Viewer Discretion: This chapter might contain violent acts that may be sensitive to some readers.Fernando’s POVThe sound of her whimpering filled the room, a pathetic noise that clawed at my patience. I clenched my jaw, watching as Holloway’s wife trembled, her breath coming in ragged, uneven gasps. Blood poured from the wounds in her shoulder and leg, soaking her dress, falling on the wooden floor beneath her chair.She was in pain.Good.I exhaled sharply, tilting my head, watching her with cold disinterest. "Would you shut the fuck up already?" I snapped, my voice sharp.She flinched, biting her lip to stop another whimper, her whole body trembling.Holloway’s eyes blazed with fury as he turned his gaze on me. "She’s in pain!" he spat, his voice thick with rage and desperation. "She’s scared!"I arched an eyebrow. "And? That’s not my problem. My problem is you not answering my damn question." I took a step forward, pressing the barrel of my gun against her temple again, watc
Viewer Discretion: This chapter might contain violent acts that may be sensitive to some readers.Michael’s POVA dull, throbbing pain vibrated through my skull, dragging me out of my sleep which I could feel was very long. I groaned, shifting slightly, but even that small movement sent a sharp ache slicing through my temples.Thus pain in my head was relentless and almost unbearable but I could live with it. I've been through worse.As my eyes weakly registered my surroundings, a question built up in my mind.What the hell happened?I blinked, forcing my heavy eyelids to stay open, and stared up at the ceiling. The room was dim, the morning light entering through the gaps in the curtains, casting long shadows over the walls. For some reason, my body felt sluggish, like I had been sedated.And then it hit me.Anabelle.That conniving little—I inhaled sharply, pushing myself up on the bed despite the dizziness that threatened to pull me back down. Memories from last night flooded
Michael’s POVThe sound of running water filled the room.I stood frozen, gripping Fernando’s gun so tightly that my knuckles turned white. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, matching the steady sound of the water falling down in the bathroom.He was in there, unaware, unguarded.It would be so easy.My mind replayed what he told me about last night—the casual way Fernando had admitted to killing Holloway and his wife, the lack of remorse in his voice, the satisfaction in his smirk. He didn’t care. Two people were dead, and all he had to show for it was an amused look and a lazy stretch.How many more would die?How many more would suffer under his hand?I wasn’t naïve. I knew what kind of man he was. I had known from the beginning. But standing here now, holding his gun, I realized something I had been delaying for too long.He would never stop.The only way to end this… was to stop him myself.I took a slow, deliberate step toward the bathroom door. My fingers went around the hand
Fernando’s POV The hot water went down my body in soft, rolling waves, washing away the last traces of last night’s work. My muscles were relaxed, but my mind was still filled with events of last night, reliving the moment when Holloway’s blood had poured on the walls of his cozy little home. The way his wife's screams had turned into ragged gasps before Marlo finished her off. It had been a masterpiece of destruction.One down. Four to go.I still had a lot of work to do to make those agents suffer.They will all feel my wrath. A slow smirk curled my lips as I shut off the water, the silence of the bathroom suddenly feeling too loud. I reached for the towel and wrapped it loosely around my waist, letting the steam cling to my skin as I stepped toward the door.And then I heard it.Raised voices. Sharp, heated words cutting through the air like knives.I tilted my head, recognizing the two voices immediately. Michael and Anabelle.A spark of amusement built inside me as I pushe
Michael’s POVI took a deep breath as I stepped out of the bathroom, my skin still wet, my hair dripping onto the towel I had wrapped around my waist. The heat of the bath had eased the knots in my muscles, and for the first time in hours, I felt clean.I sighed, letting the silence settle over me. It was rare to have a moment like this in his house—a moment where the walls weren’t pressing in, where the air wasn’t suffocating with tension. My feet pressed against the cool floor as I walked toward the wardrobe, dreading the idea of staying here longer than necessary.Then I noticed it.The chair where he had been sitting was empty. The lingering presence of Fernando had vanished.That murderer was gone.I exhaled, releasing a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. My shoulders dropped in relief. It was exhausting being around him, suffocating even, like being trapped in a room with a wild animal, one that could decide at any second whether to let you live or rip out your thro
Fernando’s POVThe car was silent except for the hum of the engine and the occasional sound of tires rolling smoothly against the pavement. I leaned back against the seat, stretching out my legs with ease, my gaze flickering toward the man beside me.Michael sat stiffly, his arms crossed, his jaw tight. His expression was one of pure frustration, something that only made me more amused.He hadn’t wanted me to come. That much was clear. But I had insisted—no, I had decided. And Michael had no choice but to deal with it.Even if Michael didn’t want it.I could feel the weight of his irritation pressing against me like a suffocating heat. He was waiting, biting his tongue, trying to keep himself from saying something that would make this worse for him.Eventually, he cracked.Michael let out a long sigh, shifting in his seat before turning his body slightly toward me.“Alright,” he said. “I need to know something.”I smirked. “Only one thing?”Michael rolled his eyes but didn’t take
