The silence in the van was deafening, broken only by the occasional rattling of loose parts on the rough road. I clung to my Father’s hand like a lifeline, the weight of everything crashing down around me. My breath hitched as Raven weaved through the streets, her hands steady on the wheel despite the chaos we had left behind.“We’ll regroup,” Raven said firmly, her eyes flickering to me through the rearview mirror. “And when the time comes, we’ll get Thiago back.”I nodded weakly, swallowing the lump in my throat. My Father squeezed my hand, his touch grounding me even as my mind spiraled. Thiago was out there, alone, and hurt—or worse. The image of him disappearing into that cloud of smoke played on repeat in my head, a haunting loop that I couldn’t shake.I felt a hand on my shoulder. My Father’s eyes, tired but strong, met mine. “He told you to leave for a reason, Bridgette. You have to trust him.”Trust. It felt so fragile right now, like the world was conspiring to rip it apart.
The chaos was suffocating. Thiago lunged forward, knocking the gun out of Justin’s hand before he could pull the trigger. "Get out!" he roared at me, his voice commanding and filled with urgency. But I refused to leave. "I’m not leaving you, Thiago!" I shouted, grabbing a metal poker from the fireplace. Raven appeared from the back of the house, firing precise shots that forced Justin’s men to scatter. "We need to move!" she barked, covering our retreat.Thiago grabbed my wrist, pulling me toward the back exit. The world was a blur of gunfire and adrenaline as we fled into the dense woods behind the safe house.We didn’t stop running until we reached a secluded clearing far from the house. My breath came in ragged gasps as Thiago scanned our surroundings, his gun still drawn. "We’re clear for now," Raven confirmed, emerging from the shadows. "But they’ll track us soon enough."Thiago turned to me, his expression fierce. "What the hell were you thinking, staying back like that?"I me
The echo of the gunshot hung in the air, sharp and jarring, before a thick silence descended on the cabin. For a moment, everything froze. Even my breath seemed to catch in my throat. Then, Thiago was moving, his presence commanding and immediate."Elias, cover the back entrance. Raven, keep eyes on the perimeter and take out anyone who gets too close."I glanced around, gripping the knife tightly. "What about me?"Thiago turned to face me, his expression unreadable, but his voice firm. "You stay low, out of sight. Do not move unless I say so."My heart pounded, frustration bubbling up. "I’m not hiding while you’re out there fighting for my life."His jaw clenched. But before he could argue, another shot rang through the cabin, shattering a window. Glass exploded across the room as Raven ducked behind a table, firing back through the broken pane."Decide fast, lovebirds," Raven called. "They’re moving in."Thiago’s gaze met mine, and he grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look into hi
The tension in the room was electric, but the spark of hope Raven had ignited burned brightly in my chest. Thiago was alive. Hurt, yes, but alive. It was more than I dared to hope for in the suffocating silence of the night.“What do we need to do?” I asked, my voice firmer now, resolve creeping into the edges of my words.Raven handed me a small notebook filled with hastily scrawled notes. “These are the leads Thiago’s been working on. We need to connect the dots and figure out Justin’s next move. If we can predict where he’s going to strike next, we can get ahead of him.”I flipped through the pages, my eyes scanning the messy handwriting. Locations, dates, names—it was a chaotic puzzle, but I could feel the threads tying it all together. “This is about more than just us. Justin’s operations run deeper than we thought.”Raven nodded grimly. “He’s been building his empire for years. Thiago’s been dismantling it piece by piece, but Justin’s desperate now. That makes him dangerous.”The
The sound of Thiago’s voice pierced through the chaos, cutting through the static of gunfire and shouts. My heart skipped a beat as I spun toward the source, desperately trying to locate him amidst the fog of smoke and the blinding flash of lights.“Thiago?” I called out, my voice raw with disbelief.There—amidst the shadows—he emerged, his figure framed by the flickering lights. He was bruised, his clothes torn, but he was alive. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, the world seemed to pause. The intensity of that moment, the relief and fear mixing in my chest, was almost too much to bear.But then, a shot rang out again.Thiago's face twisted in pain as the bullet grazed his side, sending him stumbling backward. My breath hitched. “No!” I screamed, adrenaline surging as I pushed through the haze of smoke, my body moving faster than I could think.Raven and Aiden were right behind me, but my focus was entirely on Thiago. I barely registered the firefight around us, my only tho
The ride back to the next safe house was suffocating. The flash drive in my grip felt like it could burn a hole through my palm. Thiago sat beside me, his head leaning against the window, his breath shallow from the pain of his injuries. Raven was focused on the road ahead, her shoulders stiff, her usual calm replaced with a tension I hadn’t seen before.Helena’s parting words echoed in my mind, relentless and haunting. Someone I trusted. Someone close. The seed of doubt she had planted felt like a poison, spreading with each passing second.“Helena’s bluffing,” Raven said suddenly, breaking the silence. Her voice was sharp, resolute. “She’s trying to shake you. Don’t let her.”I nodded, but I couldn’t stop my mind from racing. Was she bluffing? Or was she giving me the only warning I’d get before another betrayal? After everything we’d been through, the idea that someone in my circle might be working against us felt unbearable.Thiago groaned softly, and I turned to him, concern snap
