DOMINIC'S POV Victor pulled me aside after I was done talking to everybody with a serious expression on his face. “You need to talk to Emily.” He said simply. I let out a shaky breath as I ran my fingers through my hair. “I can't talk to her right now, Victor. She's counting on me for something that I can't give her right now and that I'd comfort. I'm a mess. My daughter is in the hands of my enemy and all I can think about is that I need to save her so I don't lose her.” “She's not asking you for comfort, Dominic. She just wants you to know that you are both in this together. If anything, she wants to comfort you. You can't let this whole thing tear you apart, that's how Damien will win.” I didn't respond. I knew he was right, but right now I could not give her what she was asking. I needed to handle this on my own. It was better she stayed away from the entire case. I could not handle emotions right now, it was for the best. I was about to respond when Lorenzo rushed bac
DOMINIC'S POV The warehouse looked like a haunted house. It was an old abandoned building. It was filled with silence and darkness except for the flickering security lights. My fingers clenched as I looked at the building that held the possibility that my daughter was in there. We were parked a safe distance from the location. This was not an attack, it was a stakeout, but everything in my body screamed for a shootout, but not with the girls in there. Lorenzo slid into the backseat. “I did another scan on the property and found that there was movement in the building. There are a few people on there, probably a way to reduce activity and take attention away from the building.” I was about to respond when my phone began to buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out to see who was calling. Emily. I allowed the phone to finish ringing before putting it back in my pocket. I looked up to find Victor shaking his head at me in disappointment. My heart sank. I knew it wasn't fair for me to kee
EMILY’S POV Waiting was gruesome. It had been two days and I had not heard a word from any of them. Not even from Victor. I was constantly nervous, not getting enough sleep because I could not sleep, and when I did, I got nightmares. Victoria had not left the house since and it was nice to have someone around. We talked and we got to know each other better. It helped us to keep our minds off everything. I was grateful for her; she was the only thing keeping me a bit sane. I tried not to think about Dominic so much, cause thinking about him made me sad. No matter how much I tried to understand, I could not help the feeling of hurt that came as a result of his abandonment. We'd always gone through everything together, so why did it have to be different now? I missed him, but I was angry with him. After I called him two days back and he didn't respond, I promised myself not to try to contact him again. If he wanted to be away from me, then so be it. I would not beg him anymore. If
DOMINIC'S POVI looked at my phone like it was about to explode after Victor left. "Call her". His words kept ringing over and over again in my head. The way he looked at me, I knew he meant it. It had been almost a week since I last heard her voice. I made the painful decision of putting a wedge between us even though I knew it was totally wrong to do so—even though I knew that it would hurt her. I wanted to protect her from myself. I meant what I said to Victor. I didn't know how to be there for her in her grief while dealing with mine and also trying to get the girls back. Now I knew I had to call her, but I was scared that I'd hurt her so much that she wouldn't be mine. I was scared that I'd messed everything up with the distance to the point that she would never forgive me. I was scared of what she'd say, how she'd react. But the truth was that I missed her—I missed her terribly. Her voice, her laughter, her comforting touch. The way she made me feel like I wasn't the monster
EMILY’S POVVictoria held me in her arms as I broke down in tears. Just hearing his voice had shattered me. I knew he was sorry, I knew he was scared, but I didn't know how to forgive him. I'd always trusted Dominic not to hurt me and he did just that. He broke my heart into a million pieces, and I did not know how to trust him again or move past the pain. Especially now with the girls being held captive by people that could kill them. I felt like the new life I'd built for myself was slowly crashing down and I didn't know how to stop it. “I'm proud of you for standing your ground. You needed to let him know how much his actions had hurt you and you were right to ask for space.” Victoria assured me that she knew I felt guilty. I felt like maybe I'd been too hard on him. “I know, but why doesn't it feel that way. It feels…painful.” I told her, pulling away from her. “Because you love him, and you trusted him and he hurt you.” “I know,” I said quietly. She was right. I love him but
