Fernando’s POVThe car was silent except for the hum of the engine and the occasional sound of tires rolling smoothly against the pavement. I leaned back against the seat, stretching out my legs with ease, my gaze flickering toward the man beside me.Michael sat stiffly, his arms crossed, his jaw tight. His expression was one of pure frustration, something that only made me more amused.He hadn’t wanted me to come. That much was clear. But I had insisted—no, I had decided. And Michael had no choice but to deal with it.Even if Michael didn’t want it.I could feel the weight of his irritation pressing against me like a suffocating heat. He was waiting, biting his tongue, trying to keep himself from saying something that would make this worse for him.Eventually, he cracked.Michael let out a long sigh, shifting in his seat before turning his body slightly toward me.“Alright,” he said. “I need to know something.”I smirked. “Only one thing?”Michael rolled his eyes but didn’t take
Michael’s POVI hated that Fernando was here.I sighed, gripping the torn half of my shopping list as I walked further into the aisles, away from him. I needed space. Distance. Anything to remind myself that, for at least a little while, I wasn’t under his suffocating gaze.Because right now, I was doing something ridiculous.I was making a ruthless mafia boss—someone whose favorite time involved killing people who annoyed him—go grocery shopping.I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.If his men found out, they’d probably never let him live this down.I imagined it now: Fernando, dressed in his perfectly tailored suit, standing in an aisle filled with cereal boxes and snack foods, looking like he belonged in a luxury penthouse instead of a grocery store.If he really stopped to think about what he was doing, would he get offended? Would he be angry enough to kill me for this?Wouldn’t be the first time he got murderous over something stupid.I shook my head. I don’t car
Fernando’s POVThe second I saw that man put his hands on Michael, my vision turned red.I was standing in the middle of the supermarket aisle, my body still, my hands relaxed at my sides, but inside?I was boiling with complete rage.The man had him pinned against the shelves, gripping his shirt, talking to him in a way that made my blood boil.He had no idea what kind of mistake he just made.I didn’t say anything at first. I just moved.One second, I was watching. The next, my hand wrapped around his wrist, and I squeezed.His entire body jerked. His fingers twitched where they were gripping Michael’s shirt, and I tightened my hold, feeling his bones shift under my grasp.I could break them.Right now.Easily.I leaned in, my voice cold and controlled.“Let. Him. Go.”The man’s jaw clenched.For a split second, I thought he might be stupid enough to resist.But then, with clear reluctance, he let Michael go.Michael immediately stepped to the side, rubbing his arm as he exhaled sha
Michael’s POVFernando stood a few feet ahead of me, rolling his sleeves up with calculated ease. His expression was unreadable, but I knew him well enough to recognize the spark of excitement in his eyes. He wasn’t just angry—he was looking forward to this.The man who had pinned me against the shelf earlier now stood opposite him, cracking his knuckles with a cocky grin. He had broad shoulders, thick arms, and a chest that was visible against his tight black T-shirt. He looked every bit the professional wrestler he claimed to be. His confidence was that of arrogance, and he was eager to put Fernando in his place.I didn’t want to be here.I shouldn’t be here.This whole situation was ridiculous, and yet, somehow, I was trapped in it.Fernando’s bodyguard stood beside me, his arms crossed. He looked ready to step in, but before he could say a word, Fernando turned to him and spoke with absolute authority.“Do not interfere.” His voice was calm but stern.The bodyguard frowned.
