LOGINFernando's POVThe gunshot echoed through the air and every muscle in my body locked as I braced myself for the impact.I waited but nothing happened. I blinked and I was still standing.Slowly, almost disbelievingly, I looked down at myself. There was no blood. My hands remained raised exactly where they had been.The little boy was still clutching his stuffed dinosaur. His mother screamed, grabbing him into her arms before dragging him back toward the restaurant.People scattered in every direction and someone else shouted for the police, but none of that mattered.I was still alive.I lowered my gaze slightly before turning toward Mortis.He had stepped halfway out of the car, his gun now drawn as his eyes searched every rooftop surrounding the restaurant."What happened? Did he miss?" he shouted."I don't know" I replied. Mortis frowned."An assassin like that doesn't miss."I agreed.The man who had called me earlier didn't sound like someone who relied on luck. He sounded preci
Michael's POVFor several long seconds, nobody moved. The basement suddenly felt much smaller.The cold concrete walls seemed to close in around me as I stared at Theo and Roberto standing in the doorway.Theo leaned lightly against the doorframe, his complexion still pale from his injuries, but there was nothing weak about the expression on his face.Beside him, Roberto stood with his arms folded, his posture calm and unreadable.Carlos sighed dramatically from behind me."Well...I suppose this is awkward."He looked from me to Theo but nobody answered him.I slowly turned toward Theo and his eyes never left mine."You knew I was here.""I suspected" he replied. I frowned and Roberto spoke instead."I noticed something. When you supposedly left the house, Kim was acting strangely" he said.My stomach tightened."What do you mean?"Roberto glanced briefly toward Theo before looking back at me."She almost never lies. But today, she wouldn't look me in the eye" he said.He spoke calml
Fernando's POVMy grip tightened painfully around the phone. Through the shattered passenger window, I watched the woman gently tug her little boy along the sidewalk.The child couldn't have been older than five.He clutched a green stuffed dinosaur against his chest while looking up at his mother, completely unaware that somewhere nearby, someone was calmly deciding whether he would live or die.The assassin's voice remained unnervingly composed."You have fifteen seconds."I clenched my jaw."Leave them out of this. They were never part of it, then don't make them pay for my existence" I said angrily. "I don't make the rules. I fulfill contracts" he replied. His tone was so calm that it chilled me more than any scream could have.Mortis remained crouched behind the steering wheel, his eyes constantly scanning the rooftops and surrounding buildings."Don Fernando," he whispered urgently, "don't listen to him."I ignored him.The woman's son stumbled slightly and she laughed softly,
Michael's POVMy heart pounded so loudly that I was convinced Roberto could hear it.I stayed perfectly still behind the decorative partition, barely daring to breathe as Kim stepped away from me and into the middle of the hallway.She was calm, far calmer than I was.Roberto stopped a few feet away, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly."Kim?"She smiled naturally, lifting the glass of water in her hand."I was just talking to myself" she said.Roberto raised an eyebrow."Talking to yourself?"She laughed awkwardly."I've had a stressful morning" she replied. "Haven't we all?""I guess so."He studied her for another few seconds and I held my breath.Please...don't look this way.Roberto glanced briefly down the hallway where I was hidden before returning his attention to Kim."You should get some rest" be instructed. "I will" she nodded with a smile.He looked around one last time."If you see anything unusual, let one of the guards know" he said."Definitely" she replied. Without a
Fernando's POVThe world exploded into chaos.Glass rained over my shoulders as I dropped beneath the dashboard, my ears ringing from the gunshot that had shattered the passenger-side window.The smell of gunpowder drifted faintly through the broken glass and for one brief moment, neither Mortis nor I spoke."Stay down," I muttered.Mortis was already crouched beneath the steering wheel, his breathing controlled despite the surprise etched across his face."I wasn't expecting that" he said."No," I replied coldly, "I don't imagine you were."He turned sharply toward me."What is that supposed to mean?"I slowly raised my head just enough to look through what remained of the shattered window. Whoever had fired that shot knew exactly what they were doing. I lowered myself again then I looked directly at Mortis."How convenient" I said.His brow furrowed."I don't understand. What are you implying?""You invite me to breakfast, we leave together and the moment we get back into your car,
Michael's POVFor several long seconds, neither Kim nor I spoke.She stood at the end of the hallway with a glass of water in her hand, staring at me as though she couldn't decide whether she was seeing a ghost or making a terrible mistake.I slowly raised a finger to my lips."Shh..."Her eyebrows lifted in confusion."Michael...?"I took a careful step toward her, making sure the voices from the kitchen remained louder than our own."Please," I whispered. "Don't tell anyone I'm here."Her eyes widened."What?""Just... trust me."She glanced nervously toward the kitchen."You shouldn't be sneaking around. My dad will be furious if he finds out" she said. "I know" I replied. She sighed quietly."You've never had to hide in this house before."Her words struck me harder than I expected. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth."I won't stay long," I assured her.She looked unconvinced but before either of us could continue, heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor and Kim's eyes
Ashley’s POV I had never pounded so hard on a door in my entire life. My fists slammed against the heavy wood, echoing through the grand corridor like rolling thunder. Each strike left my knuckles stinging, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was the silence that answered me from within. “Mich
Fernando’s POV The gates to my mansion compound groaned open like some great beast waking from sleep. Archer’s car — sleek, black, and almost predatory in its polished sheen — rolled forward. Sunlight flashed across the tinted windows as it crossed the threshold, entering my domain like it had
Michael’s POV The heat of the air rose in waves, mixing with the bitter scent of exhaust fumes and old coffee spilling from somewhere near the dumpsters. I could hear the muted hum of the city just beyond the wall of Kafé Verse’s parking lot. But right here, right now, the world felt fixed into
Fernando’s POV The sun was dipping toward the horizon, painting the beach in streaks of gold, but I barely noticed. My focus was locked on the two men kneeling in the sand of the parking lot, their wrists bound tightly behind them. Henry was clinging to one of my bodyguards his small fingers gri







