LOGINChandria’s POVThe heaviness in my eyelids felt like lead. I was drifting in that thick, mindless space of deep sleep when a touch pulled me toward the surface. It was a hand, light and steady, caressing the line of my cheek.I groaned, my head throbbing with a dull, rhythmic ache as I forced my eyes to open. The first thing I saw was Daniel. He was leaning over me, his face inches from mine. He was handsome—strikingly so—but as I blinked the sleep away, something felt different.“Daniel?” My voice came out like sandpaper, dry and cracking.“I’m here,” he whispered. His voice was soothing, but his eyes were searching mine with an intensity that made my stomach flip. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to leave you.”I tried to nod, but as I looked past his shoulder, the confusion hit me like a physical blow.We weren’t in the room I remembered. This place was massive—grandiose, with high ceilings and furniture that looked like it belonged in a magazine. It smelled of expensive wax and somethi
Aiden’s POVI watched him stare at his father’s lifeless body, and honestly, I felt nothing.Most people would call it a cruel sight, but after what this family put Chandria through, a clean death was more than they deserved.I didn’t care about his grief. I didn’t care about his loss. I only cared about the debt that hadn’t been fully paid yet.“Are you just going to stand there? Face me, you coward!”I raised my arm, pointing the barrel of the gun directly at his forehead.My finger hovered over the trigger, the cold metal a familiar weight in my hand.I didn’t pull it—not yet.I wanted to see him break first.I watched his face. The fear was there, raw and unmistakable, but then it began to shift. It was a sickening cocktail of emotions—sadness and grief washing over him before being swallowed whole by a burning, white-hot rage.He looked up at me, his eyes bloodshot and wild.“You monster!” he screamed.He lunged at me with a desperate, animalistic energy. I expected the attack, b
Daniel’s POV“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper, though it felt like I was shouting.“What do you mean she can’t remember anything?”The doctor didn’t answer right away. He stood there, shifting his weight, his eyes scanning the chart in his hands as if the ink held a better way to break the news. He was contemplating the seriousness of it, measuring his words before letting them hit me.“We’ve checked her vitals,” he said finally, his tone clinical but cautious. “Physically, she’s mostly stable. The injuries are there, of course, but they’re manageable. However…” He paused, looking at me over his glasses. “Did something happen before the accident? Was there a specific trauma or a shock? It’s as if her brain triggered a defense mechanism—a total blackout of certain segments of her life.”I looked past him toward Chandria’s family. Her mother was pale, her father’s jaw was set tight, and her two siblings looked completely lost. I felt a sick knot form in my stomach.
Daniel’s POV“Chandria!”My heart hammered against my ribs as I lunged forward. Her body was terrifyingly limp in my arms, her skin a shade of pale that made my blood run cold.“We need a car! Now!” I roared, my eyes darting around the room, looking for the fastest way to the hospital. “Someone get the door! We’re taking her to the ER!”I was already shifting my weight to lift her, ready to sprint, when a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder.“Stop, Daniel,” Don Aurelio said. His voice was low, strained with a desperate kind of authority. “She stays here.”“Are you serious?” I snapped, my protective instincts flaring. “She’s unconscious! She needs a hospital.”“No,” he countered, his eyes hard but glistening with unshed tears. “I am calling our private doctors and a full nursing team. They’ll be here in minutes. It’s safer for her to stay within these walls. After everything that’s happened... I won’t let her be exposed to the outside world again. Not like this. Not when the enemies
Carla’s POVMy whole body went rigid.The color drained from the world around me, leaving me feeling like a ghost haunting the middle of the room.“Dad… you have to do something about it. Please,” I managed to say. My voice was a thin, jagged thread, barely holding together under the weight of the panic.He looked at me—really looked at me—but there was no comfort in his eyes. There was only a hollow, crushing helplessness.“Carla,” Victor said, which made me look at him.“We can’t do anything about it. Once it’s been triggered… once it’s already in motion, the timer has started. The only thing anyone can do now… is get out of there alive.”For a second, I honestly thought I had heard him wrong. The words made sense, but the reality behind them felt impossible.“W-What?” I whispered. The word barely left my lips.“No. No, this can’t be happening…”“I have to call him,” I suddenly blurted out, my hands shaking violently. “I have to contact him right now! Give me a phone!”“Carla…calm d
Carla’s POV“Now, let’s get out of here,” he whispered lovingly. He sounded like a man who could finally breathe again, relieved that he had actually reached me in time.I had no idea where I was, but as soon as Daniel carried me out of that room, the light of the hallway hit my eyes. I looked up at him, my voice barely a whisper. “A-Are you alone?”“Yeah, I came here alone,” he admitted, his throat bobbing as he gulped. He looked down at me with a mix of pain and determination. “My men are still at the Montclair fortress. No one else knew where they took you, and no one realized they actually planned to kill you. But I’m here now. I’m going to get you back to your family. Just hold on, okay?”He kept assuring me, his voice steady even though I could feel his body trembling slightly from the adrenaline. I clung to him for dear life, my fingers digging into his shirt.“Daniel, thank you…” I sobbed quietly against his chest. I knew I expected Aiden, but I’m still glad he’s here.“Don’t
Aiden’s POVI finished getting ready.I didn’t spend much time looking in the mirror. I already knew what I’d see—a man who looked as tired as he felt.I grabbed my coat and headed out. As soon as I stepped onto the driveway, my men lined up.They straightened their backs and bowed in unison.“Welc
Chandria’s POV“Daniel…”Just as I opened my mouth to tell Daniel what was on my mind, a sharp, piercing sound cut through the silence.It was his phone.We both froze.For a few seconds, neither of us moved.He held up a hand, motioning for me to give him a second.I watched his fingers as he reac
Chandria’s POVWhen Daniel and I finally arrived home, I wasn’t myself anymore.My body was there, but my mind was somewhere else, buried deep in thoughts that refused to slow down.I lay on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing, replaying everything that had happened.I was getting tired of this
Chandria’s POV“It’s not a lie, Chandria. It’s just that you didn’t know.”Daniel’s voice was too calm. He stepped closer, closing the distance between us until I could smell the faint scent of his cologne.He reached out and placed his hands on my shoulders. His touch was heavy, possessive.“But d







