Micheal's POVMy heart pounded against my ribs as my gaze locked onto the two figures standing in the doorway.Marlo.And beside him, the bodyguard who had overheard my conversation with Ashley.Shit.My fingers curled into fists at my sides as I fought to keep my expression neutral, but I could already feel the cold dread creeping up my spine. This was bad. Worse than bad.Fernando, who had been lounging with an air of self-satisfaction only moments ago, turned sharply, his eyes narrowing with barely restrained irritation.Marlo, however, didn’t seem to care about the atmosphere he had just interrupted. His gaze was focused, his body tense, and for the first time in a long time, he actually looked serious.The bodyguard beside him shifted slightly, like he was waiting for the right moment to speak.I didn’t like it.This was spiraling out of control too quickly.If I didn’t act fast, I would be dead.Fernando’s voice sliced through the tension like a blade.“What the fuck do you thi
Fernando’s POVI woke up to the lingering scent of sweat and something far more intoxicating. The room was silent except for my own breathing, steady but filled with the events of last night. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light filtering through the heavy curtains, my mind drifted back to the moment before we were so rudely interrupted.Michael.I clenched my jaw, suppressing the flicker of frustration that stirred within me. Last night had been… interesting, to say the least. The way his body had tensed beneath my touch, the way his breath hitched when I got too close—he was too aware of me, and I of him. It was foolish, even dangerous. A man in my position couldn’t afford such distractions.I exhaled sharply and pushed myself up from the bed.Michael had handled himself well, though. I smirked slightly at the memory of how effortlessly he had swallowed my cum. Smart. Dangerous. Exactly the kind of man I kept close—but never too close.I shook my head. No.This was absurd. A m
Michael’s POVI had been through countless debriefings at the FBI headquarters, but this one felt heavier, weighted with the fresh memory of Colin’s death and the mess Fernando had dragged me into. I took my seat, straightening my posture even as exhaustion clung to my muscles."Agent Carter," Director Calloway began, folding his hands together. His deep voice commanded the room. "We understand you were present when Colin was killed. Walk us through what happened."I exhaled, running a hand through my hair before leaning forward. "Colin was discovered as a rat," I said plainly. No use sugarcoating it. "Rodger Holt found evidence linking him to the FBI, and before I could do anything, Fernando had him executed. Quickly. Efficiently." I paused, letting my words settle. "He didn't even let the poor bastard beg for his life."A heavy silence stretched between us.Agent Roberts, a woman with sharp eyes, tapped her fingers on the table. "Did Colin say anything before he died? Any informa
Fernando’s POVThe street was quiet at this hour, except for the occasional passing car and the distant bark of a stray dog. I sat in the backseat of my black Mercedes, parked strategically across from Michael’s house. The tinted windows ensured no one could see inside, but I could see everything. Every flicker of light behind his windows, every shadow that passed, every subtle movement.I shouldn’t be here.I had better things to do—important things. I had an empire to run, enemies to keep in line, money to move, and bodies to dispose of. And yet, I found myself sitting in this car, staring at the front door of a man who was, in the grand scheme of things, utterly insignificant.Michael Carter.A subordinate. A pawn. A man who was nothing more than a tool in satisfying my boredom.And yet, I kept coming back to him."You do realize how ridiculous this is, right?"Marlo’s voice cut through the silence, laced with equal parts of irritation and caution. He was sitting beside me in t
Michael’s POVThe warm glow of the restaurant’s dim lights welcomed me as I stepped inside, the scent of freshly baked bread and simmering sauces wrapping around me like a comforting embrace. It wasn’t a fancy place—not the kind Fernando and his people would ever set foot in—but it was cozy, intimate, and, most importantly, a safe space.Or at least, it was supposed to be.For a moment, an unexplainable sense of unease settled over me, prickling at the back of my neck like the whisper of a ghost.It was the kind of instinct I had learned never to ignore.I hesitated just past the entrance, my pulse quickening.Someone was watching me.The certainty of it struck me like ice down my spine.I swallowed hard and turned sharply, my eyes moving all over the restaurant. My heart pounded as I scanned the room—casual diners, a waitress balancing a tray of drinks, an old man reading a newspaper in the corner.Nothing out of the ordinary."Get it together, Michael."I exhaled slowly, forcing m
