Chapter 2

Cameron's POV

"Please, put the gun down! Don't shoot!" My voice reverberates through the living room as I attempt to stop my father's gang. The air is thick with tear gas, making it impossible to see anything.

They found her in the house, she was pregnant. My life flashed before my eyes when I heard the gunshot, followed by the roar of a vehicle speeding away.

"No, no," I cried, rushing to Maya's side. Blood was seeping from her stomach, and my tears flowed freely as I saw her lying in a pool of cold blood.

Time seemed to freeze, and I felt my own blood trickle as I cradled Maya's lifeless body in my arms.

A chilling breeze brushed against the back of my neck and ears, like a cold finger, and suddenly, my world plunged into an unnatural darkness, as if all the light had vanished, just as Maya took her last breath in my embrace.

A surge of anger welled up within me as I grabbed the gun from the ground, ready to pursue them. But I was halted when I felt a firm grip on my wrist—Jack had pulled me back.

"Please don’t follow them; you can’t just go blindly, Godfather sent them" Jack urged, and my eyes widened in realization. He was right. My father had sent them, and that was why I despised him—more than anyone else in this world, and my hatred would never fade.

I knew my father had sent them because I refused to do his bidding, and with each thought of him, my anger intensified. I wanted to see him dead, to ensure he would never see the light of day again. That was the depth of my hatred for my father.

"We have to save her! I can't let her die like this!" I shouted, adrenaline coursing through me, making my body feel electric.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cameron, but there's nothing we can do. She's already stopped breathing," Jack replied, but I refused to accept it.

"Maya! Maya!" I kept calling her name, even though I knew she couldn't hear me.

_______

"Maya," I whispered repeatedly until my hand suddenly brushed against something, and I opened my eyes to find a naked girl lying beside me on the bed.

That's when it hit me—I was just dreaming, reliving the most painful memories I had tried to forget. I sighed as I glanced at the clock; it was already 11 PM.

"Get out of here before I finish my bath," I commanded, and the girl hurried out before I even reached the bathroom.

The fear I instilled in my girls, the way they trembled at the sight of me, was oddly exhilarating.

I headed to the bathroom and took one of the pills I kept on hand for my headaches, as I prepared myself for the day ahead.

I had a company to acquire, a traitor to deal with, and someone to meet as I set out for the day.

As I approached the company, I made a mental note of every little detail, carefully observing everything.

The building was nice, though not quite as impressive as I had imagined. It was still acceptable, but it didn’t meet my standards.

"What do you think?" I asked Jack, who nodded slightly before responding.

"We can buy it," he said. I instructed him to go inside and meet with the owner.

As I waited for Jack to gather information on what needed to be done, I lit a cigarette.

"Damn it," I muttered as I made my way to join Jack. I needed to be there since I was the one sealing the deal.

As I reached for the door, someone swung it open from the inside and collided with me. I lost my balance for a moment and stumbled backward, but once I regained my footing, I took a moment to assess the feminine figure before me.

She felt the impact as well, but she was skilled at masking it, completely ignoring me as she wiped her wet face with her palm.

It seemed like she had been crying.

Without a doubt, she was beautiful—stunning enough to turn heads. While she didn’t quite meet the standards I had for women but she was as good.

"So..." she murmured, and when our eyes met, my heart raced. She was the girl from my club last night.

"You," I smirked, bracing myself and slipping my hands into my pockets.

"What are you doing here again?" she groaned, attempting to push past me. She bumped into me, but I quickly pulled her back, refusing to let her escape like she had at the club.

"Do you just go around groping women because you think they're weak?" she shot back, struggling in my grip. As much as I wanted to release her, my hold only tightened and she wince in pain.

I let her go, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Honestly, it seemed like you had a talent for insulting people and just brushing past them," I said with a smirk.

"Well, if you were paying attention to where you were going, you wouldn’t have bumped into me, you son of a b—"

"If you finish that sentence, I’ll make sure you regret it," I warned. It wasn’t just a threat; it was a cautionary note. No one dared to call Cameron Rodriguez a son of a bitch.

"What are you going to do, Mr. Cold and Dangerous? I don’t understand how rich people think. You all believe you can treat anyone however you want and get away with it? Well, not this time, you arrogant son of a bitch!" she shouted, finishing the statement I had previously warned her to stop.

What had happened to her back there was terrible, and it was clearly weighing heavily on her.

"You're calling me a son of a bitch, but the only one acting like a brat right now is you—" I hadn’t finished my sentence when a sharp slap struck my face.

Did she really just slap me? I was about to respond, my hand instinctively moving to my stinging cheek, but the words got stuck in my throat as she simply walked past me.

"Mr. Cameron Rodriguez," I heard a male voice, and I turned to see Jack exiting with the owner of the company I was looking to acquire.

We finalized the deal outside the building, but my mind kept drifting back to her. I needed her to regret her decision.

"Jack," I called, and he approached me. Leaning in, I whispered in his ear, my gaze fixed on the girl in the car as she prepared to drive away. Jack nodded, clearly understanding my intent.

"Tell everyone to evacuate immediately; we're going to be completely refurbishing this place," I concluded, my blood boiling as I headed to the car.

"Take me to the house," I commanded, and the driver instantly understood.

___

Upon entering the house, I found the traitor I needed to deal with already tied up and battered. The sight of his bloodied body brought me a sense of satisfaction, but I knew I still had more to do.

"What were you thinking, selling my goods to them?" I asked, cutting one of his fingers. His agonized scream reverberated through the building, and I couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction.

I fought desperately to push her from my mind, but no matter how hard I tried, her image kept resurfacing.