Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty-Eight:Blood on the Crown
Scarlet Vows
A Romance of Love, Betrayal, and Revenge
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1. The Storm She Created
Celeste stood at the balcony, watching the city that had once caged her.
Now, it bowed to her.
Her first kill had sent a message—one that echoed through every back alley, every whispered conversation.
She wasn't running anymore.
She was hunting.
Lorenzo stepped behind her, his voice dark and amused. "You're enjoying this."
She turned, meeting his gaze. "I understand it now."
A smirk tugged at his lips. "And?"
She took a breath. "And I want more."
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2. Dante's Rage
Dante didn't take the betrayal lightly.
Within hours, he retaliated.
One of Lorenzo's shipments—burned to the ground.
A message—written in blood.
"Celeste is mine."
She stared at the words, her heart pounding.
Not with fear.
With fury.
Lorenzo watched her carefully. "What are you going to do?"
She clenched her fists. "Make him regret ever thinking he owned me."
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3. The Art of War
Celeste was no longer a pawn in a game she barely understood.
Now, she was learning to play it.
She met with Lorenzo's men. She gathered information. She planned.
And then?
She struck.
Three of Dante's businesses—raided in a single night.
His money—stolen.
His power—cracked.
For the first time, Dante felt what it was like to lose.
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4. A Kiss of Fire and Ice
That night, Lorenzo found her in his study.
Watching her.
Admiring her.
"You're dangerous now," he murmured.
She smirked. "You made me this way."
A slow, dark chuckle. "No, Celeste. You were always this way. I just unchained you."
Heat crackled between them.
Tension thick as a noose.
And when he finally kissed her—
It was fire meeting ice.
It was war.
It was victory.
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5. The Final Warning
The next morning, a letter arrived.
Dante's last warning.
A single line, scrawled in red ink.
"You have taken from me, Celeste. Now, I will take from you."
Her blood ran cold.
Because she knew exactly what that meant.
Dante was done waiting.
And someone she loved was about to die.
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End of Chapter Twenty-Eight