…Kevin POV…"DAMN IT!" I yelled, tossing the papers from my desk onto the floor. Valerie, my assistant, ran into my office, wondering what was going on."Sir?" Valerie called, walking carefully towards me.I was too frustrated to even speak. I had been counting on this merger to improve our financial situation; however, at the last moment, we were outbid."May I ask what happened?" Valerie asked, reminding me that she was still in the room. I took a deep breath to calm myself before turning around to look at her."The deal fell through.""The deal with Mazari Electronics?""The very one.""What are we going to do?" Valerie asks, causing me to sigh in frustration.Ever since the feud with the Cobras and Stone Enterprises, the Industrial Guild has been hemorrhaging money. Damian and Zayn were aware of our involvement with the Cobras and have been out to get us in any way they can. Since they aren't involved with our line of business, they've been hitting us where it hurts. They've bee
After several more rounds, we all fall back, panting."Well, that was unexpected." Valerie says, ending the silence. "Agreed." Shanyuan remarks, standing up to grab his pants from the floor."However, we need to get down to business." Shanyuan remarks, suddenly turning serious.Val immediately stands up and waltzes in his direction."Sit down and get dressed." Shanyuan commands in a firm tone.It's clear our time of distractions has run out."No more distractions. I'm here for serious matters. Now, you will either listen, or I can go back to the Triad and tell them to remove the Industrial Guild from the Triad effective immediately." Shanyuan remarks, leaving no room for question.Both Valerie and I nod our heads and quickly get dressed.Shanyuan sits at my seat behind my desk as Valerie takes the seat opposite him. I look at him with a raised brow wondering why he's in my chair, when I feel Val tap my leg. I look at her and watch as she signals me to sit down and not make a scene. I
...Hunter POV...The time had finally come. Tomás was finally eligible for the surgery. After so many failed attempts, Tomás' doctor suggested that we try using an alternate medication. This medication worked perfectly for his seizures, but not without side effects. Tomás no longer had the energy to do anything. He also didn't have enough stamina to stand for longer than a few minutes. Tomás pretty much slept every day. So long as his surgery went well, Tomás would likely never have to take medication ever again. But most importantly, he could lead a normal life.I waited outside the operating room as the doctors performed the surgery. I had lost track of how much time had gone by. Javier walks towards me with two coffees in hand. He passes me one as I offer him a small smile in reply."¿Cómo estás?" How are you? Javier asks. "Nervioso. ¿Qué pasa si no funciona?" Nervous. What if it doesn't work? I ask."Tonterías. Todo estará bien. Tomás es fuerte." Nonesense. Everything will be ok.
...Three Weeks Ago......Sienna POV...The weekend went by without a hitch. I decided it was best to continue with our original plan. I wanted to see if anyone would notice before I went after our new target- The Nativity. In less than an hour, we would be executing our plan.Adrian had texted us to confirm that everyone had already left the gallery. Since Ace had given back my car keys, I had Rylee take me to pick up my car, where I had abandoned it over a week ago. Thankfully, no one had destroyed it, which was a blessing in disguise, as we would need it for tonight. We got the paintings loaded and made our way to the gallery. I parked the car then Rylee and I went into the gallery. Adrian was already waiting for us by the front door by the time we arrived. We didn't bring anything with us, as I needed to hack into the security system first. Adrian led us to Mark's computer. It didn't take long for me to loop the cameras and deactivate the alarms. Once I was ready to go, I signalle
I sigh but nod my head. I just hope they don't try to use this against me."Fine. But please, don't say anything until I finish explaining."I look between the twins, waiting for confirmation that they agree. They both simultaneously nod their heads, allowing me to continue."So, as you already figured out, I'm forging art.""Yes. We gathered that much. But the question we want to know is why? We know it's not about money, as Mom and Dad have way more than enough." Zander cuts in, earning him the stink eye. So much for not cutting in. That lasted an entire two seconds.I raise my brow at him, and as if reading my thoughts, Kieran slaps his twin over the back of his head, earning a small laugh from me."What did she just say?" Kieran snaps at Zander."Sorry." Zander remarks, bowing his head.I roll my eyes but decide to continue regardless. "As I was saying..." I begin, in a clipped tone, focusing on Zander."While I know this may sound absurd, it actually is for the money." I begin t
"Do you remember who Sun Yee On is?" Kieran asks."Ya, I think so. They were the group that was helping the Cobras to get Mom.""Yes, but there's a lot more to it than that. As you know, Kevin, Mom's old boyfriend, was involved with the Industrial Guild. At the time, Kevin was the second in command. Chase was Kevin's stepbrother and partnered with Chase to go after Mom, as Kevin also hated Mom for not taking him back." Kieran explained."Why would she? He was the one that ghosted her. Why would he even think that Mom was his?" I interrupt."You don't need to ask us. None of us really know, but we guess that it has something to do with his ego. In Kevin's mind, Mom was his, and it didn't matter how badly he treated her or how long he left. He assumed that Mom would be there for him when he got back. So when she wasn't, but had also moved on, Kevin wanted his revenge." Zander answered."Men are stupid." I reply, rolling my eyes at them."Keep remembering that." Kieran replied, smiling.
