Vance X Bruce Novels & Stories

I was halfway through when my phone buzzed with a message from Mr Vale. "Hurry up to my study!” was all he said. I sighed, dropping my hair tie and heading to his study upstairs. When I walked in, he didn't even look up. He was a wall of cold, professional iron. He rattled off a list of files acquisitions from the late 90s and told me to bring them from the library. "You’ll be doing the cross-referencing in here," he stated, tapping his desk. "With me." "I can't," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Beatrice and I are going out at two. She’s expecting me."

"Ms. Wren? I'm Evan Durham. Please call me Evan. Come along, and I'll show you the studio." I trailed him up the stairs, and there she was—or rather, there I was. The body on the table was my mirror image. My breath caught. She looked uncannily real. Lying there with her eyes closed, she seemed so lifelike I almost expected her to wake. Evan looked pleased with my reaction. "Our work is one of a kind," he told me. "Up close, most people can't tell the difference." He explained the rest with a calmness that felt surreal. It was as if we were picking out wedding flowers instead of orchestrating my disappearance.

The knife gleamed under the light. The third twin stood in the doorway. His dark hair was the same. His scar was on his neck. Luca stepped in front of me. Eli stepped in front of the girls. The man laughed. A bitter, broken sound. He said his name was Vance. Vincent and Victor were his brothers. Both were dead. Now he would finish what they started. Luca asked what they started. Vance said protecting the family. Derek had hired Victor to protect Nova. Victor had done his job. Vincent had wanted revenge. Vance wanted peace.

Rob rushed between them, placing a hand on Vance’s chest but Vance shoved Rob aside and lunged at Luca. The two crashed into a table, sending a glass vase shattering across the floor. Anna screamed as they grappled, both landing hard on the carpet. Vance’s fists came down fast, wild with grief and rage. Luca didn’t fight back immediately. He raised his arms to block the hits, trying to get a word in. “Vance…listen to me!” “Why should I?” Vance yelled, his breath ragged. “You’re just like him!” “I’m not!” Luca yelled back, finally grabbing Vance’s arms and rolling them over so he was on top. “I’m nothing like him!”

After being reminded of when his head was smashed open by beer bottles, and his bodyguard was sent flying by a single slap… Vance trembled before furiously screaming at Jace, “Get over here, Jace! Apologize to Sir York right now!” “Right now!” The young masters who came could not help but gasp. The beautiful women covered their mouths, trying their best not to scream. All of them knew who Vance was. That man feared absolutely nothing. He was a tough CEO to go against, and yet he acted humbly in front of Harvey. How could they not be shocked? How could they not be afraid? More importantly, Vance was Jace’s cousin. He was Jace’s trump card against Harvey. In everyone’s minds, not only would Ha

Xarion turns in a flash to Vance, his voice turning icy and lethal. "This partnership's off," He declares, his tone final. "I'm not interested in working with you. I don't do business with people I don't trust." Vance shrugs, unbothered. "Fine by me. I don't think we'd work well together anyway." The two of them stare at each other for another moment. Just then, Davidson walks back in, tucking his phone into his pocket with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. So, where were we?"

Swiftly, he unleashed a slashing attack towards Vans. "Hahaha... where is your previous strength now?" The man continued his rapid assault towards Vans with his two large scythes, pushing Vans into a more desperate position. Vans' movements grew sluggish due to the depletion of his magical energy from continuously launching spells. Meanwhile, for the man, this might be his final surge of magical energy as well. He unleashed his full power to kill Vans. "*Clang..."

“Killing me is not going to make her want you, but if you want me dead so bad, a knife this small wouldn't cut it.” Vance looked around, but mostly at my face and then Xavier's. He walked towards Xavier, completely closing the gap between them, “if I wanted you dead, I know exactly how,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He slowly dropped his eyes from Xavier's eyes to his bleeding arm and then at my face. I saw the look in his eyes–it wasn't guilt at all. It was rage and disgust and Vance confirmed it by walking out on us.

Bruce smiled at pieces of it and lost the rest. “We used to drive down to the water,” Don went on, leaning forward with the cigarette burning between his fingers. “You remember that, Bruce? You remember the night you stood for me?” “Vanilla,” Bruce told him, nodding as if that answered the question. “She likes vanilla.” Don’s mouth tightened, then the smile came back. “Then you got greedy,” he continued, pointing at Bruce with the cigarette. “You took what was not yours and you called it business. You put your hand in my safe and you smiled at my table the same week.”

And in that quiet moment, he realized something that chilled him to the bone: The Vances weren’t trying to win. They were trying to break her.