The air in the lounge was heavy with smoke and death.Maya hardly flinched, staring across the table at the dead body of Dominic Caruso slumping over the table, whiskey glass still pouring across the floor. In the background was the muffled sound of jazz music, a cruel reminder of the violence that had just taken place.Zane sat across from the body, cool and collected as if he had just made a business deal rather than shot a man.Victor and Elara worked fast, their efficiency in the cleanup further proving this wasn’t their first rodeo of body disposal.Maya gasped as she forced herself to steady. It was one more step — another measured move in the lethal game they were playing.And now?They had only just won a seat at the table.Zane reclined in his chair, silver eyes darting to Maya. “We should go.”She nodded, glancing one last time at Caruso’s body before following him out.She breathed out at last in the chill of the night air — a wisp of white breath against the dark sky — as
Maya leaned against the smooth wooden table in the safe house, rolling a knife between her fingers as she contemplated every possible outcome of what they were about to do.Murder Diego Moreau and pretend he was Luca.It was a dangerous gamble.But everything they did was dangerous now.Zane watched the city beyond the glass across the room, streetlights' glow behind him. There was something stiff about his posture, the way his mind appeared to be racing through every possible scenario, every possible downside.Maya inhaled deeply. “You realize this isn’t going to be pretty, right?”Zane didn’t turn. “Nothing ever is.”Victor laughed and leaned back in his chair. “For the record … this is some next-level insanity.”Elara palmed a smile, fingers dancing over her laptop. “And still, here you are, invested.”Victor sighed. “Yeah, well, I like to live.” He glanced at Zane. “You honestly believe The Order’s just going to take our word for it? They’ll want proof.”Zane finally looked at him
Thick smoke from gunpowder mixed with the smell of blood filled the room, but Maya nor Zane did not flinch. Moreau’s body was dead on the floor, ready — a perfect sacrifice — in a war they were never meant to win. Victor was on the move, staging the scene so that it looked like Luca had been the one to die here this evening.Maya’s hands shook a small amount, but she fought to remain stationary. Breaking expertise had always been easy for her. It wasn’t blood, or violence, that unsettled her—it was realizing that The Order had been toying with them the whole time.Zane’s silver eyes darted to Victor. “Be sure the body is unrecognizable. We don’t need that guy asking whether or not it’s Luca.”Victor scoffed, crouched beside Moreau’s corpse. “You think I’m an amateur? Give me twenty minutes.”Elara had remained silent until now, but released a sharp breath from her place by the door. “I still think this is risky. What if they verify the DNA?”Zane’s jaw clenched. “They won’t. Not the O
The glow of the laptop screen cast sharp shadows across Maya’s face as she sat in the dark room, studying Camille Devereaux’s routine. Wealthy. Sheltered. Untouchable. That was what she believed. That was what Julian had seen to. But no one was untouchable. Certainly not when they were a liability in a game like this.Zane stood at her side, silent, calculating, his silver gaze running through the same data, but Maya knew his mind was three steps ahead. Zane Moretti had made up his mind, and when one made up their mind, there was no going back.Victor breathed from the corner, tilting a glass of whiskey, his eyes darting between the two of them. “So wait a minute, let me get this straight. We kidnap Julian’s sister, keep her in a nice, warm, cozy spot, and play with her life like a corn cob until Julian decides that betraying The Order is a better bet than getting his sister killed. And if he doesn’t flip?” He shrugged. “Then we bury another body.”Maya didn’t flinch. She had imagined
Camille Devereaux sat stiffly in the darkened room; her wrists were tied to the arms of the chair with soft leather straps — secure enough to keep her from leaving but not so tight it hurt. The drugs were wearing off, and her bright blue eyes went cold, surveying her captors with a mix of fury and tightly held fear.Maya was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching her. Zane faced Camille, his silver eyes inscrutable, his body in a loose posture, yet Maya knew better. He was studying her, waiting.Camille gasped, her tone indicating great challenge. “If you think kidnapping me is going to destroy Julian, you don’t know what you’re dealing with.”Zane smirked slowly, tilting his head. “You’d be surprised what people will do if the one thing they care about is threatened.”Camille’s jaw clenched, her demeanor perfect. She had grown up in wealth and around power, and she knew how to slap on that armor. But Maya saw through it. Camille was scared.Maya dug in, stepping closer to t
All was quiet except for the clock on the wall ticking rhythmically. Every second that trickled by was another second closer to the moment that Julian Devereaux would either choose his sister over The Order or prove to Camille that she was nothing but an afterthought.Maya was standing at the window, gazing down at the city lights, arms folded across her chest. She had played a lot of dangerous games before this one? This one was different.This wasn’t about revenge. This wasn’t about power.This was about survival.Zane poured a drink behind her, slow deliberate movements. His eyes, the color of silver, were peaceful, but Maya had seen through that lie before. He was waiting. Calculating.Victor propped himself against the wall, arms extended over his head. So what’s the real plan when Julian arrives?He swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “You’re too smart to believe that,” Zane said with a smirk. “He thinks he has options so we allow him to think he does.”Victor raised an eyebr