After we all had a minute to calm down, I turned back to Zander, a question on my mind."What does all of this have to do with protection?" I ask."Basically, what we realized, is it doesn't matter how much money we have. You will still be vulnerable. Look at the number of times Chase got to Mom. Money never solved anything. Even when Kevin managed to get to you, money wasn't the problem." Zander commented."Then what was?""Loyalty." The twins replied at the same time."There will always be someone that will be swayed by a larger sum of money. But if we can solve our problems by making sure people remain on our side, then we will have the upper hand, which is why we're the devils. We want to ensure that no matter where you or anyone from our family are, you will always be safe. We want others to warn us of danger, not send us directly into the flames." Kieran answered.I nod my head in understanding. "But in order for us to make sure you're safe, you can't be out risking your life."
...Ace POV...I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. Out of nowhere, Firecracker had shown up and made an entrance like she always did. Without anyone even knowing her true identity, she managed to take the attention of the entire room. She was confident, that was for sure. She never let anyone or anything get in her way. I couldn't deny how much she impressed me, but I was worried about what Hunter would say about all of this. While he had never said what his intentions with her were, I could tell something was going on. He's never cared about someone dying in the ring before. But the moment Sienna was close to death, he rushed her out of the ring in hopes of saving her. Even had a doctor perform surgery on her in the middle of nowhere. I knew there was no talking her out of it. She was as stubborn as they came. She reminded me a lot of Hunter. He was just the same. I hadn't known him for long, but I could tell he wasn't the type to bow down to anyone. The more people tried, the
About an hour later, Silvio reenters the room, looking directly at me. Though the odd thing is he seems neither surprised nor upset to see the sudden disappearance of Ash and Hunter. Were they captured? Is that why? I wonder to myself. "Ah, good. I see we're right on schedule." Silvio comments, making me turn my head to look up at him. "Don't look at me like that. I know you're a smart girl. You don't actually believe that I would be as stupid as to confess my ultimate plan with you, then to let you escape?" Silvio asks, making me quirk a brow. I remained silent, unsure of what to say. I didn't understand what was happening. I could feel my mind working to figure out what I had missed. "I told you what I wanted you to know." Silvio comments, making my eyes go wide. A thought suddenly comes to mind. Silvio had gone into detail about his plan and then left us unattended. He wanted us to escape, which could only mean one thing. Hunter and Ash's freedom was nothing but a delusion. Si
“Mariposa.” Hunter comments, making my desire for him increase. It’s been so long since Hunter last called me that. He used to only ever call me that. But with everything happening lately, he switched to calling me by my name. I couldn’t even be mad either, as I would’ve done the same thing if I were in his shoes. He tried desperately to give me the benefit of the doubt, regardless of how much incriminating evidence there was. So to hear Hunter calling me his Mariposa once more makes me far happier than I could imagine.Without realizing it, I had closed the distance between us. My lips found Hunter’s with no abandon. Time seems to freeze as we deepen the kiss. So many unspoken conversations are taking place in unison with this kiss. I can feel all of Hunter’s emotions. His desires, his anguish, but most importantly, his love. I can feel his uneasiness when it comes to my plan. As well as the dread he feels knowing that this may be our only chance. While he may have put up a fight abo
The more time I spent in this room, the more familiar it was becoming. I just couldn’t place how. I’ve never been here before. So why does it look so familiar? I looked around the room, trying to pinpoint what it was about this room that looked so familiar. Which is when one thing caught my eye. The chair Hunter is sitting on is the same chair Ash was sitting on in the video that Silvio and Kevin had shown me earlier, which could only mean one thing. Silvio’s taken us to where Ash was tortured. This could end up being a good thing. Silvio hasn’t said a word about Ash which probably means that Ash is still alive. If Ash were dead, Silvio wouldn’t hesitate to let me know. So the fact that Silvio has remained quiet about Ash’s presence means that Ash is very much alive and could be our way out. I’ll just need to make yet another distraction. This one, however, will have to provide us with a lot more time. I’ll need to figure out how to get Hunter out of here. I already have an idea in m
