#isla & maksim

[maksimkurylenko]

FOR: @islahvnt WHEN: 22nd of March, 2024. WHERE: Berkeley Estate. POST PLOT DROP.

Where the fuck was she?

His hands ran through his hair once more, dropping his eyes to his phone in hand as a curse broke free from his lip. She wasn't fucking answering. He typed again, his third consecutive text within minutes as he saw the crowd swelling.

This was fucking bad.

You need to get out of here. Where are you??? Isla!

Looking up, spotting blonde hair and that familiar dress that had kept him captivated through the night, his feet were moving, dodging people as quickly as he could. He had minutes, if that before all hell fucking broke loose. "Isla." His voice ground out. "We need to go -- you need to go." he corrected, looking over his shoulder to find the rest of his people.

"Are you okay?"

[westminster-insider]

DATE NUMBER 2 - Finland. Winning Bid: @maksimkurylenko with £1,000. Total Bids: 1.

"Jetset to Finland, spend the morning exploring the snowy forest on horseback, try your hand at ice fishing before enjoying lunch prepared over an open fire. Experience the excitement of an overnight husky or reindeer safari to chase down the northern lights and return to the lodge the next afternoon to wind down in one of the glass house igloos of Kakslauttanen resort and enjoy the spectacular sights with a warm hot chocolate and a decadent five course dessert degustation."

Partner: @islahvnt

[maksimkurylenko]

"Never was all that interested in basic, Isla." Tone humored, his eyes akin to that of something devouring, ready to eat her alive if she got to close. Isla, while they were friendly, was someone he hadn't known long and for her to be so...open around him was enough to have his gaze narrowing. "I need...a little crazy to keep me intrigued long enough to learn their name." Maksim wasn't a good man, and while he wasn't shy about admitting it, he disguised it with multifaceted layers of both truth and lie.

"Me? Disappointed? I wasn't in the first instance, and I'm definitely not now." Voice gruff, the closeness mingled their breath, the music fading into the background as his mind flashed to the date. Finland. The snow, far away from the hustle and bustle of London. A break with a woman he was only just getting to know.

Then came the image.

Isla lay out on the bed.

The mother fucker grinned.

"Sure you don't." Maksim turned fully, waving his hand in the direction of the man he knew as Olivier. Looking back down at her, his brow raised. "Shall we try that question again? Or, I can help you forget. Your choice."

"That sounds like every other basic bitch you've ever known," Isla smirks at the very idea of it. Clearly, she'd been doing what she'd been asked. "I'll try not to be offended." In truth, she was that girl. On the surface. It had everything to do with the facade that the Rutherfords wanted her to portray. "And who's to say I won't be able to order a pornstar martini in Finland? Are you disappointed?" A question that lingers within the breath of space between them, the hooded tilt of her hues flickering over his frame - and beyond her shoulder as he points out a man already living in the back of her mind. "Oh, I know they would, but I'm rather.. selective." it's a fucking lie, and if he'd spent as much time watching her as she worked as Isla thought he did, he'd know as much.

A softened groan slips from her lips and dies on his own as his hands find bare skin, it's not nearly enough to drive the remnants of another away. "Him?" Hues flicker beyond, somewhere in the direction of where she knows she'll find Olivier, and yet, her attention never truly leaves Maks. "I don't even know who the fuck that is."

[mobscene-london]

Your ‘Mistletoe’ nominations for 2024 are as follows:

