My pulse hammered in my ears as the car sped through the streets, leaving the alley behind. I glanced over at the driver, but the figure was obscured by the shadows. The dim light from the streetlamps outside barely illuminated the face, but the sheer force of their presence was undeniable. Whoever they were, they’d saved me—whether by chance or design, I couldn’t tell. But I didn’t care. At that moment, survival was the only thing on my mind.
I pressed my back against the seat, trying to steady my breathing, still too disoriented to think clearly. The man in the alley—the one who’d been chasing me—wasn’t just a random thug. He had known too much, too many details. His words echoed in my mind: “You don’t have a clue what you’re dealing with.”
What had I gotten myself into?
I swallowed hard, trying to quell the panic rising in my chest. Was Dominic involved in this? Was he behind whatever game these people were playing? And if so, what was the real objective? I was no closer to answers than before, but I knew one thing for sure: I was in way over my head.
The car made a sharp turn, taking me away from the area I recognized. Every twist and turn felt deliberate, like the driver was making sure they weren’t being followed. My fingers gripped the seat beneath me, my eyes darting around the vehicle, searching for some sign of where we were headed. I needed to know who I was dealing with, and I needed answers—now.
The car finally came to a halt in front of an old building, its brick exterior weathered with time. There were no lights in the windows, no sign of activity. It was eerily quiet. I hesitated before stepping out of the car, the chill of the night air biting at my skin as I glanced over at the driver, who remained seated.
“Get out,” a voice commanded—deep, low, and unwavering. It was familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Still, the authority in it made my stomach drop.
I didn’t have much of a choice. My body was stiff from the adrenaline, and my mind was racing too fast to think clearly, but I stepped out, keeping my guard up. I wasn’t about to let my guard down, no matter who this person was. Every instinct I had screamed that I was in danger, that this was far from over.
I stood outside the car, staring at the imposing building in front of me. I could see the outline of a door—a heavy wooden thing, too dark to make out any intricate details. It looked like a warehouse or a storage facility, nothing extraordinary, except for the air of secrecy that surrounded it.
The door creaked open, and I tensed, ready for whatever came next. A figure emerged from the shadows, their presence as intimidating as the darkness itself. The man from the alley.
He stepped forward with confidence, his gaze piercing through the night, but it wasn’t his eyes that unsettled me—it was his smile. It was too calculated, too knowing.
“You’re alive,” he said, his voice smooth but laced with a dangerous undertone. “I didn’t expect that, Elena. I thought you would be smarter than this.”
I clenched my fists, still not ready to back down. “Who are you?” I demanded, my voice coming out sharper than I intended. “And what the hell do you want with me?”
His smile widened. “You know, you’re even more stubborn than I remember. But that’s part of your charm, isn’t it?” He paused, his eyes scanning my face like he was reading me. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
The question hit me like a slap in the face, and I froze. The weight of his words settled on my shoulders, and something in me stirred, a memory trying to break through the fog of confusion in my mind.
No… this man, this face, wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. I had seen him before. But where? When?
The realization hit me like a lightning bolt. “Wait… you’re one of Dominic’s associates, aren’t you?”
The man’s smile faded slightly, replaced with an almost approving look. “I’m more than just one of his associates, Elena. I’m his shadow—the one who cleans up his messes, makes sure things stay under control.”
I swallowed hard. “You work for him?”
“I work with him,” he corrected, stepping closer. “But Dominic’s interests don’t always align with mine. There’s a bigger game at play here, and you’re caught right in the middle of it.”
I took a step back, the blood draining from my face. “What are you talking about?” I demanded, my voice shaking. “What game?”
The man’s eyes narrowed, a flash of something dangerous flickering in their depths. “The game you’re playing, Elena,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You’ve been digging into something you don’t understand. You think it’s all about your family, about Caldwell Enterprises. But there’s a far more powerful force pulling the strings.”
A sick feeling twisted in my stomach. “Who?” I barely managed to whisper.
“Someone you’ve already met,” he said, the words like a blade aimed directly at my heart. “Someone who’s been using you as a pawn in their little chess match.” He stepped back, allowing the weight of his statement to hang in the air between us.
I felt my world shift beneath me. I was no longer just trying to fight for answers. I was trying to survive a war I didn’t understand—a war between enemies who were far more powerful and ruthless than I could ever imagine.
“No,” I breathed, shaking my head in disbelief. “No, that can’t be true.”
“Oh, but it is,” he said, his voice smooth like silk, but with the unmistakable weight of certainty. “And now, Elena, you have a choice to make. You can walk away, or you can step into the deeper darkness, where the real battle lies.”
His words hung in the air like an omen, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt tight, my thoughts scrambled. I was no longer just trying to expose Dominic. I was up against something much larger, and I didn’t know if I could win this fight.
But one thing was clear—I wasn’t about to back down.
“Who’s pulling the strings?” I demanded, trying to force my voice steady. “Who’s the one behind all of this?”
His smile returned, sharp and dangerous. “That, Elena, is a question I can’t answer for you—not yet. But I will tell you this: if you want to survive this game, you need to stop playing by your own rules.” He stepped closer, his voice low and intense. “You need to play by their rules.”
I shook my head, fury igniting inside me. “I’ll never be anyone’s pawn.”
