Todos los capítulos de The Cold Compromise : Capítulo 31 - Capítulo 40

Chapter 105: Quid Pro QuoTwo days after the chaos had surged through Washington, the world felt strangely quiet. The storm had passed, but its echo still trembled through every corridor of power. The headlines kept screaming about betrayal, espionage and the fall of men who once believed themselves untouchable. For Luca, the silence that followed was the most dangerous part. It was the time when governments calculated their losses, reassessed their threats and decided who needed to disappear for the sake of national order.He knew they would come eventually. Not because they wanted revenge, but because governments hated unanswered questions. They hated loose ends even more. And he and Ethan were the last two threads that could unravel everything if pulled hard enough.But Luca did not intend to be anyone’s loose end.Instead of reaching out to Agent Hayes, who was already drowning in testimony, investigations and political crossfire, Luca turned to the only figure who existed outside

--- Chapter 34: Shadow Ethan’s world narrowed until only one truth remained in front of him. Hayes had Elena. Not her body, not her movements, not her location, but something even more dangerous. He had her voice. He had her fear. He had her confusion and her need for answers. A man like Hayes could turn fear into a weapon without raising his voice. “We need to get her out,” Ethan said. His voice was cold, steady and stripped of anything soft. The panic that had shaken him moments ago hardened into something sharper. “Right now. Before Hayes puts her in a formal interview.” Luca sat frozen with the phone in his hand. His face had gone pale. “She called him. She called the FBI. She chose them.” “She called someone she thought could keep her safe,” Ethan said while grabbing his coat. “She has no clue Hayes is the same agent who let me walk out of the Bureau. She does not know he has been hunting us since that day. To her, he is the law. The good people.” “The good people who will

Chapter 36: Luca’s Birthday The flight back to Geneva felt slower than the one that took them out. For the first three hours, they didn’t speak. Ethan sat with his eyes closed, but Luca knew he wasn’t sleeping. His jaw was tight, and his fingers kept tapping a restless pattern against his thigh. He was replaying the conversation with Elena, imagining every question Hayes might ask her, calculating every risk like he was still inside the Task Force war room instead of a dim aeroplane cabin. Luca stared out the window into the darkness and tried not to think about the thing he always tried to ignore. Today was his birthday. Thirty-five years old. Thirty-four of them spent trapped beneath the shadow of his father’s empire, and the thirty-fifth spent running from it. Wharton never predicted that path. “You’re quiet,” Ethan finally said, eyes still closed. “So are you.” “I’m thinking.” “About Hayes.” “About Elena.” Ethan opened his eyes. He looked exhausted in a way that touch

Chapter 38: Hayes on Screen The photo of the Geneva apartment building stayed on Ethan’s phone like a fresh brand pressed to skin. Congratulations on your victory, Agent Vance. Let's talk about where you've been. Luca watched the color drain from Ethan’s face. His hands trembled — the first time Luca had ever seen his control break since the night they ran from New York. “He knows,” Ethan whispered. “Hayes knows exactly where we are.” “How?” Luca took the phone, studying the picture. “The building could be anywhere in Europe. There’s nothing here that—” “The angle.” Ethan touched the screen with a shaky finger. “That café with the red awning sits right across the street. Hayes took this standing at that café. He’s been here, Luca. In Geneva. Watching us.” The realization hit like a punch. Hayes wasn’t working from New York. He was in their city. Close enough to see their windows. Close enough to— Luca’s secure phone buzzed. Both men froze. Another unknown number. He ans

Chapter 40: Silvio’s Warning The letter took Luca three hours. Seven full pages—front and back—covered in words he’d held inside for thirty-five years. Anger mixed with gratitude. Resentment tangled with respect. He wrote about loving his father and hating him, sometimes in the same heartbeat. You taught me how to be ruthless. You taught me strategy. You taught me that power was the only thing that mattered. And then you were angry when I used those lessons to build something better than you ever did. I survived you, Dad. And I’ll keep surviving long after your empire falls apart. But I wish—God, I wish—you could have seen me as more than your heir. I wish you had seen your son. When he finally put the pen down, Luca’s hand throbbed and his cheeks were wet with tears he didn’t remember shedding. He folded the pages slowly and slid them into an envelope like it might break if he moved too fast. Ethan had stayed in the living room while Luca wrote, giving him space. Now he show