Adriana Amaro & Aviv Kasyanenko

Amélie Castaignède & Ayaz Ateş 

Amélie Castaignède & Gideon Rutherford

Amélie Castaignède & Hasan Demir

Amélie Castaignède & Samar Sehgal 

Ayda Demir & Kerem Doğulu 

Ayda Demir & Olivier Fontaine

Carla Vespucci & Laurent St. Pierre 

Cassandra Acton & Félix Rodriguez 

Catalina Rojas & Ayaz Ateş 

Delphine St. Clair & Hasan Demir 

Elaina Halévy & Maksim Kurylenko

Eleanor Shipley & Gideon Rutherford

Eleanor Shipley & Konstantin Vorshevsky 

Emine Yalaz & Hasan Demir 

Giordana Rossi & David Pavoncello 

Giordana Rossi & Gideon Rutherford

Giordana Rossi & Varden Lefebvre

Giovanna Palazzolo & Vincenzo Vespucci 

Isla Hunt & Ayaz Ateş

Izabele Anasenko & Anatoly Veselov

Izabele Anasenko & Maksim Kurylenko

Jessica Reyes & Giorgio Pecatti 

Jessica Reyes & Viktoriya Kurylenko

Jordana Velásquez & Benjamin Vox

Kathleen Zhao & Roman Baranovsky 

Lara Rutherford & Giorgio Pecatti 

Leyla Yilmaz & Gideon Rutherford

Lisette Marseille & Konstantin Vorshevsky 

Lyudmila Korshunova & Hasan Demir 

Lyudmila Korshunova & Konstantin Vorshevsky

Maria Azenha & Francisco Vidal 

Melissa Lin & Ayaz Ateş 

Melissa Lin & Benjamin Vox

Melissa Lin & Félix Rodriguez

Melissa Lin & Gideon Rutherford

Melissa Lin & Vincenzo Vespucci 

Nadezhda Yuryeva & Jean Palfroix 

Nevra Erdoğan & Mikhail Vorshevsky 

Nora Berkeley & Aviv Kasyanenko 

Nora Berkeley & Damon Rutherford

Odile St. Pierre & Damon Rutherford 

Odile St. Pierre & Vincenzo Vespucci 

Olivia Coppola & Vincenzo Vespucci 

Ophélie Redgrave & Damon Rutherford

Ophélie Redgrave & Jean Palfroix 

Sofie Dekker & Étienne Canet 

Sofie Dekker & Svetlana Vorshevsky 

Valérie Dautremer & Varden Lefebvre 

Viktoriya Kurylenko & David Pavoncello 

Viktoriya Kurylenko & Kerem Doğulu

Yvonne Rutherford & Spencer Berkeley

[mobscene-awards]

THE LOST CAUSE:

Berat Yalaz

Lyudmila Korshunova

Yvonne Rutherford

Maksim Kurylenko

Runner(s) Up: Amélie Castaignède, Anatoly Veselov, Isla Hunt, Kerem Dogulu, Melissa Lin, Olivier Fontaine.

[emine--yalaz]

Who: @islahvnt

Where: Bar in South Kensington

"I see you made it back from your date." Emine catches sight of Isla in the bar, sitting herself down in the seat beside her. "Is he a good kisser?" He meaning Maksim.

[mrofontaine]

FOR: @lismarstclair WHEN: 23rd of February, 2024. WHERE: Barbican Centre. Post Auction.

"You looked a little lonely. Mind if I accompany you for a while?"

Twice in one night was an accomplishment.

Olivier wasn't sure of the last time he'd spent so much time, comfortably, in Lisette's presence. There'd been a hundred great small moments, and some pretty bad/big ones that had led them to this point, and he was to blame for a lot of it. He'd been the source of her pain, and for that, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to make it up to her.

Still, he liked being by her. Speaking to her. He wasn't sure that part of it would ever go away. Even if things were different now. Alcohol was coursing heavily through his veins. Life was being viewed through a filter that he couldn't quite grasp. Olivier was pissed off that Isla had been all over Maksim, and that still clung to his muscles until he took the space beside Lisette.

Watching the party unfolding. Hushed chaos, jealousy, and alcohol amongst mobsters really was a stupid fucking idea, and yet, they all flocked to it. Wanted it. Craved it. Human emotions.

"In case I didn't say earlier, you look absolutely beautiful tonight, Lisette."

