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
...Hunter POV...I hung up the phone on Ace as I started to question why Sienna had shown up all of a sudden. Was she looking for me? Or was she just looking for trouble? How did she even get into the club in the first place? Ever since her first appearance, I had increased security, making it impossible for anyone to enter the premise I hadn't approved of first. Any unknown people were immediately turned away. That even included significant others or dates of those that regularly frequented the club. So if she managed to get in unseen, she must've found another way in. I sat in silence as I pondered that idea for a moment. Javier knocking on my door took me out of my thoughts."¿Que es, Gonzalez?" What is it, Gonzalez? I asked."Pensé que podría estar interesado en esto." I thought you might be interested in this. Javier remarks, handing me a tablet.I furrow my brows but reach out for the tablet. It seems to be a digital newspaper about a famous painting. "¿Qué significa esto?" Wh