LOGINThe morning was quiet, the kind of silence that pressed gently against the ears. The air smelled faintly of earth and damp leaves. Rebecca walked slowly, her hand brushing against the tall grass, Danny beside her, his own hands stuffed deep into his pockets.The cemetery was small, tucked away from the city’s chaos. Their father’s grave was easy to find, an elegant headstone, polished but solemn, with their father’s name engraved in bold letters.Rebecca stopped in front of it, the sunlight catching her tears. She knelt slowly, her hands resting on the cool stone. “I… I miss you.” She whispered. Her voice shook. “I wish you were here to see everything… and not just the fighting, the pain. I wish you saw me, really saw me.”“I hope now that Justice had been gotten, you’ll rest well. I just want you to know that I miss you and mum deeply. And I wish we got to spend more time together.”Danny stood quietly behind her, jaw tight. He bent down, placing a hand on the stone beside hers.
The silence didn’t last.It shattered.Rebecca’s ears rang violently. A high pitched whine blocked out everything else. She couldn’t hear her own breathing.Dust covered her tongue. Smoke burned her throat. “Kira…” She tried to say, but her voice came out hoarse. The building was still in flames, the front entrance had collapsed inward. Windows were gone. Steel beams jutted out like broken bones.“No…” Rebecca whispered when realization dawned on her.Her legs trembled as she forced herself up.Axel.Her chest tightened so hard she thought she would suffocate.“Kira!” she shouted again.A cough answered her.Kira pushed herself up from the ground, blood running from a cut on her forehead. Her eyes were wide. Shocked, and terror.The building groaned as another section collapsed inward.Rebecca took a step forward.Kira grabbed her wrist. “Don’t.”“I have to…” She struggled.“You can’t go in there!” Kira’s voice broke.Rebecca stared at the fire. Everything inside her went numb. She
Rebecca felt the air leave her lungs. She couldn’t believe the sight before her. It was impossible. Alessandro adjusted his cufflinks as if he had just stepped into a business meeting rather than a battlefield.“I must say,” he spoke smoothly, his gaze settling on Rebecca, “I expected you to be more careful.”Rebecca’s heart slammed against her ribs.“You…” she whispered. “You are working with Eric?”Alessandro’s lips curved faintly, but he didn’t say a word. The devilish smile on his face said more than any words could.Eric laughed from behind, regaining his composure. “You didn’t think I was powerful enough to pull this off alone, did you?”Kira’s grip tightened on her gun. “So this is a partnership?” “A temporary alignment of interests.” Alessandro corrected. Kira took a step forward, her body fully shielding Rebecca. “You should give this up. The council now knows your real motive and there’s nothing you can do about it. Coming out here is very unwise of you.” Alessandro b
The day had started with her thinking the gifts and luxury was a dream, and she was excited it wasn’t. But right now, she really hoped and prayed this would be a dream. “Hello, my love.” The voice confirmed she wasn’t hallucinating nor dreaming. Eric was standing a few steps away, that same cruel smirk curling across his face, one she had hoped she’d never see again. Her stomach twisted, pulse hammering against her ribs “Love the surprise?” Her hands shook, clutching her bag like a lifeline. Everything she thought was love, surprise, celebration… had twisted into danger. Her heart wasn’t just racing. It was screaming terror “Eric?” She heard Kira’s voice from behind. Kira was also shocked. The whole thing didn’t make sense to Rebecca. Axel was supposed to be the one standing there, not her nightmare. She swallowed hard, bracing past her fear. She marched to where he stood and grabbed his collar. “Where is Axel? What did you do to him?” A flicker of disbelief crossed hi
Her heart race increase rapidly as she stared curiously at Trent.“No. Of course not.” Trent replied quickly. She let out a deep breath.“Why would you think something happened to him?” Trent asked.“Because of your actions. It seemed you’re trying to cover for Axel by making me feel good.” She replied. Trent chuckled. “Axel is fine. He called me to bring you to the venue you’ll be having dinner.” Her brows lifted. “Why? Where’s he?” “Obviously a surprise for you… Less I forgot, happy birthday Rebecca.” “Thank you.” She managed to say, no smile on her face to back it up. “That wasn’t our plan. He would come home and we’ll go to the place together. I still don’t get why he still hasn’t come back home yet…” Without waiting for Trent to reply, she walked back into the room to pick her phone, and she dialed Axel’s number immediately. It was switched off, and her suspicions grew. She looked up at Trent who was already inside the room.“What on earth happened to Axel?!” She co
Rebecca and Axel could be seen seated on the bench in the garden, their fingers intertwined, with Rebecca leaning on his shoulder. They had been there for about an hour, gisting, laughing, and randomly stealing kisses. The place smelled heavenly and that was one of the reasons she insisted they stay there.“You’ve been wanting to go out for a long time…” Axel suddenly said, breaking the silence between them.“Yes.” She nodded.“We’ll go out today.” He revealed and her eyes widened.“Really?” she beamed. He nodded, and she didn’t waste time before wrapping her hands around his neck. “Thank you!!”Ever since the incident, Axel hadn’t allow her out of the house because he was scared Alessandro would do something stupid. He was concerned about her safety but today was her birthday and he wanted to make it memorable for her. He had booked the whole of a luxurious restaurant for tonight. It wasn’t safe out there but he would go with as many guards as he could.“I got you a dress. You







