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đź’” The Blackmail Kiss đź’”
​The air in the Raina Mansion Rooftop Party was thick with the scent of expensive cologne and late-night drama. Neon lights pulsed over the dance floor, reflecting off crystal glasses, but the real show wasn't there. It was in the hushed, velvet-lined hallway.
​Gabriella, in a stunning, pastel-green cocktail dress that was shimmered and pressed against the marble wall. Her deep-black hair was a dramatic curtain against her pale skin. Looming over her was Jake, dressed sharply in a bespoke charcoal suit that screamed 'untouchable wealth.'
​Their lips were locked.
​It was a kiss that wasn't about love—it was a vicious, public declaration of war. Jake had forced her here, driven by a twisted need for control. Gabriella, her stomach churning with a fiery cocktail of fear and rage, felt like a puppet in his cruel play.
​Suddenly, the crowd parted.
​Robert, Jake's father, and Frederick, Gabriella's father, emerged like two titans from the throng. Both men, pillars of the city's elite, froze.
​Frederick's face went from pale shock to a terrifying, congested red. His eyes, usually shrewd and calculating, were ablaze as he stared at the tableau of his daughter and his partner's son.
​"Robert!" Frederick's voice was a low, dangerous growl that cut through the music. "What is the meaning of this? He is engaged to another girl, and he is kissing my daughter?!"
​Robert was momentarily speechless, his own fury rising at his son's blatant defiance.
​The hallway was silent, save for the click of a camera flash—someone was taking a picture. Gabriella's mind was a frantic blur. She was trapped, exposed, and utterly humiliated.
​Then, a chilling clarity washed over her. Revenge.
​Her eyes widened, not in fear, but with a sudden, devastating idea. She suddenly, strongly, and deliberately, stepped down on Jake's foot.
​Jake gasped, pulling back from her with a confused, pained jerk.
​Gabriella leaned in close, her breath hot against his ear. Her voice was a low, furious hiss, meant only for him: "I don't fear you. Not even with that video. You can't buy me with blackmail."
​She finally met his eyes—a fierce, unforgettable stare. Then, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the mansion, a trail of green silk and raw adrenaline.
​Jake watched her go, a small, twisted smile playing on his lips as he bit his inner cheek. Perfect.
​Robert advanced on his son, his face purple with outrage. "What are you doing? Do you want to tarnish my reputation?!"
​Jake slowly turned, his playful expression back in place. "Yes."
​Robert groaned, but Jake's smile vanished. His dark eyes hardened with a cold determination that few ever saw. "I told you, you can't decide my life. And I'm telling you finally: I won't marry Elisabeth. If you try to force me, I will do more than this." He smirked—a promise of chaos—and strode away, leaving his father to clutch his fists in impotent rage.
​🏥 A Secret in the Heart
​In Lara's small bedroom, the mood was quiet and heavy. Lara was resting, exhausted after her recent hospital ordeal. Her mother, her face etched with worry, promised, "I'll bring you something to eat," and left the room.
​Ronnie sat beside her, his whole body radiating a deep, internal turmoil. Lara, noticing his distant anxiety, gently took his arm.
​"Ronnie," she said softly, "I've been noticing. What happened? Don't worry, I'm alright."
​Ronnie looked at her, his usual lightheartedness replaced by a pathetic tenderness. He smiled for her, his love shining brightly in his eyes. He tenderly brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and cupped it with one hand. "I'm glad you're fine, my love."
​His heart ached. If you get your memory back, a dark voice whispered in his mind, our relationship won't last. The secret will destroy us.
​📞 The Missing Piece
​The Raina Mansion was shimmering with gold and silver decorations for the birthday celebration, but Gabriella couldn't focus. Her phone was buzzing—her father was calling.
​She ignored it. No. If I answer, he'll definitely ask about Jake , and I'm not in a position to explain anything right now.
​Instead, she frantically texted her aunt, Fiona.
​GABRIELLA: Please, whatever Father asks about me, don't say anything. I mean, ANYTHING.
​FIONA: What? You didn't tell me anything. What happened?
​GABRIELLA: I mean, anything about me and Jake.
​FIONA: 🤯 WHAT?! What exactly happened between you and him?! Hey, Gabby!
​GABRIELLA: I'll tell you everything once I reach home. PLEASE. Don't say anything until I get there. Even whatever you know. Just this once, I don't want another drama.
​She paused, the screen lighting up her stressed face. Where did Dona disappear to? I haven't seen her anywhere.
​She tried calling Dona, but the call wouldn't connect. Gabriella sighed, walking through the echoing halls. Then, she overheard a panicked whisper. Bianca, Raina's mother, was searching for her daughter.
​"Where did she go? Not even answering my call…"
​Gabriella's eyes widened. She remembered the strange, ominous thread note: Your enemies are ally now. They were planning something for you.
