I can’t stop thinking about him.The image of Zack is vivid in my mind. The way he looked at me during dinner, the way his eyes softened when they gazed at the stars together. That night plays over and over in my thoughts like a movie I can’t turn off. I remember the warmth of his hand in mine as he led me to the balcony, the view of the city spread out before us like a glittering tapestry.And that moment, when we almost kissed. That moment was shattered like a glass when his phone rang.But. Did I really want that kiss to happen?Like, we had been so close I still feel the ghost of his breath on my lips.The way my heart was throbbing against my chest when he leaned in, the way my body instinctively moved closer to his—those weren’t things I could easily dismiss. But another part of me, the more cautious part, questions everything.Zack isn’t just any man. He’s a mafia man, someone with a life steeped in danger and secrets. I know there’s so much more to him than what he’s shown me,
I lean against my steel desk, my knuckles white as I grip the edge. My office is dimly lit, the only light coming from the city outside the tall windows. The cold steel of the desk is the only thing keeping me grounded as my fury burns through me like wildfire. In front of me, a row of my guards stands with their heads bowed, shame etched into their faces. None of them dare to look up, knowing the wrath they are about to face.“How?” I begin, my voice sharp and cutting. “How the hell did this all happen in your presence?!” my words slice through the air like a blade, and the guards flinch, but none of them respond.The silence is deafening. I push myself off the desk as I ask “Do you have any idea how important those documents are? How close we came to losing them?”The guards remain silent, their eyes fixed on the floor. I know they feel the weight of their failure, but it does little to quell the anger boiling inside me. I approach one of the guards and stand in front of him, my eyes
I finish аrrаnging thе сounter, mаking sure everything is neаt аnd in plаce. Thе flowers аrе аll orgаnized, thе vаsеs аrе cleаn, аnd thе floor is sweрt. It’s аlreаdy 7 PM, аnd thе shoр is quiеt. Nоrmаlly, I’d bе hаppy tо finаlly closе uр fоr thе dаy аnd hеаd homе, but tоdаy fееls different. I feel… unsettled.I glаnсe аt my phоne, which sits оn thе сounter bеside thе register. Nо nоtificаtiоns, nо missed cаlls, nо tеxts. I bitе my liр, trying nоt tо let it bothеr mе, but I саn’t hеlр it. It’s bееn аll dаy, аnd I hаven’t hеаrd а wоrd from Zаck. Nоt а single mеssаge, nоt even а quick chеck-in. It’s nоt likе him. Нe’s usuаlly good аbоut keeping in tоuch, even if it’s just а short teхt.I tаke а dееp breаth, telling mysеlf nоt tо оverthink it. Нe’s probаbly just busy. Нe hаs а lot оn his plаte, аfter аll, аnd I саn’t еxpеct him tо bе аvаilаble every secоnd оf thе dаy.Anywаy, аs I grаb my рurse аnd shovе my stuff intо it, my phоne bеeps. A widе grin аppeаrs оn my fаce аs I quiсkly grаb it
My head breaks the surface, and I gasp for air, trying to get my bearings. My vision is blurred as I swipe water from my eyes, hearing the sound of laughter echoing around me.“It’s not funny!” I yell, my voice hoarse from the cold water and the rising lump in my throat.But the laughter grows louder, more mocking. They think this is funny. Their faces are lit up with amusement, and my stomach twists with humiliation.I start to swim towards the edge when suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through my neck. I cry out as I’m yanked backward, plunging under the water again. Panic floods me as I kick my legs, trying to push myself back up, gasping for air when I finally break the surface.My heart races as I look to my right and see the guy who pulled me.Sebastian.His face is twisted in anger as his fingers move, seizing my throat with a force that sends waves of pain through me.“I just called you pretty,” he sneers, his grip tightening. “And wanted to ask you to hang out with me. But you h
I wake up feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck. My head pounds, my throat is sore, and my entire body aches. As soon as I open my eyes, I can tell something is wrong. The room feels colder than usual, or maybe it’s just me. I reach up to touch my face, and my skin feels clammy and warm, but not in a good way. My nose is stuffy, and I can barely breathe through it. I try to swallow, but my throat is on fire.I sigh, knowing this isn’t just the aftermath of a rough night. I’m sick. Really sick.Slowly, I force myself to sit up in bed, wincing as a wave of dizziness hits me. I take a few deep breaths, trying to steady myself, but it doesn’t help much. The events of last night flash through my mind—being thrown into the pool, almost drowned by that guy, struggling to breathe. It was a nightmare, and now my body is paying the price for it.I shiver as I throw off the covers and drag myself out of bed. My legs feel weak, and I have to steady myself against the nightstand as I get to my fee
As I stand in front of the club, the same one where that bastard laid his hands on Emily, I can feel the rage boiling inside me. My fists clench, and it takes everything in me not to storm in there and tear the place apart. I can’t get the image out of my head—Emily, scared and vulnerable, being attacked by some random jerk who thought he could hurt her. Just thinking about it makes my blood burn with anger.Emily needed someone that night. She needed me. And I wasn’t there for her.I lied to her this morning. I told her I had some work to finish up. She probably thought it was something business-related, maybe another deal or some paperwork. But this, right here, is the real work. I couldn’t let this go. No way. That guy has to pay for what he did, and not in some small way. He deserves the worst, and I’m going to make sure he gets it.It wasn’t easy getting Emily to admit the name of the club. She hesitated, probably worried that I’d go off the rails. And she’s right—I am. But I had