[roseekimm]

Mosasaurus 

Mosasaurus adalah genus reptil laut dalam Jurassic World Evolution 2 , yang berasal dari Eropa dan Amerika Utara pada jaman Kapur Akhir. Dinosaurus besar ini adalah predator puncak dan reptil laut terbesar yang pernah ada, berukuran panjang maksimal hingga 40 meter.

Dinosaurus ini menjadi atraksi bintang Jurassic World di mana ia akan melompat dan menangkap hiu untuk dimakan di Mosasaurus Feeding Show. Setelah populasi taman Pteranodon dan Dimorphodon melarikan diri dari Jurassic World Aviary selama Insiden Isla Nublar 2015, Apex predator ini berhasil melahap salah satu reptil terbang yang juga menyerang Zara Young. Mosasaurus akhirnya melompat keluar dari lagunanya untuk membunuh dan memakan Indominus rex yang mengamuk .

[nadezhdaxyuryeva]

The tone did not appeal to the Russian, displeasing eyes taking in the blonde standing before her. Isla Hunt. A Rutherford that, until now, she would have been satisfied never to have the privilege to converse with. Maksim taste in women lately seemed to be rather disappointing.

"I would hate to deprive you of your bad night." Nadezhda turned in the direction of where the vodka was, a bottle she knew she could depend on, that wouldn't come with a description from the blonde.

"Relax" the word seeps through with every ounce of carelessness that Isla has ever carried. She'd been made aware of the arrival of more Russian's recently, a fact that quickly piqued her interest - no doubt for what anyone else would claim to be all the wrong reasons, "The wrong bottle is a forewarning to a very, very bad night," it'd been easy to distinguish Nadezhda as she'd approached. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that. Go on," the blonde stepped back slightly, gesturing to the rack they both gazed upon, "before it goes bad, I guess?"

[maksimkurylenko]

MAKSIM KURYLENKO | AWARDS PARTY 2024

Accompanied by: @islahvnt When: 23rd of March, 2024 Where: Berkeley Estate

[tabloidtoc]

Us, May 3

You can buy a brand new copy of this issue without the mailing label for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Pregnant Meghan Markle: My Baby, My Way

Page 2: Red Carpet -- rufflemania -- Hollywood style stars are tier-ing it up in this flattering design with feminine flair -- Tracee Ellis Ross, Kaitlyn Dever, Margot Robbie, Logan Browning, Nicola Coughlan

Page 3: Lizzo, Maude Apatow, Lucy Boynton, Jessica Alba, Lily Collins

Page 4: Who Wore It Best? Anya Taylor-Joy vs. Isla Fisher vs. Regina King in Stuart Weitzman Nudist sandal

Page 6: Loose Talk -- Shonda Rhimes on the intense backlash she received over Rege-Jean Page's exit from Bridgerton, Kelly Ripa on her most embarrassing interview, Luke Bryan on his mother LeClaire's Instagram fame, Blake Shelton on The Voice's new coach Ariana Grande, Reese Witherspoon joking about wearing bottoms that aren't sweatpants

Page 8: Contents

Page 10: A Final Farewell to Prince Philip, his four children Prince Charles and Princess Anne and Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were among the loved ones who participated in the emotional ceremony, feuding brothers Prince Harry and Prince William (and his wife Duchess Kate) put their differences aside after the intimate service, due to Covid-19 protocols the grieving Queen Elizabeth stayed socially distant from the other 29 people who attended the funeral for her husband of 73 years

Page 11: ACM Awards 2021 -- Maren Morris teamed up with her husband Ryan Hurd and won Female Artist of the Year, Thomas Rhett won Male Artist of the Year, Carrie Underwood took the stage

Page 12: Hot Pics -- Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wore an orange coat during a visit to NYC, John Stamos plays a coach on the TV show Big Shot, Zach Braff goofed around on the set of Cheaper by the Dozen in L.A.

