LOGINElara pov Elara stepped fully into the abandoned building and stopped near the room's center. The heavy door closed behind her, cutting off the faint light from outside. Her eyes took several seconds to adjust to the dim interior. Still, she could make out the overturned furniture, the stained concrete floor, and Vivian and Salvatore tied to separate chairs a few feet away. Then the figure moved. A person emerged from the deeper shadows near the far wall. Elara’s breathing stopped. She knew that face. For several seconds, she could not make sense of what she was seeing. Her mind rejected the recognition because the person standing in front of her belonged to a part of her life she had buried years ago. A face from before Alexander. Before David. Before she had understood how many people had been watching her. “Impossible,” Elara whispered. The figure smiled. “You always were difficult to convince.” Her stomach tightened. Memories rushed through her mind. Cameras. Dressing r
Elara pov The message remained open on Elara's phone. “I have them both. Vivian and Salvatore. If you want either of them back, come alone, and come now.” She read it again, hoping another interpretation would present itself. None did. Alexander stood beside her, his expression tense. “You are not going.” “I have to consider it.” “No, Elara. You do not.” His voice was firm, but the fear behind it was impossible to miss. They had barely survived the attack. Michael was safe, Rafael was alive, and most of their people had made it out, but Vivian and Salvatore were now in the hands of someone neither of them understood. Elara lowered the phone. “Whoever sent this knew exactly what happened inside that chamber.” Alexander nodded. “They also knew Vivian would be there.” “And they knew Salvatore would be there.” “That means they were watching us.” The thought made Elara uneasy. Salvatore had spent weeks manipulating the Commission, controlling information, and arranging eviden
Elara pov The realization came seconds after Salvatore disappeared through the side entrance. Elara watched the armed men drag him away while the remaining attackers continued moving through the chamber. They had not shielded him, defended him, or attempted to keep anyone from reaching him. They had taken him. Someone had come for Salvatore. The thought unsettled her more than the attack itself. “Michael!” she called, turning toward the place where she had last seen her son. No answer came. Elara pushed past an overturned chair and moved toward the eastern side of the chamber. Smoke and dust filled the air, and people were still shouting as security teams attempted to regain control. “Michael!” A guard pointed toward a table near the wall. “He is there!” Relief hit Elara when she saw Alexander crouched beside Michael. Her son was frightened, but he was conscious and appeared unharmed. She hurried toward them. “Are you both okay?” Alexander looked up. Blood was visible ne
Alexander Chaos erupted before anyone could react. Alexander moved toward Michael instantly. He grabbed his son and pulled him down behind the heavy table, positioning his body between Michael and the armed men. His eyes moved across the chamber, searching for an exit and counting the attackers. They were not moving like frightened criminals. They advanced in coordinated groups, maintaining positions and watching different sections of the room. Their movements were disciplined, and their weapons remained raised as they pushed deeper into the chamber. A gunshot cracked through the room. Several family heads dropped behind chairs. Others reached beneath their jackets and drew concealed weapons. Commission security rushed toward the doors, but the sudden attack had already broken their formation. “Stay down,” Alexander told Michael. Michael clung to his jacket. “Dad, what is happening?” “I don't know yet. Keep your head down and stay beside me.” Alexander looked toward Elara. S
Elara pov Rafael's words left the chamber silent. Elara stared at him from across the room, struggling to understand what she had just heard. She had assumed his fear came entirely from the danger surrounding the present conflict. Now she understood there had been another reason. Salvatore's face had changed. The controlled expression he had maintained throughout the session was gone. His jaw tightened, and his eyes fixed on Rafael with open warning. He looked genuinely unsettled. Rafael noticed it too. “My brother's name was Daniel,” he said, his voice unsteady but clear. “He was older than me by six years. When I was young, he worked for several families connected to the Commission. He was intelligent, loyal, and careful about the people he trusted.” One of the family heads shifted in his seat. “Daniel?” the man repeated quietly. Another elder turned toward him. “Are you referring to Daniel Varga?” Rafael nodded. A murmur spread through the chamber. Elara looked from o
Alexander pov The elder’s question left Salvatore silent for several seconds. Alexander watched him carefully. For the first time since the Commission session began, Salvatore did not immediately have an answer. His eyes shifted briefly toward the screen before returning to the elder. “I received the footage through concerned parties who believed the Commission needed to see what happened,” Salvatore finally said. The elder’s expression remained unchanged. “Which concerned parties?” “People who had access to the warehouse.” “That does not answer my question.” Several family heads exchanged glances. Two members who had remained undecided throughout the session leaned forward, their attention now fixed on Salvatore. One of them spoke. “Who recorded the footage?” Salvatore adjusted his jacket. “I cannot reveal every source who provides sensitive information. Doing so could place people at risk.” “You presented the footage as evidence against Elara,” the man replied. “You canno
ALEXANDER David stood there with a smug grin that made my blood simmer as he looked at Elara like she was a new car he had just bought with my money. He had no idea that the woman standing next to him had already been claimed. Not by a ring, but by the memory of my hands on her skin. I kept my
ELARA Four days. It had been four days since the club. Four days since I let a stranger touch me in ways David never had. I felt guilty, yes. But I also felt alive. My skin still tingled when I thought about the man’s hands. Rough, scarred, possessive. He hadn't treated me like a mannequin. He h
ALEXANDER The club was quiet. That was the only reason I tolerated The Sanctum. It wasn't like the chaotic gambling floors of my casinos or the loud, desperate energy of the Strip. It was dark, smelled of leather and people knew better than to speak to me. I sat in the private suite, swirling a g
ELARAThe notification sound on my phone usually meant a sale on my website or an email from my agency. It was a soft ping, harmless and routine. I didn't hate the sound. In fact, I lived for it. It meant money in the bank, and money meant my parents didn’t have to sell their house in Ohio.But t







