LOGINFred POV
I picked up my car keys and headed for the door. “Mom, I’m going out. I’ll be back late today,” I shouted and closed the door behind me. “Don’t forget your jacket, baby,” my mom’s annoying voice called out. “Yes, Momma.” Rolling my eyes and walking to where my baby Range Rover SV was. I inserted the key and drove out of the house. Few minutes later, I stopped at a glamorous clubhouse. Not too big—not too shabby. “Master Fred, you’re here.” The bulky bodyguard at the door caught the key I threw to him. “Where is your boss?” “Boss is inside with his usual game. Perhaps you want to wait for him?” Scratching his head, the man answered. “I don’t have time for his little game. Lead me to him.” Without much care, I walked into the club. The loud, blasting music hit me like a wave. “Ugh, these tax-free devourers must be enjoying this uncouth music,” I muttered under my breath as I entered through the door the bulky man showed me. A heavy, pungent smell hit my nose, so strong I could hardly breathe. “Goodness, what foul game have you been playing?” This idiot was riding a cheap, disposable, and accessible prostitute. She rocks her hips and follows his rhythm on the idiot's lap with her shameless moans. Taking a deep breath, I glared at him. “We have unfinished business. Quit whatever you are doing.” “Wh... why sh... should I? Ughhh.” The idiot continued to pound her ass. Their cheap act disgusted me, the view seared deep into my skull. It will definitely take days to cleanse it.“Do you want your money, or do you want to keep eating a 5 dollar bitch?” He ignored my input and kept thrusting before releasing into her. Pushing her off him, he stuffed his dick back into his trousers. “Remember, you are in my territory. Don’t mess with me.” Sitting on the nearby couch, I crossed my legs and stared hard at this thing. “Your job was not done well. I paid for his death.” Taking a deep breath, I continued, “He is still very much parading around my father’s company. Give me a good reason for an unfinished job.” The idiot hunched forward and picked up a still-burning cigarette. He took a deep puff. “You did pay for his death, but my men had a slight issue on our end. You probably know Damien.” “What does my job have to do with a ruthless, blood-sucking demon?” I asked, obviously puzzled by his words. The name ‘Damien’ would scare anyone who is eating from the underworld. At seventeen, he had killed 40 men without flinching. The reason? Just a slice of cake that was crushed by them. Those men were a startup gang still flaunting their little power. They provoked the beast in Damien, which eventually sealed their deaths. Six years after that incident, he took over his father’s business. He was far more ruthless than his father. Nobody would love to stand in his way. He is a pure representation of the devil on earth, even the devil will flee from him. His father’s empire was built underground, hidden from the eyes of civilians. But Damien— he brought his father’s empire out into the open, daring anyone to touch him. A golden retainer figure in business, whatever he sets his eyes on must be of great value. If you have any dealings with him, you can never rest until you complete your job. “Your job was eaten by him,” that idiot smirked as the rubbish coming out of his mouth. “What do you mean by ‘eaten up’? My job was an elimination in that hotel. Yo... you were supposed to kill him.” My hands shook with restraint from punching this idiot’s face. “Damien is not gay. He is fucking straight, as straight as a rod, fool.” “Watch your mouth, boy. Hahaha.” A dark laugh escaped from the idiot’s mouth. “Fine, I’m sorry. But I need a straightforward answer. Why is my prey alive? Why is my prey still walking around my company? Yes, my company. That bastard is never going to inherit it, as long as I am alive.” “Damien has always been my rival, a good, delicious prize to be devoured. Do you think I would not know of his sexuality? I planned to humiliate Damien by making him sleep with a dog. FUCK! Your prey had to get in my way and get eaten up.” The idiot crushed his cigarette with a menacing look on his face. “I also desire to kill your prey, but for now we have to lie low. Damien is busy searching for those involved in that incident. You don’t want to awaken his beast.” “How did you work it out? Won’t Damien find out about us? We are so screwed if he does.” My body began to shake at the thought of Damien peeling my skin. His cold eyes dug deep into mine, savoring every cut he made on my body. From what I know about him, he definitely would bake me alive. TAP TAP The idiot’s hand tapping the table jolted me awake from that horrible nightmare. “As always, a rich kid will be a spineless child. Just stating Damien’s name and you are already drowning in your cowardly thoughts.”Elias POV Damien reached for me, pulling me against his chest before I could turn away from him. His arms closed around me, one hand at the back of my head as he held me close.“Elias, you do know this is a consequence of our actions, don't you?”I stared at the front of his shirt, unable to find the strength to look up at him. The question brought back everything we had done, and the lives we could never get back.“Yeah,” I whispered.He didn't ask me to say anything else. I rested my head against his chest, allowing myself to lean on him without fighting the comfort he offered. His hand moved slowly over my back before his arm tightened around my waist, keeping me close.For once, neither of us tried to find the right words.---By the time we returned to the hotel, Emily was sitting at the table when we entered, but she stood as soon as she noticed us.“I'm going out for a bit,” she said, picking up her phone. “Don't worry about me. I'll be back soon.”I nodded, too exhausted to a
