Chapter 10: THE WAR BETWEEN US

GIDEON'S POV

I sit in my dimly lit office, the only source of light coming from the streetlamps outside. The scent of burning tobacco fills the air, thick and heavy, clinging to my clothes, my skin, my thoughts. I take a slow drag from my cigarette and exhale, watching the smoke curl toward the ceiling. Beyond the glass windows, the city stretches before me like a living beast— dark, restless, unforgiving.

Hell’s Kitchen.

My battlefield. My home. My prison.

And at the center of it all is him.

Daniel.

The man who was once my best friend. The man I should have left for dead a long time ago.

We started this journey together. Two young men, full of dreams and ambition, fresh out of NYC. Two brilliant chemists ready to change the world. We had the knowledge, the talent, the drive. But the world didn’t change because of us. We didn’t build anything good.

We destroyed it.

And in the process, we destroyed ourselves.

Daniel was always the smarter one, the genius. He had the kind of mind that saw beyond the present, beyond the ordinary. It was him who made the discovery— the drug that would change everything. Something so powerful, so addictive, that the underworld craved it like oxygen.

At first, it was just an experiment. Just another project, something he played with in the lab. But when the right people got a taste of it, everything changed. Money started flowing. Power followed. And Daniel became a king.

A drug lord.

Because of our friendship, he brought me in. He trusted me. Taught me the formula. I became part of the business, working side by side with him. We built an empire together.

I should have known nothing in this world lasts forever.

One day, Daniel made a mistake—a deadly one.

He scammed a powerful mafia boss named Mike. And Mike was not the kind of man to forgive or forget. In our world, betrayal has only one consequence: death. And Mike wanted Daniel dead.

But Daniel wasn’t easy to kill. The underworld feared him, respected him. The other mafia lords protected him. He was untouchable.

So Mike came for me instead.

They dragged me into a dark warehouse. The air was thick with the stench of sweat and blood. I could hear the faint sound of water dripping from the ceiling. Their guns pressed against my skin, cold and merciless. I knew I was going to die.

But in the face of death, I did what I had to do.

I made a deal.

I told Mike I could make the drug for him. I would be his chemist, his personal gold mine. In exchange, I would live.

It was a deal with the devil.

Daniel found out. And in that moment, our friendship died.

He told the mafia lords what I had done. He called me a traitor, a backstabber. He told them I had sold him out to his enemy. And just like that, my fate was sealed.

Mike was dead within days, slaughtered like an animal. Daniel made sure of it. But he wasn’t satisfied.

He wanted me dead too.

I barely escaped.

Bullet wounds, broken ribs, shattered trust. I should have seen it coming. Daniel was a man who never left loose ends. And in his eyes, I was a loose end.

But I didn’t die.

Instead, I built my own empire.

Years passed.

Daniel vanished. People whispered rumors, dark stories. Some said he had committed a crime so terrible that he had to erase himself from existence. Others claimed he had tapped into something unnatural, something beyond human.

All I knew was that he was no longer the man I once called my best friend.

He was no longer Liam.

Now, he was Daniel.

And he had an empire.

They called it Demon.

A name that suited him well.

He owned the police. The government. The streets. People whispered his name in fear, afraid to even speak of him too loudly. He had become something more than a man— he was a legend, a nightmare.

But I wasn’t afraid.

Because I had built my own kingdom.

The Dogs.

And that made Daniel furious.

For years, he has been hijacking my shipments.

Cocaine, weed— anything he could get his hands on. If he knew it belonged to me, he took it.

And I let it slide.

I told myself patience was key. That I would strike when the time was right. That a war between us would only end in bloodshed.

But a few days ago, something changed.

The police seized one of my most valuable shipments— hard drugs worth millions.

I was ready to fight for it.

Until I heard another news.

Daniel took it.

That was the moment I decided.

Enough is enough.

Daniel had taken everything from me.

My business.

My peace.

My loyalty.

But now, he had something else.

Someone.

A man named Marcus.

Marcus wasn’t just another name in the city. He wasn’t just another pawn in the game. I believe it would be Daniel’s weakness.

And in our world, weaknesses don’t last long.

If I couldn’t take Daniel down, I would take away what he loved the most.

Marcus had to die.

Tonight, Daniel is coming for me.

I know this because I have an informant inside his ranks. Someone who whispers his secrets into my ear, piece by piece.

I know he is coming.

I know how many men he is bringing.

I know what weapons they will carry.

And I know one thing more.

Before he gets to me, I will get to Marcus.

I have waited for this moment. Planned for it. Prepared for it.

Tonight, Daniel will feel what I felt all those years ago.

He will know what it feels like to lose.

Because in this war, there are no second chances.

No forgiveness.

No mercy.

Only one rule remains.

Family always wins.