Page 13: Eva Longoria on her trampoline while aboard a yacht in Miami, Howie Mandel arrived to the set of America's Got Talent dressed as a bug in Pasadena

Page 14: Jon Hamm and his rescue dog Splash strolled around the neighborhood in L.A., Heidi Klum in all white in Pasadena, Sara Gilbert and Linda Perry take a stroll in L.A.

Page 15: Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes held hands after dinner at Il Segreto in L.A., Patrick Dempsey shot a scene for his show Devils in Rome

Page 16: Rachel Brosnahan in a blue dress and carrying a clear umbrella on the set of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in NYC, Lin-Manuel Miranda at the opening of a vaccination center for Broadway workers in Times Square, Trisha Yearwood feeds one of her rescue pups

Page 18: Gen Z Has Spoken -- these celebs are making the young kids proud -- Baggy Jeans -- Hailey Bieber, Tracee Ellis Ross, Bella Hadid

Page 19: Middle Parts -- Busy Philipps, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Kourtney Kardashian, baguette bags -- Dua Lipa, Elsa Hosk, Irina Shayk, Kendall Jenner

Page 20: Seeing Double -- stars bear a striking resemblance to their famous counterparts -- Elizabeth Banks and Chelsea Handler, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Nina Dobrev, Betty Gilpin and Jodie Comer

Page 21: Rob Lowe and Ian Somerhalder, Jaime Pressly and Margot Robbie, Isla Fisher and Amy Adams, Rupert Grint and Ed Sheeran, Kyle Richards and Kacey Musgraves

Page 22: Clueless Crew -- stars are totally buggin' over Cher Horowitz's style in yellow plaid -- Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, Katie Holmes was rollin' with her homie beau Emilio Vitolo Jr. in NYC, Vanessa Hudgens, Dianna Agron

Page 23: Gabrielle Union

Page 24: Stars They're Not Like Us -- Jay Leno took one of his vintage automobiles out for a spin in L.A., Chrissy Teigen and John Legend took a selfie with a fan while grocery shopping in Beverly Hills, Kylie Jenner has custom vending machines

Page 25: Carrie Underwood in her massive walk-in closet, Denzel Washington signs autographs for fans in NYC, Megan Thee Stallion on a private plane, Drake and his bodyguard in Beverly Hills

Page 26: Stars They're Just Like Us -- Sarah Jessica Parker catches a yellow cab after working at her shoe store in NYC, Brad Paisley picked up five pizzas to go in Montecito

Page 27: Kelly Osbourne handed out goods at a drive-thru food distribution event at the Islamic Center of Southern California, HGTV's Egypt Sherrod transformed her closet into a meditation space in Atlanta, in between filming Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T take a selfie

Page 28: Hollywood Dads -- Scott Porter on parenting his two kids McCoy and Clover

Page 29: Jonathan Tucker on life with twins Hayes and India, parenthood is a lot tougher than Jovi Dufren imagined, Maksim Chmerkovskiy can't wait to show son Shai his work

Page 30: Love Lives -- Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are showing no signs of slowing down -- the pair enjoyed a night out in L.A. hotspot Delilah where they were holding hands and laughing and they're not hiding the fact that they're dating but they just don't want people in their business -- they're a good match and are each other's best friend

Page 31: Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber may look like the picture-perfect couple, but Justin admits that their first year of marriage wasn't what he expected, saying it was really tough and there was just a lack of trust and he blamed the strain on his own personal struggles and said before he didn't have someone to love or someone to pour into but now, more than two years after exchanging vows with Hailey, he has that

* Kacey Musgraves' romance with Dr. Gerald Onuoha is giving her butterflies -- the pair are so happy they found each other and while Kacey, who split from her husband Ruston Kelly last summer, is trying not to get too ahead of herself, her connection to the Nashville-based doc is off the charts and it's got the potential to go a very long way

* Today's Savannah Guthrie is thankful to have husband Michael Feldman in her life, especially given the demands of her early morning work schedule

Page 32: Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are getting serious -- all the details on their whirlwind romance