Elias POV The woman stumbled back when Damien aimed his gun at her, but the threat did nothing to calm her. Instead, she dropped to the floor and began rolling across it, pulling at her hair while her screams filled the room."Give me my son! You bastards, give me my son back!" She slammed her fists against the floor, tears streaming down her face. "You killed him! You killed my baby! Give him back to me!"I stood beside Damien, clutching my injured arm as I watched her unravel. Only moments ago, she had been attacking me with a strength that seemed impossible for someone in her condition. Now she was on the floor, screaming for a son she believed I had taken from her.Before either of us could react, the attendant who had greeted us earlier hurried into the room. His face paled when he saw the woman rolling across the floor and Damien's gun pointed in her direction."Oh, no. I'm so sorry, sir. I'm terribly sorry about this." He rushed toward her, kneeling beside her as he tried to r
Elias POV I wiped the tears from my face, forcing down the cry threatening to escape my throat before lifting my eyes to meet my father's."Yes, I understand that you might not have had a choice in some of the things you did, but you could have at least made the few years I spent under your roof bearable. You could have given me a reason to believe I had a father who cared about me, but instead, you made me feel like an unwanted child throughout my life."My voice trembled, but I refused to look away."I grew up believing you hated me, and even when Fred and his mother made my life miserable, you stood by and watched. Fred was the main reason I suffered in this house, yet you kept defending him. And now you're telling me he's not even your biological son?"My father lowered his head, rubbing his face with both hands before looking at me again."Fred isn't my son, Elias. He's the son of one of the Five Families. His mother was part of their arrangement, just as I was, and neither of u
******FLASHBACK******The woman's scream tore through the delivery room. "Ah! Carter!"She clutched her husband's hand, her nails digging into his skin as another wave of pain tore through her body."I'm here, sweetheart. I'm right here." Carter leaned over her, his eyes red as he brushed the damp hair away from her forehead. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.""Look at what you've done to me!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "Carter, I—I don't think I can survive this. I don't think I can ma—make it.""Don't say that. Please, don't say that." He tightened his grip on her hand, struggling to keep his voice steady. "You're going to make it. You and our son are going to come home with me. We'll raise him together, and I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy. I promise."She shook her head weakly, her breathing growing more laboured. "If I don't make it, you have to protect him. Don't let them take him away from you."Carter's expression crumpled. "I will pr
Elias POV I stepped out of the car, and the mansion stood across from me. The fountain in the courtyard had run dry. Dead leaves filled the basin, and nobody had swept the driveway in months. The upper windows were shuttered, including the one that used to be mine. Damien came to stand beside me. He said nothing. His shoulder was close enough that I could feel the warmth of it through my sleeve, and I didn't move away. I walked to the door. Inside, the air smelled of dust and old polish. Most of the furniture was gone. On the wall by the staircase, a rectangle showed where a portrait had once hung. My mother's. I stared at the empty space, unsurprised. Fred's mother had never wanted a reminder of the woman who came before her in this house, and removing my mother's portrait was just another way of erasing her presence. Even after all these years, she couldn't bear to leave anything that belonged to the woman my father had loved before her. An attendant appeared at the end of
Elias POV “What did you discover about my father?” Damien picked up the file again and turned to another page, scanning the documents before he began speaking. “I dug deeper into your past, and from what I found, your father was the one who built the company. However, there was someone working behind the scenes who contributed significantly to its growth.” I frowned. “I don't understand what you're trying to tell me. Get straight to the point, Damien. I don't have all the time in the world.” He gave me a brief look before opening the file to another section and turning it toward me. A photograph of a building filled the page, its structure familiar enough to make me lean closer. “Do you recognize this place?” he asked. I studied the photograph. “Yes.” “After your parents left the organization, your mother went into hiding and eventually sought treatment for her condition. The organization already knew she had taken the last remaining sample of the serum, but rather than immedi
Elias POV I walked out of a cafe, with an iced coffee in hand. The streets were bright with morning light, but it did little to pierce the darkness inside me. The memory of last night still fresh like it happened today. Emily fell in step beside me holding a pizza in her hands, she didn’t let me
Damien POV A low groan left my throat, one arm dragging across the empty side of the bed. The sheets were cold. My eyes snapped open. For a moment, my mind was fogged—fragments of the previous night flickering in disjointed flashes. A face blurred by desire and something darker, when clarity hit
Elias POV I lay motionless for long minutes, my body aching all over. I dragged myself to sit upright. Every movement sent sharp pain lancing through my lower back and thighs. Limping into the bathroom, I turned on the shower and stepped under the hot spray. Tears mingled with water as they poured
Damien POV "Ugh...shit". I staggered out of the automatic doors, my tailored suit no longer immaculate. My body reeks of the strong smell of alcohol. My breath raspy as I coughed violently, making me clutch my chest as I tried holding my lungs ironically. The Aphrodisiac powder burned through my







