Back in her office, Scarlet sat on the edge of her chair, staring blankly at the wall. Her stomach twisted with nausea, and a cold wave of humiliation washed over her. No one had said it outright, but the looks from the council were unmistakable, they saw her as a liability. She had worked so hard. And in one day, it had all unraveled. “I didn’t screw it up,” she whispered to herself, her voice cracking. “I didn’t.” Her fingers trembled as she reached for her computer and phone, comparing and checking the details of the message again, screenshot, timestamp, coordinates. She compared the information in the computer to the one she had sent to the burner phone. Wait. Her brows furrowed. Coordinates. The location she sent... it looked familiar, but something was off. She remembered typing something else. Her breath caught in her throat. Her stomach dropped like a stone. Someone had changed it. The time, too. The messages on her phone didn’t match the ones stored on her com
Leonardo stood in his office at the cartel headquarters, gazing out the window at the cityscape below. The warm glow of the setting sun cast a golden light on his chiseled features, highlighting the sharp lines of his jaw and the intensity of his gaze. Scarlet walked in, her heels clicking softly on the polished floor, and the sound seemed to echo through the silence. "You called for me?" she asked, she said as she glided towards him. Leonardo's eyes snapped towards her, and he felt a flutter in his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist, her touch igniting a spark within him. He turned to her, his hands instinctively reaching for her hips, drawing her closer. Their bodies swayed together, and Leonardo's lips claimed hers in a passionate kiss. As they broke apart for a moment, their eyes locked, and the air was charged with unspoken desire. Scarlet's cheeks were flushed, her lips parted, and Leonardo's heart pounded in his chest. They stared into each other’s eyes for
"You're too good at reading people," she said, trying to break the silence that had grown awkward. She realized she was staring at him too much, and the thought made her feel even more uncomfortable. "It’s a survival trait." He sipped his drink. "And you didn’t come here just to vent, did you?" he added, reading her intentions even more clearly. She stood slowly, walking toward him with deliberate grace. She couldn’t explain why she did it, but there was an undeniable attraction between them that guided her fingers toward his shirt. She brushed them against the fabric as she leaned in. "No," she said. "I didn’t." Valeria did have her real intentions. For a while, Leonardo had kept her in the shadows, to suffer in silence, longing for a touch. Maybe, just maybe, Mateo could give her what she so badly needed. Mateo didn’t move. His breath was steady, but she saw the flicker in his eyes. "I don’t want to be alone tonight," she said, her voice almost breaking. "Not again." H
The Nevada heat had no mercy that afternoon, pressing down on Valeria Thompson like the weight of memories she could no longer ignore. The sun bled gold across the sky as she stepped out of her sleek black Range Rover, her heels clicking on the stone driveway of the Ortega estate. The Ortega cartel wasn’t large, but it was precise, a small operation that couldn't compare to Leonardo's sprawling empire. Its leader, Mateo Ortega, was known for his calm exterior, jovial nature, and strategic mind, which guided his team through negotiations, business deals, and high-pressure situations with ease and finesse. He was the type to avoid trouble when it came knocking. His cartel wasn't friend or foe to Leonardo’s, they simply maintained a neutral relationship. And unlike most men in Valeria’s world, Mateo wasn’t intimidated by her power or her past. As Valeria approached the entrance of the estate, she adjusted the lapel of her olive trench coat, her gaze sharp and composed, exuding hi
The night shone bright with a full moon, and just as Scarlet arrived, the scenery turned musty, laced with dread. She had just finished orchestrating her plan. A few days earlier, Leonardo had granted Scarlet access to some of his men. The desire for revenge still boiled through her veins as she sent them to lay in wait for Cassius. Scarlet smiled sinisterly when her men caught him. She watched from her BMW 760Li, its sleek lines gleaming under the moonlight. The luxurious interior enveloped her in comfort as she waited. Scarlet had drawn a map of the clubhouse’s underground layout. Her men ambushed the place, kidnapping Cassius. He didn’t see it coming. One minute, he was in his office at the club, barking orders and counting money. The next, the lights flickered, the walls trembled, and masked figures stormed in. They moved like shadows,silent, efficient, merciless. A needle pierced his neck before he could reach for his gun. As they dragged Cassius away, a violent confronta
As weeks passed by Scarlet still bore some sense of anger toward Leonardo because he hadn't defended her when Valeria called her a concubine but it didn't still stop her from interrogating Damien and giving solutions for the almost flagged account. Yet she knew at some point she had to let go and forgive Leonardo. She needed him as much as he needed her. Scarlet’s next target had been on Cassius; she wanted to take revenge on him for the terrible treatment he gave her when she was at the clubhouse and as well find a way to save those girls who had suffered the same fate as her. She would need Leonardo’s men to assist her but she had to conduct this plan without Leonardo finding out that she needed her own men who were answerable to only her. The type of men that could keep secrets even if they were tortured into spilling it. Scarlet stepped out onto the balcony of the penthouse with these thoughts running through her mind. the warm desert air enveloping her as she gazed out at