…Sienna POV…This was beginning to feel like a pattern. Being knocked unconscious and waking up somewhere else. Though this time, I couldn’t figure out where I was. All the other times, I had known that Hunter was behind it, and I was at his estate. But now? I couldn’t say the same. For whatever reason, something felt off about this. I don’t know why, but it was as though I could tell that I was no longer in Colombia. Which made me question how long I have been out.Shouts of anger and aggression can be heard from somewhere in the distance. My head is slightly dizzy, and I feel partially lightheaded. However, I know I need to figure out what’s going on. I see a stream of light coming from the far side of the room. I take a quick look around to get a better feel of what I’m dealing with. To see if there’s anything nearby that I could use as a weapon. After scanning the room as much as I can, I can’t seem to find anything that would make a decent enough weapon, so instead, I focus on
...Hunter POV...I paced the floor of the hospital for what felt like hours. I had yet to see or hear from any of the medical personnel that were helping Tomás. I couldn't deny that not knowing almost seemed worse than what the final outcome would be. Every bloody scenario rang through my mind. Will Tomás make it out alive? If he does, what will happen to him? If he doesn't, am I prepared to live without him? While I may not exactly know the answer to that final question, I do know for sure that if Tomás does die, then I'm beyond prepared to burn everything around me. There's nothing that won't face my wrath. The memory of seeing Sienna standing over Tomás lifeless body will forever haunt my mind. I couldn't believe I'd been so reckless. I had singlehandedly brought the traitor into my house. I had given up my weak point to the one person I thought I could trust. To this day, I don't even know why I did that. It was as if just being near her made me feel, for the first time ever, th
....Sienna POV...The moment I saw Kevin, I knew he was here for one purpose and one purpose only. To kill me. Now that I had executed the last part of his plan, he no longer needed me alive. As they say, dead men tell no tales. So with my death, Hunter would be forced to believe what Kevin has continually fed him. I tried to move my arms and legs when I realized that they were immobile, and it wasn't just because I was once again strapped to the ceiling. Rather, my entire range of motion was gone, which made me realize that Kevin must've administered some sort of temporary paralytic. Well, I hope that it was only temporary. Otherwise, I'll be in far more trouble than I'm already in.I knew Kevin would want me to beg for my life. But I wouldn't allow myself to do that. No amount of begging would save me anyways. I just had to hope that Hunter got here soon. While there was a strong chance that Hunter would kill me, my only chance of survival relied on Hunter giving me a chance to ex
...Kevin POV...When I saw Silvio slowly crawl his way out of the dungeon, I knew for a fact that my plan was right on schedule. From the state of Silvio, I could see that Sienna happily took the bait. She must be on her way to save Tomás as we speak. The house was in an utter frenzy. From the moment Hunter opened the door to reveal a panicked Sienna, chaos erupted. Hunter started shouting commands at anyone within earshot. He attempted to get to Sienna. However, she managed to evade him. I had to hand it to her; I didn't think she'd have it in her to be able to fight back to the extent that she was. I thought for sure that her body would be too drained from the torture that Silvio had been dishing out to her for nearly a week now. It took everything inside of me to hide the smile that continually threatened to escape the more I watched from the side. Hunter was chasing Sienna out of the house toward his car. I couldn't lie; even the fact that she was able to think so quickly on her
...Hunter's POV...Javier's question had thrown me off guard. Why was Silvio in the dungeon with her? Since meeting with her, I had relieved Silvio from his torture duties. I didn't want anyone down there with her, other than Javier and myself until I had decided on what to do with her. I had reassigned Silvio to look after Tomás. It was his original assignment before Sienna arrived, so it only made sense to put him back on that task. I wanted to make sure Tomás was safe. He was vulnerable enough as it was. I didn't want to exploit that fact.No one was as stunned as I was when I opened the door to see a panicked-looking Sienna on the other side of the door. My mind was flooded with questions. Why was Sienna there? Why wasn't she tied up? How did she escape? What happened with Silvio? Did he let her escape? Before I could get an answer to any of those questions, a bloodied Silvio stumbles down the hallway behind her, taking my attention off her momentarily and providing her with the
...Javier POV...Hunter had requested that I personally see to Sienna's well-being and inform him of any changes. I could tell he still cared for her, regardless of what happened down there. It was as though he was pretending to be cruel to her to keep up a facade. Which made me wonder why? Did Kevin have a much larger hold on Hunter than I had assumed? Whatever the reason was, I knew to keep any findings to myself and Hunter. If Hunter wasn't able to trust anyone else, then neither would I.I was heading toward Hunter's office when I saw Silvio turn down the hallway to the basement. I was about to meet with Hunter, so I didn't have time to investigate further. However, his presence in that hallway had my nerves on edge. I don't know why, but something just felt wrong. Once I had finished the meeting with Hunter and the others had left the office, I closed his door and talked to him about my concerns."Hunter?" I called, using his first name instead of his title.Hunter immediately s