Why is Archer here now—and what is he about to do? If you’re enjoying this, please keep reading and leave a comment. Your support helps me continue writing! 🥹❤️✨️
Archer’s POV I saw him.Of all the places he could’ve gone, of all the streets in this godforsaken city, he chose this dull, unimpressive, low-end restaurant.But none of that mattered.Because he was there.Michael.Standing beside another man.“Why are you here?” Michael asked, his voice carrying across the distance between us, his eyes locking with mine. “You gonna talk or just keep staring like a creep?”Creep.That word sank into me like a needle. But I stepped forward anyway, one slow step after the other until I stood just a few feet from them, the faint scent of cheap oil and overused spices from the restaurant making me sick.Nick’s eyes scanned me curiously. “Michael… who is this?”Michael exhaled sharply and shoved his hands into his pockets. “That’s Archer.”I didn’t bother extending a hand.Nick gave me a once-over. “Archer? As in your boss Archer?”“I don’t care what my name means to you,” I cut him off, my eyes fixed on Michael. “I didn’t come here for introductions
Michael’s POVI stood in front of my full-length mirror, arms crossed, lips pressed together in irritation as I stared at myself. Shirt number six—and I still hated it."Try the black one again," Ashley said, her mouth half-full of salad as she lounged on my bed with one leg crossed over the other. "The one that hugs your arms and makes you look like a walking thirst trap.""I don’t want to look like a thirst trap," I grumbled, pulling the shirt off over my head and tossing it onto the growing pile on the chair.Ashley snorted. “Says the guy who’s about to go on a date with one of the hottest pizza delivery guys in the city.”"That’s not the point." I rifled through my closet again, trying to keep the nerves out of my voice. “I want to look… effortless. You know, like I just threw something on and still managed to look good.”“Well,” she stabbed another forkful of lettuce and cherry tomatoes, “you’ve thrown on eight outfits now. Pretty sure the 'effortless' part is long gone.”I gla
Michael’s POVSaturday mornings have always been slow in our house, but today, the quiet had weight. It wasn’t peace. It was anticipation. The kind that stirs your gut, even if you’re pretending not to notice.I was on the carpet, legs crossed, buttoning Henry’s little denim shirt while he bounced on his toes like he was holding in a full bottle of joy. He smelled like kid shampoo and clean laundry. His curls were still damp from the morning bath, wild and free like everything else about him.“You think Dad will take me to the arcade?” he asked, wide-eyed, voice vibrating with uncontainable energy.“If you ask nicely,” I said, brushing one curl out of his eyes. “No begging. You know how he is—he likes it when you ask like a ‘big boy.’ Remember?”Henry gave an exaggerated sigh, already perfecting the art of teenage drama at six. “I’ll just hint at it then. Like, ‘Wow, I sure haven’t been to the arcade in a long time.’”I couldn’t help but laugh. “Very subtle. I’m sure he’ll never c
Fernando’s POVThe sky was bleeding into navy. The final brushstrokes of twilight smeared themselves across the windows of my bedroom, and I found myself standing silently at the glass, staring out over the grounds of my estate. The security lights were already glowing softly in the distance, dotting the perimeter like watchful eyes. There was a stillness outside, but inside me, everything was quietly unraveling.I held my phone loosely in my hand, the screen dim and black before it suddenly lit up. The call connected.“Hello?” Michael’s voice came through with an obvious hesitation. I could tell he was in the kitchen of his shared apartment with Ashley because i could hear some sounds in the background.I expected him not to pick up, especially after everything that had happened between us. I forgot Henry was living there now. That had changed everything and made him pick my call.“I’m calling for Henry,” I said, stepping away from the window and toward the edge of the bed. My vo
Michael’s POV The spoon clinked softly against the side of Ashley’s mug, the sound threading into the quiet hum of the dishwasher behind us. The scent of herbal tea—lemon and mint—wafted between us, gentle and oddly grounding, considering the weight of our conversation.Henry’s laughter floated from the living room. Something on the TV—probably Paw Patrol again—had him in giggle fits, and I smiled despite myself.Ashley doesn’t. She was sitting across from me at the dining room table, her arms crossed, expression tight.“I just don’t trust it,” she said finally, her voice low. “I don’t trust him.”I took a sip of my coffee—lukewarm now—and met her gaze. “You mean Fernando.”She nodded. “And this whole thing with Chief Calvin? Come on, Michael. Doesn’t that sound shady as hell to you?”I glance toward the living room, half-expecting Henry to come running in asking for juice or more popcorn. When he doesn’t, I leaned in.“What exactly are you saying?”“I’m saying he’s up to somethin
Fernando’s POV(Few Moments Ago)I should’ve known something was wrong from the way Harold's voice cracked over the phone.“Fernando… You need to come. Now. Archer—he’s… losing it.”I had just gotten out of a late evening strategy meeting with my top enforcers when Harold’s call came through. At first, I rolled my eyes, thinking Harold was exaggerating again. Throwing tantrums wasn’t outside Archer's character—but I assumed this one would pass like all the rest.But Harold’s voice wasn’t theatrical. It was pleading and broken. I could practically hear the tension in his breath and the weight of responsibility bearing down on him.“Fernando, please. He’s drunk, yelling at everyone. He's spiraling. I thought you could come and talk to him. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”I didn’t say anything right away.Michael’s words from earlier that day echoed in my head like a dark gospel I hadn’t yet made peace with.Michael wasn’t the type to lie about something like this. And I knew Archer. I kn