Albert's POVThe rhythmic thrum of bass pulsed through the air as I pushed open the heavy oak doors of The Rusty Nail. The familiar smoky haze hung low, swirling around the patrons who crowded the dimly lit bar.A group of women on the dance floor swayed to the music. Ignoring the suggestive glances
Feeling the need to keep him updated, I sent a quick text: "Early dinner with Katie after work. Anything you need me home for before the ceremony?"His reply was curt, a single "OK" that arrived well after dinner with Katie was done. I frowned at the single-word reply."What's wrong, Mia?" she prodd
Albert's POVIvan and I raced through the city streets to get to the hospital. The image of Mia, vulnerable and injured, filled my mind. By the time we reached the hospital, a sense of urgency had morphed into a cold, steely resolve.Pushing through the automatic doors of the hospital, I found Katie
Mia POVIt’s finally the wedding day.The manicured lawn of Albert's mansion stretched out before me like a flawless green carpet, its expanse broken only by vibrantly colored flowerbeds that seemed to explode with summer blooms. The scene itself was beautiful, a picture of serenity, yet an undercur
Mia's POVA surge of panic coursed through me as I got off the phone and went to go find Albert.“What's wrong?”“It's my mom. I think she might know….”Albert, his expression unreadable, simply nodded. "Go get changed," he said, his voice devoid of its usual smooth charm. "I'll drive you."Relief w
The weight of the secret wasn't gone, but for the first time, it felt a little lighter, a little easier to bear. Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and walked towards the hospital entrance, ready to face my mom.The automatic doors slid open. I was met with a wave of sterile air and the lo
Mia's POV“You two are…married?” Her eyes widened in surprise, looking between us. "Mia... what..."A stunned silence filled the room, thick enough to cut with a knife. Albert came to my side.“Yes. We've been in love for a while now. You know your daughter is stubborn. She's refused to let me cove
Mia's POVHe said nothing for a while. I knew I was probably pissing him off, but I really didn't care. After all this time, he deserved to be pissed off. The longer I was on the phone with him, the more I thought about my life and all the days that I had been pissed off knowing that it was his fau
She leaned against the bar.“Thank you for the flowers,” she said quietly. “What did you want to talk about?”I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I didn't expect it to be easy, but I had hoped for a slightly warmer reception.“There’s a lot we need to discuss. About us, about what happened, and
MiaNearly a month had passed since the raid, and life had settled into a new routine. I was working as a nurse, and the steady rhythm of the hospital shifts was both grounding and exhausting. Mom was at the penthouse on bedrest, recovering from her surgery, but her spirits were high. She had a job
"Everybody on the ground now!"Agents burst into the room, guns drawn. The attendees opened fire on them but they were overwhelmed.In the midst of the chaos, I spotted Dimitri, clutching his shoulder. Glaring at me, his face twisted in a mix of anger and fear. He tried to get toward the backdoors a
AlbertPolina was mingling with various guests, a smile plastered on her face that took over her whole face. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration when I thought of her. She really thought this was going to go a certain way.I moved through the crowd avoiding her. I noticed several of Dimit
It was bittersweet and lonely and not the mood I needed to be in the day before all my plans would come to fruition.Ivan came into the study nearly an hour later, already dressed for bed. He poured himself a cup of whiskey and sat across the table from me.“I’ve been looking for places for Katie an
AlbertThat night, I found myself sitting across from a few government operatives in a discreet, dimly lit office. The atmosphere was tense as we went over the final elements of the plan, including the layout of the Kulak Estate.The operatives were efficient and to the point. Things were going well
I shook my head. "I don't have to explain myself to you."She set her jaw. "Because you can't.""Because it's none of your business. My relationship with Mia, whatever it is or was, has nothing to do with you. Leave her alone, Polina. I mean it."Polina’s face twisted with a mixture of hurt and disb
AlbertI set my jaw at the sound of the knock. It might be the whiskey, but I really wanted to kiss her. I was almost sure that she'd let me. I turned to answer the door. It was one of my subordinates with a report from Ivan.Definitely more important than almost kissing my soon-to-be ex-wife.Mia s
“How did you get here?” I asked. "I didn't think you had a casino in the city."He glanced around briefly before responding. His tone clipped but informative. “It was Elio’s. I'm doing my rounds.”I winced at that. I wanted to know what that meant and I didn't want to know. Had Elio just paid Albert