Nicholas's eyes fluttered open. He felt so much at ease. He hasn't slept well for some time. The faint light of the morning sun crept into the rooms through the curtains.He was still a little sleepy but he suddenly became aware of the warmth pressed against him.Alison.His arm was wrapped around her, holding her close as though she belonged there.For a brief second, he didn’t move. He just stared at her.He tried recollecting anything that happened last night but he couldn't.Her face was a few inches away from his. She looked so peaceful he didn't want to wake her up. As she slept, her lips were slightly parted, and each breath caused her chest to rise and fall. Her hair fell in strands across her face, and Nicholas thoughtlessly swept them away with his fingers. His touch was light—careful—as if afraid he might wake her.And in that moment, he felt it again.That ache. That familiar torment.She looked like her.But she wasn’t.He knew it, yet his heart still twisted painfully in
Alison carried on like nothing happened.It was an accident. Nicholas was half asleep. He probably didn't remember anything. She had been stupid to let her guard down. Only one thing mattered —Survival.No matter how she tried to forget, she could still feel his warmth, his arms around it. She could still remember how his face looked so peaceful, so vulnerable. It was so unsettling to her. She shouldn't be thinking like that. She mustn't. When she entered the living room, Nicholas was already there sipping his coffee. He was back to his usual self—cold and distant. It was nothing like the pain in his eyes she saw last night. She was right, he probably didn't remember anything.“Training starts in ten,” he said, his voice sharp, sparing her a quick glance..Alison nodded quickly. “Got it.”Neither of them said anything. But the silence between them felt different. Not cruel. There was this tension in the air that Alison felt, she wasn't if he felt it too.The training was tense that d
Alison sat down peacefully on the couch as Nicholas tended to her injury. He cleansed her ankle's wound with delicate, cautious hands.There was something softer in his countenance, despite the fact that his brows were wrinkled in concentration. It was something something she hadn’t seen before.She tried not to feel anything.But she did.The warmth of his touch. The faint smell of his cologne. The way his eyes flickered to hers every now and then, as if checking to see if she was okay.“You need to be more careful,” he muttered, his voice low. “Things could have gone worse.”“I can handle it,” she replied, though her voice was losing its usual sharpness. “It’s only a scratch.”“ Just a scratch, huh” he mocked, pretty sure he saw her limping.Nicholas looked up; their eyes briefly met for a moment, but it was enough for Alison's heart to be at faster. Neither of them spoke but everything unsaid seemed to hang in the air between them.But then, as always, Nicholas was the first to bre
The times passed slowly and Alison busied herself sketching and painting. She took a moment to realize she was drawing him. Him. He has been in her mind these days. Like a force that refuses to leave. She wanted to rip it off.The painting was magnificent. His eyes. His gray eyes looked so enchanting. His sharp jaw. His eyes in the painting held a soothing softness. One she hasn't seen in his eyes.She hated it. She hated the fact she wanted to see this on his face when he looked at her. She hated the fact he was invading her thoughts. She hated the fact that she let her guard down even if it was only a little.This was dangerous and she knew it.By afternoon, Alison heard footsteps at the door. She was certain Nicholas had returned.She felt her heart skip a beat but it was not out of fear.She quickly hid her sketchbook, the last thing she wanted was for Nicholas to see the drawing and think she was obsessed with him or anything. She started to read an old book she found on a dusty
Although the night was silent, his thoughts were not. Nicholas stood by the window. He had a glass of whiskey in his hand, even though he barely took a sip out of it. Though his mind was centered on the darkness outside, his thoughts were else that was not here. They accompanied her. Alison.He sighed deeply, feeling that familiar weight in his chest—the one he had grown used to in the past days. This wasn’t meant to happen. She wasn't meant to be anything. Just a tool to be used. A reminder of Amelia, yes, but nothing more. But every day that passed, she became less of that reminder and more of… herself. He was frightened by that.She spoke to him as though he were a human who hadn't committed grievous sins, as though he was someone worth worrying about, and then she said, "I just don't want you to get hurt."Nicholas felt the burn through his throat as he gulped down the whiskey, calling his attention back to the present. He needed to wake up, remember who he was, what he had lost,
Nicholas's grip tightened around his phone as he reread the messages. “You don't know how close we are.”He stared into his phone as the word reverberated in his ears. The statement was straightforward, but it was as if a knife had been driven into his heart.As he inhaled, his jaw tightened as he felt repressed wrath wanting to surface. This person wasn't merely making fun of him. It served as a warning. It was more like a statement. They were aware of her she was here. Could it be Adrian? Adrian don't bother using a burner phone. He texts him directly.Nicholas was aware he had so many people. He had killed a lot of people and he wouldn't be surprised if their loved ones goes out seeking revenge. He doesn't have time to think whether it was Adrian or not. Whoever it was. They are probably on their way by now Nicholas's first impulse was to summon his men and order everyone in the vicinity to return right away.However, he stopped himself. No. Adrian could not afford to alert his sold
