A heavy silence blanketed the dimly lit office. The air smelled of expensive cigars and leather, thick with tension.
Pedro Montonio leaned back in his chair, his sharp blue eyes locked onto the man standing before him. Across the polished oak desk, Derrick, his most trusted right-hand, stood rigid, hands clasped behind his back. “You have one minute,” Pedro said, voice smooth but laced with ice. “Tell me why the shipment never reached the port.” Derrick swallowed but didn’t flinch. He had been with Pedro long enough to know fear was useless. “There was a breach,” he said steadily. “Our men were already stationed, but someone leaked the coordinates.” Pedro’s fingers tapped against the desk. Once. Twice. A slow, deliberate rhythm. “And?” Derrick exhaled sharply. “Before we arrived, the authorities were already conducting a sweep. The shipment never made it. We lost everything.” The tapping stopped. The air grew heavier. Pedro said nothing, but the silence alone made the temperature in the room drop. His men feared his words, but they feared his silence even more. Derrick continued, voice tense. “This was an inside job, Boss. Someone betrayed us.” A muscle in Pedro’s jaw twitched. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk, his presence suffocating. “Who?” “We don’t know yet.” Pedro inhaled slowly. Then, in a movement almost too fast to track, he grabbed the glass of whiskey beside him and hurled it across the room. The crystal shattered against the far wall, amber liquid staining the carpet. Derrick remained still, but the two guards stationed near the door stiffened. Pedro’s gaze darkened. “Find out,” he said coldly. “And when you do, bring him to me. Alive.” A beat passed before Derrick nodded. “Yes, Boss.” Pedro dismissed him with a flick of his fingers, and Derrick turned on his heel, exiting without another word. Pedro exhaled through his nose, his mind already calculating the damage. A lost shipment was one thing. A traitor was another. His fingers reached for his phone. One call. One order. That was all it took to make a man disappear. But before he could dial, something on his laptop screen caught his eye. A live feed. His mood shifted instantly. The fury lingering in his veins drained away, replaced by something darker. Something more dangerous. He leaned back, clicking the feed to enlarge the view. There she was. Aelia. Unaware. Innocent. Sitting at her desk, glasses perched on her nose, lost in whatever mundane task occupied her. Pedro’s lips curled into a slow smirk. Earlier that morning, he had given an order: “In the next hour, I want full access to every security feed in that office.” And now, he watched her. Unfiltered, uninterrupted. His own private show! His fingers drummed lightly against the desk as he observed her movements. She kept pushing her hair behind her ear, only for it to fall back again. It frustrated her. He could tell by the little frown creasing her forehead. Pedro’s smirk deepened. He had been right about her. She was fascinating. Earlier when he spotted her in the courthouse, he almost didn’t believe it. She was too good to be true. The resemblance. Everything! The addiction was growing, rapidly consuming him, and he didn’t intend to fight it. But then, something blocked his view. A man. Pedro’s tapping ceased. The fool had stepped into the frame, standing too close to Aelia. Too comfortable. Pedro’s eyes narrowed. His grip tightened around his phone, ready to make a call that would ensure such an image never repeated itself. But then— Aelia smiled. Not just a polite curve of her lips. A real smile. Bright. Blinding. Carefree. It struck him like a bullet. She laughed, her cheeks wrinkling, eyes turning into soft crescents. Even her brows arched, the same shade as her auburn hair, giving her expression an innocent warmth. Pedro’s blood ran hot. He lowered the phone, pulse pounding in his ears. “Hello, Boss—” He ended the call before the voice on the other end could finish. This wasn’t a job for his men. This was personal. “She smiled so brightly…” “But that smile didn’t belong to me.” His teeth clenched. “She gave her smile to him.” The words came out almost paranoid, his mind spiraling into a dangerous abyss. “That bastard had no right to it.” His knuckles whitened as his grip on the desk tightened. “No fucking right to something that should have been mine.” The need to correct this burned through him. Aelia was his. She just didn’t know it yet. But soon, she would.Aelia’s POVWhat a way to start the week.I just got these glasses, and now they were broken. Frustrating, but not nearly as concerning as what I’d overheard earlier.If those women were right, then Pedro Montonio wasn’t just some powerful man. He was married. And his wife? A supermodel with a reputation so terrifying, people compared her to a demon in sleep paralysis.I clapped my cheeks, inhaling deeply. It’ll be fine. This is probably just a one-time thing.“BOO! Four eyes.”“Ahh!” I shrieked, too loudly. A few heads turned, and my scowl deepened at the culprit.Mike.“Can you be serious for once? We’re at work,” I hissed.He grinned, completely unbothered. “Wait, did you grow an extra eye? How many fingers? Quick, count!” He wiggled his long fingers in my face, his expression alight with mock delight.I swatted his hand away. “Are you enjoying yourself?”“Only if you are.” That smug smile of his could probably steal the breath of any woman in this office.Except mine.“I’m immune
