Chapter Title: Shadows Closing InLena's POVThe tension inside the mansion felt thicker than ever, thick with unspoken words. It had been hours since Vincent's betrayal, and while Damian had made sure to eliminate the danger, I was aware that the war was very far from over.Bianca would not relent. If anything, Vincent's defeat would make her all the more wanton.I was at the window of Damian's office, staring out at the blackened city. My heart pounding with terror and anger. I did not wish to be a damsel in distress—I wanted to fight, to walk with Damian and not be a step behind.There was a gentle knock at the door that caused me to flinch."Enter," I told him, bracing myself.The door opened to reveal Adrian, Damian's second-in-command. His bright blue eyes scanned the room before focusing on me."Where is Damian?" I asked immediately.Adrian sighed and entered, closing the door behind him. "Handling business. He didn't want to disturb you, but. Bianca took her next step."My sto
Chapter Title: The Rage of a KingDamian's POVRage coursed through my veins like wildfire. My vision receded at the edges, my heart pounding like a war drum. Bianca had taken Lena hostage.That was her final mistake.I blazed through the house, my boots pounding the marble floors. Adrian stood before the door, a smear of blood on his sleeve, his face carved in a hard line."They abducted her in a black SUV," he said. "We were tailing it going east, but they changed vehicles somewhere along the way. We lost the trail."I ground my teeth so hard they hurt. "Then we follow another signal."Adrian nodded. "We have people following street cams and contacts working leads."Not quickly enough. Every second ticked away, Lena stayed at Bianca's mercy.I stood facing Luca, one of my most reliable men. "Deploy all available resources in tracking down Bianca's hideout. Now."He nodded his head sharply. "Already under way."I grabbed my own gun and checked the clip. Full load. Excellent.Bianca t
Chapter Title: The OutcomeDamian's POVThe world had grown silent. Not literally—no, I could hear the hum of the SUV's engine, the muffled murmurs of my men as they double-checked their guns for what felt like the hundredth time, the harsh breath of Adrian beside me. But inside me, there was nothing. No emotion. No doubt. Only one, unavoidable truth:Bianca had taken Lena.And she was going to discover why nobody—nobody—touched what was mine.My fingers closed around the grip of my gun, hard metal digging into the back of my hand. My jaw ached from clenching it so tightly, but I did not open it. The fury had to have an outlet, and currently, it was the only thing that kept me functioning.I replayed the call in my mind, the way Lena had lifted her chin despite the chains on her wrists, the way Bianca had sneered like she was the one who had all the power.Dumb woman.She had just sealed her own fate."Boss," Adrian interrupted the tense silence. "We're five minutes out."I exhaled a
Lena’s POVThe warmth of the silk blankets that enveloped me, but nothing could dispel the macabre images of the last three days. My body was safe, but my mind… my mind was still stuck in the cold, dark room.I took deep breaths, trying to recall that it was over. I was free. Damian had saved me.Was I, though?Every time I shut my eyes, I was seeing Bianca's twisted smile, her voice reminding me that she had something worse in store. That this wasn't finished.I opened my eyes hard, staring up at the extravagant chandelier that loomed above me. The bedroom was quiet, too quiet. The kind of quiet that made my thoughts bigger, that let the fear seep back in.A sudden knock at the door woke me up into a sitting position."Enter," I said, my voice softer than intended.The door creaked open, and Damian stepped in.Dressed in black, his entrance was like a storm cloud. His usual arrogance was not there; instead, his eyes were intense, unreadable."How are you?" he asked, his voice lower t
The Prey and the HunterPOV: DamianThe stillness in my study was crushing, the sole reminder of existence the slow tick-tock of the ancient clock on the wall. The weight of the past couple of days hung heavy around my neck. Bianca was dead, her desperate plots frozen for all time. But I wasn't blind enough to think the war had ended. If anything, this was only just beginning.Gabriel Dantes.The man who had plotted everything in the background. The man who had used Bianca as a pawn in his intricate game. And now, he was the only threat left.I made myself a drink, but the booze couldn't come near the anger bubbling in my veins. My boys had been digging up dirt on Gabriel for days, and no matter how hard I prodded, the bastard remained just out of reach.Until tonight.A flash drive had been delivered to my front door an hour earlier. No return label. No postmaster. Only an unadorned black tool with the news I had long craved. And as I rocked back in my chair, watching the files revea
Chapter Seventy Four: Shadows of DeceptionLena's POVThe room was hot.Dark. Cold. Empty.The cuffs on my wrists had grown heavier by the minute, the weight of them digging deep, pulsating welts into my skin. The air was heavy with wet stone and metal, and the stillness was stifling, broken only intermittently by the distant sound of falling water from some place I couldn't see.I had no idea how long it had been.A day? Two? A week?There was no way of telling. Hunger gnawed at my stomach, and my dry, thirsty throat, but the worst of it wasn't the agony. It was the not knowing. The waiting. The fact that something worse was coming.Bianca had made sure of it.Her words echoed in my mind—whispery, venomous threats of destruction, of guarantees that Damian would find me, and when he did, she would make him pay.And I believed her.Because I knew Damian.I knew he wouldn't quit.No matter how dangerous it was. No matter what it cost him.But the thought of him showing up here, walking
