I walked into the mansion just past midnight. Not seeing Ivan at the medical wing, I climbed the stairs, headed straight to his room. I expected him to be in bed, passed out from painkillers or asleep from exhaustion. Instead, his door was slightly open, light spilling out from the crack.I pushed it open.He was sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless, struggling to fasten the bandage around his side.“You’re not supposed to be here yet,” I said flatly, walking in.Ivan looked up, completely unsurprised. “That bed sucks. And I hate the hospital smell.”I closed the door behind me. “You woke up less than forty-eight hours ago.”He winced slightly but didn’t stop what he was doing. “You think a hospital bed makes the pain better? This is my space. I’d rather die here.”I walked over and took the bandage from his hands. “You’re impossible.”He let me do it. “I’ve heard worse.”“You look like shit,” I muttered, carefully wrapping the gauze around his ribs. "Were you waiting for me?""M
I was finishing the last sip of my drink when Rafael and Viktor walked in. Both looked a little too calm, but there was something else in their eyes, something I didn’t like.“Isadora,” Rafael’s voice was low, like he was trying to measure his words.I put my glass down, suddenly feeling the weight of the situation in my gut. “What’s going on?”Viktor spoke up first. “We’ve got word from Cesar.”I narrowed my eyes. “Cesar?”Rafael took a step forward, the tension between us thickening. “He wants to surrender.”I blinked, trying to process what I was hearing. “What the hell are you talking about? Cesar wants to surrender? After everything?”Viktor’s jaw tightened, and he met my gaze. “That’s what he’s saying. He’s offering us information in exchange for his life.”“And why the sudden change of heart?” I scoffed, pushing my chair back. “He’s not exactly the type to beg.”Rafael exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “His life is at risk. Right now, he must realise he's much safer wit
“To what?” Mariana asked, raising her glass after I'd poured our drinks.I shrugged, smiling lightly. “To second chances?”She nodded smiling. "Okay."We clinked glasses and drank.She leaned on the counter, facing me. “So, are you actually going to talk tonight, or are we going to sit here and watch you brood?”I smiled faintly. “What do you want to know?”Her eyes scanned my face. “I don’t know… you. The real you. I see you in this place, with your soldiers and your guns, but I don’t know who you are when it’s quiet.”I looked down at the counter. “It’s never quiet.”“That’s not what I asked.”I sighed. “You really want to know the real me?”“Yeah. If we’re starting over, I want to do it right.”I paused. “Alright. I hate mornings. I used to play piano when I was a child, but I haven’t touched one in years.”Her brow lifted. “Piano? Really?”I nodded. “My mother taught me. She was strict about it— every day before school. I hated it. But now? I miss it.”Mariana rested her chin in
The club was louder than usual. Maybe it was the way the music hit harder, or maybe it was me— tense, hyper aware of everything after the chaos of the past few days.Ivan waking up should've felt like relief, and it did. But it also meant that we were far from done. There were enemies still breathing and I planned to fix that.But tonight, wasn't about blooshed. Not yet. I wasn’t here to dance either. Tonight, I was here for myself. For damage control.For her.I stepped into the back office, nodding at one the men as he closed the door behind me. The paperwork was already on the desk, supply invoices, documents, all the bullshit no one ever wanted to do but that kept the empire running. I skimmed through the documents, signing off where needed, circling names that needed to followed up.But the whole time, my eyes kept drifting to the clock. Waiting for her shift to end.Mariana.The last time we spoke, I pushed her away like she was nothing more than a loose thread. She had shown u
Isadora“Morning, reina.” Ivan's voice was rough, laced with exhaustion, but the hint of amusement was unmistakable.I had been standing at the doorway of the room, watching him sleep. His face was still pale, but there was more color than the night before. I stepped inside, letting the door close softly behind me. At the sound, Ivan stirred, his eyelids fluttering before they slowly opened. His eyes met mine instantly—sharp, assessing before he spoke. Even injured, he was still the same Ivan.I exhaled, walking toward the bed. “You should be resting, not trying to sound cocky.”Ivan smirked, wincing slightly as he tried to shift. “I’ve been lying here long enough. What’s going on?” His gaze flickered over my face, reading every unspoken thought. “You’re up early. That’s never a good sign.”I sighed, pulling a chair closer to his bed. Sitting down, I rested my elbows on my knees. “We talked to Diego last night. Got some answers.”Ivan’s expression darkened instantly. “Tell me.”I alr
