tucking it into his coat without a word.
The jet engine roared to life behind them.
"You sure you can be away from her right now?" Lucian asked.
RAyNe’s silence was answer enough.
He wasn’t just sure. He was burning for revenge.
And by the time he returned, Rodney Moreau wouldn’t exist anymore.
Nirvana sat by the window, the light from the afternoon sun bouncing off her skin, her eyes empty. Her knees were drawn to her chest, arms wrapped around them. She didn’t cry anymore. The tears had dried, leaving a hollow stillness inside her.
The door creaked open.
Heels clicked in deliberate rhythm across the floor.
"Poor thing," Siara said, voice sugar-laced with venom. "Who’d have thought you could be this tame?"
Nirvana didn’t flinch. Not even a blink.
Siara crossed her arms and tilted her head with a mocking smirk. "No biting retort? No feisty comeback? That’s unlike you."
Still, silence.
"Is this what grief looks like on you? Funny," Siara moved closer. "I always thought you’d go out kicking and screaming. But look at you… pathetic."
Nirvana stared out the window.
Siara exhaled sharply. "I’m talking to you. Or have you finally realized your place in this house? On your knees, silent, owned."
"You don’t matter," Nirvana said softly.
Siara froze.
"What did you just say?"
Nirvana finally turned her head, slowly. Her eyes met Siara’s…empty, cold.
"You don’t matter. Not to me. Not to him. And deep down, you know it. That’s why you’re here."
"You little…"
"...desperate thing," Nirvana continued, her voice calm, deadly. "You saw me grieving and thought this was your moment to feel powerful. That’s what you do, right? Crawl in when someone’s bleeding."
Siara’s hand twitched. "Don’t you dare speak to me like that."
"Why not? What will you do? Have your daddy buy you another seat at the table? Or cry to RAyNe again when you realize you’ve never had a seat to begin with?"
Siara lunged forward. "You think sleeping with him makes you special?!"
"No. But him ignoring you does," Nirvana whispered.
Siara’s hand came up, but Nirvana stood. In one quick move, she grabbed Siara’s wrist mid-air.
"Hit me," Nirvana dared, stepping forward. "Go ahead. You want bruises to match your bruised pride? I’ll give you a reason."
Siara’s nostrils flared, but she didn’t move.
"You’re not a threat to me, Siara. You’re a distraction. One I’ve grown tired of."
Nirvana pushed her hand away and turned back to the window.
"Now get out."
"This isn’t over," Siara hissed.
"It never started."
Siara’s heels stormed across the floor. The door slammed.
Nirvana exhaled shakily, letting her knees buckle again.
Downstairs, Luna stood behind the stairwell, having heard everything.
She clutched the tray in her hand and whispered, "She’s stronger than I thought."
Upstairs, Nirvana closed her eyes.
She knew she couldn’t fall apart. Not yet.
Not until Adrian Holt and Celeste had paid.
And Siara? That b***h would get hers too.
Every single one of them.
Her father’s voice echoed in her head: "Never let them see you break."
And she wouldn’t.
Not anymore.
- Writer