Fernando’s POVMichael looked at me like I had shattered his entire world. His wide eyes, the sharp hitch of his breath, the way his body stiffened—all of it sent a thrill down my spine. Beautiful. The disbelief painted across his face, the sheer helplessness in his gaze, made my blood run hot.It was a rare sight, watching someone as careful as Michael unravel, and I drank in every second of it.Slowly, I let my lips curve into a smirk, my amusement barely concealed."Mind if I join you?" I had said, fully aware of the chaos my presence had just introduced.Michael still hadn’t answered. His throat bobbed slightly, his lips parting, but no words came. His silence only made me want to tease him more.The man sitting across from him, the one Michael had come to meet, looked between us with mild curiosity. "A friend of yours?" I heard him ask.He was good-looking, I supposed, in a clean-cut, boy-next-door way—charming, but utterly unremarkable.I wanted to laugh at the sheer audacit
Michael’s POVI should have known better than to expect a normal night.For once, I had wanted something simple. A quiet evening, a decent conversation, and the fleeting illusion of normalcy. But of course, that wasn’t something I was allowed to have. Not when Fernando was involved.The moment I had seen him standing by the table, his expression full of smug amusement, I knew my night was over.I gritted my teeth, keeping my expression carefully neutral even as anger churned inside me. My fingers clenched into fists under the table, nails digging into my palms. How did he even know I was here?A cold, unsettling thought settled into my mind. Is he spying on me?The idea made my stomach twist. I had been careful—very careful. I hadn’t told anyone about this dinner, hadn’t even mentioned Ethan’s name to Fernando. And yet, here he was, barging in like he owned the place, like he owned me.Ethan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his fingers lightly drumming against the table. I cou
Fernando’s POVI followed Michael toward the restroom, watching the tension in his shoulders, the way his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides like he was barely holding himself together.It excited me.I had always liked seeing him like this—angry, frustrated, barely keeping control. He was trying so hard to act like he had the upper hand, like he wasn’t affected, but I could feel the energy radiating off him.And I loved it.I leaned in slightly, just enough to see the way his jaw tightened as we reached the restroom door. He pushed it open, but just as we were about to step inside, some random man moved toward the entrance, clearly intending to go in as well.Michael turned to him, forcing a polite smile.“Hey,” he said, his voice calm despite the storm I knew was building inside him. “Would you mind giving us a minute? We need to have a private conversation.”The man raised an eyebrow, his face immediately twisting in irritation. “A private conversation? In the restroom?”
Fernando’s POVThe loud sounds of two gunshots ripped through the walls like a scream slicing open the air. What the hell!?My head snapped toward the drawing room even before Santiago could react. For a moment, everything froze. Then chaos.“Those were shots,” Santiago said sharply.“No shit,” I snapped, already moving towards the door to see what had caused a gun to be fired. My mind instantly created two scenarios and I couldn't help buy fear for the worst.On one hand, I feared Andrew and Damian had subdued Santiago’s men, took their guns and shot them before making a run for it.Those fucking bastards would do anything to escape at this point.On the other hand, I considered the possibility that Andrew had annoyed one of Santiago’s men and they ended up killing him, just to shut the motherfucker up.I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.We practically ran through the corridor, Santiago’s footsteps just behind mine. My pulse hammered like thunder in my ears, my mind ra
Michael’s POVThe door slammed behind Fernando, and for a while, I just sat there, paralyzed. The room was dark, the air still pulsing with tension and adrenaline. My knees pulled up to my chest, my arms hugging them tightly, my forehead resting on them.My chest ached. Not from the pressure of Fernando’s grip or the terror of his voice mere inches from my ear, but from something deeper. Something more devastating. That man who stormed out of here wasn’t the man I once felt strongly for. The man i thought i could save. Not entirely. Fernando had always been dangerous, but never to me. Never like this.The way he had looked at me—rage burning in those eyes, the tremble in his jaw when he grabbed me—there was no hesitation. No guilt. Just power. Just rage. Just the monster the FBI always warned me about.And still, there was a flicker… something I couldn’t name. Something like heartbreak.I stayed like that for a long time, breathing slowly, willing the tears not to fall, but they
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