The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 309

Ambush-1

Iva’s blood turned to the

The face before her was familiar-too familiar. She had seen it in the corridors, at the canteen, at various academy events. A face that had always seemed charming, confident, almost arrogant. A face that had never once raised any alarm bells.

Until now.

“Silviu,” she breathed, the name falling from her lips like poison.

Silviu Conti smiled-a slow, predatory curl of his lips that made her skin crawl. His dark eyes gleamed with something she had never seen before. Something dark. Something hungry. Something utterly unhinged.

“Surprised?” he asked, his voice soft and mocking. “You shouldn’t be. I’ve been watching you for so long, Ivana. So very long.”

Iva’s back was pressed against the locked door, her heart hammering against her ribs. Her mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of the past months. The roses. The letters. The constant feeling of being watched.

It had all been him.

*All of it.*

“Why?” she demanded, her voice shaking. “Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?”

Silviu took a step closer, his eyes never leaving hers. He moved with the grace of a predator, unhurried, confident, savoring every moment of her fear.

“What do I want?” He laughed-a low, chilling sound that echoed through the empty library. “I want you, Ivana. I’ve always wanted you. From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were meant to be mine.”

Iva’s stomach churned.

“I’m mated to Caleb,” she said, her voice sharp. “I’m the Crown Princess. You can’t-”

“Can’t what?” Silviu interrupted, his voice hardening. “Can’t have you? Can’t claim you? Can’t make you see that you belong to me?”

He took another step closer, and Iva pressed herself harder against the door.

“You think that bond means anything?” he continued, his voice dripping with contempt. “You think that crown protects you? I have resources, Ivana. Connections. My family has power that even the royal family can’t touch. I’ve been planning this for weeks. Actually, since I set my eyes on you.”

Iva’s mind raced.

“What do you mean?”

Silviu’s smile widened.

“I saw you at the academy orientation,” he said, his voice softening, almost dreamy. “You were so lost. So

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Ambush L

alone So… perfect. I knew right then that you were the one I had been waiting for.”

tva’s blood ran cold.

“You’ve been watching me since orientation?”

Claim

“Of course,” Silviu said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I’ve watched you grow. Watched you struggle. Watched you rise. And I’ve been there, in the shadows, waiting for the right moment.”

He stepped closer, close enough that Iva could smell his cologne-cloying, overpowering, suffocating.

“And now,” he said softly, “the moment has arrived.”

Iva’s voice trembled.

“Your family is prominent. You could have anyone you wanted. Why me? Why do this?”

Silviu tilted his head, studying her like a specimen under a microscope.

“Because you’re special,” he said simply. “You’re not like the others. They’re all so desperate, so eager to please, so… boring. But you-you have fire. You have fight. Breaking you would be sublime.”

Iva felt sick.

“You’re insane,” she whispered.

Silviu laughed.

“Perhaps,” he agreed. “But I’m also patient. I’ve waited for you to be alone, to let your guard down. And now-” He spread his arms wide, gesturing at the empty library. “Here you are. Finally. Completely. Alone.”

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