Maya’s blood turned to ice. The safe house had been compromised. Camille was still there — guarded, vulnerable. They had expected Julian to go to battle to regain her. Instead, he had turned the game back on them.Her fingers twitched toward her gun, but Julian’s smirk just broadened. He had planned this.Zane’s silver eyes were unreadable, but Maya could see the way his jaw clenched tight, the way his finger curled, just so slightly, at his sides. He wasn’t shaking but he was recalibrating.Julian took a breath, angling his head. “I mean, I have to admit, I didn’t think you would play this so well. Most people who come after The Order die before they understand that they’re being hunted. But you?” He chuckled. “You really made me see you as a threat.”Zane smirked. “I would have been offended if I wasn’t.”Julian sighed dramatically. “And yet, clever as you are, you had one flaw. You assumed I would panic.” His blue eyes twinkled with humor. “You assumed I would choose.”Maya tighten
The SUV barreled down the darkened street, the city's blinking lights fading behind it as they drove toward the outskirts. The estate where, Julian claimed, he was holding Camille was remote, fortified and precisely the sort of place where a man like Julian would stow someone whose fate he was unsure of.The backseat occupant, Maya, adjusted her gun, in and out in crescent movements. Her hands were steady, her mind a razor. There wasn’t any hesitation, any second-guessing. Camille was leverage, but she was also a test — Julian’s way of demonstrating that he still had the upper hand, that they were the ones who responded to him.That was about to change.Zane was next to her, silent, his silver eyes on the road ahead. He had said little since they pulled away from the safe house, but what Maya knew better than to interpret as anything other than controlled restraint. He was already formulating his plan for disassembling Julian.Victor was at the wheel, one hand guiding the car, the oth
Maya gazed out at the city through the window of her penthouse, watching the dawn break over the skyline. It was quiet now, but she knew it wouldn’t be for long. This war with Gabriel was nearing its final act, and by the sunset, one would be left victorious.She turned as she heard the door open. Zane walked inside, silver eyes sharp, movements measured, but she knew enough of him to feel the tautness behind his calm demeanor.“It’s time,” he said simply.Maya nodded. “Then let’s finish this.”Moretti Corp – War RoomThe normal tension in the war room had changed. No longer the vagueness of battle — but the gleam of victory. When Maya and Zane came in, Victor, Luca, and Adrian were already sitting. A huge digital map of the city was projected on the wall, red markers showing Gabriel’s known assets and weak points.Victor reclined in his chair. “We’ve tightened the noose. Gabriel’s financial network is collapsing, his allies are betraying him, and his only remaining political connecti
Gabriel Montclair clicked off the television, flinging the remote onto his desk with a muffled thud. He’d seen Maya’s interview from beginning to end, dissecting every word, every motion, every well-chosen pause. She hadn’t merely evaded his strike — she had turned it on him.He breathed out, letting the silence of his study settle over him. He had underestimated her. He could admit that now. Maya Moretti wasn’t merely a fearsome adversary — she was a survivor. Yet if he was going to win this war, he had to adapt.A knock on the door broke him from his musings.“Come in,” he called, his voice steady.The door opened and in stepped Ethan Blackwood. Ethan had been Gabriel’s second for as long as he could remember, a man who worked in the shadows, taking care of the parts of the business that Gabriel didn’t like to touch to keep his hands clean.“You saw the interview,” Ethan said, not even asking.Gabriel sat back in his chair. “I did.”Ethan closed the door behind him and walked ahead,
Maya paced her Moretti Corp. office as the weight of the impending war hung heavy on her shoulders. The early-morning sun poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the sleek interior in a golden light, but she hardly noticed. The papers on her desk began to fade together and her mind raced through the alternatives.Gabriel had made his move. He had gone after her history, her marriage, the life she had built so painstakingly. And yet she was unafraid — just seething with determination.Her phone buzzed again. Another message from Zane.Zane: We need to talk. Now.Maya let out a sharp breath, suppressing a rising irritation just under the skin. She took her phone and answered.Maya: Meet me in my office. Bring Victor.Nine minutes later, the door opened and Zane came walking in with Victor hot on his heels. Zane’s face was hard to read, but his shoulders were tense. He was angry — but not at her.Victor, always a cool mastermind, tossed a file onto her desk with an air of
