LOGINFernando’s POVMarlo finally leaned back in his chair slowly, trying to regain control of himself.“I never betrayed you, Fernando" he said.I almost laughed. Instead, I leaned back comfortably in my chair, crossing one leg over the other with deliberate arrogance.“You died and the family needed leadership" he repeated. “And you appointed yourself savior” I said mockingly. He kept quiet.“I left instructions" I continued and his expression flickered slightly.“Those instructions included protecting Michael and Henry, yet somehow you hunted them instead” I continued quietly. Marlo immediately raised both hands slightly in surrender.“Fernando, listen to me—”“No.”My voice sharpened enough to cut through his sentence instantly.I leaned forward slowly, resting my elbows against the table.“You terrorized my husband, you kidnapped my son, you pointed guns at them and almost killed Ashley and Nick, not that I care about those two but still" I said.Marlo swallowed subtly and his gaze
Fernando’s POVI walked through the gates of the jail slowly with my guards trailing behind me, my expression controlled, my presence unmistakable.People noticed me immediately, they always did.Some straightened, some looked away too quickly while others whispered.It was not because I was loud, I didn’t need to be. Influence has a sound of its own and it vibrated all thorough me.I stopped outside the visitation section and a guard stepped forward.“Sir, this area is—”He stopped mid-sentence when he properly looked at me and recognition flickered then caution and compliance followed. "Don Fernando Ramirez" he greeted but I didn’t respond.I just adjusted my cufflink slightly.“I’m here to see Marlo Ramirez” I said calmly. The guard hesitated.“He currently has a visitor” he replied. I exhaled slowly through my nose.“I don’t care” I said sharply. Another guard stepped closer, clearly uncomfortable now.“Sir, protocol—”I finally looked at him and he stopped speaking immediatel
Michael’s POVI couldn’t breathe properly, even after Fernando left the room and the door closed behind him.It felt like the entire world had tilted violently beneath my feet and my body simply hadn’t caught up yet.The steady beeping of Ashley and Nick’s monitors drilled into my skull while Fernando’s face replayed over and over again inside my head.I gripped the edge of Nick’s hospital bed harder as the cold metal steadied me slightly.Beside me, Henry stayed quiet for several long seconds, trying to process too much at once.Ashley shifted slightly in her unconscious state, causing one of the machines beside her bed to beep differently for a second before returning to normal.The sound snapped me back enough to realize I had been staring blankly at the wall.I slowly sat down in the chair beside Ashley’s bed before my legs gave out completely.Henry moved closer cautiously.“You okay?” he asked.No, not even remotely.But I couldn’t say that aloud. So instead I rubbed a shaky han
Fernando’s POVThe hospital hallway felt strangely cold despite the expensive lighting and polished floors. Henry stood frozen beside Michael, his eyes wide with disbelief, confusion, and something deeper.Something wounded.God, the last time I had truly seen him, he had still been a child. Now he stood nearly as tall as Michael, staring at me with eyes that looked like mine. Neither of them spoke and honestly, I understood why.I had imagined this moment countless times over the years but none of those fantasies had prepared me for the reality of his expression now.He looked destroyed.The guards outside Ashley and Nick’s room shifted awkwardly, clearly sensing the tension but I barely noticed them.My attention remained completely fixed on Michael.His face had gone pale beneath the harsh hospital lights. His injured shoulder visibly stiffened beneath his jacket.He looked exhausted, traumatized and despite everything, the sight of him standing there still made my chest ache with
Michael’s POVHenry walked beside me through the brightly lit corridor while two federal agents Director Hale assigned trailed several feet behind us.The hospital was quieter now due to the late hour, but there were still nurses moving quickly between rooms, doctors speaking in low urgent voices, machines beeping steadily from nearby wards.Everything felt cold, like the building itself was trying to hide how much pain existed inside it.My shoulder throbbed beneath my jacket with every step. I was exhausted mentally, physically, emotionally but adrenaline kept me upright.“Dad.”Henry’s quiet voice pulled me back immediately and I looked at him.“You think they’ll be okay?” he asked.The question hurt because he sounded younger when he asked it, not like the stubborn teenager constantly arguing with me.I swallowed slowly.“They’re strong" I replied. Before he could respond, a nurse approached us cautiously.“Mr. Michael?”I stiffened slightly then regained myself. “Yes.”“I was i
Michael’s POVHenry had been taken to meet a medic who checked a bruise along his wrist where Marlo’s men had restrained him.I sat a few feet away on a metal chair while Director Hale stood in front of me with his arms folded across his chest and for the past twenty minutes, I had told him everything.Or at least as much as I could.Hale remained quiet for a long time after I finished speaking. His sharp eyes studied me carefully then finally he exhaled slowly.“Well, that’s significantly worse than I expected” he muttered. A tired laugh escaped me before I could stop it.“Sorry.”“You should be.”There wasn’t real anger in his voice though, mostly disbelief.Hale shook his head slightly and paced a few steps away before turning back toward me again.“When Luca recommended you three to me, I knew something was unusual" he said slowly.I frowned faintly.“You did?”“Michael, you, Ashley, and Nick showed up in town with almost perfect documentation, military-level survival instincts,
Marlo’s POV The moment I ended the call with Michael, I slammed the phone down so hard I heard the case crack. “Damn it!” I hissed, pacing the floor like a caged animal. Michael had messed it all up. Everything. All I wanted to do was to take Henry calmly when he was done from school and
Fernando’s POV The look on Michael’s face was priceless. He opened the door, expecting a peaceful morning in their quiet little apartment, and instead, he found me standing right there, hands in my coat pockets, breathing in the sterile scent of the hallway like I had all the time in the world.
Michael's POV The front door slammed behind me, the echo bounced off the walls of Ashley’s apartment, the sharp crack ringing in my ears. I stood frozen for a second, my palm still on the doorknob, my chest heaving with each breath like I had run a marathon uphill in the rain. The air in the ap
Michael’s POV The night air hung heavy with stillness, broken only by the buzzing neon sign at the edge of the roadside motel. Everything around us was bathed in hush—muffled by the thick veil of darkness and the shallow breaths of sleeping bodies behind thin motel walls. I could still hear th