Emily POVStaring out the window of my car, I admired the beauty of the Moreno estate. It is such a shame that a family of this calibre is involved with so many illegal activities."Emily!" I heard my name through the earpiece. "This is Adam, remember the plan, do this once and get out immediately. You are Lena Grant, a high society event planner, don't forget that."Every single instruction he had dished out, I made sure to pay close attention. Being an undercover agent for the Central investigative office for several years comes with a lot of experience. I am not new to the task, but for some reason, I have an odd feeling about this operation. This is the third week that I have been rehearsing for the role after the case was brought before my desk, so the execution was never going to be a problem.Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and stepped out of the vehicle onto the lawn of Moreno estate. The urge to just stand in awe and admire the beautiful piece of construction was heav
Emily POV He stared at the table where I dropped the folders and then back at my phone. As he approached me, I felt my heart pounding. "Maybe I never said this from the beginning, but I don't like it when people enter places that they are not supposed to be." He glared at me, while his voice was laced with venom. 'You have to leave now!' I heard Adam yell through my earpiece, but I am not the type of agent to run away from a challenge. I broke the last distance between the both of us, smiling despite seeing the anger in his eyes. "I am sorry if I broke into your private space, I cannot help but admire the decorations in the office," I said, pointing to the direction of the designs on the wall. My lie did not seem to have impressed him, as his expression was unreadable. The tension in the room was palpable and I began to wonder what could be going through his mind. "I think you will find out that the real beauty is in the view." He says, pointing to the city skyline, which
Three days later… Emily POV "I was scared you were going to blow up your cover, so I had to send forces on your behalf," Adam said, as we walked through the cell rooms. "I have spent several years as an undercover agent and not once have I blown my cover, I don't intend to do it with the Moreno family," I replied. We stopped at the solitary confined cell and Adams turned to look at me, worry written all over his face. "Are you sure you can handle him? Dominic may be calm, but there is no saying what he is going to do to you after you betrayed his trust." I understood Adam's worrying statement, the Moreno family must be out there looking to kill me, which is why I need to get the information from Dominic about his activities before leaving the country. "You don't have to worry about anything Adams, I will be fine," I assured him. He nods his head in understanding and the cell door is opened. "Good luck." He commented, before leaving. I took a deep breath and stepped into the
EMILY’S POVVictoria held me in her arms as I broke down in tears. Just hearing his voice had shattered me. I knew he was sorry, I knew he was scared, but I didn't know how to forgive him. I'd always trusted Dominic not to hurt me and he did just that. He broke my heart into a million pieces, and I did not know how to trust him again or move past the pain. Especially now with the girls being held captive by people that could kill them. I felt like the new life I'd built for myself was slowly crashing down and I didn't know how to stop it. “I'm proud of you for standing your ground. You needed to let him know how much his actions had hurt you and you were right to ask for space.” Victoria assured me that she knew I felt guilty. I felt like maybe I'd been too hard on him. “I know, but why doesn't it feel that way. It feels…painful.” I told her, pulling away from her. “Because you love him, and you trusted him and he hurt you.” “I know,” I said quietly. She was right. I love him but
DOMINIC'S POVI looked at my phone like it was about to explode after Victor left. "Call her". His words kept ringing over and over again in my head. The way he looked at me, I knew he meant it. It had been almost a week since I last heard her voice. I made the painful decision of putting a wedge between us even though I knew it was totally wrong to do so—even though I knew that it would hurt her. I wanted to protect her from myself. I meant what I said to Victor. I didn't know how to be there for her in her grief while dealing with mine and also trying to get the girls back. Now I knew I had to call her, but I was scared that I'd hurt her so much that she wouldn't be mine. I was scared that I'd messed everything up with the distance to the point that she would never forgive me. I was scared of what she'd say, how she'd react. But the truth was that I missed her—I missed her terribly. Her voice, her laughter, her comforting touch. The way she made me feel like I wasn't the monster
EMILY’S POV Waiting was gruesome. It had been two days and I had not heard a word from any of them. Not even from Victor. I was constantly nervous, not getting enough sleep because I could not sleep, and when I did, I got nightmares. Victoria had not left the house since and it was nice to have someone around. We talked and we got to know each other better. It helped us to keep our minds off everything. I was grateful for her; she was the only thing keeping me a bit sane. I tried not to think about Dominic so much, cause thinking about him made me sad. No matter how much I tried to understand, I could not help the feeling of hurt that came as a result of his abandonment. We'd always gone through everything together, so why did it have to be different now? I missed him, but I was angry with him. After I called him two days back and he didn't respond, I promised myself not to try to contact him again. If he wanted to be away from me, then so be it. I would not beg him anymore. If
