Semua Bab A DEBT PAID IN FLESH AND SECRETS: Bab 101 - Bab 110

Andreas sat in the back of his parked SUV, his large hands resting on his knees. The dark tint on the windows hid him completely from the dirty street outside, but he could see everything perfectly. The morning air in this part of the city was thick with gray smog and the smell of garbage. It was Tobi’s territory, the heart of the slums, a place where people lived in the shadows.Beside him, Dino adjusted his jacket, his eyes fixed on a small body shop across the road. "The guys just finished rigging it, boss. Tobi’s pride and joy. He keeps it in the back bay, but they rolled it out to the alley.""Good," Andreas said. His voice was low, vibrating with a cold, quiet anger that had been burning inside him since the night before.Tobi had crossed a line. Breaking into the villa’s perimeter was not just an attack; it was an insult. It showed that Tobi thought he could reach out and touch whatever Andreas tried to hide away. He thought he could threaten Arthur."Do you want to wait until

  The heavy door to the third-floor master suite closed, shutting out the distant rumble of the club downstairs. Andreas stood by the wide leather couch, unbuttoning his vest with slow, deliberate movements. His mind was a dark place tonight. The stress of Tobi hunting for his weaknesses, paired with the chaotic fallout from Marco’s near-execution, had left a raw edge in his chest. He needed control. He needed something solid to hold onto, and the only thing that could anchor him right now was the boy standing near the entrance.Arthur remained near the door, his eyes wide and dark as he watched Andreas. The tension from his encounter with Val downstairs was still written in the tight line of his shoulders, but in this room, under Andreas’s intense gaze, that anxiety shifted into something deeper, hotter."Come here," Andreas said, his voice dropping into a low, commanding register.Arthur took a slow breath, his feet moving

 The ice in my glass melted down to nothing, but I didn't bother fixing another drink. I sat behind my desk, watching the door. The club downstairs was loud, but up here, the air was still heavy with the scent of Arthur's skin from earlier. My body still felt the ache of that release, a brief moment of quiet in a week that had been nothing but noise.The door opened without a knock.Isabella walked in, her heels clicking a sharp, steady rhythm against the floor. She didn't look tired, even though she had been running our ledger books and handling the lawyers since the sun came up. She tossed her leather bag onto the couch and sat down in the chair opposite my desk, crossing her legs."You smell like fire and gasoline, Andreas," she said, her voice dry. "I take it the message to Tobi was delivered?""His car is a pile of ash in the middle of the street," I said, leaning back. "He knows exactly where we stand.""Good. Because the rest of

  The burn from the shower was gone, replaced by the familiar coldness of the club's lower levels. I stood near the employee lockers, trying to keep my breathing steady. My skin still felt sensitive from Andreas's touch, and the memory of the master suite was the only thing keeping me grounded. But peace never lasted long in this building."You're late for the roster check," a voice called out from the end of the dark row of lockers.I didn't have to look up to know who it was. Valentine walked into the light, a clipboard resting against his hip. He was wearing his manager jacket, his hair slicked back perfectly without a single strand out of place. He looked at me like I was something dirty he had found on his shoe."The main floor hasn't even opened yet, Val," I said, leaning back against my locker and closing the metal door with a soft click. "I have plenty of time before my first set.""I decide when you have time," Val said,

 The heavy door shut behind us with a solid, quiet click. The sound seemed to cut off the rest of the world, leaving nothing but the hum of the building and the loud, frantic pounding of my own heart. The dim light from the hallway barely reached the corners of this private space. There were leather straps and iron rings fixed to the walls, tools meant for absolute control, but right now, my own mind was the thing spinning completely out of control.I leaned my back against the closed door, my chest rising and falling too fast. My skin felt hot and cold at the same time. The image of the clients in the basement, Val’s mocking face, and the sudden terror of exposure were all fighting for space in my head. Val knew my real name. He knew I was a liar. He could have ended my life with a single sentence to the man standing right in front of me.Andreas turned around slowly. He had already pulled his dark jacket off, tossing it onto a small table near the