Fernando’s POVMy body still burned with rage, my knuckles aching from the impact of my fists against that bastard’s face. But it wasn’t enough. The man had landed a punch on me and humiliated me. No one had dared to do that in years, and now, here I was, sitting in the back of my car, with Michael beside me and my bodyguard behind the wheel, burning in my own fury.I stared at the side mirror, catching a glimpse of my face in the reflection. My jaw was sore, and I could already feel the swelling beginning. My fingers twitched as I clenched my fists. That man had made a fool out of me. And worse, he had done it in front of Michael.I wanted to punch something—anything.But then I turned slightly, my gaze landing on Michael. He was staring out the window, his face unreadable. His silence was unsettling. He had barely looked at me since we left the supermarket compound, and it was starting to eat at my nerves.“Michael,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “Are you—”“I don’t wan
Fernando’s POVMichael’s body was still pinned beneath mine, his breath uneven, his chest rising and falling repeatedly mostly because of the absenceof space between us. My hands pressed against the wall on either side of him, caging him in and not giving him a chance to escape. His words repeated constantly in my head, making it impossible for me to do any other thing than to just stare into his eyes.Normally, I would ne very happy knowing I was bringing fear to people around me but there was something almost painful hearing it from Micheal. The scent of his sweat still lingered on his skin from when i had pushed him during my fight, but beneath that, I could smell something more intoxicating.It made me want to hold him in my arms and take in his smell into mine until they became one.He was trembling, though whether it was only from fear or something else, I wasn’t entirely sure. But I intended to find out.I smirked, leaning in until my lips nearly brushed against his ear. “I
Michael’s POVThe kitchen felt colder than usual, or maybe it was just me.I gritted my teeth as I opened the fridge door with more force than i was supposed to, grabbing a handful of ice cubes and tossing them into a cloth. My fingers curled tightly around the fabric, my knuckles turning white as I forced myself to breathe. My heart was still pounding, and I hated it.I hated how my body had reacted.I pressed my forehead against the fridge for a second, closing my eyes. My jaw clenched in frustration.What the hell is wrong with me?I could still feel Fernando’s touch on my skin, the way his lips had moved over my neck, the way my traitorous body had betrayed me in that moment. My reaction had been instinctual, but that didn’t excuse it.It made me sick.He killed her.He killed my sister.The thought hit me like a hammer, forcing air from my lungs. I gripped the ice pack harder, my nails digging into the cloth.Fernando Ramirez—the man who had destroyed my world, the man I was
Fernando’s POVI watched as Michael stepped back inside, shutting the door behind him. His expression was unreadable, as it often was, but I could tell something lingered beneath his carefully composed attitude. I was still seated on the couch, the ice pack resting against my bruised cheek. The cool sensation did little to soothe my irritation. The whole encounter with Ashley ate at the back of my mind. There had been something off about the way she looked at me, something unnatural in the way her eyes had widened, her body tensing as if she had seen a ghost.Michael walked past me, heading toward the small table where he had left his jacket. His shoulders were stiff, and I didn’t miss the way his fingers briefly clenched at his sides before he forced himself to relax.I tilted my head, watching him closely.“She didn’t come in,” I said, my voice obvious with casual curiosity. “Why?”Michael barely glanced at me as he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket. “She had somewhere e
Fernando's POVMy fingers still tingled.I stared at my hand as I stepped out of the room I had just left Michael in—my palm still carrying the memory of his skin, of the way I had squeezed his throat. My heart pounded in my chest, and not from exertion. From something darker, something wilder. The rage. The possessiveness. I should have let go sooner. I should have stopped when I saw the pain in his eyes—but I couldn't. Not after he said he would leave me.I pushed the thought from my head.He needed to know where he belonged. I wasn’t about to let sentimentality ruin everything I had built. Michael was mine. He would stay mine.The drawing room door swung open before I touched it. One of Santiago’s men stood to the side, eyes darting to the ground in submission as I stepped inside. Andrew and Damian still lay on the floor, both bruised, both in restraints. The guards kept their guns pointed at them, their faces hard and unmoving.Andrew lifted his head and sneered."Well, well
Micheal's POV I didn’t think.I just moved.My body, acting on instinct or something far more desperate, had shoved Fernando’s arm up at the last second.The bullet screamed through the air and struck the ceiling.Everyone in the room froze.For a heartbeat, silence rang louder than the gunshot. I could feel the weight of a dozen eyes pierce into my back, all of them stunned—and afraid. The smell of burnt gunpowder lingered, mixing with the tense air of the drawing room.Then Santiago roared.“What the hell just happened?!”Andrew laughed—a cruel, dry, almost unhinged sound. “Looks like the boyfriend still has a soft spot for the spy.”“Shut him up,” Santiago barked.His men didn’t hesitate. One shoved a gag into Andrew’s mouth, forcing him to the floor. Andrew glared at everyone with that same defiant fire, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t speak now.Fernando didn’t say a word. His gaze cut through the room like a blade.I swallowed. My throat was dry. My hands had started to t
