Chapter 20: Plan and Strategy – Strategic Moves Begin

Lila POV 

The air in my apartment was heavy with tension as I paced the floor, my mind racing with possibilities. Lucas King was nothing if not persistent. I knew he wouldn’t sit idly by after our encounter. By now, he was likely mobilizing his resources, setting traps, and deploying his network to track me down.  

But I wouldn’t make it easy for him.  

I grabbed my laptop from the table and set it down on the couch, the cool metal a comforting weight in my hands. Years of preparation had led me here, and I wasn’t about to falter. If Lucas wanted a game of cat and mouse, I’d ensure he found himself chasing shadows.  

---  

I pulled up a map of the city on my screen, marking potential safehouses I could retreat to if things escalated. Each location was carefully chosen—places I’d vetted over the years for situations just like this.  

My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I considered my next move. Lucas was smart, but his confidence was his Achilles’ heel. He believed his dominance was unshakable, his reach limitless.  

He had no idea how wrong he was.  

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I opened a secure folder containing files I’d painstakingly compiled over the years. Inside were detailed records of the Alpha brothers’ business dealings, financial ventures, and personal affairs. Every piece of data represented hours of hacking, decoding, and infiltration.  

The Kings’ empire wasn’t built on strength alone; it thrived on secrecy and manipulation. And I knew more about it than they ever imagined.  

Scrolling through the files, I paused on a document labeled Offshore Accounts – Priority Targets. A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Freezing one of their accounts would send a clear message.  

Checkmate, I thought, the thrill of anticipation coursing through me.  

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As I delved deeper, I pulled up a spreadsheet detailing transactions linked to their Cayman Islands account. The numbers were staggering—millions of dollars moved with the kind of precision that spoke of years of practice.  

But even the most careful operations had vulnerabilities.  

“Got you,” I murmured, identifying a weak point in their security protocols.  

With a few keystrokes, I began drafting a program to intercept their financial systems. It wasn’t just about stealing from them; it was about dismantling the foundation they’d built their power on.  

---  

The hours passed in a blur as I worked. My apartment was silent, save for the soft hum of my laptop and the occasional clink of my wine glass against the table. The wine wasn’t necessary, but it dulled the edges of my nerves, giving me the clarity I needed to stay focused.  

By the time the sun began to rise, I had a plan. The Kings’ Cayman account would be the first to fall, followed by a series of smaller, more personal blows designed to destabilize their operations.  

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Leaning back in my chair, I allowed myself a moment of satisfaction. This was only the beginning.  

But I couldn’t afford to get complacent.  

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Lucas’s presence in the city was suffocating. Even without seeing him, I could feel him—his energy, his dominance, his relentless determination to find me. It poisoned the air, tainting the city I’d once considered my refuge.  

Staying here wasn’t an option anymore.  

I closed my laptop and stood, surveying the small apartment that had been my home for the past two years. It wasn’t much—just a place to sleep and plan—but it had served its purpose.  

Now, it was time to move on.  

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I began packing with methodical precision, pulling clothes from the closet and stacking them neatly in a duffel bag. My mind wandered as I worked, replaying the events of the past few days.  

Lucas had seen me—truly seen me. For years, I’d been a ghost, a shadow slipping through the cracks of his empire. But now, I was exposed, my cover compromised.  

I couldn’t help but curse myself for letting it happen.  

“Why now?” I muttered to the empty room, tossing another pair of jeans into the bag. “Why couldn’t he have stayed in his world and left mine alone?”  

The silence answered back, indifferent to my frustration.  

“You had one job,” I scolded myself, pacing the room now. “Stay hidden. Be smart. Don’t get caught.” My voice rose with each sentence, the weight of my failure pressing down on me.  

But I had been caught—not physically, not yet—but the look in Lucas’s eyes when our paths crossed told me everything I needed to know. He wasn’t going to stop until he had me.  

I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers tightening around a leather jacket I’d been about to pack. “It’s not like he cares,” I muttered, though the words felt hollow. “He just wants control.”  

Control. That was the one thing I couldn’t afford to lose.  

Still, part of me couldn’t ignore the strange pull I felt toward him. The mate bond was a cruel trick, a tether designed to make me vulnerable. But I wouldn’t let it control me.  

I’d spent too long building walls around my heart, too long fortifying myself against the kind of weakness the bond demanded.  

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“Why do you care?” I whispered to the room, running my hands through my hair. “You shouldn’t. You don’t.”  

The echo of my own voice sounded foreign, almost detached. The truth was that I did care—at least, some small, traitorous part of me did.  

As I zipped up the duffel bag, I allowed the memory of Lucas’s eyes to surface. Those eyes, dark and unyielding, held a mixture of romance and something deeper—something I didn’t want to name.  

“Focus,” I hissed, shaking my head to clear it. “This is about revenge, not feelings.”  

But the bond was relentless, a gnawing sensation at the back of my mind.  

“You’re stronger than this,” I said aloud, the sound of my voice grounding me.  

I paused, gripping the strap of the duffel bag tightly. A small voice in the back of my mind whispered something I didn’t want to hear. What if you’re not?  

I shoved the thought aside and slung the bag over my shoulder, stepping toward the door.  

“This isn’t about him,” I said firmly, my tone leaving no room for argument. “It’s about taking back what they stole. It’s about making them pay.”  

---  

The air in the apartment felt heavy as I stood by the door. My hand hovered over the knob, hesitation creeping in despite my resolve.  

“You can do this,” I told myself, my voice low but steady. “You’ve come too far to stop now.”  

The memory of Lucas’s voice played in my mind, unbidden and unwelcome. “You can’t run forever.”  

I gritted my teeth, pushing the thought away. “Watch me.”  

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Love wasn’t in my plans. Revenge was.