Chapter Seventh Five : No Turning Back(Damian's POV)The air was thick with tension as I stood in the dimly lit room, staring at the array of documents, maps, and surveillance photographs spread across the large table before me. Every lead, every clue, every damn thing pointed to one conclusion—Bianca had planned this down to the very last detail.She no longer sought revenge. This was personal.Jace was locked away somewhere underground—in the dead center of enemy territory, surrounded by soldiers who would rather die than disobey commands. And Lena… Lena was being used as bait. Bianca knew exactly how to draw me in, how to twist the knife deeper into my side.My jaw hardened as I turned to my right-hand man, Vincent, who was standing next to me, his expression stoic."You found them?" I questioned, though I was already aware of the answer.Vincent nodded slowly. "They had Jace transferred to a better-protected facility about an hour ago. Lena is still with Bianca, but we have no id
Chapter Title: The Breaking Point(Damian's POV)Gunfire broke out around us, the shots ricocheting off the metal walls, the sound so deafening my ears rang. I could feel Lena trembling slightly against me, but she didn't recoil—her breaths were even, her eyes sharp as they locked with mine.I needed to get her out of there."Stay low," I ordered, gripping her wrist as I looked out over the crates' tops. Bianca's men were all over the place, at the upper levels, using the rusted catwalks and busted stairs to their advantage.Vincent's voice crackled in my earpiece. "Damian, we're taking heavy fire from the south. We need an exit strategy, pronto.I exhaled slowly, assessing our situation. We were outnumbered but not outmaneuvered. Bianca was injured, and if I knew her at all, she'd be planning her escape already.Not this time.I turned to Lena. "Can you run?"She nodded at once. "I'm not going anywhere without you."A ghost of a smirk crossed my lips. Stubborn as ever.Don't worry, I
Chapter One Hundred and : The Final CountdownDamian's POVThe room was filled with the harsh beeping of the countdown on the bomb, the constant, remorseless intervals ringing out. 00:02:45. The evil red numerals on the device pulsed, a grim reminder that every second ticked us closer to disaster.Bianca leaned against the cold ground, her body shaking in weakness due to the wounds I had inflicted upon her before. Nonetheless, despite the pain, she smirked. Her deep, bloodshot eyes gleamed with twisted satisfaction. She thrived in such chaos. "You'll never be able to prevent it in time," she whispered, licking blood from her cut lip.I clenched my fists, my patience wearing perilously thin. My heart pounded in my ears, the rage within me kept barely under control by the fear of what was at risk."Shut up," Logan snarled, bent over the bomb. His hands flew across the wires, but even he couldn't hide the sweat at his temples. "This is not an ordinary bomb—it's encoded. If I cut the wro
Chapter 11”: The Trap Lena’s POV The silence in the room was suffocating. I stood frozen, my heart hammering against my ribs as I stared at Damian. His face was stone-cold, but his eyes burned with barely contained fury. Logan had just delivered the news—Bianca had taken someone. Someone close to me. I swallowed hard, my throat dry. My fingers curled into fists as I struggled to process it. “Who?” My voice came out hoarse. Logan hesitated, glancing at Damian before answering. “Mia.” A sharp pain shot through my chest. Mia. The only person who had ever been like a sister to me. The girl who had stayed by my side when no one else did. The thought of her in Bianca’s hands made my stomach churn. I took a shaky breath and turned to Damian. “We have to go. Now.” He didn’t answer immediately. His jaw was tight, his muscles tense as if he were barely restraining himself. “It’s not that simple,” he finally said. My eyes flashed with anger. “What do you mean? She has Mia! Are you ser
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty a one: A Perilous MissionLena's POVThe night was abnormally still as I crouched next to Logan behind a row of abandoned boxes outside the warehouse. The cold wind nipped my skin, but the surging adrenaline coursing through my veins prevented me from feeling it. This was it. Bianca's operation. One of her most important warehouses, where she had stored weapons, money, and intel that could be used against her. Blowing it up would eliminate a good chunk of her might.It wasn't just a matter of incinerating her resources, though. It was a matter of finding out what she had in store. Why she had allied herself with Antonio Ricci.Logan handed me an earpiece, his expression serious. "Stay close. No unnecessary risks. If something does go wrong, we leave right away."I grinned wryly. "Oh, you don't trust me?"He glared at me. "I trust you. I don't trust this place."He wasn't joking. The warehouse was heavily guarded. Security cameras were around every corner
