LOGINDamien POV
Ten years agoMy knuckles were bleeding.I stared at the unconscious body I had just beaten before walking down the empty street. My skin was split open, blood dripping onto the pavement.The pain was there, burning and throbbing but I barely felt it.I never felt much of anything anymore.At nineteen, I'd rebuilt the Montrel empire from ash. Made it bigger, stronger, more ruthless than my father ever had. My name brought fear to every corner of the underwMarcus arrived at his father's apartment and pushed the door open without knocking.Boxes everywhere. Running away again?"Dad!" Marcus called out.His father appeared from the office, shocked. "Marcus? What are you-""Where is my sister? I heard she was kidnapped and no one told me."His father flinched. "Calm down-""Don't tell me to calm down." Marcus stepped closer. "Do you know where her boyfriend lives? Because if not, we're filing a missing person report. Daniel doesn't have the right to lock her away.""Rachel was here yesterday." His father's voice was quiet. "She's safe. But she's badly injured."Marcus went still. "Injured how badly?"His father looked away."Dad. What aren't you telling me?"His father took a slow breath. "Marcus... I know about your organization. I know you've been attacking the Montrels."Marcus stared at him. "How do you know that?""That doesn't matter. I thought you had moved on. Let go of the past
Marcus POVThe hotel room was dark except for the city lights bleeding through the floor-to-ceiling windows.Marcus stood by the glass, a wine glass loose in his hand, watching the traffic crawl below. He didn't drink. Just held it. The weight was familiar. Grounding.His phone rested on the arm of the chair behind him. The call had been connected for several minutes. Neither of them had spoken for the last two.Finally, the voice on the other end broke the silence."Sir. Jane isn't answering. None of them are."Marcus didn't turn around. "I know.""The compound is lost. Montrel's people swept through. We're still accounting for the missing.""I know." His voice was calm. Too calm. "Jane was captured."A pause. "Then our position may be compromised. If she talks-""She won't.""You don't know that, sir. Under enough pressure-""Jane would cut out her own tongue before she betrayed me." Marcus finally turned, setting the wine glass on t
Damien POVThe apartment door finally opened.I stood immediately, my body tense, my eyes finding Rachel before anything else. She stepped out first, her face pale, eyes red-rimmed but dry. Mark followed close behind her, his expression carefully blank.Neither of them looked at me.Alessandro pushed off the wall, pocketing his phone. "Well?" he asked. "Everything alright in there?"Rachel finally lifted her gaze-but not to me. She looked at Alessandro."I need to go back to the safe house," she said quietly. Her voice was steady, but I could hear the exhaustion underneath. "Leo is waiting. I'm done here.""I'll take you," I said, stepping forward.She shook her head. "No. Mark will take me."The words hit like a slap."Rachel-""You have work to do, Damien." She finally looked at me, and something in her eyes made my chest tighten. Not anger. Not sadness. Something harder. Resolve. "The Raven isn't going to wait. And I need to be with Leo
Present Day - Dad's OfficeRachel POVSilence filled the room.I sat frozen in the chair, my mind still trapped in the flashback. I could see it-Marcus, nine years old, watching our mother die. His small hands trying to pull Vincent off her. The blood dripping from the cut on his cheek. Baby me crying upstairs, not knowing our world had just shattered.My hands were shaking.Mark stood beside me, his expression carefully neutral, but I could see the tension in his jaw."Days passed after that," Dad continued, his voice hollow. He wasn't looking at me anymore, just staring at his hands like they were covered in blood he couldn't wash off. "Vincent arranged everything. A corrupt doctor to create a falsified death certificate. No one questioned it."All these years, I thought she'd died peacefully. Thought it was just bad luck, a medical condition no one caught in time.It was murder.And everyone knew. Everyone lied."Marcus was supposed to star
"MOM!"He threw himself at Vincent one last time, screaming, hitting, kicking with everything he had.Vincent released Sarah's throat.She crumpled to the floor like a puppet with cut strings.Silent.Still.From upstairs, baby Rachel was still screaming. Her cries had gone hoarse, desperate."Sarah?" His father's voice was small and broken. "Sarah?"She didn't move.Marcus crawled to her, his hands shaking. "Mom? Mom, wake up. Please wake up."He touched her face. It was still warm, but already cooling.She wasn't breathing.Wasn't moving.Her eyes stared past him at the ceiling.Marcus looked up at Vincent, and something inside him shattered.Then reformed.Into something new.Something cold and burning at the same time.Hatred.Pure, absolute, consuming hatred.Vincent was staring down at Sarah's body, his expression unreadable. Then his eyes shifted to Marcus's father, who had collapsed against the w
A few days laterThe shouting had been going on for an hour.Marcus sat on the stairs, hugging his knees to his chest, listening to his parents fight in the kitchen. Baby Rachel was crying in her crib upstairs, but neither of them went to get her."I told you!" his mother screamed. "I TOLD YOU something was wrong with that man!""Sarah, please-""Don't 'Sarah please' me! You took money from him! You let Marcus spend time with him! And now you're telling me he's-" Her voice broke. "He's dangerous?"Marcus's stomach twisted. What were they talking about?"I didn't know," his father said, his voice strained. "How was I supposed to know? He seemed legitimate-""A legitimate businessman doesn't befriend nine-year-old boys!" Sarah's voice was shaking. "A legitimate businessman doesn't give that kind of money with no strings attached! I told you this was wrong! I told you!""I know! I know, okay? You were right. I'll fix it. I'll call him, tell him we're
Damien POV"Position confirmed, sir. The subject just entered the café. Southwest corner table, back to the wall."Sullivan's voice crackled through the nearly invisible earpiece as I adjusted my cufflinks—a deliberate, calming gesture. My reflection stared back at me from the tinted car
Rachel POV Marcus’s smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. He leaned back in his chair, fingers folding together, his gaze sharpening into something cold and analytical. The warmth in his voice was gone when he spoke again. “I just find it interesting,” he said mildly, “that
Rachel POVThe day of the gala finally arrived.And at exactly 5 p.m., a small army of stern-faced women swept into my room, arms full of boxes, fabric bags, and accessories. For the next hour, they worked with sharp efficiency, barely speaking except to adjust a curl or fasten a cla
Damien POV He was barely conscious, his face a bloody pulp, one arm hanging uselessly. But in his other hand, held with trembling, unwavering determination, was his smoking gun. For a moment, everything was frozen. The echo of the shot faded into a ringing silence. T