The day arrived too soon, dragging Maya back into the ice-well of their war with Gabriel. She paced the window at her penthouse, coffee clutched in hand, watching the city below her stir. The weight of last night’s meeting with Philip Marquez was still heavy in her mind. They had won a skirmish, but the war was still in its early stages.Next, her phone vibrated on the marble counter. A message from Zane.Zane: Victor got the first buyouts. Gabriel will be feeling the squeeze soon. Meet me at the office.Maya drank the rest of her coffee and replied by text.Maya: On my way.Her husband, Adrian, had already left for the day. Their marriage was a matter of practicality rather than of love. It was a strategic maneuver — a winning of alliances and of power. Love had never been in the contract.But still, she couldn’t help but ache at the thought of the what-ifs.Brushing the thought aside, she got dressed, putting on the armor of the woman she had become.Moretti Corp – War RoomZane was
Maya sat across from Zane in his office, eyes fixed on the latest reports spread across his desk. The tension between them was palpable, though unspoken. She knew that tight-jawed look—something wasn't right. Breaking the thick silence, she said, "Well? Are you going to tell me what has you so troubled, or must we sit here all evening stewing in uncertainty?"Zane didn't look up from the pages. "We lost three major investors this morning. Gabriel is sabotaging us financially just as he tried through his connections in The Order."Maya sighed heavily. "Do you have proof it's him pulling the strings?"Zane tossed the folder aside and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't need proof when I know his methods. He wants to crush Moretti Corp and he won't stop until he succeeds."Her eyes narrowed with steely resolve. "Then two can play at his game. If he aims to strangle us through our funds, we'll retaliate in kind."A trace of a smirk crossed Zane's stern features. "Spoken like a true p
The tension hanging over the room was palpable, with the weight of their impending choice bearing down on everyone. No turning back now—every action going forward could fortify their authority or shatter it completely.Maya placed her glass down deliberately against the polished table, her keen green eyes locking onto Zane’s. “If we’re moving ahead, it has to be flawless. No errors. No vulnerabilities.”Leaning in, Zane returned her gaze with calculated intensity glowing in his silver eyes. “I agree. We strike where they least anticipate financially, strategically. We take control before they realize what’s transpiring.”Sprawled casually in one of the leather chairs, Victor let out a low chuckle. “You two truly have a way of making corporate warfare sound sexier than shootouts.”Maya arched a brow. “Because it is.”Luca smirked from across the room. “I have to admit, witnessing this side of you, Maya, is unexpected. You appear to be genuinely enjoying the challenge.”Maya exhaled, cr
Maya perched at the head of a long glass conference table in Moretti Corp’s executive suite, tightening her grip on the edge of the financial report before her. The numbers did not seem to be adding up. Billions were on the move — just not where they were meant to be.She let out a breath through gritted teeth, forcing the unsettled feeling in her gut to subside. If this was what she suspected it was, they had a much bigger problem then The Order’s politics.Zane wore the endless scruff of a day’s stubble, and as he stood facing the skyline through the floor-to-ceiling window, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. That was how he’d been all morning — still, methodical, his mind racing a hundred moves ahead. But Maya knew him too well.He was waiting. For confirmation. For proof. For the moment he was able to flip the game on its head.Maya broke the silence. “We have a leak.”Zane didn’t turn around. “How bad?”Maya swallowed. “Bad. Money is being siphoned off in dribs and
In the conference room, everything was polished elegance. In the center was a long, dark wooden table with high-backed leather chairs surrounding it. The quiet hum of brief conversations and the sound of footsteps down the hall indicated the weight that had become almost palpable in the air of the building itself. Helena tapped her fingers lightly on the table as she stared through the window. She was not thinking of the view, or of the empire to which she belonged; she was thinking about the invisible chessboard before her. Today, it wasn’t bloodshed or conquest; today, it was about manipulation, persuasion and control.Her thoughts are broken by the sound of heels snapping against the marble floor. She gazed upward, her frigid eyes meeting the silhouette that walked in.“You’re late,” she said, her tone smooth, though with a sharp edge.“I had some… business to take care of,” Elena said, the smile on her face a little tight, insufficient. She stepped toward the table, each step long
“Well I tried.” Maya said calmly, drumming her fingers on the sleek, polished surface of the table. Tall windows poured in the morning light, bathed the skyline in gold. It was nearly serene — if not for the storm brewing deep down.This was an alternate type of battlefield. No guns. No explosions. Only power, strategy and control. And in many respects, it was more perilous than any of the wars they had fought.Zane worked his cufflinks and his cool silver eyes drifted around the room as executives filed in, all advancing a few steps like cats on concrete, gripped by a primal instinct not to step on toes. They’d all heard Curator General’s whispers — about Gabriel, about the fall of The Order’s inner circle, about the man who had scratched and clawed his way to the top with his trademark ruthlessness.Now? They were wondering if he could hold it.Victor stretched lazily in his seat next to Maya, his smirk curling as he leaned in. “Tell me, princess, are you ready to watch your husband