登入“LEAVE!” Lucas roared.Slowly, the room emptied until only the two of them remained. Don Antonio stood tall, even with death staring him in the face.“You kill me now,” Antonio whispered, a smirk returning to his lips, “and there is no link left.”Lucas’s grip tightened on the gun. “I’ll find her.”“You will,” Antonio said softly.“But by then, it will be too late.” He paused, savoring the moment, before sighing as though bored.“As a matter of fact, none of this matters anymore. There’s no need to drag this out. It’s already over, Lucas. Your pet is dead. She died months ago.”The words landed like a hammer. Lucas froze.Antonio chuckled, thoroughly amused. “I guess it’s better you know now, rather than waste your life on a wild
Don Antonio stepped into the VIP ward, his footsteps measured and heavy.“How is he?” Antonio asked the guard at the door.“It’s… complicated, boss,” the man replied, stepping aside.Antonio pushed the door open and froze. Lucas was shirtless, his gaunt frame showing the structural toll of a six-month coma. Yet he moved with frantic, rhythmic energy, doing pull-ups on a portable bar, muscles roping and straining with every lift.“I’m getting discharged,” Lucas said, not breaking his rhythm. “Right now.”Antonio forced a small, patronizing smile. “You were in a coma for a long time, Lucas. Your body needs—”“I know.” Lucas dropped to the floor with silent, predatory grace. He grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead, letting out a dry, ha
Arabella My hands wouldn’t stop trembling.I sat on the edge of the narrow bunk in the dimly lit cabin, the cold sea wind slipping through a crack in the window. I barely felt it. My mind kept zooming in and out, replaying the same moment on an endless, merciless loop.The weight of the gun in my hands. Like lead. So heavy holding it up was hard. The sharp crack of the shot. Lucas’s face. His face, the shock widening his eyes, the disbelief twisting into something raw and broken as he stumbled back and crumpled to the floor.That look of hurt that flicker in his gaze. I had pointed the gun at him. I had cocked it. I had pulled the trigger.“You could have killed him,” Tatum’s voice cut through the silence. “At least shot more fatally. You don't miss.”“I don’t know how to,” I whispered.“That’s a lie,” he said quietly. “You’re naturall skilled with targets, just like your father.”I exhaled shakily. “I couldn’t.”"Wouldn’t it have been perfect? Ending him once and for all?" “I c
Every waking moment was torture.Lucas sat hunched over the large surrounded by maps, surveillance photos, and scattered reports. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. He could almost hear her voice in his head soft, frightened, calling his name in the dark. *Lucas… Lucas, where are you?*He hadn’t slept since the night she vanished. The city had been turned inside out, but every lead had gone cold.Until now.He looked up sharply.“The underground. " he shoved things apart. “A new faction slipped into the country a couple of weeks ago. They call themselves ‘The Mole.’ they're said to be hired foreign mercenaries. They specialize in tunnels, smuggling routes, underground networks." Lucas’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table." There's more. They have moved recently and we believe they're about making their exit." The man hesitated. “They’re experts at moving people out quietly. No trace. No records. If someone wanted to smuggle a person, this
Lucas stood in the middle of the dimly lit room like a man unraveling at the seams. His eyes were wild, bloodshot, and sunken. Days of barely sleeping and tearing the city apart had left him a hollow, dangerous version of himself hair unkempt, clothes wrinkled, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white.Antonio watched him carefully from across the table.“Lucas… is there a reason why you went to the hospital?” he asked.“It’s one of the few places you frequented,” Lucas muttered hoarsely, voice rough from shouting orders and screaming her name into the night.“I had to check.”Lucas was having lots of people watched now. Barging into their spaces if he had even an inkling of suspicious He had gotten into several fights and cross shots in just few days but he didn't seem to care He was willing to create more chaos. Antonio leaned back. “You had me followed.”Lucas’s head snapped up, eyes flashing with something feral. “You’re one of the many who want to hurt her.”“Sh
“I’ve got her where you want her now,” Don Antonio muttered into the phone, his voice low and edged with satisfaction.“You remember your end of the bargain?” he barked a moment later.“Yes. Definitely,” Tatum replied smoothly. There was a faint smile in his voice. “I must admit, I’m impressed. Your role was impressive and very believable, by the way. I must commend you.”Their collaboration wss cold, precise, and mutually beneficial — each man using the other as a perfect instrument to achieve his own dark aim.---**A few nights earlier**The heavy doors to Don Antonio’s private residence opened. One of his scarred underlings stepped inside, bowing slightly.“Don, there’s a visitor. He insists on meeting you personally. Says it’s urgent and that you share common interests.”Antonio’s eyes had narrowed. More so one to come with such confidence. Moments later, the stranger entered the dimly lit study. He moved with calm assurance, stopping a respectful distance away. The lights cast
She hadn’t spoken for hours.Not a word.Not a sound.Just silence.She sat there motionless, her back against the headboard, her eyes fixed on something only she could see. She wasn’t crying anymore. She wasn’t doing anything at all. It was as though her mind had drifted somewhere far beyond his
“Mona…”Arabella’s voice broke as she reached out, her trembling hands clutching at Mona’s legs. The polished floor was cold beneath her knees, but she barely felt it. Her entire body shook not from fear, but from the sharp, unbearable disbelief clawing through her chest.“Mona, please…” she whispe
Arabella “Mona?” My voice cracked as I stared at her. “How could you stand there and say those words to me? You’re my sister—”“Sister?!”Her voice exploded through the corridor, sharp and full of venom. Before I could even flinch, her hand came down hard across my face.The sound echoed.I gasped
Arabella I felt lighter than I had in months.Everything about today had been beautiful, almost unreal. From the moment Lucas had surprised me last night, bringing me here just because I said I missed it… it had filled something hollow inside me with warmth.Lucas was a busy man, too busy and imp