The man chuckled darkly, his gaze almost pitying. “We’ll see about that.”
The smoke curled in the air, dancing like a wicked omen.I stared at the man I had called “father” for twenty-eight years—Senator Richard Sinclair—now standing in the doorway of Charles Barron’s study, a smoking pistol in his gloved hand and blood on his conscience. The man I had defended through scandals. The man I had nearly destroyed myself trying to protect.He looked at me like a stranger.“Why?” I croaked, barely able to speak over the thundering pulse in my ears. “Why did you kill him?”Richard stepped forward calmly, as if he hadn’t just shot the only man who could’ve unraveled the twisted threads of my existence.“He was a liability,” he said simply. “And liabilities must be removed.”Dominic moved protectively in front of me, but my father didn’t even glance at him.“This doesn’t make sense,” I said, voice breaking. “You knew Victor was my real father. You knew—and you still arranged the marriage. You let me fall into this nightmare.”Richard’s eyes darkened. “You were never
The silence in the room was suffocating.I stared down at the DNA report, my hands trembling as the implications unraveled inside my mind like a bomb detonating in slow motion. The file said it plainly: a female child was born from Victor Caldwell and Olivia Sinclair. Identity redacted.Dominic stood frozen beside me, the file still open in his hands, but his entire body had gone rigid.I backed away, pulse racing.“This—this has to be a mistake,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “It’s probably someone else. I mean… it could’ve been another child. Someone who died. Maybe it’s not—”“Elena,” Dominic said, his voice tight, low, like it was strangling him. “You were born the year after my father vanished from public life. Right after Olivia disappeared.”“No.” I shook my head, stepping further away, the cold wall biting my back. “Don’t. Don’t say what I think you’re about to say.”He slammed the file shut. “We don’t know anything for sure. Not yet.”“But if it’s true,” I choked, “if I’m h
The moment the screen flashed SECURITY BREACH, my heart stuttered.“Dominic…” My voice trembled, barely above a whisper.He was already on his feet, pulling a drawer open to retrieve a concealed weapon, his movements quick, practiced. Liam stood by the window, peeking through the blinds as the wind howled outside, bringing with it the crackling of leaves—too calculated to be natural.“They’re here,” Liam confirmed grimly. “Two vehicles. No plates.”“Stay inside. Both of you,” Dominic growled, his eyes narrowing as he checked the chamber of his gun. “If they get past me, you run. Do you hear me, Elena?”“No.” I stood too, fury surging through my veins. “I’m not leaving you. Not again.”He turned sharply, grabbing my wrist. “This isn’t a debate—”“It never was!” I snapped. “I’ve been used, lied to, manipulated. If someone wants me dead, they’ll have to go through me this time. I’m done being collateral damage.”Liam raised a brow. “She’s got your fire,” he muttered to Dominic.“Worse,”
The vehicle sped through the night like a bullet slicing through the darkness. Rain pounded against the windshield, with the wipers working relentlessly back and forth, yet the constant swish did little to ease the anxiety building in my chest.I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the message on my phone:"You’re next. Just like your mother."Who on earth sent it? How did they know we were so close to the truth?Liam shot me a glance from the driver’s seat, his jaw clenched. He hadn’t said much since we departed from Dominic’s penthouse, but the tension radiating from him in waves spoke volumes. "We’re almost there," he said, his voice sharp. "It’s a Caldwell property. Off-grid, untraceable."I nodded, holding my phone tightly in my lap. My mind was racing—Dominic. The video. My mother. My father’s betrayal. The reality that someone had actually placed a target on my back.“I shouldn’t have left him,” I whispered.Liam’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “He told you to leave. You kn
The old security tape played on the massive screen in Dominic’s study, casting flickering shadows on the walls. The room was dead silent except for the soft whir of the projector and the pounding of my heart. Dominic stood behind me, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his gaze glued to the screen. I sat at the edge of the leather couch, fingers clenched together, trying not to blink.The footage was grainy, the timestamp barely legible—August 17th, 1999—the year before everything in my world fell apart.My mother appeared first. Olivia Sinclair. Younger, but unmistakably her. Dressed in a soft blue coat, her dark hair pulled back in an elegant twist. She looked nervous. Anxious. She kept glancing over her shoulder as if expecting to be followed.Then he appeared.Victor Caldwell.Tall, commanding, and heartbreakingly handsome, even in the pixelated footage. He walked toward her, and the second their hands touched, the air in the room changed.My breath hitched.There was no denying
The rain was a relentless drumbeat on the glass walls of Dominic’s penthouse. Thunder cracked in the distance, nature’s fury echoing the storm inside me. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, the woman looking back at me barely recognizable. I wasn’t the same Elena Sinclair who walked into Caldwell Enterprises to take down a dynasty. No. That woman had believed in lines—clear ones, bold ones. Right and wrong. Truth and lies. Love and hate.But now?Now, everything was a blur. A twisted mosaic of betrayal, secrets, and stolen moments.Behind me, the door creaked open, soft footfalls padding into the room. I didn’t need to turn to know it was him.“Elena,” Dominic’s voice was low, hesitant, but still laced with that commanding undertone that always made my chest tighten.I met his eyes in the mirror. He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, his tie gone, his hair mussed from raking his fingers through it one too many times. But what stru