LOGINFernando's POVThe moment I stepped out of the elevator and entered the floor where Theo kept his office, I already knew something was wrong.The reception area looked normal enough.The furniture was expensive without being flashy, the employees looked busy, the phones rang occasionally, documents moved between desks and a woman at the front desk greeted visitors with a professional smile.Everything appeared normal, which was exactly why I didn't trust it.Theo sitting behind his desk looked every bit the powerful man I had found about him and another man occupied a chair across from him.The way his hand rested near his jacket told me everything I needed to know.He was definitely armed.Theo looked genuinely surprised to see me and that alone improved my mood.The other man stood slowly and I didn't care enough to ask his name.My attention remained entirely on Theo who folded his hands together."What are you doing here?" He asked.I closed the door behind me then took my time lo
Theo's POVMy office looked legitimate, after all, that was the entire point.Every framed certificate hanging on the walls had been purchased, every award displayed on the shelves had been fabricated.And every smiling photograph of luxury vehicles and satisfied customers had been carefully selected to create the image I wanted the public to see.I wanted to be seen as a successful businessman and a respected entrepreneur. A man who imported rare vehicles and managed a profitable transportation company.The truth was far less respectable.The truth was currently sitting across from me in the form of Roberto Vasquez, my oldest employee, my most trusted associate and one of the few people who knew exactly how much of my business operated outside the law.I sat behind my large mahogany desk while Roberto occupied one of the leather chairs opposite me.Rain clouds had begun gathering outside the office windows, darkening the afternoon sky and casting long shadows across the room.Neither
Michael’s POVTheo had been quiet ever since Fernando and I returned from the hallway, though I could feel him watching me carefully while pretending not to.Henry noticed it too. Even Kim had stopped joking after seeing the tension between Fernando and me.Ashley and Nick remained exhausted from recovery, but I could still tell they were observing everything silently.It was tooo many emotions, too many people and too many conversations waiting to happen.I rubbed tiredly at my face before finally turning toward Henry and Kim.“You two should go home" I said. Henry blinked immediately.“What?”“You’ve both been here all night.”“I’m fine,” Henry argued quickly.“I know you are" I argued back. “I can stay.”“You need rest.”Henry crossed his arms stubbornly.“I already rested yesterday" he said.“You’re still a teenager" I countered. Henry still looked unwilling to leave and honestly, I understood. Everything happening lately had pushed us all into survival mode again.Nobody wante
Fernando’s POVThe moment the hospital room door closed behind us, Michael pulled his hand away from mine, like my touch offended him.Michael immediately turned toward me with frustration burning all over his face.“What exactly is wrong with you?”I blinked once.“That’s a broad question" I replied. “Fernando.”His voice sharpened instantly. I sighed softly and leaned back against the wall casually, watching him.He still looked beautiful when angry.His cheeks were slightly flushed from emotion, his eyes sharp and bright with irritation. His hair still looked a little messy from this morning and and Theo’s scent was all over him.I noticed it immediately the moment he entered the room earlier. Now that we stood closer together, it was impossible to ignore.Michael crossed his arms tightly.“You shouldn’t have come here" he said.A nurse walking past glanced nervously toward us before immediately walking faster.Michael rubbed aggressively at his forehead afterward.“You could’ve w
Michael’s POVThe moment I saw Fernando standing inside that hospital room, my good mood died instantly.It was almost impressive how quickly it happened.Just seconds ago, Theo and I had been laughing outside the room because Theo had nearly spilled coffee on himself while trying to open the door dramatically with one hand. The sound of his complaining had actually made me smile for the first time in days.Then I walked in and saw Fernando.The universe apparently refused to let me breathe peacefully for even one day.Theo noticed the change in me instantly. I felt him glance sideways at me, probably realizing my entire body had gone stiff.Meanwhile Fernando stood there looking painfully calm and beautiful and infuriating all at once.I hated that he still affected me so strongly.Ashley looked ready to throw Fernando out the window despite still being connected to hospital monitors.Nick just looked tired, Ramon looked like he wanted somebody to sedate him and Fernando stared direc
Fernando’s POVThe silence inside the hospital room stretched so long it almost became uncomfortable.Personally, I was enjoying it.Ashley and Nick still looked like they had seen an actual ghost, which, technically, they had.Henry remained frozen near the side of Nick’s bed, staring at me with wide eyes that looked far too much like mine for my own peace of mind.Even after all these years, seeing him up close still did something strange to my chest.Ashley recovered first.Honestly, not surprising. Ashley had always been the loudest emotionally out of all of them.“You—”She stopped abruptly and stared harder at me.“You’re alive.”“Very observant,” I replied calmly.Ashley looked like she wanted to throw something at my face. Unfortunately for her, most objects in hospital rooms were apparently attached to machines.Nick still looked pale with disbelief.“You were buried,” he said weakly.“I know,” I replied.“You had a funeral.”“Yes.”“Michael mourned you for years.”That one h
Fernando's POV I paused by the rose hedge. My eyes locked on them almost immediately.Then it came.Alan told Michael to leave me.Every muscle in my body locked. The world stopped.I felt the anger surge like wildfire through my veins, consuming every thought. I wasn’t even aware of my movement
Michael’s POV The morning sunlight had spilled too brightly across the bed by the time I blinked my eyes fully open. I groaned as I felt the warmth of the sun rays pouring on my face but I made little to no effort to shield myself from it.The silence in the room was warm and comforting, but the
Michael’s POV The garden was still. Too still.Everything should have felt peaceful, but the only thing stirring inside me was a bitter frustration.I dragged my feet along the winding stone path, hands buried deep in the pockets of my jacket, eyes scanning nothing.Each step was heavier than the
Ashley’s POV I was locking my apartment door when I heard her voice, sharp as ever, slicing through the quiet of the hallway.“Heading out already, Agent Ashley?”I turned, already expecting her.There stood Mrs. Langston, my neighbor from across the hall, wrapped in her signature pink robe with a







