Lahat ng Kabanata ng Love is War: But I'd bleed for you: Kabanata 101 - Kabanata 110

Across the city, in a location unknown to Ronald or Kyla, in a place that existed somewhere between the legitimate world and the criminal underworld, Jeffrey slowly regained consciousness. The return to awareness was gradual, painful, like swimming up through murky water toward a surface he couldn't quite reach.His head was pounding with a relentless, throbbing pain that seemed to originate from everywhere at once. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his skull and was still hitting it, rhythmically, mercilessly. His body ached all over… every muscle, every joint screaming in protest at the slightest movement. His ribs felt bruised, maybe cracked. His neck was stiff, sending sharp jolts of pain down his spine whenever he tried to move his head.And he couldn't see anything. There was something covering his eyes, a blindfold of some kind. Rough fabric, maybe burlap or thick cotton, pressed against his eyelids and wrapped tightly around his head. The darkness was absolute

Max's car pulled up to a nondescript building on the outskirts of the city. It was an estate in an industrial area where nobody asked questions and nobody looked too closely at what their neighbors were doing. The buildings were gray concrete and rust-streaked metal, with boarded-up windows and a chain-link fence that had seen better days. It looked abandoned, forgotten, exactly the kind of place you'd drive past without a second glance.Which, of course, was exactly the point.Connor sat in the back seat, his wrists bound with zip ties that bit into his skin with every slight movement. The plastic dug into his flesh, leaving red marks that would probably bruise. His mind was racing with possibilities of what was about to happen, each scenario worse than the last. He'd heard stories about places like this, about what happened to people who crossed the organization. None of those stories had happy endings."Out," Max ordered, opening the door and letting in a rush of cold air that sme

Kyla paced back and forth in her apartment, her phone pressed to her ear. For the tenth time that day, Jeffrey's number went straight to voicemail."Jeffrey, it's me again," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "If you are okay, please call me back. Just let me know you're okay."She hung up and immediately dialed another number."Jules," she said when he answered. "Still nothing?""Nothing," Jules confirmed. "I've checked his apartment, his usual spots, even called some of his friends. No one's seen him since the night of the accident."Kyla's stomach churned with fear. "Something's wrong. I can feel it.""I know," Jules said. "Look, I've been thinking and I know you've been thinking it too. What if this is connected to the organization? What if they took him to get to you?""Yes, but why would they?" Kyla asked. "Jeffrey doesn't know anything. He's not involved in any of this.""Doesn't matter," Jules said. "They know he's your brother. They know you care about him. That makes h

"Hello, my son.”"Mom?" Connor's voice broke on the word, tears already streaming down his face. "But you're... you're dead. They told me you were dead. I went to your funeral. I mourned you.""I know," Victoria said, moving around the desk toward him slowly, like she was approaching a wounded animal. "And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry you had to grow up thinking I abandoned you, thinking I was dead and gone.""You did abandon me!" Connor shouted, his voice raw with years of suppressed pain and grief. "I was a kid! I had nobody! I needed you, and you just... you just left! You let me grow up alone, thinking I had nobody, thinking I wasn't worth staying alive for!""I had no choice," Victoria said, and now tears were streaming down her face too, cutting tracks through the scarred tissue. "If I had stayed, if Silver had known I survived, she would have killed you to hurt me. She would have found you in whatever foster home they placed you in and she would have made it look like an accide

"Bring her in," Max's voice called from inside, and Kyla felt her muscles tense involuntarily. Max. The enforcer. The boss's right hand man, who'd broken bones and spirits with equal efficiency. The door opened, and Kyla was shoved through with enough force to make her stumble forward a few steps. But what she saw stopped her cold. The room was set up like a dining hall, but not the utilitarian mess halls she remembered from her time here. This was elegant, almost decadent. A long table dominated the space, covered with fine dishes that gleamed under chandelier light… real one, not the plastic plates she'd eaten from as a trainee. Expensive wine bottles stood open, their labels bearing names she recognized from high-society gatherings.