Aelia’s POVMy gaze snapped to Pedro Montonio’s grim expression, my heart hammering against my ribs.The two men in front of me weren’t just kneeling anymore. They were kowtowing—slamming their foreheads into the pavement with sickening force. Again. And again. And again.Blood splattered onto the ground, mixing with the dirt and filth of the alley. The sound of flesh meeting concrete echoed, a gruesome, rhythmic beat.I stumbled back in horror. “What are you doing?! Stop that—you’ll kill yourselves!”They didn’t stop. They didn’t hesitate.It was like they had to do it. Like stopping wasn’t even an option.I turned to Pedro, my voice shrill. “Make them stop! Stop it!”He barely glanced at me. “I can’t.”I blinked. “What?”His expression remained infuriatingly calm. “You have to accept their apology to free them.”“…What?” My voice came out breathless, disbelieving.I looked back at the men. Their movements had slowed, their strength fading, but they kept going despite the mess of blo
Aelia’s POV“Where are you taking me?”My voice broke the silence between us, though I wasn’t sure if there had ever been silence to begin with.Pedro had been stealing glances at me the entire ride, as if I might vanish if he looked away.“Actually, we can talk right here in the car,” I added quickly, my unease growing. “I know this is about the lawsuit, so just state your claims now. I’ll answer—”His fingers brushed a stray strand of hair from my face.I jolted in shock.“Please refrain from touching me, Mr. Pedro.” My voice came out sharper than intended. “I’m listening to whatever you have to say about the case.”He laughed.Again.I swear, if I heard that damn laugh one more time, I might lose my mind.“What makes you think you’re here because of the lawsuit?”His question sucked the breath from my lungs.“…What?” My voice barely escaped my lips.Pedro’s gaze remained steady. “I told you before. You’re a replacement for what I lost. I could care less about the case.” He leaned b
Aelia’s POVThe silence between us was razor-thin. I took slow, measured steps, keeping the jade hairpin pointed at my own face, a desperate gamble to keep him at bay. Pedro’s gaze followed my every move, sharp and unreadable, his muscles coiled as if he were waiting for the exact moment to strike.I just needed to get around him. Just a few more steps, and—My eyes flickered to the locked door for a fraction of a second.A mistake.He moved like the wind, so fast my brain couldn’t catch up before he was on me. The hairpin was ripped from my grasp, clattering uselessly to the floor. A breath later, my back hit the bed, and before I could react, he was on top of me, pinning me down with a force that made my lungs feel caged.His hands gripped my wrists, his eyes wild with rage.“This face isn’t yours!” he thundered, his voice thick with something I couldn’t name. “You have no right to harm it!”The sheer intensity in his voice paralyzed me.I wanted to fight, to push him off, to scream
Aelia’s POVPedro leaned against the corridor like nothing had happened, his shirt still wrinkled, his tie loose and dangling below his belt. He didn’t even bother fixing himself, as if my sudden intrusion hadn’t fazed him in the slightest. He glanced at me, his gaze slow, assessing, before his lips curved into a smirk.“Did you want to show me your dress?” His voice was casual, almost amused. “I personally selected it.”My breath caught in my throat. I had run here, demanding answers, expecting at least some explanation, maybe even the barest hint of remorse. But he looked at me like I was the one who had done something absurd. My emotions were all over the place, rage, shame, disgust but I forced myself to keep them buried, locked tight beneath the surface.Just one day. One single day of meeting this man, and I already felt like my life was crumbling.I swallowed down the chaos inside me and forced out the words that had been at the tip of my tongue since the moment I first stepped
Aelia’s POVA low whisper from Pedro’s right-hand man pulled him away from his conversation, his gaze sharpening. He turned to me and his fingers brushed my arm briefly before he said, “Stand by the balcony.”I hesitated, but he had already shifted his attention elsewhere. The order wasn’t up for discussion. Taking a deep breath, I moved toward the edge, gripping the cool railing as I stared down at the chaos of flashing lights and writhing bodies below.The upper floor wasn’t empty. A few other people lingered in small groups, exchanging hushed conversations over glasses of amber liquor. But soon, a different kind of crowd arrived.Women.Dressed in sleek, tight fabrics that clung to their curves, their heels clicking against the marble as they sauntered in like they owned the place. I didn’t have to guess their purpose. It was evident in the way their hands immediately found the nearest suited man, whispering into ears, running fingers over lapels, pressing bodies into them like pay
