LOGINTheo’s POVI barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Michael standing in my living room with fury burning in his eyes.I stared at the hotel ceiling in the darkness, unable to relax despite how exhausted my body felt.Beside me, Kim slept peacefully beneath the blankets, completely unaware of the storm slowly swallowing all of us whole.The faint light from the city outside slipped through the curtains, painting soft shadows across the room.It was still early but sleep was impossible now.I sat up slowly on the edge of the bed and rubbed a tired hand over my face.I quietly stood and grabbed my shirt from the chair nearby. I dressed silently, careful not to wake Kim.I stopd by the door for a bit and watched her sleep peacefully. Before I convince myself not to go through with the plan, I slipped out of the room.The hallway outside was quiet.The expensive carpet muffled my footsteps as I walked toward the elevator.My mind was already racing again.The elevator doors slid o
Michael’s POVTheo stood in the living room, breathing hard, staring toward the doorway Marlo had disappeared through liike he was still mentally following him.I ripped the mask off my face angrily.“This is your fault" I said.My voice came out harsher than I intended and Theo looked at me immediately, his expression hardened.“My fault?”“Yes, your fault. You followed them” I snapped.“And you decided to start shooting in my house.”“They saw me!”“You weren’t supposed to be here in the first place!”“Oh, really? You dragged me into this” I laughed bitterly. Theo stepped toward me.“I dragged you into this?” he repeated incredulously. “Michael, you’ve been lying to me for months!”“I lied because people like Marlo Ramirez kill for less!”“And yet somehow they know you!”“That’s exactly why you should’ve stayed out of it!”My shoulder throbbed painfully from the earlier fight, but the anger flooding through me dulled it enough for me not to care.Theo ran a frustrated hand through
Theo’s POVMy body reacted before my mind fully caught up. I was already on my feet, heart slamming hard against my ribs as the sound echoed through the house like a warning bell.That wasn’t just any noise, that was a fight and I knew exactly who caused it.Of course it was Michael.My jaw tightened instantly, something sharp and conflicted rising in my chest.“Check it,” Marlo ordered calmly, though his voice carried an unmistakable edge beneath the smoothness.Several of his men moved immediately, weapons drawn, rushing toward the direction of the sound.My eyes flicked in that direction briefly, tension coiling tightly in my muscles.Anabelle’s head snapped toward the hallway, her expression sharpening immediately just as more shots were fired and a battle began.“There’s someone else in the house,” she said coldly.Marlo’s gaze shifted slowly, calculating.“I assumed as much,” he replied.That made my stomach drop but as his men disappeared down the hallway and the chaos pulled a
Michael’s POVI stood in the dim hallway upstairs, pressed slightly against the wall, my breathing slow but heavy in my chest as voices drifted clearly from below.I could hear Marlo, Theo and Anabelle.If I had just stayed home, If I had ignored Theo, If I hadn’t let my anger drag me here, I wouldn’t be trapped inside a house currently occupied by the most dangerous man I had spent years running from.I clenched my jaw tightly.“Focus,” I muttered under my breath.Panic wouldn’t help.I moved slowly toward the edge of the staircase, careful not to let my footsteps creak against the wood. From this angle, I couldn’t see them but I could hear everything.“I believe… that you know something.”It was Marlo’s voice.Theo responded, his tone still steady despite the pressure.“I already told you—”“I don’t like being lied to.”Silence followed that and I exhaled slowly through my nose, pressing my back against the wall again.So Theo had followed them.Of course he did. He couldn’t just st
Theo’s POVThe knocking continued and I stood frozen for only a second before my eyes snapped toward Michael.He looked pale qnd that alone told me more than anything else had because Michael didn’t scare easily, not from what I had seen.Another knock echoed through the house, harder this time and my jaw tightened.Michael moved first.“We need to hide me.”His voice was low and urgent.I stared at him and despite the situation, despite the danger, a bitter part of me still latched onto one thing.“Hide you?” I repeated slowly.Michael looked at me like I was insane.“Yes, Theo. Hide me.”Another knock sounded at the door then a voice i recognised from Marlo Ramirez followed.“Mr. Theo Park, open the door” he said calmly. Michael cursed softly under his breath and my eyes narrowed.“If you have nothing to do with them, then why are you hiding?” I said carefully,Michael stared at me in disbelief.“Are you serious right now?”“Yes.”“Theo—”“You said you’re innocent.”Michael ran a f
Michael’s POVTheo stood over me like he thought he owned the truth, like he could force it out of me through sheer stubbornness and anger.The sight alone irritated me.No, it infuriated me.My shoulder throbbed violently from the way I had fallen, pain shooting down my arm in sharp pulses, but I ignored it as I pushed myself up from the floor.Theo didn’t move back or offer to help. He just watched me with those intense eyes of his, jaw tight, chest still bare from his shower, his damp hair slightly messy like he had rushed downstairs without thinking.“You’ve lost your mind,” I snapped as I got fully to my feet.Theo crossed his arms.“Then tell me why you’re so desperate to avoid my questions.”“I don’t owe you answers.”“The hell you don’t.”“Yes, I do. You don’t get to interrogate me about my life” I shot back immediately. “You made it my business.”My eyes narrowed.“You don’t understand,” I said through gritted teeth.“Then make me understand.”“No.”“Why not?”“Because this
Michael’s POV I glanced at the clock above the espresso machine. The glowing numbers read 10:04 p.m. Kafé Verse had been closed for four minutes, the chairs already flipped onto the tables, the lights dimmed, the smell of roasted coffee beans lingering like a stubborn ghost.Ivy was wiping down t
Micheal’s POVThe antiseptic smell of the hospital was suffocating, seeping into every breath like a sterile poison. I sat in a stiff plastic chair in the waiting room, its edge biting into the back of my legs. Henry was curled into a trembling ball against my chest, his small hands clutching my
Michael’s POV I pushed open the door to my bedroom, Henry’s warm breath still resting on the back of my neck. I helped him into the bed, my bed, and tucked the blanket up to his chin. He looked so small lying there, the dark circles under his eyes almost swallowing his innocent face whole. “You
Archer’s POV I could barely keep my hands from shaking as I checked the time on my watch again. It was almost 1 a.m. Shadows clung to every corner of Fernando’s grand foyer like watchful ghosts, and the soft ticking of the clock on the marble wall felt like a countdown to something terrible.I gl







