Se connecter"Hello?"Laurent’s tone was filled with immediate confusion, clipped and guarded. A second later, realization seemed to dawn on him as he recognized my voice. "Liam? Is that you?” He asked. “Why are you calling me at... what time is it even?" A heavy sigh crackled through the speaker. "You're calling me at dawn, completely disrupting my beauty sleep.” He murmured. “This better be good.""I need your help, Laurent," I blurted out, my voice tight and strained, cutting straight through his complaints.On the other end, the casual annoyance vanished instantly and the background noise of rustling bedsheets stopped. Laurent’s voice dropped into a sharp, serious register. "Help? What kind of help? What happened?""I need you to promise me something first," I said, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the plastic handle of the landline. "You have to swear right now that you will not tell Dante.” I paused. “And you won't tell Marco either."A sharp intake of breath hissed through the earpie
The yellow taxi rattled down the deserted highway, its tires hissing against the damp asphalt as the first faint streaks of pale gray light began to bleed through the heavy clouds on the horizon. In the back seat, Steph was curled up tightly, her head resting heavily on my lap, but my emotions were all over the place.I looked down at her peaceful face, a lump forming in my throat. I stroked her tangled dark hair back from her forehead, my thumb tracing the gentle curve of her cheek. My mind was completely blank. Panic and exhaustion buzzed behind my eyes in equal measure. “Where were we supposed to go?” I thought. Our apartment was obviously compromised, the precinct was a den of murderers, and Dante’s mansion was a fortress I had just betrayed and fled from. I couldn't possibly go back.There was nowhere I could possibly go at this point. Knowing we needed shelter before the sun came up and the city fully woke, I tapped on the glass partition, instructing the driver to pull ove
My fingers were trembling so violently I could barely keep them on the keyboard. With a dry, painful swallow, I navigated the file directory, clicking on the sort-by-date icon. “This better not be what I'm thinking.” I swallowed hard. Then I typed in the exact date of my sister's murder, holding my breath as the screen refreshed.A single file blinked into view at the top of the list with the title, -Grim Evening-A cold sweat broke out across my back, as my stomach was churning with terror. I didn't want to click it. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to close the tab, to run away, and pretend I had never seen any of it. But I wanted the truth. The real truth. With a shaking hand, I clicked the file and hit play.The low-resolution surveillance footage loaded, casting a pale light over my face. It was that dark, rain-slicked alleyway I remembered perfectly. On the screen, my sister was cowering on the wet concrete, her small frame shivering as she clutched a greasy paper
~ William's POV ~The screen flickered softly, the green progress bar lingering for a second before the hidden folder fully expanded across the screen of my phone. I sat frozen in the chair, still can't believe that Dante actually used my name.“What the hell was he thinking?” A cold shiver crawled down my spine. Why would he use my name? Had he known from the very beginning who I was, or had he grown so attached, so recklessly consumed by me, that my fake identity had become his undoing? “It doesn't matter.” I shook my head. I didn't have time to process the terrifying weight of that realization and what this all meant.My fingers trembled as I clicked into the main directory, I didn't know why I was trembling so much, but I felt so uneasy. The folder was massive, filled with rows and rows of digital data, meticulously organized, dated, and titled down to the exact second.Curiosity overrode my panic and my hand moved to the very first file at the top of the list, dated not too
"Alright, alright, lesson learned," Lorenzo said, flashing a bright smile as he changed the subject. "Anyways…. I actually cooked dinner for everyone. The food's ready, so tell your grumpy guards to come and eat before it gets cold."Marco, who had walked back into the living room just in time to hear the tail end of the exchange, grinned broadly. "Well, Lorenzo is a notoriously good cook when he's not busy being an idiot. I trust it's a delicacy."“I actually improved.” Lorenzo winked as he shuffled past me in hurried steps and dragged Marco to the kitchen. “Let's go before Dante kills me with his glares.” He pouted and they continued chatting as they went into the kitchen.I sighed, rubbing my temples again. “These brats!” I hissed. Dinner was loud and chaotic that it grated on my already frayed nerves, but eventually, the house settled into a silence after everyone had calmed down.By midnight, I went to the guest bedroom assigned to me. I stripped off my shirt and collapsed onto
The interior of the mini-mansion was surprisingly warm and well-lit. The other members who had been trailing behind immediately fanned out, their boots thudding against the polished wood floors as they dropped their gear and began chatting with ease.I stood in the center of the living room, my eyes sweeping over every dark corner, every blind spot, and every potential entry point. Despite the cozy atmosphere, my instincts screamed that we were exposed.I turned my head, catching Marco walking by. "Marco," I called out in a low, authoritative murmur. "Don't let them get too comfortable. Keep guards posted at the front gate and the back alley. I want a rotating watch all night."Marco gave a curt nod, his face tightening. "Already on it. I'll get the boys organized." He turned and walked off toward the kitchen.A few feet away, Lorenzo was leaning casually against the wall, a smartphone pressed to his ear. He was chuckling softly, his eyes crinkling at the corners as someone ranted on
Liam was finally all better and could be discharged. Marco had handled the discharge with his usual efficiency. He didn’t say much as he stood by the hospital bed, watching me carefully fold Liam’s few belongings into a duffel bag."I can do that, Dante," Liam had muttered, his voice stronger now b
It had been more than a week that I've been awake in this hospital and the mind numbing beep-beep-beep sound of the heart monitor was driving me partially insane. The smell of antiseptic was making me nauseous too and it was fucking hard to even move my body.But through every single second of it,
I stared at Marco, the silence between us heavy enough to crush diamond into powder. But I didn't explode. I didn't even growl. I just sat there, feeling the cold weight of his words sink in."My fault?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, devoid of its usual predatory edge. "How is it my fault tha
The minutes I had to wait patiently had bled into hours, and the hours had become a slow, agonizing torture that was eating at my insides. I sat in a secluded corner of the waiting wing, my bulk form hunched over, elbows resting on my knees and hands clasped so tightly my knuckles were white as sno







