로그인SAMSON'S POV I walk back to my cell with a smile on my face seeing Damien's frustrated face and watching him lose his cool made my day. This is just the beginning of his nightmare. We are barely getting started. I'll be out of here. The guards shoved me inside after the phone call, the heavy metal door slamming shut with a finality that echoed down the corridor. I sat down on the cold concrete bench, leaning my head against the damp wall. My shoulder still burned. My face was swollen and every breath hurt. But I smiled. Cassian would handle it. He always did. He’d get me out. I just had to wait. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the stench of piss and despair that clung to the cell. The thin mattress felt like concrete under me. The small barred window let in almost no light. I turned around and I was about to lie down on the disgusting bed when I heard hurried footsteps. The same older guard who brought me in just now stopped in front of my cell. “Samson. Your lawyer’s h
DAMIEN'S POV I push open the door to my office and walk straight to the desk papers are spread everywhere financial records, legal documents, and shareholder lists. I need to get things handled. I need to take control back but I can't focus. I keep thinking about Cassian. My friend for years, We grew up together, we were a trio Cassain,Rose and I. We were inseparable and then we both fell for Rose. It was a friendly competition for her attention and I won. He was cool with it or so I thought. And that day happened, we were in a shootout and we ran into a building. And the rival gang set the place on fire Marcus knocks and steps inside and interrupts "Sir, the shareholders have been pacified for now. But Isabella is still making moves. She's been meeting with people. Planting doubts." "I know." I run a hand through my hair. "We need to stay ahead of her." "What's our next move?" I pause. I think about Samson. About the information he has. About the way he looked at me when
CASSIAN'S POV The penthouse was silent except for the distant hum of the city far below. I stood at the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, phone still clutched in my hand long after Samson’s call had ended. Such a fool. Samson had always been reckless, but this? Getting himself caught like a common thug? After everything I had built, after all the years of careful planning? I had him but he just had to be reckless and ruin my plans. I slammed the phone down on the marble counter so hard the screen cracked. The sound satisfied me for half a second before the rage returned. I poured myself a drink, the amber liquid sloshing in the glass. I downed it in one swallow and poured another. The burn did nothing to cool the fire in my chest. I had warned him. I had told him Damien Cross was not to be underestimated. That the man was slippery, always one step ahead, and yet Samson had walked right into his trap because he was arrogant and underestimated him What an arrogant idiot. His own
SAMSON'S POV The interrogation room was blinding. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead like angry insects trapped in glass. The white walls felt like they were closing in. A metal table was bolted to the floor in the center of the room and two detectives sat across from me like they actually thought they could break me. My shoulder burned from the gunshot wound. My face was swollen and bruised from the beating Damien gave me before they dragged me away. Every breath sent sharp pain through my ribs. But I leaned back in the uncomfortable chair with cuffs biting into my wrists and smiled at them like we were having a friendly chat. “Mr. Samson,” the older detective began, sliding a thick folder across the table. “You’ve got quite the rap sheet. Private security. Weapons trafficking. Assault. Kidnapping. You want to tell us why you were running a full compound full of armed men out in the middle of nowhere?” I didn’t answer right away. I just kept smiling, letting the silence st
LEAH'S POV I got out of the Uber and stepped into the hospital. I've hated the smell of hospitals since I was younger. I stopped at the front desk first. A tired-looking nurse was typing on her computer. “Excuse me,” I said quietly. “I’m looking for Jeremy Hale. He was brought in after a shooting.” The nurse glanced up at me, then at the bruise on my cheek. “Are you okay?” She asked, reaching to touch the bruise on my lips. I instinctively took a step back avoiding her “Yes I'm good thanks for asking. I'm looking for Jeremy Hale.” "Alright, Honey Let me check… Room 317. Down the hall, take the elevator to the third floor and turn left.” “Thank you.” I stopped at the gift shop on the first floor and bought the only decent thing I could find — a small basket with snacks, a paperback thriller, and a bottle of water. It felt too small for what Jeremy had done, but it was something. We had never been truly close. He was just someone who had been pulled into our chaos. Still, I o
LEAH'S POV I wake to birds chirping outside the window. Sunlight cuts across the room too bright. Every inch of my body protests as I push myself up. My ribs ache with each breath. My head throbs. For a long moment, I sit on the edge of the bed staring at the floor. I wish I could disappear back under the covers. But I cannot hide in this room forever. I move to the mirror. The girl looking back at me is a stranger with swollen eyes, a lip split, and a dark bruise blooms across my cheek. I touch it carefully and wince. Dried blood cracks on my lip. I look exactly like what I am. Someone who barely survived. I splash cold water on my face. I drag my fingers through my tangled hair and leave it at that. No makeup. No hiding. The house is quiet but smells like coffee I follow the smell of coffee into the kitchen. Emily stands at the stove scrambling eggs. "Leah" she says softly. "You are up. How are you feeling?" "I am managing." I pour myself a cup of coffee and wrap my hand
LEAH POV “Bye Mom, bye Soph—have a great day at school,” I called as I rushed out the door, backpack slung over one shoulder, keys already in hand. The morning sun is bright, but I barely notice. The diner is the only thing keeping me grounded these days, the only place where I can pretend everyth
The bus is halfway through its route when the brakes screech with a sudden, violent jolt that shoves me forward. My shoulder slams into the seat in front of me and I hear someone cursing. A bag tumbles into the aisle. The driver swears under his breath and yanks the wheel.Through the windshield,
Greasy hair slicked back, faded tattoo curling out from the collar of his worn polo, that crooked grin that used to make Mom laugh until it didn’t.He isn't meant to bug me for a while. I sent him money last night. It should have bought me more time but here he is.He slides into a corner booth like
I step out of the shower, skin pruned and red from the hot water that turned cold too fast. The mirror’s fogged, but I don’t wipe it—I don’t want to see the wreck staring back. Faint bruises bloom along my collarbone like fingerprints he never meant to leave, nipples still tender from his mouth,