Page 33: Adapting to parenthood has been a breeze for Emma Stone and she's soaking in all the precious moments of being a mom for the first time -- she and husband Dave McCary welcomed their baby daughter in March and Emma is super protective and a very hands-on mom and Dave is also hands-on and helps with their daughter -- thanks to the little one, Emma's marriage with the comedian has also gotten stronger and having a baby has brought them closer in a way they never expected -- Emma is looking forward to getting back to work; she's taken this time off to embrace motherhood and her number one priority is to raise a healthy baby so that's what she's focused on right now

* Britney Spears is setting the record straight -- despite her ongoing conservatorship battle with her dad, Jamie Spears, she is doing totally fine, assuring fans that she's extremely happy and she has a beautiful home, beautiful children and she's taking a break right now because she's enjoying herself -- although the legal drama with her father is heating up, Britney is staying strong and she has this wonderful ability to see the positive even when the odds are against her

* Keeping Up With Us -- production for the Downton Abbey sequel is underway, Mossimo Giannulli is a free man, Chrissy Teigen returned to Twitter 23 days after announcing that she was leaving the platform, Vanessa Bryant remembered her late husband Kobe Bryant on what would have been their 20th wedding anniversary, Helen McCrory lost her battle with cancer at age 52 according to her husband Damian Lewis

Page 34: A Day in My Life -- Whitney Port

Page 35: Colton Underwood is ready to live his truth -- during an interview on Good Morning America, the former Bachelor came out as gay, saying he's run from himself for a long time and he came to terms with his sexuality earlier this year and he's the happiest and healthiest he's ever been -- now that he feels like he can finally breathe, Colton is excited for his next chapter, which fans will get to see on an upcoming reality show with Olympian Gus Kenworthy -- a huge weight has been lifted off of Colton's shoulders and he is looking forward to being his authentic self

Page 36: Moms Tell All -- Happy Mother's Day! From milestones and manners to rules and nanny-bans, celebs and insiders talk about raising kids in Hollywood

Page 37: Bindi Irwin says life at home with her daughter Grace Warrior has been positively blissful and her family with dad Chandler Powell is so full of love, adding that the newborn has already met some of the wildlife at the Australia Zoo where Bindi and Chandler live and work and of course she's seen some crocs and really lit up when she saw them -- while the Aussie conservationist is sad Grace won't get to meet her late dad Steve Irwin, Bindi's brother Robert Irwin and mom Terri Irwin have been by her side constantly and Robert is obsessed with Grace and has been helping out so much and her mom has been the biggest guiding light and she's already taught Bindi so much about being a mother, both in how she raised her and by showing her things day by day and Terri is quite the baby whisperer and she's so great a calming Grace down when she's crying -- first-time father Chandler is also a natural with Grace and he's been the most supportive and involved dad and together, he and Bindi make such a great team -- for now, Bindi, who stars with Chandler in Crikey! It's a Baby!, is hoping Grace will follow in her animal-activist footsteps, saying having three generations of strong women working as conservationists is a dream come true

* Jennifer Garner said teaching your kids is a lifelong job, and certainly values are something you have to show them -- Jennifer, who shares kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel with ex Ben Affleck, is staying true to her word and has led by example when it comes to things like kindness and patience and she won't let anyone in the house to judge or speak ill of people, and she enforces the same wholesome, traditional values that she was raised with and the kids have been taught to be loving, hardworking and fair -- Jennifer has always taken a kids-come-first approach to parenting, and it shows as they bake together, enjoy movie nights, read books and have very active lives and it's a very healthy, happy household filled with laughter and love

Page 38: Gwen Stefani has her hands full with her sons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, but she wouldn't want it any other way -- Gwen's a tomboy, so having three boys wasn't daunting for her at all, plus she has fiance Blake Shelton by her side to pitch in with parenting duties and Gwen and the boys have a blast at Blake's ranch in Oklahoma where they enjoy riding their ATVs, and they play baseball and football -- it's not all fun and games, though because Gwen is big on boundaries and manners and she doesn't want to raise Hollywood brats and it's important to her that her sons be gentlemen