IsadoraThe door had barely shut behind Diego before I turned to face Viktor and Rafael, arms crossed, jaw tight. The weight of everything was pressing down on me—Diego’s new intel, Ivan still recovering in the next room, the unanswered questions surrounding Cesar. But above all, the need for retribution burned in my chest like a slow, consuming fire.Viktor leaned against the wall, arms folded, expression unreadable. Rafael, on the other hand, exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face before speaking.“Well, that was interesting,” Rafael muttered, shooting me a look. “At least we know Cesar isn’t the one who set us up. That’s one less problem to worry about.”I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head. “One less problem? Rafael, we still don’t know who the hell was behind this, and we still have to find Cesar before someone else does.”“We will,” Viktor said, his voice level but firm. “Diego’s lead is solid. If Cesar’s hiding, he won’t stay hidden for long.”I sighed, pacing to the o
Isadora"What's the problem?" Ivan asked, the subtle fierceness slowly returning to his eyes. The way he switched from emotional to business mode surprised me.Rafael looked at me, hesitating before replying. I understood his glare and quickly interjected."Let's take this outside, Rafael.""W-what?" Ivan stuttered in surprise."We're not doing this here, not now when we just got you back and you're still recuperating." My voice was firm and hard."You've got to be joking, Isadora.""Does it look like I am?" I scoffed, my right eyebrow raised."I've been out for almost two days, with no clue to what has been going around here, and now I'm awake, y-you're still telling me to sit down and do nothing?" Frustration was plastered all over his face, as his eyes pleaded with desperation."You've been out unconscious, Ivan. And you barely, barely, managed to come back to us. So no, you're not going to rush into sorting out these issues right now." I stated calmly, my voice steady and firm."L
Isadora"Are you being serious right now?" I asked, my voice dipped in frustration.He focused his gaze on our hands locked together."Can we not argue, at least just for now?" He pleaded, his eyes tired and weak.""Fine," I replied defeatedly, as I sat down on the bed, beside him. Caressing his hands, I looked into his eyes and said, "I missed you too, Ivan. I was scared I was going to lose you."Ivan held my gaze, his dark eyes heavy with exhaustion, but also something else—something raw.“You don't have to say it,” he murmured.I frowned. “Say what?”“That you were scared.” His voice was quiet, but there was an undeniable roughness beneath it, like him admitting it physically pained him.My fingers tightened around his. “Why not?”He let out a slow breath, shifting slightly on the bed. “Because it makes it real.”“It is real, Ivan,” I whispered, feeling my own walls cracking. “You almost died.”He smirked, but it was weak, barely there. “Yeah, but I didn’t.”"Let's be for real now,
Isadora"What?""Ivan's awake," Rafael repeated, his voice steady.The hallways blurred as I moved, my steps quick and unsteady. My mind raced faster than my feet, thoughts colliding, scattering.Ivan’s awake.The words rang in my head like an alarm. After days of waiting, suffocating in uncertainty, he was finally back. Conscious. Breathing. Speaking, hopefully.My stomach twisted.I had imagined this moment over and over again. Sometimes he woke up furious, demanding answers. Sometimes he was too weak to even recognize me. And sometimes—on the worst nights—I dreamt that he woke up only to slip away again before I could say anything at all.I pushed the thought aside as I reached the door to the medical wing.Rafael had already gone ahead to talk to the doctor, but I didn’t stop, Viktor right behind me. My hand found the handle, pushing it open before I could give myself the chance to hesitate.And there he was.Sitting upright, propped against pillows, looking—alive.His skin was pa