CHAPTER EIGHT Just in the middle of their conversation, Bruce’s phone buzzed and he sighed, cursing the interruption, but duty called. “Duty calls, huh?” Vivian asked, already knowing the answer. She could see the shift in his demeanor—the easygoing smile replaced by the serious look of a man dedicated to his job. “Yeah,” Bruce replied, sounding apologetic as he glanced back up at her. “I hate to cut this short, but I’ve got to take care of this. Eight pm sharp” In the end, she had managed to send Bruce away with a promise to meet later, hoping it would cool the situation. Now, as she walked back into the building, she felt a knot of anxiety twisting in her stomach. Half anticipating her outing with Bruce tonight, she tried to push the encounter out of her mind, focusing instead on the tasks at hand. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, the lingering sense of unease remained, clinging to her like a shadow. Damien watched her from where he stood, a few paces behind, his eyes fol
CHAPTER NINE *KNOCK*KNOCK* Came the rapping on his door which was then followed by a familiar voice calling out to him. his thoughts which were put on overdrive suddenly calmed when Vivian pushed the door open. Her expression serious and her brows scrunched together. She didn’t look too happy and he could only guess why… “Dami-Mr. Sullivan” Vivian caught herself in time as she stepped into the office, her heels echoing in the expanse of the office as she walked towards his desk. “Vivian,” VIVIAN’S POV In all honesty, today when I had come in to work, I had not expected to be bullied by Lisa and her proxies. I swear to God, sometimes she could be such a child and I wanted to put her in her place. But for the peace, I took every snarky and gut-wrenching comment she had spewing out of her gutter mouth. But, above all I sure as hell hadn’t expected to bump into Bruce at the agency. My heart nearly dropped when Damien was added into the equation. To be honest, It was kind of hot be p
CHAPTER TEN “I—uh,” she stammered, trying to process the sudden shift. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how to respond. On the one hand, she was still angry with him for cutting the interview short, but on the other hand, the idea of having dinner with Damien was…tempting. Very tempting. A side of her really wanted to say yes, jump up for joy and scream yes to his offer, but then she remembered her earlier plans. The dinner with Bruce. Not to mention a petty side of her that desperately wanted to get back at him for letting Lisa cling to him like that. And for giving her the cold professional shoulder these past few weeks. This was perhaps her chance to get even. “I have plans tonight,” Vivian said, her voice steadying as she regained her composure. “I’m meeting Bruce for dinner.” She watched as Damien’s expression subtly changed, the easygoing smile fading as his gaze darkened with something that looked suspiciously like possessiveness. His blue eyes fixed on hers, and
Damien had left earlier than expected, something about pressing matters that demanded his attention. She didn’t know what it was, and frankly, she didn’t care. The tension between them had been too much, and the distance, though temporary, felt like a liberation.Pulling her coat tighter around her, she rushed through the lobby, her heels clicking against the marble floor. As she pushed through the glass doors and into the cool night air, she spotted Bruce’s car parked at the curb. The sight of him leaning casually against the side, dressed in his usual modest way, brought a small smile to her lips. A simple blue cooperate shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow and black slacks, a reminder of simpler times.Bruce’s face lit up when he saw her, and he straightened, opening the passenger door for her. “Right on time,” he said with a smile, his voice warm and inviting.Vivian slid into the seat, grateful for the warmth of the car’s interior. “Thanks, Bruce,” she said softly, retur
CHAPTER TWELVE Bruce's smile widened as he caught sight of the spark of curiosity in Vivian's eyes. He always loved how eager she was to learn, how her enthusiasm for even the smallest things could light up her entire face. It was one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place, her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and her genuine interest in the world around her. “Alright, I can’t tell you everything, you know. Classified and all that,” he teased, taking another sip of his drink as he leaned back in his chair, relaxing into the moment. “But I can give you a little sneak peek.” Vivian leaned in closer, her eyes wide and focused on him. She had always been fascinated by crime stories—the more twisted and complex, the better. It was a habit she picked up in college, spending countless nights glued to her laptop, watching documentaries and true crime series. Now, with Bruce right in front of her, a real-life detective with real-life cases, she was practically buzzing
CHAPTER THIRTEEN My stomach tightened at the sight of the name. Rico Montelli was not just any criminal; he was a high-ranking member of the Montelli crime family, known for their ruthless control over the drug trade in the city. They had their hands in everything from narcotics to extortion, and every cop in the precinct knew better than to undervalue them. “We’ve got intel,” Harrison said, lowering his voice as if the walls had ears, “that Montelli’s making a major move. We’re talking a huge shipment, high-grade stuff, enough to flood the entire city for months.” Luca let out a low whistle, finally showing some of the tension he had been holding in. “This is big, Cap. Real big.” Harrison nodded gravely. “Bigger than you think. We’ve got reason to believe that this shipment is being facilitated by someone on the inside—a mole in our ranks or someone connected to the higher-ups. We’re talking about potential corruption, and if this blows up, it’s going to bring a lot of people dow