* Meghan Markle's pregnancy with Archie was no walk in the park, as she revealed during her bombshell TV interview with husband Prince Harry, the couple had concerns over whether or not the royal family would provide security for their son and claimed there were conversations about his skin color -- but this time around, as Meghan and Harry gear up for baby No. 2 at home in L.A., she's doing everything her way, without the royals and Meghan and Harry feel blessed that they're able to raise their daughter in the U.S. and can live by their own rules and make the decisions they feel are best for their children; having independence is the most important thing for Meghan and she's got free rein to be exactly the kind of mom she wants to be -- her parenting style is really like most mothers out there, and she's been craving pasta and doing yoga two times a day as her due date nears and she keeps a lot of art supplies out to foster creativity and healthy snacks around and she's a devoted mom and wants the best for her kids

Page 39: Kate Hudson has a lot on her plate, so the mom of three, who shares son Ryder with former husband Chris Robinson and son Bingham with ex Matt Bellamy and daughter Rani with boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, knows when to put her foot down as things can get a little overwhelming at times for Kate, but when she says no, it absolutely means no, and the kids respect her very much because of that

* Gigi Hadid, who shares daughter Khai with boyfriend Zayn Malik, wants to spend every waking moment with her precious little girl -- Gigi could easily afford to employ a team of nannies but chooses not to and she prefers to do everything herself and besides, she can't bear to be away from Khai for more than a few hours

* Candace Cameron Bure's three grown kids are flying the coop, but she's still super involved in their lives, despite slowly becoming an empty nester -- the mom of Natasha, Lev, and Maksim with former hockey player Valeri Bure says it's been a very transitional time and she's been trying to help them make decisions they feel good about and it's challenging, but they're figuring it out

Page 40: Oh, Baby! Meghan Markle's due date is just around the corner, and here are all the details

* Bump Brigade -- Halsey, Gal Gadot, Shawn Johnson East

Page 42: 10 Years of the Cambridges -- a look back at Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton's solid marriage for their anniversary

Page 44: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez: What Really Happened -- cheating and lies? The truth behind J.Lo's split from fiance A-Rod

Page 45: Friendliest Exes -- these former couples managed to stay close after going their separate ways -- Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz

Page 48: Gifts for Mother's Day

Page 54: Entertainment -- Ben Barnes on Shadow and Bone

Page 58: Fashion Police -- the most daring Oscars looks -- Bjork, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlize Theron

Page 59: Rachel Weisz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Gaga

Page 60: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me -- Julia Michaels

[mobscene-london]

THE EVENT IS NOW STARTING. Please postpone all non-event related threads until I post an admin note to tell you it's okay to resume them again.

A refresh of the current pairs and their tent assignments is as follows:

Nevra & Hasan – Tent type: Poor.

Vincenzo & Emine – Tent type: Poor.

Ayaz & David – Tent type: Rich.

Ayda & Olivier – Tent type: Poor.

Odile & Giorgio – Tent type: Poor.

Izabele & Sveta & Valérie – Tent type: Poor.

Amélie & Isla – Tent type: Poor.

Maksim & Nora – Tent type: Poor.

Damon & Delphine – Tent type: Poor.

Roman & Benjamin – Tent type: Rich.

Jean & Ophélie – Tent type: Poor.

Nadezhda & Varden – Tent type: Rich.

Lara & Samar – Tent type: Poor. 

Konstantin & Étienne & Lisette – Tent type: Poor.

Aviv & Cassandra – Tent type: Rich.

Catalina & Kerem – Type Type: Rich.

Maria & Lyudmila – Tent type: Poor.

Félix & Carla & Jessica – Tent type: Poor.

Gideon & Melissa – Tent type: Rich.

Yvonne & Giordana – Tent type: Poor.

Spencer & Eleanor – Tent type: Poor.