​Dona...
​She tried calling Dona again. This time, it rang and was picked up.
​"Dona!" Gabriella's voice was a ragged whisper of panic.
​It wasn't Dona. It was a little girl. "I got this phone here. Who are you?"
​"Where did you get this phone?" Gabriella demanded, her heart hammering.
​"Staircase, near…"
​Suddenly, the little girl's mother spoke, "What is in your hand?"
​The little girl gasped, dropping the phone immediately. But before the line cut, Gabriella heard a low, distant DJ sound, similar to the party music, but muffled.
​"Hello! Hello!" No answer. The phone was switched off.
​A realization hit Gabriella with the force of a blow. Near the staircase... A similar DJ sound... They are near the mansion.
​She rushed to the doorway, her pastel-green dress flashing as she sprinted into the night.
​⏳ The Edge of Betrayal
​Outside the mansion, Gabriella scanned the shadows. She spotted it—a massive, abandoned construction building, a concrete skeleton towering against the night sky. Near its base, she saw a broken flight of external stairs.
​She raced toward them, her lungs burning. Two steps away from the bottom stair, she saw it: a shattered phone, its screen cracked like a spiderweb.
​Her hand trembled as she picked it up. "It's Dona's phone."
​She scrambled up the dark, treacherous stairs. She searched every floor, her fear escalating with every empty space.
​Her phone rang. It was Raina.
​"Where are you hiding Dona?!" Gabriella screamed into the phone.
​A faint voice came back, accompanied by Raina's light chuckle. "You've almost reached. A few more steps to go. Come up."
​Gabriella rushed to the final staircase. When she burst onto the rooftop of the abandoned building, the wind whipped her hair and her dress around her.
​She froze.
​Raina was standing by the railing, and beside her, bound and trembling, was Dona. Dona was standing precariously on the very edge of the building.
​Gabriella charged, but before she took ten steps, Raina's cold voice stopped her.
​"If you move one step closer, I push her."
​Gabriella stopped dead. "Leave Dona."
​"No," Raina hissed. "Where is that pendrive?"
​"I don't have it!" Gabriella lied desperately.
​Raina smirked and deliberately nudged Dona. Dona screamed, tears streaming down her face. "No! Don't!"
​"NO!" Gabriella shouted, the sound echoing in the dark.
​Raina's smile curved dangerously. "Then where is my pendrive?"
​"How should I believe you?" Gabriella retorted, trying to buy time. "If I give it to you, how do I know you'll leave her?"
​Raina's eye brow shot up. "You aren't in a position to bargain. You will obey whatever I say."
​"Gabriella, don't give her the pendrive!" Dona cried.
​Raina grabbed Dona's hair. "Do you want to die?"
​"I won't die by your hand!" Dona yelled, looking at Gabriella. "Don't believe her! Don't give her that pendrive!"
​"No, Dona," Gabriella said, her voice cracking with pure emotion. "I will give it. I can't risk your life." A single, hot tear escaped her eye.
​Dona melted, heartbroken.
​Gabriella pulled a small pendrive from her swing bag and showed it to Raina.
​"Give it to her," Raina commanded.
​"Who?" Gabriella was shocked.
​From the deepest shadow on the rooftop, a figure stepped forward. Erica.
​She wore a familiar, cruel smile, and a white stitch mark was visible on her cheek.
​"Didn't you expect me?" Erica's voice was icy.
​"Is that you?" Gabriella whispered.
​"Who else?" Erica sneered.
​Gabriella threw the pendrive. Erica snatched it out of the air.
​"If he wasn't there," Erica said, running a finger over her stitch mark, "your new face would have been damaged by now." She turned and handed the pendrive to Raina.
Gabriella is staring at Erica.
​Raina took a knife and cut the ties on Dona's hands. But before Dona could move, Raina grabbed her wrist in a vice grip. Gabriella's brief relief vanished.
​Raina laughed—a terrifying, high-pitched sound. "Do you think I'm a fool, Gabriella?" Her eyes turned dark, and her face went impossibly cold. "Do you remember those two words? Shock. Afraid. And last but not least… Pain. I'm going to give you pain."
​With a maniacal smile, Raina pushed Dona off the edge.
​"NO!" Gabriella screamed, her blood turning to ice.
​Then, a sudden, dark blur. A tall figure in a black hoodie appeared from nowhere, barging through the rooftop door. He didn't hesitate. He vaulted the railing in a clean, desperate jump, catching Dona's falling hand with his own. His other hand clamped tightly onto the railing.
​Dona's heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She thought she was dead. But she felt a strong, familiar grip. She looked up.
​It was Ajax.
​"I won't let you die, Shorty," he said, his face strained, but a flash of his old smile visible.
​Dona couldn't speak. She was dangling hundreds of feet in the air, held only by a familiar, powerful hand.
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To be Continued....
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