Fernando's POVThe echo of my boots was the only sound in the hallway as I led Michael back into the drawing room. My hands were in my coat pockets, fingers twitching for the comfort of power. Beside me, Michael was silent. Tense. His brows were furrowed, his thoughts clearly tangled. I didn't speak. Not yet. There would be time for words—my words—soon enough.Discovering that he has been so active during my time in coma only infuriated me more each time I thought about it.It was taking a huge amount of control for me not to beat him to a pulp just staring at him with his emotionless face.He had forgotten he belonged to me—only me—and he went ahead to fool around with the enemy which ended up bringing FBI agents to our doorsteps. Even thinking of the fact he was once an informant for the FBI brought fire in my mind because it meant he has been lying to me.What else has he been keeping from me?That would be a discussion I couldn’t wait to have.Michael was bad news for me but I
Michael's POVAshley was groaning in pain, her head leaned against the window of the FBI car I had carefully laid her in. It was hard for me to watch her I'm so much pain, especially when all she had done was help us even though it meant going against the FBI. Fernando was a real monster for doing this to her.The backseat was damp with blood, and the stench of metal clung to the air like guilt to my conscience. I glanced around, hoping and praying that Marlo would suddenly appear so that he can take Ashley to the hospital along with Anabelle. I needed someone I could trust to get Ashley out of here, someone who wouldn't let her down. But the world was quiet now, eerily so, and Marlo was nowhere in sight.I looked around, towards the mansion hoping to catch a glimpse of Marlo just as he is leaving but I didn’t see him.The realization of what I feared dawned on me like a cold, hard feeling."He already left, didn't he?" I muttered, my voice low with frustration. My fists clenched
Fernando’s POV I folded my arms across my chest while i watched in delight as Andrew’s battered body was dragged through the hallway of my old mansion. His punishment was just starting and I could alread visualise numerous way to make him beg for me to just end his suffering. Emilio followed closely behind, gripping Damian by the collar, the man nearly tripping over himself with each step. The floor, aged by time and conflict, creaked under the weight of our footsteps. Blood had been spilled outside—blood of men who thought they could outsmart me, the FBI agents whose corpses now served as a warning. But inside, it was quieter. The kind of quiet that precedes a storm.Santiago walked beside me. His slightly injured face was grim, jaw clenched so tightly the veins in his neck were visible. His other bodyguard followed us, his weapons drawn and alert. Mortis had joined us near the entrance, nodding silently when I gestured toward the drawing room. That would be the stage.The mo
Andrew’s POV The night had gotten far too quiet for my liking, and in that unnatural silence, every crackle of a branch or brush of the wind made my nerves twitch. I could still remember the wave of shock i had gotten when the sound that sent ice straight down my spine, gunshots, rang in my ears and i couldn't help but think of the worse. My men were capable of handling themselves, they were FBI agents, after all, but there was a dark feeling pooling in.my stomach just thinking what had caused such amount of gun fire to ring in the air.Not one, not two, but a lot of them, echoing violently through the forest like war drums. From the direction of Fernando’s mansion. I had made sure to tell me men not to attack without receiving orders from me to do so. Which means this could only mean one thingThey were under attack.My stomach dropped.Something had gone wrong.I hadn’t planned for a situation where Michael and his pack of goons would attack when I wasn’t there.I thought they w
Fernando’s POV I watched them through the small cracks on the front door, barely breathing as I tracked the movement of the agents. The trees concealed them well, but not well enough for someone like me. I knew the woods. I knew the mansion. And most of all, I knew how the minds of men like Andrew worked.Based on Marlo’s explanation, he was the leader of those agents of fools and if there was one thing I was good at, that was gaining a upper hand against proud men.Ashley winced as she leaned against a nearby wall. Her side was soaked with blood, and every breath she took looked like it cost her something vital. Still, she didn’t complain. I was impressed. I liked that about her.Michael, on the other hand, was fidgeting."You’re going to take her out the front," I said, my voice cold and unwavering.Michael blinked. "What? Are you insane? They’ll spot us the moment we step onto the lawn.""That’s the point."He narrowed his eyes. "You want us to be bait?"I tilted my head. "I
Michael’s POV The sharp scent of gunpowder still lingered in the room, moving in the air like invisible smoke. My hands were filled with blood—Ashley’s blood—but I had managed to stop the bleeding. The bullet had torn through the fleshy part of her upper arm, but thankfully, it hadn’t shattered a bone or struck an artery. I wrapped the last layer of cloth tightly around her wound, silently thanking whatever god might still be watching us that it wasn’t worse.Ashley winced but kept quiet, her face pale but determined. Her eyes held fury—not just pain—and they were fixed on the man who had shot her. Fernando.I looked up at him.He stood a few feet away, as if nothing had happened, casually adjusting the sleeves of his dark shirt. That smug look was still on his face, the one he wore when he believed he was two steps ahead of everyone else in the room. I hated that look.“You’re a monster,” I said, the words leaving my mouth with more venom than I’d expected. “While you were bu
Fernando’s POV I could feel the pulse in my neck as Marlo spoke.The FBI had done this to me. They had destroyed everything—my mansion, my empire, my reputation. And now they were closing in, trying to finish me off like some cornered animal. They didn’t know who they were messing with.“So they’re right outside?” I asked, my voice low.Marlo nodded, his face set in a grim line. “Yes, they’ve got men. They’re here to finish the job.”The pain from my body, the aftermath of the poison, wasn’t enough to slow me down. Not now.“We’ll give them a job they won’t expect,” I said. My voice was steady, unwavering. “We’ll hit them from behind. Take out their agents, steal their vehicles, and leave this fucking place in ruins.”Michael, who had been silent up until then, finally spoke, his voice heavy with concern. “And Anabelle? We can’t just leave her here, Fernando. She needs medical attention.”I looked at him, the question hanging in the air. His eyes were wide, hurt even. But I didn’