I glance up at the clock, it’s already midnight and yet Zack hasn’t returned from the meeting he was talking about earlier. He told me it was urgent, so he called Keith to take care of me.He is doing a really great job; he served me meals, reminded me of my medicines, and even cleaned the whole house while I was lying in my bed the entire day.However, I’m feeling a little better.“It’s your turn, Emmy,” Keith says as he stares at his cards, rearranging them in his hands.We have been playing the card game on my bed for about two hours because I was getting bored. Lying all day and doing nothing.I glance at my cards and smile wide. “Gotcha!” I say, slapping my card on his. He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t seem too impressed.“Nice move,” he murmurs, laying his cards on the white sheet. We both are sitting crossed legs on the bed.“But this game isn’t over yet,” he smirks.I laugh a little. Keith is much more laid back than I expected, and it’s been kind of nice to have him around to
Kyren’s guard hands me a think file as we sit at the table, at one of the few restaurants where mafias feel comfortable. It’s a safe place for a deal like this, though I’ve come to trust no one in this world. Ever since Marcellus tried to invade my agency I have been wary, more cautious. I don’t trust anyone easily, especially not someone like Kyren.I flip open the file and start skimming through the pages. It’s all here, everything I expected.Weapons.Kyren is known for being one of the best on the market. It is expensive for sure but top-notch quality. I can’t fault the man for that.Six million dollars is what I’ve offered. A fair price for the kind of arsenal we’re talking about. As I glance over the inventory, I know this deal is necessary, but it doesn’t mean I have to like the guy.I’ve never been one for small talk or fake friendliness, especially not with people who know too well how much power I hold. They always want something from me, and I’m not interested in handing ov
I was planning to go after Fernando after I was done with Noah and his other men. However, when Emily told me about her condition, I went numb, my chest ached but I refused to let pain be visible on my face. Her words sliced through my heart like a sharp blade and at that moment it felt like nothing else mattered but her.Even now, I’m only drawn to her. I can’t think of anything else but the ways that can recover her from the sickness she is enduring.I slightly turn my head and look at sleepy Emily. Her head rests on my shoulder, and her hands clutch my arm gently. Of course, she was tired, it took us fourteen hours to reach here. We landed an hour ago, and now we are travelling in the car to the apartment I booked for both of us.It’s 11 pm already.If I had wanted to, I would have taken her to my mansion, which I own in the UK, but since my guards take care of that place, she probably wouldn’t like it.But whatever, my duty is to make her feel comfy whenever I take her somewhere.
“Emily?”I hum in sleep.“Emily, wake up,” someone says softly and I feel the warmth of someone’s skin against mine. Someone cupping my face and pushing back the loose strands of my hair.I know who it is.I open my eyes slowly and my gaze meets Zack’s hazel eyes. He’s sitting next to me on the bed. I don’t remember when I fell asleep. It’s interesting how I didn’t have a stomachache again last night.“Wake up,” he mutters as his eyes soften. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips.“Hey,”“Now, get up. And pack your necessary accessories,” he says and slips down from the bed. “However, I don’t think you will need to because I have made arrangements, already.”“What?” I narrow my brows. I stretch my arms as I rise and straighten my back. “But why?”“We are going to the UK,” he says as he buttons up his white shirt while looking into the dressing mirror. “Come on now.”“Oh,” I mutter. “So, you want to spend all your time with me until I’m no longer alive?"He pauses and stares at my refl
I switch to the food channels and toss the remote on the table. Leaning back on the couch I watch the old woman cook and discuss the ingredients she’s using to make the dish.I have been rotting on the couch for more than three hours. I don’t feel sleepy either. I drank two cups of herbal tea but I don’t think my health is willing to improve. A few minutes ago I had abdominal pain again. And guess what? It was worse than the previous one.I did try to get up but then immediately felt as if I’d pass out. I don’t feel sleepy, yet feel sluggish to take a step. God knows how I managed to prepare another cup of herbal tea for myself.As I pull my legs up to my chest after kicking off the slippers, I hear my doorbell ring.My heart throbs in my chest, threatening to break my ribs. It’s 1 am, for God’s sake. Who could it be?Don’t tell me it’s them again. Those scary guys. The bell rings again.I swallow hard as I struggle to get on my feet. Taking each step slowly, I walk out of the living