The ground beneath us trembled again, sending a crack through the tense silence. Dust cascaded from the ceiling as the sound of engines and boots thundering against the pavement outside grew deafening. Raven grabbed the laptop, shoving it into her bag, her movements quick and precise.“Let’s go!” she barked, her sharp tone jolting us into action.Aiden motioned to a hidden door at the back of the room. “Through there. It leads to an underground passage.”Thiago stepped forward, his jaw set despite the weariness etched on his face. “I’ll bring up the rear. Go.”“No,” I said quickly, grabbing his arm. “You’re not in any condition to—”His eyes softened, a rare vulnerability shining through the usual hardness. “Bridgette, I’m not leaving you unprotected. Now move.”Raven had already disappeared through the hidden door with my father in tow, leaving only the three of us in the crumbling safe house. Aiden gave us a pointed look before following them, disappearing into the shadows.The rumb
The tension in the air was suffocating as the stranger’s gaze bore into me. His smirk widened, sending a shiver of unease through me. I clung to Thiago’s arm, my nails digging into his jacket as he stepped protectively in front of me.“Who the hell are you?” Thiago demanded, his voice low and dangerous. His body shifted slightly, placing himself between me and the newcomer.The man chuckled, a sound that was both chilling and infuriating. “So quick to forget, Bridgette. But I can’t blame you. It’s been years, after all.”Years? My heart raced as I racked my brain for any memory that could explain his familiarity. Nothing came to mind, yet his face…there was something hauntingly recognizable about him.“I don’t know you,” I said, my voice trembling despite my attempt to sound firm.The man tilted his head, his smirk fading into something colder. “Oh, you will. Soon enough. But for now…” His eyes flicked to Thiago, assessing him with a predatory glint. “Your knight in shining armor look
The next few days were filled with a sense of impending danger. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were walking on a tightrope, and any misstep would send everything crashing down. Thiago seemed just as on edge as I was, though he didn’t show it on the surface. But I could see it in his eyes—the same hunger, the same drive, the same readiness for whatever came next.I met him in his office late one afternoon. He was reviewing documents, his sharp gaze scanning the pages with an intensity that was almost unsettling."Thiago," I said softly, stepping into his space. He didn’t look up, but I could feel the tension in his posture. "Leah called me last night."His eyes flicked up to meet mine, narrowing slightly. "What did she want?"I hesitated, then told him everything she had said. "She thinks she can make a deal, but I don’t trust her. This isn’t over."Thiago placed the papers down carefully, then stood, crossing the room to stand in front of me. His presence was overwhelming, and fo
The city skyline shimmered under the evening lights as I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of Thiago's penthouse. The weight of recent events pressed heavily on my shoulders. Leah's calculated moves had thrown our world into disarray, and the revelation of her betrayal still echoed in my mind.Thiago entered the room, his expression a mix of concern and determination. "Bridgette," he began, his voice steady, "we need to talk."I turned to face him, searching his eyes for answers. "About Leah?"He nodded. "She's not just targeting the company; she's targeting us—our relationship, our future."I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing thoughts. "We can't let her win."He approached, taking my hands in his. "Then let's fight back. Together."The next morning, Lucia, Marcus, and I convened in the conference room. The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with anticipation.Lucia began, "We've traced the leak to a secure server. Only a handful of people had access."Marcus added,
The days that followed felt like a slow, meticulous countdown. The taste of victory was still fresh, but the knowledge that the war was far from over lingered in the back of my mind. Leah was not one to surrender easily, and I knew she'd find another way to fight back. But for now, the cards were in our hands.Thiago had been unusually quiet since the meeting, his focus sharp, but there was an intensity in his eyes that I couldn’t shake off. As if he was preparing for something I couldn’t yet see.I sat across from him one evening in the penthouse, papers scattered in front of me, but my thoughts were far from the numbers on the page. My mind kept wandering to Leah—how she had looked at me when she left the room, her smile not one of defeat, but of patience, like she was biding her time. That worried me more than any immediate retaliation.Thiago leaned forward, breaking my thoughts. "You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?"I met his gaze, not surprised that he had read me so easily.
