เข้าสู่ระบบMichael’s POV I shouldn’t have called Ramon.The thought had crossed my mind at least ten times during the drive to the restaurant, but I had already made the reservation, already texted him the address, already committed myself to this strange idea that maybe spending a few hours pretending my life wasn’t falling apart would help.It hadn’t.The moment I sat down at the table, the weight of the day crashed over me again.I stared at the untouched glass of whiskey in front of me and rotated it slowly between my fingers.The restaurant was one of those quiet upscale places downtown where the lighting was soft, the tables were spaced far apart, and every plate looked like it belonged in an art gallery instead of on a dining table.Normally I liked it but tonight it felt suffocating.“Michael?”I looked up.Ramon had just arrived at the table.He was dressed in a rather cute way, different from work. His dark hair was still perfectly styled, though he looked a little rushed, like he had
Michael’s POV The moment Theo Park stepped into the principal’s office with Kim beside him, something inside my chest snapped.His dark coat was perfectly tailored, his posture relaxed, and his expression carried that same quiet confidence that had irritated me since the day he moved into the house across the street.Kim stood beside him, clutching the strap of her school bag nervously.Henry straightened in his chair when he saw her.“Kim,” he said quietly.Her eyes softened immediately.“Henry… your eye…”“I’m fine.”Theo’s gaze slowly moved across the room. It paused briefly on Ashley then on the principal and finally it landed on me.I stood up before anyone else could say a word.“What are you doing here?”Theo raised one eyebrow slightly, as if genuinely surprised by the hostility.“Good afternoon to you too,” he said mildly.The principal cleared his throat.“Mr. Santos, Mr. Park is here because his daughter was involved in the incident" he replied. I gestured angrily toward
Michael’s POV By the time Ashley and I pulled into the driveway at Henry’s school, my chest felt like it was being squeezed.The school was exactly what you would expect from a private academy that catered to the wealthiest families in the city.Ashley turned off the engine slowly and for a moment neither of us moved.“He’s never gotten into trouble before,” Ashley said quietly.Her voice carried the same disbelief I was feeling.“He must have had a reason,” she added.I stared straight ahead at the main building. “There’s always a reason" I said but that didn’t mean it was a good one.Ashley turned toward me. “Michael… the call sounded serious.”I exhaled slowly through my nose.“Yeah, it did” I muttered but the more I thought about it, it seemed impossible.Henry… fighting someone? It didn’t add up.He could be stubborn, rebellious sometimes and moody like most teenagers, but he wasn’t violent.Ashley reached over and touched my arm gently.“We’ll handle it,” she said.I nodded.
Michael’s POV I leaned back in my chair, staring at the screen in front of me while rubbing the bridge of my nose. I had been digging for hours now, trying to connect two things that refused to meet and that was Theo and the Ramirez family.It shouldn't have been this hard.If Theo had any connection to them, there should have been something like an old report, a financial tie, a partnership, a whisper of collaboration between organizations, but every search I ran came back clean.I tapped my pen against the desk."Come on, nobody's this invisible" I muttered under my breath. I opened another file, one that had nothing to do with Theo directly but everything to do with the other name that had been haunting my mind since that night at the warehouse.My stomach tightened as the latest intelligence report on the Ramirez family appeared.I still couldn’t believe it had been seven long years since I had run.My fingers hovered over the trackpad before I scrolled. The report was extensiv
Michael’s POVNick stood in front of me for several seconds after finishing the bandage, staring at my arm like he still couldn’t believe what he was seeing.I had explained everything to him as he worked and it was a lot for him to process. “You’re bleeding through it already,” Nick muttered, pressing the bandage a little tighter.I gritted my teeth as pain flared up my arm.“It’s fine,” I said.“It’s not fine.”“It’s manageable.”Nick exhaled sharply, clearly fighting the urge to yell at me.“You got shot, Michael.”“Technically grazed.”“That’s not better!”His voice echoed softly through the quiet house and for a moment, both of us froze. We instinctively glanced toward the hallway that led to the bedrooms.Nick lowered his voice.“You should have told me you were going after him,” he said.“I knew you would try to stop me" I replied. “Yeah, because this is exactly why” he said bluntly. I leaned back against the counter, trying to ignore the dull throbbing in my arm. Adrenaline
Michael’s POVThe gun was still pressed firmly against the back of my helmet. The man holding it watched me with narrowed eyes, like a predator that had finally cornered its prey."How do you know that name?" I asked him but he ignored me.“Take the helmet off” he said calmly, My hands were now raised slightly in surrender, but my mind was racing.If he saw my face, everything would collapse. All the lies I had carefully built to keep our lives normal would explode.I forced myself to breathe slowly.“You still haven’t answered my question,” I said and the man frowned.“What question?”“How you know that name.”He tilted his head slightly.“Ramirez?”“Yes.”He stared at me for a moment, then chuckled quietly.“Interesting,” he muttered.“Why?”“Because most people would deny knowing it.”“I’m curious,” I replied carefully and his grin returned.“You should be afraid instead.”My jaw tightened inside the helmet.“Answer the question.”The man studied me like I was a puzzle piece that