Nicholas didn't sleep at all. He couldn't allow himself to sleep. He guarded the window, his eyes glued outside in search of any movement or hidden shadows. The symbol craved in Alison's window was plainly on his mind. He knew they were watching, they were waiting and Nicholas was ready for them whenever they were ready to strike.The hours dragged on yet nothing happened. No movement or attack at all. Just pure silence. This was the hardest part. The certainty that something was meant to happen but nothing was happening at all.By morning, the house remained untouched. Nicholas understood assuming they were out of danger would be a big mistake. The moment he was about to sleep, his phone let out a buzz. It was the same number.Unknown Number: You didn’t sleep, did you? His fingers tightened around the phone. Whoever was behind this wanted to mess with him. They wanted to make him doubt his own security.Unknown Number: Nicholas, you're slipping. You can't keep her safe forever.He a
The light turned on in the warehouse as soon as Adrian entered, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the room with every steps he took. His men were ready, their weapons positioned to shoot if needed. The message he received was simple: We need to talk.Adrian wasn't the type to be summoned, he summons people, no one dare summons him maybe that was why he found the message intriguing. This was no ordinary informant. This person knew Nicholas and they knew him well.A figure stepped into the light emerging from the shadows. The man had a relaxed posture and was fully clothed in dark clothings. Adrian's eyes narrowed. He had anticipated a low-level mole, an unnamed traitor. Not the person he was seeing.The man before him was thought to be dead. Luke. It took a while before Adrian spoke, studying him for signs of deceit. Adrian folded his arms with ease and remarked, "So," he paused "You're the one feeding me information from.”Luke smirked. “Took you long enough to figure it out.”Adri
Alison sat by the window wearing a borrowed hoodie. She freshened up a while ago. She could tell Nicholas was curious about what happened to her. It was like he didn't want to push her. He wanted her to tell him what happened in her accord.She felt his presence in the room, he stood by the door watching her."You know I went out looking for you when some men I didn't know drugged me. When I woke up, I was in this unknown building. I don't know, apparently, you killed their head and they wanted to use me as bait to get you"" The Ortegas" he groaned in annoyance."I managed to escape luckily-" she made a tiny pause not knowing how he would rest to what she wanted to say next. " I met Adrian"There was a cold silence for a while. Nicholas was trying his best to remain calm even though there was a burning anger in his chest and it worked. She stared at his face but she couldn't read it.Soon he was by her side. "Are you okay, did he do anything to you""I'm okay, Nicholas; he didn't man
Alison didn't turn back and continued running. She didn't remember how long she had been running. She couldn't hear any sounds of footsteps but that still didn't give her any reassurance. Adrian's taste still clung to her mouth and she felt the urgent need to wash off everything that reminded her of that monster.She turned a corner and the sudden beam of headlights blinded her.A car screeched to a stop.“Alison?” A voice she'd never forget said. Nicholas.She froze.“Alison!” he was out of the car in a flashShe stumbled backward as he crushed her with his arms pulling her into a tight hug. Tears she didn’t realize she was holding began to fall freely down her cheeks.“I’m so sorry,, Nic” she whispered, “I should have told you about Adrian”“Shh.” Nicholas placed a finger over her lips. “You don’t have to explain. I'm the one at fault. I'm sorry for leaving; I should have never left you alone,” he said, and she nodded.He was in a complete state of shock and disbelief at who he was
Alison gave up trying to get out of his cold. She was so tired at this point. He was the last person she wanted to see at the moment. He smiled at her, reminding her of how welcoming he was when she first saw him. This time she wasn't fooled."You are never going to remain hidden forever ""Get away from me, you monster""I believe you know I am now" Adrian made a sad face. "I'm not going to hurt you" he began. "Unless you misbehave" he gave a look as if warning her."You know if you want to kill me, just do and get this over, I'm tired of hiding "" Ohh, Darling." he tucked a strand of her hair, and Alison pulled her face back."You were never the target; it was Nicholas; the house wasn't the first time we met Alison. I bought paintings from you two years ago. I was stunned by your resemblance with her, so I watched you and I plotted the whole thing. The incident at your house, the murder you witnessed, wasn't a coincidence; I let it happen. It was the only way for Nicholas to meet y
