Boss, I've tracked the phone.

Lious' POV

The right thing to do—the obvious, logical thing—was to get the police involved.

But then again… that would be the beginning of the end, wouldn’t it?

A scandal could destroy me.

It wasn’t just my name or reputation on the line—it was everything I’d built. My position at the company, my influence, my image. And with enemies lurking in every shadow, especially my own brother who’s been waiting like a vulture to swoop in, this would be the perfect excuse he’s been praying for.

He doesn’t know yet, not about Evelyn or about the mess my marriage has become. But he will. They always find out.

I clenched my jaw as I read the note Evelyn shoved at me. I didn't even process the words. My mind was clouded, pacing circles around everything but the paper in front of me.

“No, I don't remember his face,” I said blandly, barely able to look at her.

“Alright, let’s leave.” The words left my mouth before I could think them through. I didn’t wait for her response. Didn’t want to look into her eyes and see the disappointment I already felt hanging in the air like smoke after a fire.

She was quiet the entire ride.

Not even the usual tapping of her fingers on the window.

The silence was louder than any argument we’d ever had. I didn’t need to ask. I knew exactly why.

The kiss.

The one with Erica. The one Evelyn had witnessed.

I wanted to explain. To tell her it meant nothing—that Erica had pushed herself onto me, that it was a mistake. But every time I opened my mouth to speak, my voice betrayed me. No sound came out.

Coward.

My throat burned with everything I should have said but didn’t.

I stared out the window instead, pretending the city held more interest than her clenched fists on her lap.

By the time we pulled into the company parking lot, my chest felt like it had been put through a shredder.

And then, as if the universe decided to pour salt into my already bleeding wounds—there he was.

Samuel.

That idiot.

What the hell was he doing here again?

“Welcome, my love,” he said to Evelyn with the brightest smile on his stupid face.

And the worst part? She smiled back.

She actually smiled.

My stomach twisted so violently I nearly doubled over. She hadn’t smiled at me like that in months. Maybe never.

That smile broke me more than any words ever could. It gutted me.

She smiled at him like he was her peace… while I was her war.

I couldn't control the rage that surged through me.

“Get back to work. Now!” I barked, loud enough to make people flinch. I stormed into the building without looking back, stepping into the elevator like it could swallow me whole.

I didn’t even care who saw the storm brewing in my eyes.

Was I losing her?

She wanted a divorce, and now she had someone. Someone tall, charming, annoyingly attractive. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t see it.

Still, I pulled out my phone and checked my reflection in the camera. Fixed my hair. Straightened my collar.

“I’m better looking than that punk,” I muttered to myself.

It was a lie. Maybe not about the looks, but I knew the truth.

He made her smile.

That’s what counted.

Just as the elevator dinged to a stop, my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number at first, but the moment I heard his voice, my heart kicked.

“Boss,” he said, urgency thick in his tone. “It’s Dave. I’ve got something you need to see. I traced the address—the one that phone call came from always.”

I didn’t even let him finish. The line hadn’t even ended before I was already moving.

Dave was the only one I trusted with everything. My right hand. My shadow. I’d pulled him out of the gutter, paid for his education, helped his family get on their feet. He wasn’t just loyal—he owed me his life. And I knew he’d never betray me.

I rushed to the parking lot, sliding into the driver’s seat like my body was running on instinct.

No second-guessing.

Within seconds, I was bursting through the door of our hidden office—our safe place. No one knew about this spot. No one but Dave and me. We’d built it from scratch—tucked away in an old building, off the grid, untraceable. This was where secrets were kept, where plans were made. It felt like a fortress.

“Boss, you’re here,” Dave said as he looked up from his desk, relief washing over his face.

I nodded, chest still rising and falling from the adrenaline. “You said you found something?”

“Yeah. Sit. I have something to show you,” he said, already pulling up a file on his laptop. He held up a flash drive, his fingers trembling just slightly. That wasn’t like him. I could tell whatever he found—it was big.

But before I could sit, there was a knock at the door.

My heart skipped. This office was supposed to be off the map. Nobody came here.

“I ordered some food for us,” Dave said casually, standing and walking toward the door.

I didn’t even have time to question it.

The door opened.

A loud scream pierced the air. Sharp. Then... silence.

“Dave?” I called, heart stopping in my chest as I rushed forward.

Then, searing pain.

White-hot and blinding.

A blade had gone straight into my stomach.

I staggered back, gripping the edge of the desk for balance, the breath knocked out of me. Blood soaked through my shirt faster than I could comprehend.

But I wouldn’t go down.

Not yet.

I stood, dizzy but fueled by rage and adrenaline, turning to face the attacker.

A man in all black, masked. Cold, efficient. But not fast enough.

“Who the hell are you?” I yelled, my voice raw and trembling. “Who sent you? Was it my brother?! Was it him?!”

No response. Just a kick to my chest, knocking me to the floor. I gasped, the wind knocked from my lungs as he rushed to the desk, snatching the flash drive.

“No—no!” I tried to rise, but my legs betrayed me. The room tilted. I watched, helpless, as the man fled into the shadows, the sound of the door slamming echoing in my skull.

I crawled to Dave, blood mixing between us.

He was barely conscious, eyes fluttering. “Stay with me, man,” I whispered, voice cracking. “You did good. You found it.”

I reached for my phone with shaking fingers, dialing emergency, but everything was blurring.

My vision darkened. My chest ached. The weight of everything pressing down on me.

Is this it?

Is this how I die?

My thoughts scattered, fear crawling up my spine.

“I’m not done yet,” I whispered, though the words barely made it past my lips.

And then—nothing. Just black.