By noon, I couldn’t pretend the walls weren’t closing in.The silence after Leah’s visit wasn't the kind that gave you peace—it was the kind that echoed. Every word she’d said, every warning she dripped like poison, kept looping in my mind like a cursed song I couldn’t turn off.Thiago was mine long before you walked into his life.You’re carrying a weapon.I stood in the shower longer than necessary, letting the water scald away the chill that had crept beneath my skin. But no matter how hard I scrubbed, I couldn’t rinse her off me.When I stepped out, I found Thiago waiting.He didn’t knock. He just stood there in the doorway, sleeves rolled, tie gone, shirt clinging to him like armor that no longer fit.“You’ve been quiet,” he said.“So have you.”He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him like he was sealing us off from the world.“You want to yell at me?” he asked. “Do it. I can take it.”I didn’t yell. I dried my hands on a towel, then looked at him square in the eyes.“Was
The next morning, I didn’t wake up to the usual soft chime of my alarm or the scent of espresso brewing from Thiago’s automated machine. I woke up to silence.Too much silence.The kind that settles like a fog in the bones, whispering that something has shifted. That something is wrong.I sat up, the silk sheets slipping off my skin as I reached for my phone. No new messages. No updates from Lucia or Marcus. Not even a single email from the security firm Thiago had commissioned. The stillness wasn’t peace—it was calculated quiet.Someone had pulled the plug.I moved quickly, throwing on one of Thiago’s button-downs, not bothering to fasten every button as I padded across the floor, phone in hand. I headed straight for the control panel by the wall—one that synced to the penthouse’s surveillance and internal comms. The screen lit up. Offline.“What the hell?”I tapped the screen again. Nothing.“Thiago?” I called out. No answer. My voice echoed back at me.That’s when the hairs on the
Bridgette’s POVI stood in front of the penthouse window, watching the city lights blink below me. Everything looked so peaceful from here, but I knew better. Behind the glimmering exterior, everyone was moving, plotting, fighting, hiding. Even the glass separating me from the world below felt like a wall between reality and illusion.Thiago had done his part—leaving no stone unturned, going after every single person who might have leaked information about my pregnancy. At least, that’s what he said. But that wasn’t enough. I couldn’t rely entirely on him. This was my fight too. And I wasn’t about to be dragged into a game I didn’t understand.I let out a long breath and walked back to the table, picking up the digital tablet in front of me. Lucia, Marcus, and the rest of the team were still waiting for the next move. There were no comforting words from Thiago; just the calculated look in his eyes whenever he saw me. He seemed pleased with the progress. He was the kind of man who belie
Bridgette’s POVThe war room atmosphere had descended on the office.Lucia, Marcus, and a handful of trusted executives gathered in the conference room, their faces grim. Even the interns sensed the tension and kept their heads down. No one wanted to be in the crossfire, not when the walls seemed to have ears—and possibly eyes.I stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, scanning the room.“This leak wasn’t random,” I said. “Someone here is feeding intel. And considering how quickly it reached the public… it had to come from someone high up.”Lucia nodded in agreement, tapping at her tablet. “We traced the earliest gossip back to an anonymous tip sent to three digital tabloids. Same language. Same phrasing. It wasn’t a coincidence.”Marcus leaned back in his chair, arms folded. “And you’re thinking it was someone in this room?”I didn’t flinch. “I’m thinking someone in this room knows who.”The silence was deafening.Thiago’s POVI arrived midway through the meeting, my presence d
The next few hours felt like I was walking through a fog, each step heavy with the weight of what was at stake. The note had shaken me more than I cared to admit, but it was also a wake-up call. I couldn’t let this go unnoticed. Not now.I grabbed my phone, dialed Marcus’s number, and pressed it to my ear. The ringing felt like an eternity.“Bridgette,” he answered, voice smooth, like he hadn’t just been part of the most volatile corporate environment I’d ever been in.“Marcus,” I said, keeping my tone level. “I need to know if you’ve had anything to do with the leak.”There was a long pause, longer than I expected.“Bridgette, you know I don’t get involved in... sensationalist games. That’s not my style,” he replied. The casualness of his words didn’t sit right.“I’m not asking about style. I’m asking about leaks.” I pressed, my voice tightening. “You had access to sensitive information, and I need to know if you gave it to anyone.”There was another beat of silence before Marcus spo
[BRIDGETTE'S POV]The sound of Thiago’s breathing lulled me. Slow. Steady. Unshaken.I hated that.How could he lie there like he wasn’t on the edge of something catastrophic? Like our whole reality hadn’t shifted the second I handed him that test?Maybe it had always been this way—me unraveling in silence while he anchored us with that dangerous, deliberate calm.I lifted my head slightly, just enough to watch him sleep. His face looked younger like this. Less ruthless. The weight of control he always carried had slipped off, if only for the night.I should’ve felt safer. I didn’t.I felt... seen.And being seen terrified me more than the test ever could.I slipped out of bed before dawn, dragging the blanket with me like armor. My feet found the cold marble of the penthouse floor, but I didn’t flinch.I needed space.Not to run—Just to breathe.The bathroom lights were too harsh, so I settled on the balcony. The city was just waking up. Lights blinking to life like a million eyes f