Alison didn't know where she was going or where she was. She was just moving; she was getting tired; she had been running almost the entire night, not stopping to rest or sleeping a wink. Each time she settled down to rest, an unsettling fear they were coming closer struck her.The only lucky thing she liked was the fact she hadn't heard anyone chasing after her. She was sure she was pretty far from there.****Adrian had a feeling where Alison could be.The Ortega Syndicate.He heard from his spies there that there was an appointment of a new Mafia leader, and Nicholas had a lot of enemies there, so it made perfect sense as to where she was going to be if she was indeed abducted.He had to be sure.He confirmed one thing: Nicholas was in love with Alison, and that's what he wanted for him to carry out his plan. He stared at his face in the mirror noticing his bloody lip. Nicholas was so going to pay for laying his hands on him. He was going to take everything he had till he begged fo
Nicholas was still surprised that Luke was alive. He remembered he didn't see the body so clearly, it was staged to fool him, and it worked. He still couldn't believe Luke betrayed him. Of course, he had his suspicions, especially since the cabin incident.Although Nicholas didn't want to admit or act like it. He considered him a friend; they trained and grew together in the Castellanos."You know I love the look on your face?" Luke sneered at him."I tried looking for you""Don’t you lie" Luke snapped. "You didn't do shit""I know, I was busy but I was concerned about you""Liar""I don't care to explain, I don't have time for this, as much as I love that you are alive, I need you to get these men out of my way "Luke laughed bitterly " Now that's the Nicholas I know, it's because of her right, what's her name again, Alison right or what is Angela, you didn't even bother to check if I was alive because of that whore","Watch your tone," Nicholas said through gritted teeth. He was thi
Alison could feel some presence again in the room. She had been sitting down for hours, and she was beginning to get tired of it." Why don't we just kill her and get this over with""No, the boss wants to see her""Your boss, not mine. Her boyfriend Nicholas killed our boss, the only person fit enough to run this gang." Alison could feel a glare aimed in her direction."You think I don't know, the boss, our new boss wants us to bring her, so untie her now," another voice growled. She could hear murmurings and movement in her direction. The ropes loosened around her wrists and ankles and she was free.The person picked her up roughly; her legs were a little weak, probably from sitting down too much. " I still think this is bullshit, man, we should destroy the person that caused the boss's death and clearly Nicholas is smitten by this girl so she'll do" "Lower the gun, man," a voice said after a short pause. Even though she still had a blindfold in her eyes, she could tell the gun was
Adrian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand looking amused."Since you're so desperate for answers," he drawled, "I'm kinda feeling generous today."He gave a signal to his men and a few seconds later, two guards came from a side door dragging a familiar figure with them."Tristan," he muttered under his breath, feeling angry all over again.Tristan’s head was bowed, his hair wet sticking to his face. His shirt was torn soaked in dark stains of dried blood.A sick feeling bloomed in Nicholas’s chest as he watched him. They dropped Tristan in front of him. Nicholas supported him gently on the floor. His body was cold, frightening cold "Nick, the asshole Luke is alive" his words were quiet but loud for Nicholas to hear.The words hit Nicholas like a bullet.No. It couldn’t be. He was sure he was dead. But the look on Tristan's face said otherwise.Nicholas barely had time to process it before Adrian’s voice cut through the heavy silence like a blade.
Only one person came to mind when it came to abducting Alison.Adrian.The name alone filled him with anger. The thought she left came to mind, he brushed it aside. He needed to find her and fast. He never should have left he was feeling guilty and afraid something might happen to her.He stormed out of the room. There was only one place he knew Adrian would be.Nicholas hasn't driven fast the way he drove there. He wasn't focused. All he could think of was how he could have handled the matter differently. If he did, this wouldn't have happened.Amelia's lifeless body flashed in his mind. "No, Alison was going to be fine," he told himself repeatedly, trying to convince himself. All he wanted was to have her in his arms and apologize for how sorry he was.His anger returned so fast as he approached the place. The place he hasn't been for a while. He had a love-hate relationship with this place. The place that practically raced him.He knew he was going on a suicide mission coming here
Alison's emotions were all over the place. She was feeling so many things at the same time. She was sad and angry and felt so many things she didn't understand.Her face was dried with tears, she had been crying. She knew she should have told her. She was hurt, and Nicholas's leaving added to it. She knew he just needed time to cool off but it pained her.The warm once vibrant room was now cold. The night passed with a heavy stillness.Alison couldn't sleep. She stayed seated on the couch waiting for him. The couch reminded her of him. She didn't know when she fell asleep but she woke up and it was already morning.Nicholas still wasn't back. Alison was beginning to get worried. What if something bad happened to him? There's no way she could stay here and continue to wait for him to show up. She needed to do something. "I can't just sit here" she whispered to herself.Grabbing a coat, she slipped on her shoes. She'll be quick. She just needed to check if Nicholas was nearby. The plac