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Four years later, he got what he wanted, but Vivian looked happier now…without him in her life. Bruce watched the clock closely, making sure not to miss a second. Finally, 8pm was here and he now leaned against his car, waiting for Vivian with a smile on his face. Sometimes he wondered if it were possible to turn back the hands of time, to do things a little differently. Just about the same time Vivian had left the office. 8pm sharp. On the other side of the city, near the waters edge where the docks were, a small group gathered. It was a desolate place with barely a living soul to be seen loitering, and other than the one singular street Lamp that casted a light over a group of men in tailored suits, the entire place was shrouded in a thick layer of darkness. And at the center of these men, one was kneeling, tied up, and bloody, barely on his last breath. In the shadows, one of the men remained obscured from the light. taking a slow drag of his cigar and the e
CHAPTER FIFTEEN VIVIAN’S POV Day 1 The annual fashion show to usher in the new season was fast approaching and there was a lot to do. Too much that the mere thought of it made me sick to my stomach. I thought I would pass out just thinking about it. Every year it was like this. The clamor of sewing machines, ringing phones, and gossiping staff created a chaotic symphony of fashion preparation. And my days had become a blur of urgent meetings and meticulous planning. The upcoming fashion show was a rather big deal for us, designers from all over gathered here and with the fashion show which was only mere days away, and the pressure was mounting. And it also meant I would be -oh so privileged- to be in the presence of Lisa Jonathan more than the usual. I sighed. The girl was a nightmare, thankfully I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Yet up until now, faced in the flood of activities, my thoughts kept drifting back to Damien, he hadn’t called in yet and that worried me a bit.
“Please… give me another chance,” he begged, his words raw with desperation. “I can’t lose you. I don't think I can go on without you. I know I’ve hurt you… I know I’ve failed you… but I swear, I’ll do anything to make it right.” His eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he leaned forward, his voice barely above a whisper. Compared to the cold hearted killing machine she had just witnessed some hours ago, this version of Damien, the way he made himself to bare and vulnerable to her made her heart clench, but could she forgive him so easily? He lied about who he was, putting her in danger. But he hadn't been the only one who lied, Bruce. She couldn't tell who's betrayal hit her more. Bruce or Damien? “But Vivian… if you want to leave… I won’t stop you. I won’t force you to stay in a life you don’t want. I’ll let you go, if that’s what you need.” The silence that followed was suffocating, heavy with uncertainty. Damien’s heart pounded in his chest as he waited patiently for her next wor
Damien stood there, still holding the gun in his hand, as if Marcello’s death meant nothing to him. He didn’t flinch at the sound of Vivian’s distress, didn’t look away from the corpse lying at his feet. This was just another day in his world. But somewhere deep inside, something twisted in his chest at the sound of Vivian’s sobs.Nikolia glanced at him, his expression unreadable. “Enzo will be here soon,” he said quietly, as if the violence they had just witnessed was already being brushed aside. “We’ll take care of the rest.”Damien nodded, his jaw clenched. Without another word, he holstered his gun and turned to face Vivian. But before he could reach her, she swayed, her body giving out from the sheer exhaustion and trauma of the night. She collapsed, her world turning black as she slipped into unconsciousness.---When Vivian woke again, the harsh lights of the white room assaulted her senses. She blinked, disoriented, her body feeling heavy
Marcello’s heart dropped into his stomach. For a split second, it felt like he had seen a ghost. Nikolia stood there, bathed in the faint moonlight, his tall frame exuding a cold menace that froze Marcello in place. His expression was hard, disgust etched into every line of his face and his golden eyes cutting through Marcello like a silent reaper of damnation.“Going somewhere, Marcello?” Nikolia’s voice was as cold as the night air, sending a shiver down Marcello’s spine.Marcello’s eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find words. “N-Nikolia…” he stammered, taking a step back, but there was nowhere to run. The fat in his cheeks trembled. The wall behind him felt like a cage, closing in around him.Nikolia stepped closer, his eyes darkening with contempt. “ what's the matter, uncle Marc? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said quietly, his voice dripping with disgust. “I guess betrayal has that effect, doesn’t it?”Marcello tried to swallow, but his thr