Aelia’s POVI clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, but the sting was nothing compared to the disgust twisting in my gut. My voice came out hoarse, strained from the sheer effort of keeping my emotions in check.“Why?” I asked, staring at the blood still pooling on the floor from the man’s severed wrist. “Why bring me here? Why make me watch this?” My voice cracked. “Why are you doing this to me?”Pedro leaned back in his chair, legs spread apart like he owned the entire world—and maybe he did. He ran a hand down his jaw, amused by my question, as if my horror was a form of entertainment for him.“I used you,” he said smoothly, his gaze never wavering from mine. “Because I know of no other woman who can provoke a man so easily, make him lose all sense of suspicion, all control.” His lips curled into a smirk, as if pleased with his own cruelty. “Just pure, primal instinct.”He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he watched me.“And for feeling that way towar
The doorbell rang again. Aelia’s fingers twitched at her side, still wary from the last unwanted visitor. She hesitated, but eventually forced herself to open the door.A man in a neat black uniform stood before her, holding an extravagant bouquet of deep red roses, their petals rich and velvety. He barely acknowledged her shock as he extended a clipboard.“Signature, please.”She blinked. “Excuse me?”The man gestured to the bouquet. “These are yours, miss. You need to sign for the delivery.”Aelia’s hand moved on its own, signing her name with shaky strokes. The moment she finished, the man gave a sharp nod, then turned and motioned to someone behind him.What followed made her breath caught.A small army of workers emerged from behind a massive truck parked on the street. Box after box, each branded with designer labels she had only ever seen in magazines was carried into her tiny living room. Shoes, clothes, bags, accessories… each item impossibly rare, the kind of things people f
Private Villa, 3:41 AMPedro hadn’t slept a wink. His shirt was wrinkled from the night before, his tie discarded on the floor, and the sharp scent of whiskey still clung to his breath. The rain outside was relentless, hammering against the windows like fists. Lightning split the sky at intervals, casting fractured flashes of light into the room where Pedro sat motionless and silent, a full glass of untouched whiskey balanced between his fingers.He hadn’t changed since yesterday. His black shirt was still unbuttoned at the throat, sleeves rolled halfway, stained faintly with dried blood and regret. The clock ticked, steady and taunting.That’s when Derrick burst in, soaked and breathless.“Boss—”Pedro’s head snapped up.“We just got a ping,” Derrick said. “One of our men at Dock 17 caught wind of unregistered movement. Black van. No markings. No customs clearance. They slipped through the outer security grid, but someone flagged the license plate before it disappeared from view. I
The road was rough, flanked on both sides by thick coastal fog and looming trees that swallowed the moonlight. Aelia lay on a secured stretcher, her face pallid, neck still bearing faint red bruises. Electrodes clung to her chest beneath a hospital gown, her breathing shallow but steady. The heart monitor beeped in the background—a metronome of survival.Waves crashed somewhere in the distance, rhythmic and menacing. The sound of tires over gravel merged with the gentle whir of medical machines in the back of the armored van.Two figures rode with her.One was the driver, dressed in dark tactical gear with no insignia. The other sat beside Aelia, dressed in a traveling physician’s coat, sterile gloves on his hands as he adjusted her IV drip and rechecked her vitals. He was older, balding, with a hard expression that masked the unease in his eyes.They had been driving for an hour, and not once had either spoken until the secure phone built into the dashboard lit up and rang, steali
The blue and red lights of police cars painted the hospital walls in frantic pulses. Officers moved in clusters, speaking in clipped tones into radios, while reporters hovered just beyond the line of sight, hungry for the next tragedy to feed on.Darcy pushed through them all, heart in her throat, hair clinging to her cheeks from the wind. Her shoes slapped hard against the concrete, breath ragged as her eyes scanned for a familiar face. Then she saw Pedro, standing like a wall of stone by the hospital entrance, surrounded by his men.Without thinking, she lunged.“You bastard!” she screamed, her fists slamming against his chest. “How could you let this happen?! How could you lose her?!”Pedro barely flinched. His eyes were dead and distant.Adrian appeared out of nowhere and caught Darcy from behind, dragging her back just enough to stop her flailing.“Darcy,” he whispered tightly, trying to calm her, but she kept fighting him.“She’s missing because of you!” Darcy’s voice cracked. “
Pedro stood motionless, his hands tucked behind his back as he stared at Valeria like she was a puzzle missing only one piece, one very damning piece!His sharp eyes slid from her face to the bag in her hands, then back up again.“I’ll ask only once,” his voice was calm, but laced with steel, “why the hell are you here?”Valeria held her chin high, calm on the outside, but her knuckles turned white as she gripped the handle of the tote bag. “I brought you some essentials. You haven’t been home in weeks. Thought you could use food, clothes. Maybe a razor.”She extended the bag slightly in his direction like evidence, but Pedro didn’t move.“Convenient,” he murmured. “The one day you visit the hospital, she disappears.”Valeria’s jaw tightened. “Are you accusing me?”Pedro didn’t answer. He stepped in closer. Too close. His breath mingled with hers, his voice dipped into a dangerous whisper. “You think I’m stupid?”“I didn’t even go near her room,” she said defensively, expression smoo
