Mag-log inTheo’s POVMy body reacted before my mind fully caught up. I was already on my feet, heart slamming hard against my ribs as the sound echoed through the house like a warning bell.That wasn’t just any noise, that was a fight and I knew exactly who caused it.Of course it was Michael.My jaw tightened instantly, something sharp and conflicted rising in my chest.“Check it,” Marlo ordered calmly, though his voice carried an unmistakable edge beneath the smoothness.Several of his men moved immediately, weapons drawn, rushing toward the direction of the sound.My eyes flicked in that direction briefly, tension coiling tightly in my muscles.Anabelle’s head snapped toward the hallway, her expression sharpening immediately just as more shots were fired and a battle began.“There’s someone else in the house,” she said coldly.Marlo’s gaze shifted slowly, calculating.“I assumed as much,” he replied.That made my stomach drop but as his men disappeared down the hallway and the chaos pulled a
Michael’s POVI stood in the dim hallway upstairs, pressed slightly against the wall, my breathing slow but heavy in my chest as voices drifted clearly from below.I could hear Marlo, Theo and Anabelle.If I had just stayed home, If I had ignored Theo, If I hadn’t let my anger drag me here, I wouldn’t be trapped inside a house currently occupied by the most dangerous man I had spent years running from.I clenched my jaw tightly.“Focus,” I muttered under my breath.Panic wouldn’t help.I moved slowly toward the edge of the staircase, careful not to let my footsteps creak against the wood. From this angle, I couldn’t see them but I could hear everything.“I believe… that you know something.”It was Marlo’s voice.Theo responded, his tone still steady despite the pressure.“I already told you—”“I don’t like being lied to.”Silence followed that and I exhaled slowly through my nose, pressing my back against the wall again.So Theo had followed them.Of course he did. He couldn’t just st
Theo’s POVThe knocking continued and I stood frozen for only a second before my eyes snapped toward Michael.He looked pale qnd that alone told me more than anything else had because Michael didn’t scare easily, not from what I had seen.Another knock echoed through the house, harder this time and my jaw tightened.Michael moved first.“We need to hide me.”His voice was low and urgent.I stared at him and despite the situation, despite the danger, a bitter part of me still latched onto one thing.“Hide you?” I repeated slowly.Michael looked at me like I was insane.“Yes, Theo. Hide me.”Another knock sounded at the door then a voice i recognised from Marlo Ramirez followed.“Mr. Theo Park, open the door” he said calmly. Michael cursed softly under his breath and my eyes narrowed.“If you have nothing to do with them, then why are you hiding?” I said carefully,Michael stared at me in disbelief.“Are you serious right now?”“Yes.”“Theo—”“You said you’re innocent.”Michael ran a f
Michael’s POVTheo stood over me like he thought he owned the truth, like he could force it out of me through sheer stubbornness and anger.The sight alone irritated me.No, it infuriated me.My shoulder throbbed violently from the way I had fallen, pain shooting down my arm in sharp pulses, but I ignored it as I pushed myself up from the floor.Theo didn’t move back or offer to help. He just watched me with those intense eyes of his, jaw tight, chest still bare from his shower, his damp hair slightly messy like he had rushed downstairs without thinking.“You’ve lost your mind,” I snapped as I got fully to my feet.Theo crossed his arms.“Then tell me why you’re so desperate to avoid my questions.”“I don’t owe you answers.”“The hell you don’t.”“Yes, I do. You don’t get to interrogate me about my life” I shot back immediately. “You made it my business.”My eyes narrowed.“You don’t understand,” I said through gritted teeth.“Then make me understand.”“No.”“Why not?”“Because this
Theo’s POVI stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection, water still clinging to my skin from the shower, droplets trailing down my chest in slow, uneven paths. The bathroom was quiet except for the faint hum of the extractor fan and the soft drip of water from my hair hitting the tiled floor but inside my head, there was nothing quiet about it.Michael's name alone was enough to tighten something in my chest, not in the way it had before.“If you’re connected to them…” I muttered under my breath, my gaze hardening as I leaned slightly closer to the mirror.My jaw clenched and my hands curled slightly against the edge of the sink as every thought about Michael and the Ramirez family led back to my dead fiancé.His face flashed in my mind, alive with a smile and then he was gone because of Don Fernando’s husband, the man I had been chasing for years, the man who had taken everything from me.And now Michael who was living right across from me, looking at me, talking to me,
Michael’s POV The question hung in the air long after Kim said it. It forced every single one of us into a corner we had spent years carefully avoiding. I could feel the shift in the room, the way Ashley’s breathing had gone shallow, the way Nick’s shoulders had stiffened, and the way Henry was looking at me. I forced my expression to remain calm and steady, even though inside, nothing was calm. “No, we’re not involved with the mafia in any way” I said firmly. Kim’s eyes didn’t leave mine then Ashley stepped forward. “Kim, that’s not who we are” she said gently. Nick nodded immediately. “Not even close,” he added. Henry straightened beside me, his voice more serious than I had ever heard it. “We’re not criminals,” he said. Kim looked between all of us, trying to find cracks in something that had already been sealed tight. “Then why would my dad say that?” she asked. Her voice wasn’t accusatory, not fully but it wasn’t neutral either. I stepped closer, lowering my voice j
Michael's POV Who the hell were these guys?Kidnappers?But not just any kidnappers. These weren’t some random thugs off the street. The way they handled themselves, the way they executed the grab—it was professional. Efficient.Which meant this wasn’t about money.No, this was about me.And ther
Fernando’s POVThe second I saw that man put his hands on Michael, my vision turned red.I was standing in the middle of the supermarket aisle, my body still, my hands relaxed at my sides, but inside?I was boiling with complete rage.The man had him pinned against the shelves, gripping his shirt,
Michael’s POVThe kitchen felt colder than usual, or maybe it was just me.I gritted my teeth as I opened the fridge door with more force than i was supposed to, grabbing a handful of ice cubes and tossing them into a cloth. My fingers curled tightly around the fabric, my knuckles turning white as
Fernando’s POVMichael’s body was still pinned beneath mine, his breath uneven, his chest rising and falling repeatedly mostly because of the absenceof space between us. My hands pressed against the wall on either side of him, caging him in and not giving him a chance to escape. His words repeate