Michael’s POVI hated that Fernando was here.I sighed, gripping the torn half of my shopping list as I walked further into the aisles, away from him. I needed space. Distance. Anything to remind myself that, for at least a little while, I wasn’t under his suffocating gaze.Because right now, I was doing something ridiculous.I was making a ruthless mafia boss—someone whose favorite time involved killing people who annoyed him—go grocery shopping.I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.If his men found out, they’d probably never let him live this down.I imagined it now: Fernando, dressed in his perfectly tailored suit, standing in an aisle filled with cereal boxes and snack foods, looking like he belonged in a luxury penthouse instead of a grocery store.If he really stopped to think about what he was doing, would he get offended? Would he be angry enough to kill me for this?Wouldn’t be the first time he got murderous over something stupid.I shook my head. I don’t car
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, talking to him in a way that made my blood boil.He had no idea what kind of mistake he just made.I didn’t say anything at first. I just moved.One second, I was watching. The next, my hand wrapped around his wrist, and I squeezed.His entire body jerked. His fingers twitched where they were gripping Michael’s shirt, and I tightened my hold, feeling his bones shift under my grasp.I could break them.Right now.Easily.I leaned in, my voice cold and controlled.“Let. Him. Go.”The man’s jaw clenched.For a split second, I thought he might be stupid enough to resist.But then, with clear reluctance, he let Michael go.Michael immediately stepped to the side, rubbing his arm as he exhaled sha
Fernando’s POVThe loud sounds of two gunshots ripped through the walls like a scream slicing open the air. What the hell!?My head snapped toward the drawing room even before Santiago could react. For a moment, everything froze. Then chaos.“Those were shots,” Santiago said sharply.“No shit,” I snapped, already moving towards the door to see what had caused a gun to be fired. My mind instantly created two scenarios and I couldn't help buy fear for the worst.On one hand, I feared Andrew and Damian had subdued Santiago’s men, took their guns and shot them before making a run for it.Those fucking bastards would do anything to escape at this point.On the other hand, I considered the possibility that Andrew had annoyed one of Santiago’s men and they ended up killing him, just to shut the motherfucker up.I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.We practically ran through the corridor, Santiago’s footsteps just behind mine. My pulse hammered like thunder in my ears, my mind ra
Michael’s POVThe door slammed behind Fernando, and for a while, I just sat there, paralyzed. The room was dark, the air still pulsing with tension and adrenaline. My knees pulled up to my chest, my arms hugging them tightly, my forehead resting on them.My chest ached. Not from the pressure of Fernando’s grip or the terror of his voice mere inches from my ear, but from something deeper. Something more devastating. That man who stormed out of here wasn’t the man I once felt strongly for. The man i thought i could save. Not entirely. Fernando had always been dangerous, but never to me. Never like this.The way he had looked at me—rage burning in those eyes, the tremble in his jaw when he grabbed me—there was no hesitation. No guilt. Just power. Just rage. Just the monster the FBI always warned me about.And still, there was a flicker… something I couldn’t name. Something like heartbreak.I stayed like that for a long time, breathing slowly, willing the tears not to fall, but they
Fernando's POVMy fingers still tingled.I stared at my hand as I stepped out of the room I had just left Michael in—my palm still carrying the memory of his skin, of the way I had squeezed his throat. My heart pounded in my chest, and not from exertion. From something darker, something wilder. The rage. The possessiveness. I should have let go sooner. I should have stopped when I saw the pain in his eyes—but I couldn't. Not after he said he would leave me.I pushed the thought from my head.He needed to know where he belonged. I wasn’t about to let sentimentality ruin everything I had built. Michael was mine. He would stay mine.The drawing room door swung open before I touched it. One of Santiago’s men stood to the side, eyes darting to the ground in submission as I stepped inside. Andrew and Damian still lay on the floor, both bruised, both in restraints. The guards kept their guns pointed at them, their faces hard and unmoving.Andrew lifted his head and sneered."Well, well
