CHAPTER 3

SAOIRSE.

“So, you’re quitting?”

You gotta be kidding me.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I stood in my head manager’s office, the air thick with the scent of aged leather and something different, the lingering shadow of secrets.

It was the first time I'd laid eyes on my manager in the years I'd slaved away at Nexus, lighting cigarettes and pretending the club's glittering facade was all there was.

But now, face-to-face, it was a hard wind knocking the sane out of me. He was the man from the other night, the one who entered the room in an absurd, provocative laced bunny outfit.

My fingers fidgeted relentlessly, twisting together in a desperate attempt to steady myself. I couldn't force myself to meet his piercing gaze, staring instead at the polished mahogany desk that separated us like a barrier.

“The incident from last night must have been very traumatizing for you,” he said, his voice a low rumble that echoed in the dimly lit room.

I swallowed hard, the words catching in my throat. The blood splattered across the floor, the way that stranger had torn through the chaos like a storm, it all replayed in my mind, vivid and unrelenting.

“It is my duty to make my people safe in this club, but I have failed you, miserably. I deeply apologize.”

“I know that none of us wanted that to happen,” I muttered, forcing a smile that felt brittle and false. “Only if I had just been more careful and more aware, sir. So, part of it was my fault.”

The man leaned forward, his eyes narrowing, the intensity in them making my skin prickle. “Oh, sweetheart. Please! Drop the ‘sir’. Just call me Azriel.”

I finally dared a glance up, catching the sharp lines of his face, the way his lips curled with that effortless authority. Though he looks very feminine, I can tell he was no ordinary club owner; there was something about him, something that made the room feel smaller, the walls closing in.

His suit was impeccable, tailored to perfection, but beneath it lurked the same dangerous energy I'd sensed in the bunny outfit. He exuded control, the kind that could crush a person without breaking a sweat.

Curiosity burned through my fear, reckless and insistent. “That man,” I said, my voice trembling despite myself. “Who is he? The one from last night. The one who...who saved me?”

“Ah, yes.” Azriel's smile widened, slow and deliberate, as if he'd been expecting me to ask that very question. “You just can't keep that curiousity within yourself, huh? Are you sure you really want to know?”

Is that supposed to be a threat?

“Zeus Trojan. Head of the Trojan Covenant.” he responded, “That son of a gun. I'm telling you he's a dangerous man, he doesn't just run this city. He owns it, body, soul, name it. Destruction and sin are his currency, Saoirse. Every corner bends to his command, every soul kneels in fear and desire.”

He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers as if savoring the moment, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and menace.

“And saved you? Oh, sweetheart. That man is no hero. He's a force of nature. Zeus doesn't save lives. He claims them, plays with them.” A grin spread to his lip. “Last night, he didn't rescue you out of kindness. He did it maybe because you caught his eye, and in his world, that's a death sentence or a twisted gift, depending on his mood.”

His words hung heavy, each one dripping with menace, painting Zeus as something monstrous, untouchable. My pulse quickened, a chill creeping up my spine.

Azriel continued, his voice smooth but laced with warning. “This city, Castello, isn't the playground you think it is. It's ruled by the mafia, layers of power that crush anyone who dares to look too closely.” He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in, his gaze never leaving mine.

“At the very top sits the Obsidian, the Head, who pulls strings from the abyss, untouchable and unseen, a ghost that commands empires from the void. Beneath them, is the Trojan Covenant, the first rank, enforces the will, handling the bloodiest deals, the alliances forged in fire and betrayal. They deal in lives, in fortunes, in the kind of sins that stain your soul forever.”

“What—what do you mean?” I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. “Why are you telling me this? I don't want any part of—”

Azriel cut me off with a wave of his hand, his tone sharpening. “Because you need to understand, Saoirse.”

He paused, his gaze boring into me, making me feel exposed, vulnerable. “All those killings you've heard whispers about, the messy and forbidden business that stains the underbelly of this place? It's all part of it. Nexus isn't just a club, it's a front. A glittering mask for the Trojan Covenant. We launder fortunes, broker pacts with devils, and when things get...unruly, we clean up the mess. Last night was a taste of that reality.”

My mind reeled, the pieces clicking into a horrifying picture. "Why me?" I demanded, my voice rising with a mix of anger and terror. “Why drag me into this? I didn't ask for any of this!”

“Because you already are. You dove right in it, sweetheart. You witnessed too much, and I bet you wouldn't even dare keep what you just witnessed to yourself.” Azriel's expression hardened, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

Panic surged through me, hot and blinding, a tidal wave that crashed over my senses. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. “I—I’m sorry…but I quit.”

I spun on my heel, lunging for the door, my hand slamming against the knob with a desperate thud. Freedom was just a twist away, quit, run, disappear into the night, leave this hell behind.

My vision blurred, the room spinning as the weight of it all pressed down. This was a nightmare I needed to escape, a trap I had to break free from.

“You wouldn't want your choice to kill that little brother of yours, right?”

That sentence made me stop running and from twisting the knob. The revelation hit me, so sudden and shattering, leaving me reeling as if the ground had been yanked from my feet. 

I hadn't seen it coming, not the depth of their knowledge, not the way they'd weaponized my brother against me.

He rose slowly from his chair, his presence filling the room like a shadow that blotted out the light, towering over me even from across the desk. “You will work for him in exchange for your brother’s life.”

“H—How…” I whirled back, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

“I know everything about those who work under me, Saoirse. Your whole life, laid out like an open book. That ill little brother of yours, fighting for every breath in that rundown hospital, his tiny body hooked up to machines that beep like a ticking clock.”

“You’re…using my brother against me?” I mumbled, fists turning white. “Don't you dare lay your fingers on him!”

“One word, Saoirse. One word from him, and your brother's life vanishes, your world crumbles into thin dust.” Azriel threatened. “Zeus is your only salvation. He'll pull strings, make deals with the devil himself to keep that boy breathing.”

“No, please! Stop! Leave my brother out of this! He’s sick! How could you use him like this?!”

These monsters are sick rotten to the core. Tears stung my eyes as the weight of his blackmail crushed me. There was no escape, no choice. The bargain was sealed.

I was trapped, another tool in their sick game, and Zeus Trojan's presence was too much to ignore, a monster waiting to devour me.

“Then the choice is yours, Saoirse.”