로그인Ronan’s POV
The main hall was packed by seven AM—every available Serpent crammed into the space, sitting on chairs, standing against walls, perched on tables. The energy was tense, filled with anticipation. Word had spread that this was an emergency meeting about “critical club business,” which in Serpent-speak meant someone was about to get seriously fucked.
Tommy stood near the front, looking relaxed and confident. He had no idea what was coming, which
Chloe’s POVWhen I opened Lucian’s door and found all three of them standing in the hallway, my first instinct was to close it again.I didn’t. But I thought about it.“Is someone dead?” I asked.“No one’s dead,” Lucian said. He was the calmest, which tracked. “Can we come in?”I stepped back and let them in. They filed into the living room and arranged themselves — Lucian on the armchair, Marcus near the window, Dominic leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Like they’d choreographed it. Which, knowing Lucian, they probably had.I sat on the couch, tucked my feet under me, and waited.“We talked,” Lucian began.“I can see that.”“Without fighting,” Marcus added.I looked at Dominic. He raised one shoulder. “Mostly.”“We think the way things are going isn’t working,&rd
Lucian’s POVThe coffee shop was Marcus’s idea — neutral ground, he’d said. Which I found ironic given that Marcus had never once been neutral about anything in his life since I've known him.Still, I showed up. Because someone had to be the adult, and it clearly wasn’t going to be either of them.I arrived first and ordered a black coffee and a table in the corner. Marcus came in two minutes later, already scanning the room like he expected an ambush. And Dominic rolled up five minutes after that, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else on the planet.They acknowledged each other the way two dogs acknowledge each other in a small yard — tense, measuring, not quite growling.This was going to be fantastic.I waited until they both had drinks in front of them before I started. “I’m going to say something, and I need both of you to hear it before anyone responds.”“Good
Dominic’s POVI pulled up outside her office building at five-thirty, engine idling, sunglasses on, telling myself I wasn’t nervous.I wasn’t nervous. I was just early.Okay, I was nervous.The plan was simple. Pick Chloe up from her last in-person day before her new leave started, grab food, go back to my loft. Easy. Normal. No reason for my stomach to be doing whatever it was currently doing.Then I saw her.She came through the glass doors laughing. Head thrown back, hand on her chest, the way she laughed when something actually got her. And beside her was some guy in a fitted button-down and neat slacks, grinning like he’d said the funniest thing in the world. Young. Good-looking in a clean, harmless kind of way. He was leaning slightly toward her — not inappropriately, not obviously, just close enough to make my jaw tighten.I stepped out of the truck.Chloe spotted me and her smile shifted slightly. Not guilty. Just surprised. “Dominic. You’re early.”“Traffic was light.” I look
Chloe’s POVI’d been avoiding the office for two weeks, working remotely, attending meetings virtually. But Adrian insisted on a face-to-face for the quarterly review, so Thursday morning, I found myself back in the InnovateTech building.With Marcus shadowing me.“You know this makes me look insane, right?” I said as we rode the elevator up.“It makes you look protected. It’s totally different.”“Everyone’s going to think you’re my boyfriend.”“Would that be so bad?”I glanced at him. “I don’t know. Would it?”He smiled slightly. “Let them think what they want. Your safety matters more than office gossip.”The elevator doors opened, and I immediately noticed people staring.Maya, my work friend, practically sprinted over. “Oh my God, is that him? The bodyguard everyone’s been talking about?”“Marcus, this is Maya. Maya, Marcus.”“Pleasure,” Marcus said with professional politeness.Maya was practically vibrating with curiosity. “So you’re like, her personal security? That’s so intens
Marcus's POVI took a breath. This was the part where I could pull back. Where I could make a joke or change the subject and keep my walls intact.But Chloe had asked. And I was tired of hiding."You scare me," I admitted."I scare you?""Terrify me. Because protecting you makes me feel useful. It gives me purpose when I've spent years feeling like I don't deserve one." I met her eyes. "But it's more than that. Somewhere between teaching you to fight and watching you adapt and listening to you talk about your fears… I started seeing you as more than a mission.""What do you see me as?""Someone I'm falling for. Someone who makes me want things I thought I'd given up on." My voice cracked slightly. "Someone I can't imagine my life without anymore."Her eyes went wide. "Marcus…""I know it's fast. I know it's complicated with Dominic and Lucian. I know I'm probably the worst option of the three because I come
Marcus's POVChloe arrived at my apartment at exactly six PM, right on schedule for her rotation. The knock came soft but certain—three quick raps that I'd recognize anywhere now.I'd spent the whole day preparing. Cleaning corners that were already spotless. Checking the security systems for the third time. Making sure I had her favorite snacks stocked in the kitchen. Pathetic, really. I was acting like this was a date instead of a protection detail. But something about Chloe made me want to be more than just the guy with the gun.When I opened the door, she looked exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes. Hair pulled back in a messy bun. Shoulders slumped like she'd been carrying something heavy all day."Hey," I said, stepping aside. "Come in."She dropped her bag by the door and looked around my place. Her eyes moved slow, taking in the converted warehouse space—the exposed brick walls, the floor-to-ceiling windows, the furniture that
Alina’s POV Tommy’s office was located on the second floor, nestled between two important rooms—one for strategy discussions and the other for storing weapons. This placement allowed him to keep an eye on operations while still having quick access to any weapons if needed. According to Ronan, who
Alina’s POVChloe was reading in bed, curled up with a thriller novel that seemed eerily fitting given everything happening around us. When I knocked, she looked up and noticed my worried expression.“Hey,” she said, setting the book aside. “Everything
Alina’s POV Eventually, we moved to the gym mats, lying side by side and talking about everything and nothing. His childhood in the cartel, the violence he’d escaped, the family he’d lost. My mother’s death, the years of searching for truth, the moment I’d realized my father was
Ronan’s POV All three of us plus Blade sat around the table, reviewing the evidence. Financial records, communications, photographs of documents, audio recording of Tommy’s conversation. It was damning. Absolutely, unquestionably damning.“He’s been stealing from us for over a year and a half,” I