Rico stormed back to the center of the room, his face twisted in fury as more gunfire erupted outside. “This was supposed to be foolproof!” he spat, turning on Bruce with venom in his eyes. “You told me this would work!”Bruce gave a nonchalant shrug, not bothering to defend himself. He’d done what he was told. If Rico’s plans were crumbling, that was on him.“Looks like you’re the one who underestimated Damien,” Bruce muttered under his breath.“You—” Rico’s hand shot out, grabbing Bruce by the collar of his shirt, yanking him to his feet. “I swear to God, if you had anything to do with this—”“Enough!” Marcello barked, stepping between them, his eyes wide with barely concealed panic. “This is getting out of hand! We need to get out of here before it’s too late!”For the first time since the gunfire began, Bruce’s pulse quickened. He could hear the approaching footsteps, the gunfire getting closer. The time had come. The inevitable was h
Bruce had taken a photo of Vivian and driven down to the fake location where Rico and Marcello had planned to ambush him when he showed up. About a dozen foot soldiers were positioned at strategic places around the warehouse, waiting for the time. But as Bruce stood before the depleted building, he couldn't tear his gaze away from the the picture of Vivian. He stared at the picture for what felt like an eternity before delivering the message to Damien along with the fake location. A bitter smile appeared on his lips as he watched the file deliver. Somehow, he felt Damien wouldn't believe this crap. If he truly did love Vivian, he could tell from a mile away that these coordinates were bullshit. A part of him wanted to call it off, but he knew better than to intervene. No, that's not it. Bruce was just a coward, a dog on Rico's leash and it gnawed at him.Vivian was now a part of his past, but she wasn't the one to blame for the path he had condemned himself to be
Vivian gasped, her eyes widening in horror to think that Bruce was confessing to a murder made her question everything now. “No… no, Bruce, that’s not—” She shook her head, refusing to believe what she was hearing. The man she once knew, the man she had loved, couldn’t be capable of something like that. “You didn’t… You couldn’t have…”His face twisted in a madden excitement. A sick smile marked his features as he grinned from ear to ear like a mad man, but there was no denying it now. “I did. Hah, I shot him. Clean, one bullet to the heart. Just like Rico told me to.”Rico?? Why did that name sound so familiar. Vivian recalled going through Damien's notes the days he had been absent from work. But who exactly was Rico and how were Bruce and Damien even connected to it all.Vivian recoiled in her chair, her body trembling. “How... how could you?"“I didn’t have a choice!” Bruce snapped, his voice rising, raw and defensive. “They have everything on
Sly turned back to his laptop, as if he hadn’t just tried to push my buttons. “We make our move tonight. They don’t know that we know where they are, so we have the upper hand. We’ll strike fast, hit them from all sides.”Right in the middle of our conversation, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out immediately, my gut tightening the moment I saw the notification. An unknown number had sent me a message. I opened it immediately, and my blood ran cold.It was a picture of Vivian. She was tied up, her face streaked with tears, her eyes wide with fear. A message followed: **“Come alone, or she dies.”**I stared at the screen, my breath catching in my throat. Rage, fear, and panic crashed into me all at once, threatening to rip through the thin control I had left. I tightened my grip on the phone, the edges digging into my palm.Nikolia leaned in, his face hardening as he saw the picture. “Shit.”Sly glanced over, his smirk fading when he saw the image. “Ah... there it is. The bai
Nikolia nodded in agreement, though his gaze remained locked on Sly, watching his every move. “Enzo’s right, Damien. The moment you go after them, you’ll be walking right into their trap.” I took a deep breath, trying to let the words sink in. Rico and Marcello were conniving bastards. They would use any weakness to get a leverage. “What do you suggest, then?” I asked after a moment, my tone hard but more measured now. Enzo relaxed slightly. “Sly," he motioned for Salvatore and the man moved quickly, pulling out a laptop from his bag. He perched himself behind a wooden desk and turned on the system, the cold light reflecting over his face as his fingers worked through the keys like a madman. "We got our Intel..." Sly grinned, his fingers already flying over the keys of the laptop. “I’ve been digging into Rico’s operations. I might have an idea where he’s keeping her.” My eyes locked onto Sly’s. “Where?” Sly pulled up a map on the screen, a series of routes and locations highligh
His glare was fierce, but I held my ground. “This isn’t the time to act reckless. And you know it. We need a plan. If you go after them now, you'd be playing right into their hands.”“I don’t care! They took her, Nik. They crossed the fucking line,” he huffed, knocking over a stack of magazines on his desk.I took a breath, keeping my voice steady. “I know. But if you charge in there like this, you could lose more than Vivian. You could lose everything. They’re waiting for you to snap, and when you do, they’ll be ready.”Damien’s eyes flickered with rage, but deep down, he knew I was right. He was smart enough to see the bigger picture, but in moments like this, his emotions were getting the best of him.I placed a hand on his shoulder, locking eyes with him. “We’ll get her back. But not like this. You need to stay focused, stay sharp. We’ll find another way.”He didn’t say anything, but the tension in his shoulders eased, if only a