CHAPTER THREE: THE EDGE OF A BLADE

~ALEX ~

The night air was crisp as I stepped out of the mansion, the sharp scent of rain clinging to the concrete. My instincts screamed at me—she was lying. I couldn’t prove it yet, but I could feel it.

I called Rory to find every piece of information related to her. “ find out if her visit was truly accidental. I can’t afford to take chances” I told him. But most importantly, I was truly curious of who she is.

I lit a cigarette, the flame flickering briefly before being swallowed by the dark. Taking a slow drag, I leaned against the hood of my car, replaying the encounter in my mind. Her wide blue eyes had betrayed a flicker of fear, but there was something else—defiance.

Most people wilted under pressure, but she didn’t. She fought it, which made her dangerous and intriguing.

The night stretched on as I waited in the penthouse, the silence heavy and oppressive. Rory hadn’t called yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

A knock at the door broke my thoughts.

“Boss?”

I turned to see Rory, my most trusted enforcer, approaching from the shadows. His thick frame moved with surprising stealth for a man his size.

“What did you find?” I asked, flicking ash onto the pavement.

He handed me a file, his face grim. “You were right. She’s been careful, but not careful enough. Lexi Thompson—real name Alexandra Thompson. No known ties to the Esposito family”. But I wasn’t convinced, at least not yet.

“Dig deeper,” I said. “If she’s hiding something, I want to know what it is.”

Rory nodded and turned to leave, but I stopped him.

“And Rory?”

“Yes, boss?”

“Send Paolo to scare her while you do the rest of the digging”

He smirked. “Understood.”

---

The espresso burned as it slid down my throat, but I barely noticed. My mind was elsewhere, spinning over the details Rory had uncovered.

Lexi—or Alexandra, as her real name turned out to be—was a mystery. And I hated mysteries.

I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse, staring out over the city. The sun was climbing higher, bathing Santiago in a golden glow, but the light did little to chase away the shadows in my mind.

“You’re too invested in this girl,” Rory said from behind me, breaking the silence. “You’ve got bigger things to worry about. Like the shipment.”

“She’s connected to the shipment,” I replied without turning around. “I can feel it. She didn’t wander into the mansion by accident. She’s playing a part, and I intend to find out why.”

“And if she’s working for someone?”

“Then she dies,” I said coldly.

Rory didn’t reply. He knew better than to argue when I made up my mind.

But the truth was, Lexi intrigued me. She wasn’t careless. No, She was different. Too bold, too composed, and too curious for her own good.

She wasn’t like the others who stumbled into our world. If she did, she’d have been begging for her life.

She seemed deliberate, calculating. And if I didn’t know better, I’d say she was scared.

___

I was sitting with Rory the following day when his phone buzzed on the table, the vibration cutting through the steady rhythm of my thoughts. He glanced at me before answering, his voice low and sharp.

“What is it?”

I watched him carefully, noting the slight tightening of his jaw as he listened to the voice on the other end. When he hung up, his eyes met mine, a flicker of unease buried beneath his usual composure.

“It’s Paolo,” he said, referring to the man I’d sent to shadow Lexi. “She slipped out of his grasp. Left him bleeding in an alley.”

A slow smile spread across my face, though my anger simmered just beneath the surface. “She fought him off?”

Rory nodded. “He says she’s trained. Not just self-defense—something more.”

“Interesting.”

Lexi Thompson was proving to be more than just a thorn in my side. She was becoming a challenge, and I hadn’t decided yet if that excited or irritated me.

“let’s go find her,” I ordered, my tone leaving no room for argument.

Rory hesitated, his brow furrowing. “You’re sure about that? She’s dangerous.”

“That’s exactly why I want her alive,” I said, standing up from my chair. “If she’s working for someone, I need to know who. And if she’s acting alone…” I let the words hang in the air, the implication clear.

Rory nodded and left without another word.

As the door closed behind him, I walked to the balcony and stared at the city skyline. The game had shifted, and Lexi had made her move. Now, it was my turn.

Few minutes later, Rory came in and said he was ready with the rest of the guys.

While on the way, Rory received a notification about Lexi and it turned out she’s a FBI agent. If I thought the game has shifted, I was wrong. It just got way more interesting.

~LEXI~

The streets were quiet as I moved through the city, my bag slung over my shoulder. I didn’t know where I was going yet, only that I couldn’t stay still.

Alessandro was hunting me, and I had to stay one step ahead.

But as I turned a corner, I froze.

A figure stood at the end of the street, his silhouette unmistakable. Alessandro.

He was alone, his hands in his pockets, his stance casual. But there was nothing casual about the way his eyes locked onto mine.

“Lexi,” he called, his voice carrying easily across the distance.

My heart pounded, but I didn’t move.

“I told you, didn’t I?” he continued, taking a slow step forward. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

He was closer now, his gaze sharp and calculating. “But I know you. Alexandra Thompson, and I’m tired of playing games.”

Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I forced myself to stay rooted.

“You don’t scare me,” I said, though my voice wavered.

His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “You should be scared because now, you’re mine.”

More of his men appeared and before I could process what was happening, I felt a stab to my neck and just like that, the trap snapped shut.

It felt like hours before I woke up. I had been left here, alone with nothing but the cold, sterile walls and the heavy weight of silence to keep me company. I shifted against the ropes binding my wrists to the chair, the rough fibers digging into my skin as I tried to ease the ache that had settled deep in my bones. The room felt like it was closing in on me, the darkness pressing closer with every second that ticked by.

Alex Esposito—the man who thought he could use me as a pawn—was about to learn the hard way that I wasn’t the type to be easily manipulated.

The door creaked open, and I turned my head just as Alex strode in, his every movement radiating the kind of detached confidence that only someone like him could pull off. He barely spared me a glance, his eyes sweeping the room like he was appraising a piece of his personal collection. Immaculate suit. Ice-cold demeanor. He looked every bit the ruthless heir to the Esposito empire—and he knew it.

“Comfortable?” he asked, his lips twisting into a mocking smile that didn’t reach his cold eyes.

I snorted, rolling my eyes despite the ache in my wrists. “Could use a drink, mind untying me?”

Alex didn’t answer. He just leaned against the wall, crossing his arms like he had all the time in the world. The quiet in the room was thick, pressing in on me. The only sound was the soft creak of the wall behind him. The smell of old leather mixed with a faint trace of cigar smoke hung in the air, making the space feel even heavier.

His silence dragged on, each second more unnerving than the last, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of looking away. The tension between us was palpable, thick enough to choke on. Then, finally, he spoke, his voice smooth, calm—too calm.

“You want to play this game, Lexi?” He let the name roll off his tongue like a dare. “Or should I call you… Agent Thompson?”

My pulse skipped a beat, and for a moment, the sound of my heart pounding in my ears nearly drowned out his words. So, he knew. My cover was blown, the lie I’d been holding onto shattered in an instant. The weight of it hit me, cold as the air surrounding us. A bitter taste filled my mouth, but I fought to keep my composure.