Chapter 4

JAXON’S POV

I never imagined I would end up staying in a run-down place like this. The hallway was narrow, the walls were peeling, and the smell of old dust hung heavy in the air. But I had no choice.

After the sixth sloppy assassination attempt outside Velvet Eclipse last night, my inner circle insisted I go off the grid.

This, according to them, was the only way to keep me safe. I could still make appearances but I wouldn't go back to my penthouse. Also, since I wore a mask to Velvet Eclipse, my face wasn't known to many people.

Moving into this cramped apartment building under a false identity was the only way to catch my breath while my men hunted down whoever ordered the hit.

Not like I needed protection but I was the Don. I couldn't let something happen to me.

My mind was still completely consumed by what happened in that alleyway. I was fascinated by the dangerous woman who had shattered my perfect silence.

My men had spent the entire morning digging for information, and they finally brought me a name. Her name was Sable. The masked dancer who had saved my life and then vanished like a ghost.

She had been a vision of pure silk, sharp movement, and lethal confidence. According to my men, many rich men, including that bastard Blake, were lined up for her attention.

They offered her money in exchange for one night with her. But she refused them all. No one knew who she was beneath the mask. She came, danced and then disappeared like the wind.

That led me to believe that she wasn't a prostitute and she had a secret she desperately wanted to hide. Many dancers would have fallen for the temptations men threw at them.

But apparently not her.

The woman standing in front of me right now, however, was entirely different from Sable. She was drowning in a beige sweater that was three sizes too big for her frail frame.

Her head was lowered, and her hair fell over her face as if she wanted the world to forget she existed. She looked small, fragile, and completely harmless.

But that did not mean she was not stunning. Even with her eyes pinned to the floor and her posture tucked inward, there was a natural, striking beauty to her face that the oversized clothes could not hide.

"Um... hello," she whispered, her voice so quiet I almost missed it. She slowly lifted her chin, though she still avoided looking directly into my eyes. "Are you... are you our new neighbor?"

I didn't answer right away. I let the silence stretch between us, observing the way her fingers twisted the fabric of her baggy sleeves. Nobody in this city knew what Jaxon Vale looked like, and I needed to keep it that way.

I took two slow steps forward, closing the distance between us until my shadow completely covered her. I extended my hand, keeping my expression like stone. "Yes," I replied, my voice deep and smooth. "I am Jay. I just moved into 4B."

She blinked, looking at my hand for a second before carefully extending her own. But as she took a small step forward to meet me, her foot caught the edge of a loose, uneven floorboard in the hallway.

With a soft gasp, her balance snapped, and she began to fall forward. My reflexes took over before she could hit the ground. I reached out and caught her arm, my grip steady and firm.

I didn't pull her roughly or use the violent, crushing strength I usually used on people in my world. My hold was surprisingly steady and protective, anchoring her safely against me until her feet found their balance again.

The moment she was stable, she violently flinched. She tore her arm out of my grip as if my touch had burned her.

With a panicked breath, she quickly grabbed her oversized sleeves and pulled them tightly over her wrists, tucking her hands completely out of sight.

She shrank back against the wall, hiding herself from me, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

I stood perfectly still, my eyes narrowing as I watched her. I noticed the raw terror in her eyes, the desperate way she shielded her wrists, and the deep vulnerability radiating from her entire body.

In the underworld, a flinch like that was a weakness to be exploited. It was a target to strike.

But as I looked at her, a strange, protective fascination took root deep in my chest.

There was no hidden weapon beneath her sweater. There was no deceit in her panic. She wasn't playing a game, and she wasn't trying to charm me for power or money like the people who usually surrounded me.

She was entirely genuine—a rare, fragile anomaly in my world of lies and shadows. "Are you alright?" I asked quietly, keeping my hands at my sides so I wouldn't frighten her further.

"I—I am fine," she mumbled, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink as she looked back down at the floor. "Thank you for catching me... Jay. I am Sunesis. I live right here." She pointed a trembling finger toward the door of 4A.

"Sunesis," I repeated, letting the unique name roll off my tongue. To my surprise, it sounded sweet. I quickly snapped out of it, wondering why I felt that way about her name.

"I should... go inside. My grandmother is waiting," she whispered. "Welcome to the building," she rushed out, her voice full of sudden nerves. Before I could even open my mouth to reply, she bolted.

She turned around with sudden speed, unlocked her door in a frantic rush, and vanished inside. The heavy wood slammed shut between us, and I heard the lock click into place instantly.

I turned around, unlocked the door to apartment 4B, and stepped into my own dark, empty space. I dropped my keys onto the dusty counter and ran a hand over my face.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered the call when I saw the name on the screen. It was my uncle, Marcus.

"Jaxon, how are you holding up?" Uncle Marcus asked, his voice full of concern. "Have you finished packing and setting up the apartment yet?"

"No," I replied shortly, looking around at the half-unpacked boxes scattered on the floor.

"You need to hold on and stay hidden," my uncle told me, his tone growing serious. "You are our leader, Jaxon. We cannot risk anything happening to you at all right now. The Syndicate needs you safe."

"I know. Okay," I said quietly. A heavy silence followed before we hung up. As the call ended, a strange feeling of gratitude washed over me.

In a world full of enemies and betrayals, I was grateful to have at least one family member who saw the real me, rather than just the ruthless boss everyone else feared.

I set the phone down on the counter and walked over to the window, staring out at the gray city streets. But my mind completely refused to focus on my empire or the hitmen searching for me.

Instead, I found myself thinking entirely about my next-door neighbor. I looked at the shared wall between our apartments, wondering what Sunesis was doing right now.

Reaching into the inside pocket of my jacket, my fingers brushed against a smooth, delicate fabric. I pulled it out. It was a torn piece of black silk from the alleyway last night. A fragment of the gown she had worn when she spun out of my grasp.

I held the dark material up to the dim light, examining the fine threads. The scent of sweet vanilla and expensive club perfume still lingered faintly on the fabric.

A dangerous, determined smile touched my lips.

Sable could hide behind her silver mask and disappear into the shadows all she wanted. But as my fingers tightened around the silk, I promised myself that I would tear down every wall in this city to find out her true identity.