Hitman

Dean's pov

At Qunnix innovation Headquarters

I sat at the head of the table in my custom tailored Italian suit, fingers laced together under my chin looking every bit like the powerful CEO I had stolen my way into becoming.

"Breaking news out of the tech sector this morning. Rumors are circulating that Amelia Quinn, the sole heir to Quinnix Innovations who was officially declared dead two years ago after a tragic incident in a South African prison, may actually be alive. A photo leaked online just an hour ago shows a woman looking identical to Amelia walking alongside the reclusive billionaire CEO of Donovan Tech, Jared Donovan..."

A clear photograph flashed on the screen.

It was Amelia and standing right beside her was our fiercest competitor, Jared Donovan.

Bang!

My fist slammed into the table so hard that the coffee cups rattled in their saucers and I rose on my feet angrily.

"Turn that garbage off!" I roared.

The board members gasped confused

"Dean, what is the meaning of this?" an elderly board member asked. "If Amelia is alive, why were we told she died of a violent fever in a South African prison? You presented us with a legal death certificate! You took full control of her shares under the assumption that she was gone!"

"This has to be a mistake," another board member chimed in, leaning forward. "A lookalike. A media stunt by Donovan Tech to tank our stock values. Because if that is Amelia Quinn, we have a massive legal crisis on our hands."

"Everyone, please calm down," a smooth, sweet voice interrupted.

Natalie sat directly to my right, looking elegant in a designer dress. Bouncing gently on her lap was a three year old boy with soft blonde curls and big, innocent eyes.

It was Leo. My seven year old son.

Natalie looked up at the panicked board members with a tight, reassuring smile. "We need to verify the source of this photograph before we jump to conclusions. Please, excuse Mr. Emiliano and me for a few minutes. We need to discuss this private family matter in the executive lounge."

The board members looked at each other, murmuring in frustration, but they slowly picked up their tablets and folders, filing out of the room until only Natalie, little Leo, and I remained.

The moment the glass doors clicked shut, I exploded.

"What the hell does that bitch think she is doing partnering with that snake?, does she really think allying herself with Donovan would rattle me?"

Natalie’s calm facade dropped as she held Leo tightly against her chest. "Keep your voice down, Dean. You’re shouting in front of your son."

"I don't care!" I snapped, stopping to glare at her.

"I'm sure that bitch is up to no good. Jared Donovan has been trying to swallow this company for years now. If he has her then he must have a plan to get her back in power for his own benefit. If she does we lose everything. The money, the estate, the power. I’ll be back to scrubbing grease off a dive bar counter by next week!"

Leo shifted on Natalie's lap, his small hand pointing up at the television screen, which was now playing a looped video of the news report.

"Mummy?" Leo whispered, his wide eyes locked on the picture of Amelia. "Is that Mummy?"

I stopped pacing and marched over to the little boy leaning down, staring into my son's face that painfully resembled his mother's.

"No, Leo," I lied, my voice chillingly flat. "Your mummy is dead. Remember? She went away to heaven a long time ago. That lady on the TV is just a bad person trying to trick us. Don't look at it."

Leo’s lower lip trembled, but he nodded quickly, burying his face into Natalie’s white fur trim.

Natalie rubbed Leo’s back, her mind working at a mile a minute.

She looked up at me, a dark, wicked smirk slowly spreading across her face.

"Panic won't solve this, Dean. But I will," Natalie said. "Amelia always was a cockroach. Surviving that hellhole in Johannesburg just proves she doesn't know when to stay down but a ghost can't reclaim a company."

"What are you going to do?" I asked, my chest still heaving. "She’s with Jared Donovan. His security detail is tighter than the Pentagon."

"Everyone has a price, and every security wall has a crack," Natalie whispered coldly. "I'll handle it. Even if I have to hire a professional hitman to take her out permanently this time."

She lowered her gaze to Leo, "I’m going to make sure she ends up exactly where she belongs. Six feet under."

_________

Amelia's pov

Meanwhile, across town, a sleek black SUV drove through the iron gates of the massive Donovan estate.

I pressed my forehead against the cool, tinted glass of the window, staring out at the manicured lawns and towering fountains.

Along the way, the SUV had pulled over at a private security outpost and Jared had stepped out to handle an "urgent corporate matter," leaving me in the care of his lieutenant, Lorenzo.

"We're here, Miss Quinn," Lorenzo said from the front seat, his tone professional. "Welcome to the Donovan Estate."

I didn't say a word as I got out of the car, my legs still feeling a bit weak from the lingering effects of the chloroform.

I looked up at the grand, modern mansion.

It was beautiful, but to me, it just looked like a bigger, more expensive cage.

I knew exactly what I was doing. I wasn't an idiot.

I had signed Jared’s contract because I had to. I was a ghost with no identity, no money, and no allies.

I was going to use Jared's billions, his lawyers, and his terrifying power to completely dismantle Dean and Natalie.

I would get my son back, and I would extract every single drop of revenge.

But I had no intention of letting Jared keep my father's company forever.

"Once Dean and Natalie are ruined," I thought, tightening my fists, "I will find the flaw in Jared's contract. I will find a way to get rid of him, too. Nobody keeps my father's legacy from me."

I walked through the grand front doors instantly greeted by the last person I wanted to meet in this mansion.

Claire Sterling marched in, her white fur coat trailing behind her, her diamonds sparkling under the chandelier lights.

She stopped a few feet away from me, crossing her arms and looking down her nose with pure disgust.

"So, this is the charity case Jared dragged out of the slums of Africa," Claire sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "Look at you. You look like a homeless person who wandered into a museum. I cannot believe my husband is letting a filthy ex con sleep under my roof."

I didn't flinch.

After surviving three years in a cell fighting for bread a spoiled princess in a fur coat didn't scare me at all.

I took a slow step forward, a cold, dangerous smile appearing on my face. "And you must be Claire. The temporary wife."

Claire’s eyes widened in shock. "What did you just call me?!"

"You heard me," I said, my voice smooth and entirely unfazed. "Jared told me all about your little arrangement. Your father needed his tech, he needed your father's ships, and you got a nice little title. But let’s be real, Claire, he doesn't love you. He doesn't even sleep in the same wing of the house as you. You're just a valuable object and sadly, your time is officially up."

Claire’s face turned bright red with fury and raised her hand as if she wanted to slap me across the face, but I grabbed her wrist mid air, squeezing it with the raw strength I had developed just to survive prison.

"Don't even try it, princess," I hissed, leaning close enough for her to see the absolute lack of fear in my eyes. "I’ve been through hell and back. You haven't worked a day in your life. If you try to play games with me, I will snap you in half. Go back to your wing, play with your diamonds, and stay out of my way."

I let go of Claire’s wrist, tossing it aside carelessly.

Claire stumbled back, gasping for air, her eyes wide with a mixture of intense shock and boiling hatred.

"You'll pay for this!" Claire screamed, her voice cracking. "Jared will throw you out on the street!"

"We'll see about that," I countered coldly.

Turning my back on the furious heiress, I began to walk up the grand marble staircase, intending to find a room to finally wash the stench of the last three years off my skin.

My mind was racing, planning how to get back at Dean.

I reached the top of the stairs and looked down at the big hallway below.

Suddenly, I heard someone rushing up behind me.

Before I could even turn around, someone pushed me hard in the back.

"Ah—!"

I lost my balance completely and tripped forward over the edge and fell down the hard marble stairs, unable to stop myself.

My head hit a metal railing at the bottom with a loud thud knocking unconscious.

The last thing I saw before passing out was a shadow walking away from the top of the stairs, leaving me hurt and bleeding on the cold floor.