CHAPTER 5: Little Angel.

Liam Kingsley.

I leaned back in my chair, letting the leather swallow me as I watched the chaos unfold on multiple screens: the fire at Deranged Desires, Victor Blackthorn’s latest statement, and every single gossip about his wife.

Normally, I wouldn’t care this much about domestic dramas. They were trivial and fleeting. But everything in this particular disaster revolved around Dominic Russo. 

And Dominic… Well, he always made things interesting.

“Mr. Kingsley,” my personal assistant called, stepping into the office with that half-bow posture that people use around me.

I didn’t look up immediately. My mind was still calculating probabilities as I anticipated Dominic’s next moves.

“The address I told you to post?” I asked, finally lifting my gaze.

“Trending, sir. Social media is exploding. People are speculating on everything from the fire to the Blackthorn drama, and the location you released… it’s what everyone is talking about.”

I smiled. “Good. You’re dismissed.”

As soon as he left, I leaned back further and let the sense of accomplishment settle into my mind. 

Phase one was complete. The public’s attention was mine to direct now, and every move Dominic makes would be under my scrutiny.

I picked up my phone and dialed the head of security.

“Go watch the address I gave you. Any movement from that location, any vehicle leaving, I want everything tracked. I want to know where the lady is moved to, and I want that intel in real time.”

“Understood, sir. Already on it.”

Perfect. 

Dominic had no idea that the woman he was protecting was already on my radar. It wouldn’t take long, and I’d have her exact location. 

And then, let’s just say Dominic’s little fortress of control would come crashing down.

I was still lost in thoughts when the office door opened and I didn’t need to see her to know it was Isabella. Her heels were loud enough to announce her presence.

“Hey baby,” she said as she entered, the scent of her expensive perfume already filling the room. “There’s a function tonight that I’m going to need you for. You don’t have to worry though, it won’t take long.”

I sighed and nodded my head. I knew fully well that she only needed me for the red carpet, but I hated events so much. 

However, I knew I would still go. 

She walked round the table and climbed into my lap, adjusting her posture as if she was posing for a magazine cover. 

 “Also,” she added, snapping a selfie from the right angle, “I’ll need a few shots for the gram. Can’t let the people forget we exist.”

We were actually not intimate. Our relationship was designed for cameras and tabloids, nothing more. 

Isabella and I had history. We had been close friends in college, and she was there for me when I was only just a rich orphan.

However, when we kept getting our hearts broken by people we loved, we created this. We were exclusive enough to make this believable, but behind closed doors, we were distant enough to keep our hearts safe. 

This relationship offered her protection from her mother’s matchmaking, while I got control over my own impulses. 

After the selfies, she stood up and leaned in for a quick peck. Then she flicked her hair back, and strutted out of the office like she owned it. 

After she was gone, I exhaled slowly as my thoughts immediately went back to Evelyn.

She had no idea how close she was to being in the center of a war between men whose lives had been built on betrayal, blood, and generational hate.

Dominic was protecting her from her husband, but from me? That would be more difficult than he could ever imagine.

I tapped a few keys on my laptop and the security feed was live now. I was connected to every camera around the trending address.

The vehicle he would use to move Evelyn would be under my lens within seconds of departure. And I would know exactly where she ends up.

Finally, a vehicle moved and the head of security confirmed it immediately: she was on the move. But I didn’t move yet.

I just relaxed into my chair, watching. By the time the convoy stopped, she was in a secure location. Dominic had done what he always did best: protect her. 

But now, she was in my world. And I intended to make my first move soon.

Everything was going according to plan. Right now, this city was a chessboard, and all pieces moved under my command.

I waited till it was nighttime when I was sure that Dominic wouldn’t be there. And then I stood up, buttoned my jacket carefully, and drove to the house.

I scanned the perimeter, and saw two guards playing cards behind the house. Dominic always overestimated his men, but I loved to take matters into my own hands. 

I slipped in through the open window of her bedroom and landed inside without a sound.

She was on the bed, curled up and reading a book with her back to the window. It was only when I pulled the window shut that she looked up and saw me.

And when she did, her breath hitched as the book slipped from her fingers.

“What… what are you doing here?” she whispered as she sat up. She pulled the blanket all the way to her chin, like it would somehow protect her from me.

“Is the door locked?” I asked, signaling to the bedroom door. 

“Yes,” she replied as her eyes grew teary.

“Now, I’m going to need you to be very quiet.” 

She nodded just as I took a seat in the chair opposite her bed, crossing my legs like I owned the place.

Her chest was rising too fast and it seemed like she was on the verge of having a panic attack.

“Relax,” I murmured. “If I wanted you hurt, you’d already be screaming.”

Her eyes widened, but she visibly relaxed. I then leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

“We meet again, little Angel. And this time, there’s nowhere to run to.”