CHAPTER 180Don stepped out slowly, his polished boots crunching over the blood-slick floor. His eyes trailed over the bodies of his fallen guards, and his brow lifted in dry amusement rather than rage.Well,” he said with a chilling grin. “The infamous devil in the flesh.”Lucifer aimed his gun without hesitation.But Don held up his phone.“One move, and this feed goes live,” he grinned. “You know what happens next.”Lucifer’s jaw clenched. “I’ll kill you.”“So…” he drawled, meeting Lucifer’s eyes, “you’ve forgotten the rules of the underworld.”Lucifer flashed him a cold look. “You don’t get to talk to me about rules,” he said, his voice sharp as broken glass. “Not when you take what isn’t yours from someone who owes you nothing… and still refuse to give it back.”Don chuckled, low and dark. “I’m not stupid, Lucifer. I get what I want. I eat my cake… and I have it too.”Lucifer’s glare didn’t falter. “I didn’t come here for war.”Don spread his arms wide, gesturing toward the corps
CHAPTER 179Lucifer crouched low on the rooftop of the building across from Don's villa. He was dressed in black all through and the wind flapped his jacket. He was sure that if a young child somewhere across the world peeked outside their window, they would think Batman was real and in the city.His eyes locked on the compound below, with his mouth pressed into a line as he watched. Beside him, Giovanni was down on one knee, breathing steady and clad in similar outfit. Lucifer lifted the binoculars. The place was moving with guards. A few more guards had shifted to the east wing. They were pacing now with their guns in their hands. They didn't panic but they knew something was off.“They’ve moved,” Lucifer muttered. “Three by the east. Two at the back. One near the garage.”Giovanni squinted. “He’s tightened the exits.”Lucifer dropped the binoculars and reached into his pocket and pulled out the small radio. It clicked once.“Antonio. Are you in?”“We’re in,” he called back statica
CHAPTER 178Lucifer’s phone buzzed once and he rubbed his eyes groggily. He swatted his hands around till he found his phone. Why did he have to be interrupted when he was having a good rest.He unlocked it sleepily but when he saw the message type, he sat up almost immediately, the sleep fading away into the air.It was the name that popped up brightly. Valar.He clicked the message almost immediately and read the contents. It said:'Don moves tonight. Be ready and watchful. Before nightfall, have your men in Marbella.'Lucifer got off the couch in seconds, silently but swiftly. His limbs moved with purpose, but his thoughts were already twenty steps ahead.Across the room, his bed was a mess of tangled blankets, stuffed animals, bedtime story books and quiet breaths. The girls had come into his room last night begging him to read them a story. A story they had said, but it turned to three. And of course he built bricks and played dress-up.Tired from a long night of play, they had
CHAPTER 177Katherine sat in silence and she stared into nothingness. Her eyes were dry, but inside, she was drowning. She hadn't been able to process any of it, ever since that day. Since her kidnap the only thing she had been worried about was existing, not living. Everything since then had just been about surviving.Breathing, eating and sleeping. One task at a time like she was a prisoner in her own skin.She didn’t think of escape anymore. There was no strength left for hope. No plans. So she waited for whatever was to come.But she missed her baby.Her breasts ached and were tight, sore and heavy with milk she couldn't release. She had soaked through the bodice of the wedding dress days ago, and now it dried against her skin in sour stains. Her hands had trembled more than once when she thought of Noah’s tiny face, of his soft coos when she held him. The ache in her body wasn’t just physical. It was a loss. And it was deep and gnawing.But now that she could properly reason, s
CHAPTER 176 For the past three days, Lucifer had been restless. He paced too much, smoked too much and barely slept. He tried burying his head in work sometimes to distract himself but nothing was helping. So he took frequent trips to Giovanni who had still refused to acknowledge him as his family.He spent long days there and his mind circled the same names over and over; Don, Riley, Katherine and Valar.As for the last name, he perturbed him a lot.Valar kept him on edge, making him check his phone every few hours and refreshing everything— emails, messages, anything that could be a lead. And whenever he received messages, it was as though he was feeding him breadcrumbs.“Wait,” Valar had said. “We’ll strike when Don’s weakest. When his world starts to crack. Like I said, he would reach out to you personally. Don gets bored easily and when he does, he wants something else exciting.”But patience was not something Lucifer wore well. It didn't suit him. But for Katherine, he would do
CHAPTER 175Riley sat with blood drying on her upper lip, and her eyes spinned faintly from the pain. Don’s fingers pressed against the bridge of her broken nose, trying to stop the bleeding. She didn’t move or blink. She just watched him from under her lashes.Don gave a short, humorless laugh. “You’re staring like you want me dead.”She slapped his hand away and pushed herself up, her jaw tight with rage. “How dare you.”Don blinked. “What?”“You think I don’t see it?” Her voice rose. “That look in your eyes when she speaks? The way you hover around her now? What do you think you're doing?”He shook his head slowly, but she kept going. “You’re no better than the rest of them. Giovanni, Lucifer… and now you.” She took a step closer. “You don’t see it yet, but Katherine’s already won. That’s what she does. She doesn’t need to kill us. She just… changes us. One by one.”“Riley—”“Shut up.” Her voice cracked and echoed around the room. “Do you even remember who you are anymore? Or has s