LOGIN**Chapter 64*"They made it to the car, Samantha clinging to her neck, sobbing. Rylan drove like a demon, blood seeping through his shirt from a graze on his shoulder."You're hurt—""I'm fine." His jaw was tight. "Are you?"Alyssa looked down at Samantha, checking her for injuries. Nothing. Just fear."We're okay," she whispered, kissing her daughter's hair. "We're okay, baby."But Rylan's expression in the rearview mirror said otherwise."He'll come after you again," he said quietly. "You know that.""I know.""And next time, I might not be there."Alyssa met his eyes in the mirror. "Then don't leave."Silence. Heavy. Charged."You don't know what you're asking," Rylan said."Yes, I do." Her voice was steady. "I'm asking you to help me end this. For good."Rylan's hands tightened on the wheel. Then, slowly, he nodded."Alright. But we do this my wa
**Chapter 63**The text came at 9:47 PM.Samantha's gone.Alyssa's phone slipped from her hand, clattering against the marble bar. Around her, the charity gala continued—champagne, laughter, designer gowns—but the noise turned to static."What's wrong?"She looked up. Rylan Cortez stood beside her, dark eyes sharp, already reading her panic. They'd met an hour ago. Spoken twice. He was a donor, wealthy, controlled—the kind of man she'd learned to avoid."My daughter." Her voice cracked. "She's missing."His expression changed instantly. "Where was she?""With a friend. I just—" She fumbled for her phone, redialing Amelia. No answer. "She's six. She was supposed to be safe—"Rylan's hand closed around her wrist, firm but not rough. "Come with me. Now."She should've questioned it. Should've called the police. But something in his voice—command, certainty, danger—made her follow.They we
CHAPTER 62The rain tapped lightly against the hotel window, casting silver streaks across the glass. The suite was larger than Alyssa expected, but the moment her eyes landed on the single king-sized bed, her heart skipped a beat.“You must be joking,” she muttered, dropping her purse on the nearby chair.Rylan walked in behind her, casually removing his blazer. “What?”“There’s only one bed.” she said, spinning toward him with a raised brow.He shrugged. “It’s a five-star hotel, not a dorm. You didn’t expect bunk beds, did you?”“I expected separate rooms.” she hissed.“They overbooked,” he said coolly. “The assistant tried to fix it, but everything’s full for the conference. It’s one night, Alyssa. I don’t bite.”She glared at him, folding her arms. “I’ll take the couch.”“It folds out, but it’s hell on the back. Suit yourself.”He began unbuttoning his cuffs, his movements slow, deliberate.
CHAPTER 61 The sun was beginning to dip low in the sky, casting long golden shadows across the park. Samantha’s laughter rang out, pure and carefree, as she ran after a bright orange butterfly. Her little feet pattered over the soft grass, the pink fabric of her dress fluttering behind her like wings. Her curls bounced with each step, and her wide grey eyes sparkled with delight.Amelia sat on a weathered wooden bench under the old oak tree, her phone in hand but her attention only half on the screen. She glanced up every so often to watch Samantha play, feeling a gentle smile lift her lips. The fresh air was crisp with the scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass, and children’s laughter mixed with the distant hum of conversation.Suddenly, Amelia’s smile faltered. She looked up properly—Samantha was nowhere in sight.Her heart stopped for a second, a cold knot twisting in her stomach.“Samantha?” Her voice trembled as she called
CHAPTER 60 Eva stood in the quiet corridor of the Russo‑Lezandro estate, her heels echoing softly on the marble floor. Outside, the gala’s music hummed through the open doors, laughter and clinks of champagne glasses drifting like ghosts through the night. She pulled her phone from her clutch, looking again at that fragment of a photo she’d snapped earlier — the flash of Alyssa and Rylan on the balcony, lips close, hidden from the cameras. Her heart had clenched hard when she realized what she might have seen, but the moment was over before she could confirm. Now, alone in the corridor, the image replayed in her mind. *They’re hiding something.* She whispered to herself, pressing the phone screen until the image blurred before tapping it away. Footsteps approached behind her — soft, controlled. Eva turned to see her mother, Mrs sky, emerging from a side room, arms folded, expression flat. “You look troubled,”
CHAPTER 59 *Alyssa’s POV*The early morning air felt crisp as the car pulled away from my apartment. Dawn was still stretching her fingers across the skyline, the city lights blinking out one by one. My suitcase sat in the backseat, wheels spinning quietly on the leather floor. I sat beside Marcus’s goodbye text in my pocket: Be safe. I had sent one back: I will be. But the quiet hum of the engine didn’t calm me. Not entirely.I was headed out of the city with Rylan Russo, my boss, the mafia heir, the man whose world I only glimpsed in flashes of glances and tension. The trip was framed as corporate: a key client in a neighboring country, meetings, dinners, the familiar shutter‑click of business suits. But lately nothing that involved him felt normal.Rylan’s driver dropped us at the private terminal of the airport. The building was sleek glass and steel, everything polished and exact. Rylan stepped out first, adjust