Jack’s POV“You’ve finally remembered your way home?” my granny asked.I knew she wouldn’t exactly throw her arms around me when she saw me again. Grandma was never one for theatrics, and I hadn’t exactly earned the warmest welcome. Still, she didn’t throw me out either.She sat on her usual high-backed chair, the same one that had practically become her throne over the years. Her silver-gray hair was pulled into a tight bun, not a strand out of place. She didn’t smile. Didn’t scowl either. Just looked at me with that calm, unreadable expression that had terrified grown men for decades.I sat across from her, not bothering with excuses. “I came to talk about Kraven.”Her gaze didn’t shift in any manner. “I suspected as much.”I inhaled slowly, steadying myself. “As you already know about his health… health condition. He is not fit, not just physically. There’s been talk, whispers about his decisions lately. The way he’s running the empire—”“Whispers?” she interrupted softly, raising
Giovanni’s POVHe came late and wasn't even looking surprised.Jack was always cautious from the little investigation that I have made about him. More like lurking on the edge of the fire while pretending he wasn’t interested in the warmth.Still, when he finally walked in, having a black shirt on, no tie, his collar was slightly open—I would say that he looked like a man trying hard not to look like his cousin, Kraven.“Giovanni,” he muttered as he slid into the seat across from me.I didn’t offer a handshake because somehow I felt that he wouldn’t take it anyway.“You got taller,” I said casually. “Or maybe Kraven just looks smaller now.”He frowned. “You didn’t ask me to come here for jokes.”“No,” I agreed. “I asked you here for an opportunity.”He said nothing at first, he just waited.So I poured us both a drink and let the moment stretch.“You’ve seen Kraven, haven’t you?”He nodded once.“And?”“He’s recovering.”“Physically, maybe,” I said. “But a man doesn’t walk away from a
Kraven’s POVAs Mia was still talking. I could see her lips moving and also heard the words. But for some reason, they didn’t register. Not all at once. And I had my eyes fixed on her to know exactly what she wanted to say, even before then I felt something was off."And after you were stabilized, they looked deeper into the damage. The area around your scrotum—"My stomach tightened and I flinched.Damn it. I didn’t even realize I did that until I saw the pause in her eyes.I clenched my jaw, forced my face blank. If there was ever a time to pretend it didn’t sting like hell, this was it.“There was more,” she said.I already knew. I saw it in her face before she even continued."What more?" I asked, trying so hard to maintain my voice to be even.“They found trauma to the testicles. More like, an internal damage.”I blinked slowly. My body didn’t move, but I felt like I’d been slammed against a couch.“What kind of damage?”Her voice was a breath, barely even that. "Enough... that t
Mia’s POVComing back to the house after three weeks in that hospital felt somewhat unreal. Like time had been paused for too long and now someone hit play without warning.Kraven stepped inside first, slowly and carefully. Like he wasn’t sure his legs trusted the ground yet. I watched him drop onto the edge of the couch, shoulders loose, but his jaw still locked like he was holding something in.I was holding everything in all the while.I stood by the door for a moment, with my hand still on the knob. Not ready to face what came next.After a little while, I let the door click shut behind us, and I swear, I finally exhaled.At least, Kraven and I are home now.He dropped onto the couch like his body was still trying to remember what comfort felt like. His head fell back against the cushion, with his eyes closed, and just then a soft groan slipped out as he relaxed.I still stood by the door a second longer, my hand still on the handle. I don’t even know why. But a greater part of me
Mia’s POVThe life support machine and others beeped steadily, reminding me that Kraven was still alive. He lay there, unconscious, hooked up to IVs and machines I didn’t understand, looking so breakable. That word had never belonged to him before as Kraven that I have known was always full of life. The sterile smell of antiseptic clung to the air like a threat that I couldn’t ignore.I couldn't stop staring at the dried blood crusted near his temple, the bruising already settling along his ribs close to the gown. His chest rose and fell slowly, like each breath had to fight its way out of him.“Miss... Miss Mia?” The voice behind me was calm but cautious.I turned slowly. The doctor stood by the door, having a clipboard in his hand, but I didn’t miss the way his eyes ran immediately toward Kraven with those professional expression—like even he wasn’t used to seeing someone like him brought this low.“Yes?” My voice cracked, dry from hours of holding back everything I had felt deep do
Kraven’s POVThe boardroom door clicked shut behind me as I left there, sealing in the heat of politics and power that seemed to just play out. I didn’t look back. I never do.My pace was calm and confident, but calculated.Giovanni thought he could humiliate others without tasting the same poison. Today, he had a spoonful and he wasn’t even ready for dessert.As I made my way through the corridor, I adjusted my cuffs, still hearing the silence I’d left behind. That silence… that’s what fear sounds like when it swallows a room whole. The kind that lasts longer like the last note of a funeral hymn.Sunlight hit my face as I stepped outside and I braced up, knowing fully well that I have won this one. My matte-black Benz sat under the awning, looking all sleek. I came along and I wanted it that way. Confidence is louder when it’s quiet.My phone buzzed. I looked at it and it was Mia.I answered, smirking.“Miss me already?”“I was wondering if he cried,” she said, with her voice smoot