MasukThe moment we stepped outside, the cold air hit my skin. It was a sharp contrast against the suffocating tension inside the building. The parking area was barely it. Something felt wrong to me. I didn’t stop to think about it, and I quickly walked towards my car and pulled open the back door. My hand was still on the door when a sharp sound echoed in the air.Bang!For a second, everything around me went still. In the next second, Valerie gasped. Her body jerked beside me, and her hand instinctively reached to her side. Seeing the red colour, her eyes widened in both shock and pain, before her knees gave out.“No…” And she fell.“Valerie…!!!” I shouted, my heart felt leaping out of my chest.I brought my gun out and shot several shots towards the direction the shot had come from. My men followed right after me. Soon, only the sound of gunfire echoed in the air.Max moved with Nolan as he dragged him behind one of the cars for cover. Nolan shouted something, but his voice was barely au
“Interesting,” Nolan chuckled, “are you not scared I will shoot you in a second?” His gaze shifted from me to Max to back to me.“Just try,” I said, seriously.Nolan shifted slightly in his seat, his grip tightened on his gun. The air around us thickened. Silence wrapped around us, and for a moment, none of us said anything.Just then, we heard footsteps, low but audible. My gaze shifted towards the area where the sound was coming from. Then I saw two slender legs walking, and my eyes followed her head. Valerie. Dressed in an emerald green-coloured dress, she stepped in front of Nolan before she paused to see me.Our eyes met.And everything around us felt non-existent. It was just us. Just me and my Wife, the one I hadn’t seen in days. She was standing perfectly fine in front of me, looking at me like she didn’t recognise me, or more like she hadn’t expected to find me. Her eyes squinted a little, and the side of her left arm flinched a little.“I missed you, Wife,” I began.When she
Midnight:Max’s phone rang. He talked for a couple of seconds before he turned to me, “They have sent the evidence.”“Play it,” I said calmly, though there was no calm in my mind.He played the video. It was a bit blurry as it was taken from a distance. But two figures were visible. Those who knew them could recognise them easily.It was Valerie sitting on the right side, wearing a yellow dress. Her hair was tied into a messy bun. She was eating her dinner. On her right-side sitting was Nolan. He wore a brown T-shirt. His focus wasn’t on his food but on Valerie. Seeing the way he was looking at her made my fist clench.The video was barely fifteen to twenty seconds. I looked up at Max, “What’s the update on his security?”“They have a large number,” Max said with disappointment.I frowned, “How many to be exact?”Max shook his head, “We don’t have a specific number, but it should be more than fifty.”I nodded.“They are scattered closer and at a distance to completely guard them.” Max
One whole week passed, and I found no trace of Valerie.For one moment, it felt like she never came to New York, or if she came, she had left. However, I had already tracked the airport and public transport CCTV footage again. It was like she had vanished, or another possibility was that someone had kidnapped her. So, I decided to go underground as well.If Valerie was in the shadows, she or her kidnapper forgot, I ruled the shadows.Another four days passed, and I felt like losing my shit. Eliot, Rowan, Kyle, Axel, Nate, Ethan and Xander were actively looking for me, like I was the one who got kidnapped. They were just ruining my plans.“You sure, you don’t want to let them know you’re safe?” Max gave me a side eye.“It’s not a wise choice,” I shook my head, already checking the latest information I got about Valerie, that she might be in this area. I could let them know, but it would have made them relax. If Valerie or the person who kidnapped her were tracking them to get to me, th
Raven Blackwood’s POV:If he wanted her, he would have to forget I exist.Hours passed, and there was no sign of Valerie. Anger bulged through my veins, though I tried my best to stay calm until I couldn’t. I stood up, walking to the receptionist, “Tell me her apartment number.”“Sir… please try to understand this is against our customer’s privacy policy.” She smiled at me.“Do I look like an idiot to you?” My jaw clenched.“N-no… Sir,” She trembled visibly. Sweat tickled on her forehead suddenly.“Give me her room number,” As I said, I pulled my gun out and aimed at her, “Now.”The moment I pulled my gun out, the guards got alert and they raised their guns and aimed at me. I didn’t flinch, not even for a second. I looked back at the receptionist, “Get me her room number.”“Put your gun down, or we will have to shoot you,” Both guards shouted simultaneously.“Go on,” I said calmly, but my gaze remained on the receptionist.“What’s happening here?” A mature voice came from behind me.I
Time felt slow, and Raven’s gaze suddenly shifted towards me.I was done. I was so done. Raven would kill me. I knew he was not going to let me go. Damn, what do I do now? Oxygen felt too heavy to inhale. Darkness seemed to appear before my eyes, and before I could react, my vision shifted violently. In the blink of an eye, the view before me changed.What just happened?I blink my eyes a few times to be sure the view before my eyes had actually changed.“It’s ok. You’re safe.” A voice called out to me. Only when I heard this voice did I feel strong grip around my body. I turned my face to see the person standing before me. No, it can’t be…How could he be here now? That would be just my mind playing tricks on me.For once, I could believe Raven was here, but Nolan? No way! He was already gone from this world, so how could he be standing here, holding me like this?Tears ran down my cheeks, and my vision got blurry. What was happening today? Had I gone crazy??? Was I hallucinating? If