Micheal's POV I didn’t think.I just moved.My body, acting on instinct or something far more desperate, had shoved Fernando’s arm up at the last second.The bullet screamed through the air and struck the ceiling.Everyone in the room froze.For a heartbeat, silence rang louder than the gunshot. I could feel the weight of a dozen eyes pierce into my back, all of them stunned—and afraid. The smell of burnt gunpowder lingered, mixing with the tense air of the drawing room.Then Santiago roared.“What the hell just happened?!”Andrew laughed—a cruel, dry, almost unhinged sound. “Looks like the boyfriend still has a soft spot for the spy.”“Shut him up,” Santiago barked.His men didn’t hesitate. One shoved a gag into Andrew’s mouth, forcing him to the floor. Andrew glared at everyone with that same defiant fire, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t speak now.Fernando didn’t say a word. His gaze cut through the room like a blade.I swallowed. My throat was dry. My hands had started to t
Fernando's POVThe echo of my boots was the only sound in the hallway as I led Michael back into the drawing room. My hands were in my coat pockets, fingers twitching for the comfort of power. Beside me, Michael was silent. Tense. His brows were furrowed, his thoughts clearly tangled. I didn't speak. Not yet. There would be time for words—my words—soon enough.Discovering that he has been so active during my time in coma only infuriated me more each time I thought about it.It was taking a huge amount of control for me not to beat him to a pulp just staring at him with his emotionless face.He had forgotten he belonged to me—only me—and he went ahead to fool around with the enemy which ended up bringing FBI agents to our doorsteps. Even thinking of the fact he was once an informant for the FBI brought fire in my mind because it meant he has been lying to me.What else has he been keeping from me?That would be a discussion I couldn’t wait to have.Michael was bad news for me but I
Michael's POVAshley was groaning in pain, her head leaned against the window of the FBI car I had carefully laid her in. It was hard for me to watch her I'm so much pain, especially when all she had done was help us even though it meant going against the FBI. Fernando was a real monster for doing this to her.The backseat was damp with blood, and the stench of metal clung to the air like guilt to my conscience. I glanced around, hoping and praying that Marlo would suddenly appear so that he can take Ashley to the hospital along with Anabelle. I needed someone I could trust to get Ashley out of here, someone who wouldn't let her down. But the world was quiet now, eerily so, and Marlo was nowhere in sight.I looked around, towards the mansion hoping to catch a glimpse of Marlo just as he is leaving but I didn’t see him.The realization of what I feared dawned on me like a cold, hard feeling."He already left, didn't he?" I muttered, my voice low with frustration. My fists clenched
Fernando’s POV I folded my arms across my chest while i watched in delight as Andrew’s battered body was dragged through the hallway of my old mansion. His punishment was just starting and I could alread visualise numerous way to make him beg for me to just end his suffering. Emilio followed closely behind, gripping Damian by the collar, the man nearly tripping over himself with each step. The floor, aged by time and conflict, creaked under the weight of our footsteps. Blood had been spilled outside—blood of men who thought they could outsmart me, the FBI agents whose corpses now served as a warning. But inside, it was quieter. The kind of quiet that precedes a storm.Santiago walked beside me. His slightly injured face was grim, jaw clenched so tightly the veins in his neck were visible. His other bodyguard followed us, his weapons drawn and alert. Mortis had joined us near the entrance, nodding silently when I gestured toward the drawing room. That would be the stage.The mo
Andrew’s POV The night had gotten far too quiet for my liking, and in that unnatural silence, every crackle of a branch or brush of the wind made my nerves twitch. I could still remember the wave of shock i had gotten when the sound that sent ice straight down my spine, gunshots, rang in my ears and i couldn't help but think of the worse. My men were capable of handling themselves, they were FBI agents, after all, but there was a dark feeling pooling in.my stomach just thinking what had caused such amount of gun fire to ring in the air.Not one, not two, but a lot of them, echoing violently through the forest like war drums. From the direction of Fernando’s mansion. I had made sure to tell me men not to attack without receiving orders from me to do so. Which means this could only mean one thingThey were under attack.My stomach dropped.Something had gone wrong.I hadn’t planned for a situation where Michael and his pack of goons would attack when I wasn’t there.I thought they w
Fernando’s POV I watched them through the small cracks on the front door, barely breathing as I tracked the movement of the agents. The trees concealed them well, but not well enough for someone like me. I knew the woods. I knew the mansion. And most of all, I knew how the minds of men like Andrew worked.Based on Marlo’s explanation, he was the leader of those agents of fools and if there was one thing I was good at, that was gaining a upper hand against proud men.Ashley winced as she leaned against a nearby wall. Her side was soaked with blood, and every breath she took looked like it cost her something vital. Still, she didn’t complain. I was impressed. I liked that about her.Michael, on the other hand, was fidgeting."You’re going to take her out the front," I said, my voice cold and unwavering.Michael blinked. "What? Are you insane? They’ll spot us the moment we step onto the lawn.""That’s the point."He narrowed his eyes. "You want us to be bait?"I tilted my head. "I