Mak Decadent의 작품

Josie’s POVThe afternoon sun hung low over the park, painting the lake with streaks of gold and amber. Lily’s laughter echoed across the playground as she chased a group of children around the bright red slide, her voice light and carefree in a way that felt almost fragile considering the storm quietly brewing around us. I sat beside Alexander on the bench, trying to enjoy the peaceful moment even though his words from earlier still lingered in my mind, someone else is involved now. He hadn’t explained what Chris discovered, and the silence that followed only made my curiosity grow sharper. Alexander leaned forward slightly with his elbows resting on his knees, his gaze never straying far from Lily as she played. Anyone watching us would assume he was simply being protective. But I knew Alexander well enough now to recognize the subtle shift in his posture. He wasn’t just watching Lily. He was watching everything, the walking paths, the benches, the people passing by with their dogs

Josie’s POVThe person wasn't clearly visible so Alexander demanded that Chris should find out who it was.The penthouse had been unusually tense for days; Ever since Alexander began dismantling Sarah’s family empire piece by piece, the atmosphere had shifted. Chris moved through the building with increased security, the staff spoke in hushed voices, and Alexander spent long hours inside his office coordinating strategies that slowly crushed his enemies without a single public confrontation. Yet that morning, something different filled the air. I heard the elevator doors open while I was in the living room reviewing documents, followed by a small burst of laughter echoing down the hallway. A familiar, cheerful voice cut through the quiet tension. “Uncle Alex!” Lily’s tiny footsteps raced across the marble floor before I even had time to stand. She ran straight into the room and launched herself toward Alexander, who had just stepped out of his office. For a moment the powerful, inti

Josie’s POVWar, I realized, didn’t always begin with explosions or gunfire. Sometimes it began quietly with a phone call, a signature, a whispered order that moved through powerful circles. Three days had passed since the interrogation, yet the name that shooter had whispered still lingered in my mind like poison slowly dissolving through my bloodstream, Sarah’s family, The same family who had helped her craw her way into the Hart social circle years ago. The same family who smiled politely at charity galas while secretly building a web of influence beneath the surface. They had thought they could strike at Alexander from the shadows, using pawns and disposable criminals to weaken him before anyone realized what was happening. What they didn’t understand was that Alexander Hart didn’t respond to threats like ordinary businessmen. He didn’t argue, negotiate or issue public statements. He destroyed people. I watched it unfold over the next week like a carefully executed chess match. Al

Josie’s POV The morning of Victor Hale’s funeral arrived, The cemetery gates were already crowded when our car pulled through them. Black sedans lined the long gravel road, and men in dark suits stood in small clusters speaking in low voices one could barely hear. Victor had spent fifteen years working beside Alexander, and judging by the size of the crowd, he had earned the respect of nearly everyone in the business world. I stepped out of the car slowly, adjusting the sleeve of my black coat as the wind brushed lightly across the open grounds. The scent of damp grass mixed with the faint fragrance of flowers arranged near the freshly dug grave ahead. For a moment I simply stood there, observing the scene unfolding around us. People glanced in our direction the moment Alexander stepped out beside me. Some nodded respectfully. Others lowered their eyes. Alexander Hart, his presence commanded attention. But today he wasn’t here as a CEO or the feared titan of the Hart empire. Today h

Josie’s POVThe room outside the interrogation chamber felt thick after the man finished speaking. I remained behind the one-way glass, staring at the trembling shooter who had finally broken under Alexander’s quiet pressure. Just minutes ago he had acted like a man who believed he was untouchable. Now he looked like someone who had realized too late that he had stepped into the wrong battlefield. His breathing was fast, almost frantic, and every few seconds his eyes flickered toward Alexander like he was trying to measure the chances of survival written on that cold, unreadable face. The confession still echoed inside my mind. Sarah’s family. The name itself carried a dark weight. I had already known Sarah was dangerous, but hearing that her entire family had orchestrated the accident, the surveillance, and the chaos at the gala made the situation far more complicated than it first appeared. They weren’t simply targeting Alexander’s business reputation. They were trying to weaken t

Josie’s POVThe silence Alexander left behind felt heavier than any threat he could have spoken aloud. From behind the one-way glass, I watched the shooter carefully as the door to the interrogation room closed with a quiet click. Just moments earlier he had been leaning back in the chair with an arrogant confidence, but now his entire posture had changed. His shoulders were stiff, and his breathing had grown uneven as he stared at the closed door like it might suddenly open again. The bright overhead light made the sweat on his forehead shine, and for the first time since he’d been brought in, I saw real fear in his eyes. Chris remained beside me in the observation room, silent as he studied the man through the glass. “Give it a minute,” he said quietly. “Alexander knows exactly how long to let the pressure sit.” I didn’t respond right away. My eyes stayed fixed on the man tied to the chair below, watching the courage or whatever he’d been clinging to slowly collapse. I was beginn