Misha & Yves – Tent Type: Rich.

Adriana & Gianna  – Tent Type: Rich.

Jordana & Elaina – Tent Type: Rich.

Olivia & Vika – Tent Type: Rich.

[mrofontaine]

The night had been going fucking perfectly.

How couldn't it? He might've won some abominable awards, but for once he'd taken it in his stride. Had fucking enjoyed it, as he'd walked up to the stage and given a speech, his mouth almost twitched at the thought. Still, here he sat -- away from everyone. He didn't plan to be here long, just needed to collect himself before he threw back one to many shots and got himself on that fucking dance floor.

Nursing the amber hued liquid in his glass, he watched the ice clank together as his mind spiraled to Isla and Lisette before landing on Maksim, his teeth gritting in response. He could feel that familiar rage racing and igniting over and over in his blood. His mind had been doing what it always did, until her voice filtered through and he looked up to spot Fee.

"Alright, Gorgeous," He greeted, offering her that painted smile. The false one that he knew she'd see through instantly. "Ah, its..." He sighed, a laugh broke free that was more pained that he wanted. "She came here with him, and I don't know whether to be terrified for her, or pissed at her."

He wasn't sure if he could be angry, not when he'd spent that valentines night entwined with her as they once had been years ago. They were both fucking wrong, but he couldn't stop that green envy that coiled inside of him.

"Yeah, anyway. Line?"

FOR: @mrofontaine WHEN: 23rd of March, 2024 WHERE: Awards After Party

The awards had gone off without a hitch, all baring that fact that the French has been out voted for family of the year. "Fucking idiots" is all Ophélie could think, wondering which numbskulls had voted such a way.

There was no hiding the fact that the after party was her favourite part of the night. It no longer mattered how much everyone drank, or how off their face they truly was.

She had already downed a few shots and glasses of campaign, her persona was clearly far from sober. Yet she was functional.

Olivier had caught her attention, whilst a majority of the guest where enjoying themselves. He sat at on of the tables, looking miserable and as if he was drowning his sorrows.

She rolled her eyes, drink in hand she made her way over. She learnt next to him, leaning over onto the table.

"You're at an after party, with plenty of drinks and anything you else desire. Yet, you're sat here looking miserable as sin. I saw you with Isla earlier, pleeeeaasseee don't tell you're still sulking after her?"

[mobscene-awards]

MOST LIKELY TO BE ARRESTED:

Emine Yalaz

Maksim Kurylenko

Olivier Fontaine

Isla Hunt

Runner(s) Up: Hasan Demir, Adriana Amaro.

[islahuntd]

Isla Hunt attends the London Awards, Thursday April 1, 2021

Escorted by: Maksim Kurylenko Wearing: the third dress she tried on from Adriana’s closet 

[castillo-adrian]

The War, Act I.

Scene 1.

Moonlight spilled through the colourful mosaic of the cathedral, illuminating the statue of Saint Luke Adrian had been staring for the better part of the last five minutes. The assassin sat in silence, remembering the old prayer his mother had taught him.

Padre Nuestro, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things.

Whatever sins his soul needed to be scrubbed off, killing the enemies Adrian didn’t consider as such. The choice to do wrong wasn’t his. He was a weapon, and Andrew’s command was the trigger. The Frenchman had no qualms stripping lungs of their breath, but lately, he’d be doing more than that. Since ascending within the Rutherford ranks, he knew he had become more than just a deadly weapon.

The guilt, however, remained absent.

Perhaps Adrian actually believed with each dying St. Clair, France would be better off. Perhaps he needed to tell himself this story to sleep better at night.

The faint click of the heels caught his attention.

“Sévérine. Long time no see,” he spoke in his native French.

“I could’ve done with even longer,” the commandant was radiating hatred.

“Sit.”

She obliged, reluctantly.

“I don’t need to remind you what happens if you change your mind.”