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Lena's ChoiceLena's POVI lay in bed beside Damian, my hands holding him tightly. His face was pale, breathing labored but slowed. Having him like this—so broken and open and vulnerable—was like having someone poking an icicle deep into my heart. I never saw him in this manner before. Damian was always standing, always directing everything. But now, he was hanging by a thread barely.And this is all Bianca's doing.I swallowed the lump in my throat, and fought to keep my cool. I didn't have time to lose it. I didn't have time to let fear get the best of me. Bianca wasn't finished yet. She had already demonstrated how far she would go. And if I just sat here, waiting for Damian to wake up, she would come after us again.I couldn't let that happen.I needed to do something.I needed to stop this.I breathed in deeply and looked over at Logan, standing by the door. His arms were crossed, his face inscrutable, but I could tell there was tension in his stanc
Chapter One Hundred and Nine: The Escape (Lena's POV)The sound of gunfire echoed through the air, my own heart pounding against my ribcage. There was madness inside the warehouse—shouting, running, bullets ripping through walls. I blinked through dust and smoke, but I did not have time for fear. Logan was beside me, firing at Bianca's men while I held onto Damian, trying to keep him awake.He was too white. Too quiet. His chest rose and fell shallowly, and blood trickled through the bandages I'd slapped across his wound."Stay with me," I breathed, jostling him lightly. His eyelids trembled, but he didn't move.Logan ducked behind a stack of crates, reloading his pistol. "We have to go now," he exclaimed, sounding frantic. "They're on top of us.".I swallowed and nodded. My body trembled, but I steadied myself against it. Now was not the time to be afraid."We can't get out the front," Logan said. "They're too numerous."I looked around for another way out. The warehouse was big, but
Chapter One Hundred and Two: Hiding in the Shadows(Lena's POV)Blood scented the air in the vehicle. It was heavy, pungent, and metallic. My hands trembled as I pushed the cloth harder against Damian's wound, trying to cut off the flow of blood. His skin felt hot to the touch, and his breathing shallow."Stay with me," I whispered, my voice nearly drowned out by the hum of the engine.Logan gripped the wheel with tightly clenched fists, his eyes fixed on the road. City lights flashed by us as we sped through the black streets, headed towards a place I had never been to before."We're almost there," Logan muttered, his voice strained.Damian grunted deep in his throat, bracing in his chair. His jaw was clenched, his fists balled. He was struggling with the pain, resisting to allow it to consume him. But I could see how his eyelids were fluttering, the way his energy was seeping away.I'd never seen him so vulnerable.My heart pounded inside my ribcage as I cinched the cloth tighter on
Chapter One Hundred and seventeen: Escape in the DarkLena's POVThere was a single loud gunshot, a slicing cut into the night like a blade. It was a deafening crunch that wedged itself in my ears, pushing out the rest of the world.I froze. My heart stilled. My body froze.For a moment, I wasn't sure if I'd been hit.I hurt nothing—nothing ached or burned. But the quiet after the shot was stifling, a heavy weight of importance suspended in the air.And then I heard it. The hitch of breath, the low, agonized grunt.My gaze snapped to Damian.He crumpled back, his fingers digging into his ribs, clenching his side. Blood seeped through his black shirt, staining it a deep, dark red."Damian!" I exclaimed, racing towards him.His eyes never dimmed, his jaw still set, his face contorted in a scowl, but he didn't collapse. He didn't stumble. Injured, he stood—lethal, unstoppable.Against the wall, Bianca gripped the smoking gun in trembling hands. Her eyes were wild, her face vacillating be
Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen: The ChaseDamian's POVThe moment I stepped out of the warehouse, my phone rang. Logan's name was on the screen. I answered in a flash, my voice cold."Tell me you found her."I didn't like the silence, so I waited."We tracked her phone," Logan said. "But it was discarded three blocks from the estate. She's off the grid."My fist clenched around the phone. I knew what that accomplished. Bianca had done it intentionally. She had had Lena under wraps to avoid tracking. My chest seethed with rage and something deeper beneath—fear.Lena was in danger.I gave orders to my men, my voice coldly. "I want everyone on hand out searching for her. Every street corner, every surveillance camera. If anyone even caught a glimpse, I want to know about it."They scattered at once, wiser than to linger. My head was pounding, my pulse a beat of tension. I had kept Lena in the dark, thinking I could shield her from Bianca's manipulations. And now she had been yanked into
Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen: Cret CloserDamian's POVI stood in the middle of my office, staring at the map laid out on the table. My mind was racing, every thought slicing like a knife. I knew Bianca was brewing something big, and with Ricci involved now, things had become dangerous.Bianca wasn't just attempting to make my life complicated anymore. She was hell-bent on ruining me completely. And the worst, she was using Lena as a pawn.I tightened fists.I could not let that happen."Boss." Logan's voice snapped me out of my contemplation. He was at the door, his face serious. "We got more information."I stood up. "Tell me."Logan came in, closing the door. He placed a folder on the desk, but I didn't need to open it to know it was bad news. The tension on his face told me so."She's dating Ricci again," he told me. "Tonight. Same place as before."I gradually let out a breath, holding back my anger. "And?"Logan paused for a moment before going on. "They have something planne