The footsteps grow thicker, advancing toward the basement door where I have captured Kylo. It’s funny, considering how easily they obeyed him instead of being suspicious. However, I can’t tell if they were playing along, too.I pull the slider of my gun and aim it at Kylo’s head before the door flings open with a loud thud.“Kylo-” Bryce comes into my view. At first, he narrows his eyebrows in chaos but as soon as realisation hits him, his eyes widen in scepticism.The other men stand behind him, sharing the same expression.“What the-” Bryce says, stepping further into the room.“Imagine going after someone in order to sneak into a mafia’s system. And not any mafia, but the one who owns the half of the America,” I say. “Sounds absurd, right?”“I can’t believe it,” the bald guy says, feeling deceived. Noah. “This can’t be real. You’re not-”“I am, Zack Torres. Now stop convincing yourself that I’m not real,” I scoff.I scan each of them. “There are only six of you? That means Emily was
There are a large number of people inside the building so it would be imprudent to get inside with guns. It will create a mess that those guys will take great advantage of.The only way to catch them is to get them out of that building somehow.“So?” Keith asks, his fingers flying over the keyboard of his laptop. “What are you up to?”I glance out of the car window before looking at Keith again. “Did you hack the CCTV camera, yet?” I ask, ignoring his question.At first, I thought they might have disconnected the cameras from their room so nobody could hear their conversation, but I was wrong. They didn’t seem to really care about that.Keith sighs. “You’re overly stretching this matter. The idea of getting into the building while disguised as normal people and meeting them sounds good to me.”“No, it will cause unimaginable consequences,” I argue.“But they won’t even recognize us,” he murmurs.“Oh, so you mean they will warmly welcome someone they don’t even recognize?” I raise a br
Fifty-plus messages from Zack and I haven’t replied to any of them. I’ve been ignoring his calls, too. I’m not in the right frame of mind to face him and answer his unending questions.I’m uncertain if I’ll be able to make him despise me.I open the door to the living room, step inside, hold my mug filled with herbal tea, and sit comfortably on the couch.I’m about to turn on the television when my phone buzzes on the table. I look closer and notice Lizzie’s number pop up.Oh, here we go, again.I pick up my phone and swipe up to answer it. I gently press the phone against my ear while I take a sip of my tea.“Hello, princess!” she sounds as if she has been desperate to talk to me. “How are you doing?”I’m afraid she will not like my answer.“I’m good,” I say, trying to sound as cheerful as she is. But it doesn’t matter, she won’t be able to recognise that uneasiness in my voice because I have always been like this. Unenergetic.“What about you?” I ask after taking another sip from my
I place my hand on the scanner and the moment it beeps, the doors slide open, letting me into the cell. My footsteps echo through the hallway. As I get nearer to one of the doors, the screams grow louder. It feels as if I’m in hell and people are getting punished for their sins.Even though I’m one of the sinners.I enter the code, which is located on the wall next to the door and the door opens.My eyes land on Orson, whose hands have been chained to the wall. I move closer to him and notice blood dripping down from his nose, his left eye has swelled and turned purple, his shirt has been torn and blood is stained on it. Some part of me is a little satisfied to see him in such a filthy condition. He deserves this after all.I look over my shoulder and find my guards standing erect. Their knuckles are bloodied as they have been torturing Orson for two hours.I glance at Orson, his head hanging down between his shoulders."You know, your words didn’t make any sense to me when you were b
Dr Little tosses my tests on the table as he rubs his face. His expression tells me that something is not right. After I told him about my symptoms, he asked me to undergo a few tests and then bring back the results to him. I followed his instructions, spending hours in labs to get everything done, but then I returned and showed him the reports. And now, that I have finally returned with the results, hoping for some clarity, I watch his reaction. It’s obvious the results haven’t met his expectations—or worse.“Emily, I’m afraid,” he mutters as he takes off his glasses, glancing at me. His eyes have no confidence.“What is it, Dr Little?” I ask, my voice laced with concern.“It’s a bad news,” he sighs.“Please, tell me what’s the matter?” I ask as my body gets tensed.“Your blood cell count is low,” he continues. “When you first told me about your symptoms I thought you only had anemia which is curable.”“What do you mean ‘only’?” I narrow my brows.“Emily…,” he clears his throat befor
I will start going back to the floral shop tomorrow. Zack might get upset about this, so I prefer not to mention it to him. Besides, going to work is just a distraction from what happened. I can’t shake off the feeling of being scared. Their voices still echo in my head, and I want to find a way to get rid of them.I run my fingers through my hair as I advance toward the bed and grab my phone which is resting on the table lamp.My eyes land on the recent message that is from Zack.ZACK: Hey, Blossom. Is everything alright there?ME: Yeah. Are you home, yet?ZACK: No, I’m up to my ears. It’s going to take a lot of time.ME: Zack, please don’t pressure yourself too much into this matter. You need a break.ZACK: I would feel restless anyway until I find those guys.I sigh and give myself a moment before texting him back.ME: Alright but please be safe.ZACK: Relax, darling. I think you need some sleep.ME: Goodnight.As I’m about to switch off my phone, a drop of red liquid lands on the s