“How can you live with yourself?” Sévérine hissed through gritted teeth, “It’s not enough you’re a traitor, you have to turn me into one, too…”

“Please,” Adrian sighed, “is your foolish loyalty to glorified drug dealers worth enough to sacrifice your life?”

She could try to run, but she’d never outrun him. They both knew that.

“There’s a fountain in the left corner, near the main entrance, I’ll pull him away right before midnight, as you instructed. Just…”  Sévérine let out a long, painful sigh, “don’t let him suffer for too long.”

“Only long enough to create a distraction,” he rose to his feet. The moon had hidden in the clouds and the sky had turned ominously dark.

“I’ll do what needs to be done,” spat the woman, voicing the fears lodged somewhere in the labyrinth of carefully constructed little boxes in his mind, “but Adrian, you’re not fooling anyone with your ‘I’m just a weapon’ bullshit. Not anymore. You’ve become a fucking engine behind the machine.”

Scene 2.

In the basement of the club Sisyphos, Adrian walked the team through the plan once again. The Russians showed more discipline than he’d expected. Something, the assassin thought, had to do with their leader’s surprise appearance, more than likely.

“I can’t stress this enough,” Adrian looked with an unwavering gaze at Maksim on their way to the Kingdom, “no going off the script.”

The Russian nodded, but it did little to reassure Adrian still.

“There is a high probability some important figures will be in attendance, people we do not want to get mixed up in this,” he added as one last argument before their vehicles reached the destination.

“I assure you, Mr. Castillo, our men have more work ethic and discipline than people give them credit for. All they need is proper motivation,” Svetlana Vorshevsky’s eyes glinted.

Like hell he’d be trusting the Russians without a backup plan, though. Amara and a couple of other of his mentees had been stationed on a nearby rooftop, in case some idiot Russian decided to do something stupid and needed to be taken off of the chessboard.

The chess pieces were almost entirely made up of Russians, save for the two Rutherford assassins: Medea and Adrian, both of them operating from the shadows, three lieutenants, to be Adrian’s ears and eyes during the attack and Isla and Thomas tasked with overseeing the fireworks arrangement. Even though basically all of the Rutherford lieutenants and loyalists had been eager to join in on the action, especially after what had happened to Jai, their instruction was clear: be stationed a couple blocks away and only intervene if by some miracle the Russians managed to fuck up what he’d meticulously planned for months, from making literally every single person involved memorise the hotel blueprints to timing and mapping their exact location during the attack, he made sure to leave no room for error.

They had been at war and this would be the first battle.

Tomorrow, the French Organisation would wake up with at least one St. Clair short and in the very midst of the mob war.

Tomorrow, London, though, would wake up to another HCA attack – another act of terrorism by Russian radical group, attacking high society event in the heart of their city.

Adrian wondered, just how much of a hold Konstantin Vorshevsky had over the Russian president that he agreed to pin the whole thing on him with no hesitation. Arkady Kurylenko seemed quite amused even by Adrian’s Russian flag fireworks idea when he first presented it.

But the excitement the Vorshevsky loyalists involved expressed once Adrian laid out his plans to target not one, but two St. Clair family members, almost disgusted him. Pure, animalistic joy. Good, when and if the time came, he’d be sure to remind them it was in London and with the Rutherford alliance that they achieved what they’d been trying and failing to do for years.

Scene 3.

Everything had served its purpose. The fireworks - both distraction and disguise.

Distract Fran, and then turn his death into a distraction in itself to take out the most important figure on the chessboard - the Queen.

As he fired three gunshots at Fran St. Clair it was not his intention to kill him on the spot. Adrian aimed precisely to ensure the head of Launceston would have just enough life in him to live a few minutes longer, a few minutes enough to crawl towards the main stage, cause the distraction and die.

It all happened within a matter of minutes.

As Fran drew his final breath, another round of the fireworks went off, and the Russian Rook took out the French Queen.

The pawns, knights, and bishops fell one by one.

The war was far from over, that much Adrian knew, but this round had been won.

Checkmate.