One Hour EarlierIt was warm here, too warm.Aelia stood barefoot in a sun-drenched field, the sky a rich shade of rose gold, the air thick with the scent of lavender and memories. The children from the orphanage were playing in the distance, their laughter soft and echoing, like it came from behind a veil. And beside her, Daisy stood. Whole. Smiling.“You could stay,” Daisy said, her voice feather-light, as if it didn’t belong to a body at all. “You and I… we could watch over them together.”Her fingers were laced with Aelia’s, the grip gentle but firm. Aelia looked down at their joined hands, felt the warmth, the strange comfort of it all.But something tugged.Not her hand, but her soul.“I can’t,” Aelia murmured, her voice uncertain, hollow. “I promised Penelope. I can’t leave her… I can’t leave them.”Daisy’s smile didn’t fade. “Then go,” she said softly. “I’ll take care of things here. You still have something to finish.”Aelia hesitated, but nodded and just like that, the golde
Pedro hadn’t slept.He sat in the dim hospital room, his elbows propped on his knees, shoulders weighed down by exhaustion and a torment he refused to name. His phone was in his hand, the screen glowing faintly as he scrolled through the collection of photos and videos his shadows had gathered, moments he hadn’t been a part of, moments when Aelia had smiled without knowing he was watching.Aelia sipping coffee by the window of the villa, her eyes reflecting sunlight.Aelia pacing while on the phone, probably with Darcy, her brows furrowed.Aelia sitting on the beach, hugging her knees, completely unaware of the drone that captured her.He hated himself for them now. Hated that he’d needed control so desperately, he resorted to surveillance. And yet he couldn’t stop watching her. Because she wasn’t smiling anymore. She wasn’t pacing or sitting or drinking coffee.She was motionless, and he was losing his mind.A quiet knock on the door pulled him back. A nurse stepped in politely, sa
Darcy sat on the edge of the bathroom counter, hissing softly as Adrian dabbed disinfectant on the cut across her forearm. Blood had already been cleaned off, but the skin was torn and angry, a painful reminder of Sola’s outburst.“You’d think I got slashed in a knife fight,” she muttered, wincing. “Didn’t know betrayal came in crystal form.”Adrian didn’t laugh. His brows were furrowed, jaw tight. He’d been quiet ever since Sola left, and that silence was beginning to hum with tension.“I’m fine, you know,” Darcy added, watching him through the mirror. “I’ve taken worse.”“That’s not the point.”Adrian’s voice was low, sharp. He met her eyes through the reflection, and she saw it the, the fury still simmering behind his calm exterior.“She could’ve hit your face. Or your head.”“But she didn’t.”“I should’ve thrown her out the second she showed up.” His voice cracked with restraint, like he was still trying to rein it in. “I knew she was spiraling.”Darcy tilted her head, still watch
Adrian hadn’t slept.Not really, anyway. The past month had been a cycle of long nights and longer days, of watching Pedro lose his mind by inches and keeping the pieces of their crumbling world from collapsing entirely.But tonight, for once, the storm had settled.At least, it seemed that way.Darcy was sitting across from him in his apartment, barefoot, legs tucked beneath her, a half-empty glass of whiskey dangling from her fingers. She had been talking about something, Aelia, Pedro, maybe the last time she had gotten a decent night’s sleep but her words had faded into the background, a low hum against the quiet crackle of the fireplace.Adrian wasn’t listening. Not because he didn’t care. But because he was too busy watching her.She was tired. She would never admit it, but he could see it in the slight droop of her shoulders, the way her usual sharp edges had softened just enough to let him see the exhaustion beneath.“You’re staring.”Adrian smirked. “I was admiring.”Darcy sno
One Month LaterThe world outside carried on as if nothing had changed. Stocks rose and fell, wars were waged in boardrooms and back alleys, and people continued to wake up, go about their lives, and go to sleep.But Pedro’s world hadn’t moved in a month.Aelia was still unconscious.She lay in that same pristine hospital bed, her body too still, her face far too pale. The machines surrounding her had become a familiar sight, the beeping of her heart monitor a sound Pedro had memorized. He hated it. That thin, fragile line on the screen was the only sign she was still here, yet it was never enough. It mocked him.Every day was the same. He’d sit by her bedside, watching, waiting, barely speaking. Some nights, he’d stay so late that Derrick had to pull him away, reminding him he still had an empire to run. Some mornings, he’d wake up with his head resting beside her arm, exhaustion having stolen away his consciousness for only a few fleeting hours.And then there were the days like tod