Heart of Stone - Stone and Fire #1 [17+] (REWRITING)

Chapter 11

IK ITS BEEN A WHILEEE GUYS

but i just finished heart of fury (second book in this series) so now I'm back to working on finishing this one!!

reminder- there will be new scenes and diff dialogue as I'm doing this all from memory, if you're a rereader lmk if you remember a scene that you rly want me to make sure I add. I'll try my bestt love yall 💕💕

Adriana's POV

"I can't be here anymore. I'm Katie from American Housewife."

"We're in New York, honey. Not Connecticut."

I slump, my chin sinking into the dark sheets. "You don't get it. I wasn't made for this. I was made to spend denaro and hop on a private jet to Morocco."

Layla's sigh spilled into my ear. "Well, then, find a purpose."

"Interesting you say that." I flip over and stare at the ceiling. Black. I flip back over. "Hugo's plug get pulled yet?"

I stare into the body-length mirror across my room. Lift up my feet and criss-cross them.

"I wish. He keeps telling me to feed the dog."

"Huh? What dog?"

"Exactly my point."

"You know.. maybe you should just kill him yourself." I wouldn't, in a million years, let myself be barred within Layla's walls. It itched my throat just thinking about sharing a bed with someone who smelled like a casket.

The line went silent on the other end. "So you expect me to just flounder up gold bars on my own?"

I snicker into the phone. "You cheap, cheap, gold-digger."

"You know, you might as well steal Nikolas's Amex. Don't act like you haven't already seen it."

I pause. "You know, actually.. I haven't. Believe it or not- he's vague. In every way. One second he looks like he'll devour me whole on the spot, the next all he needs is a knife and my throat to slit it."

"Enemies to lovers? God, that's my dream. I'm stuck with recessing hairline to grave."

I grab a bottle of red nail polish from my bedside table- already stained with black polish. But Nikolas didn't look like he cared about money much less than he cared about coming into my room.

"Oh- gotta go. Hugo's mumbling some bull about taking me out for dinner."

"Bye. Love you." I click off the phone and spend a good hour doing my nails, because god forbid someone forgot to bring a bag of cotton balls and some acetone to avoid any mishaps.

I check my phone and head downstairs at exactly ten p.m, because that's when Nikolas starts work in his study. Starts.

My mind went to the enormous amount of strawberries logging up the fridge. I hadn't thanked him for the gesture, not yet, but I didn't feel the need to. If he wanted to spend money on me, then amazing for him. I also didn't feel like talking to him. My social battery had declined for the past few days, and I wondered if it was because he'd barred me from speaking to anyone else.

Then I remembered Papa's warning.

"The way you talk, the way you act, all determine whether he's satisfied with his choice, and whether that means we land in deeper shit than we already are."

"His choice." I scoffed, out loud. Choices. Not like I get any.

I simpered into the main living room, surprised to see a man on the couch, his top-half bare and gleaming with sweat. I stepped closer, catching his attention, and after a second realized it was Nikolas's brother.