DOMINIC'S POV The warehouse looked like a haunted house. It was an old abandoned building. It was filled with silence and darkness except for the flickering security lights. My fingers clenched as I looked at the building that held the possibility that my daughter was in there. We were parked a safe distance from the location. This was not an attack, it was a stakeout, but everything in my body screamed for a shootout, but not with the girls in there. Lorenzo slid into the backseat. “I did another scan on the property and found that there was movement in the building. There are a few people on there, probably a way to reduce activity and take attention away from the building.” I was about to respond when my phone began to buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out to see who was calling. Emily. I allowed the phone to finish ringing before putting it back in my pocket. I looked up to find Victor shaking his head at me in disappointment. My heart sank. I knew it wasn't fair for me to kee
DOMINIC'S POV Victor pulled me aside after I was done talking to everybody with a serious expression on his face. “You need to talk to Emily.” He said simply. I let out a shaky breath as I ran my fingers through my hair. “I can't talk to her right now, Victor. She's counting on me for something that I can't give her right now and that I'd comfort. I'm a mess. My daughter is in the hands of my enemy and all I can think about is that I need to save her so I don't lose her.” “She's not asking you for comfort, Dominic. She just wants you to know that you are both in this together. If anything, she wants to comfort you. You can't let this whole thing tear you apart, that's how Damien will win.” I didn't respond. I knew he was right, but right now I could not give her what she was asking. I needed to handle this on my own. It was better she stayed away from the entire case. I could not handle emotions right now, it was for the best. I was about to respond when Lorenzo rushed bac
SOFIA'S POV I woke up covered in sweat, my wrist hurt from where they were bound. My mouth hurt from the gag and every single inch of my body hurt. The room was dark and damp and the smell of blood hung in the air. My head throbbed from when they'd delivered a blow to my head when I had tried to resist them. I had no idea how long I'd been out, but judging by how much my body hurt and the dried-up blood on Anita's head, I knew it had been a while. Anita was beside me; she was not moving, but I could hear her shallow breathing—thank God. Daniella was on my other side, she was bruised and very weak, but she still had a look of determination that I envied. I was just glad that we were all alive… for now. Slow and deliberate footsteps approached the space where we were kept. I winced as the door cracked open, casting light into the dark room. A man walked into the room. I gasped. He looked just like Dominic, just a bit older. He was put together, wore an expensive suit and everythi
EMILY’S POV I felt like I could not breathe as I paced up and down the length of my room. Dominic had left hours ago without so much as a word to me. I had not heard anything from them about the situation over there. I tried to call Dominic but he wasn't answering. I hated not knowing, I hated that this was happening. We'd don't everything to make sure that Damien did not find out about where they were. Everything to protect their location, but nothing has worked. Damien had still been able to get his hands on them. I imagined Anita and Daniella, terrified and Sofia too. It was ironic that the last time this had happened, it was Sofia's father who had taken them. Finally, unable to take the lack of information anymore, I called Victor. He answered immediately and I was relieved, but it also meant that Dominic was deliberately avoiding talking to me, which made me feel alone. “Emily?” “Hey, Victor. How are things over there?” There was a pause at the end of the line before
DOMINIC'S POV We got to Sydney at dawn. The air was thick with heat and tension as we drove through the street to my estate. When we got there, the place looked normal from the outside. I felt like I'd not been there in forever. The gate was still intact, so I knew that they didn't force themselves into the property. The cameras in front of the gate were still blinking rapidly. They had not been tampered with. All five of us—myself, Dino, Victor, Barry, and Ezra—walked into the house to inspect it. Lorenzo greeted us at the entrance, and he could not look me in the eye. That was good. I left him in charge, trusted him to take care of the girls, and he'd disappointed me. Even though I knew it wasn't really his fault. Damien and his men had bested him, but I needed someone to blame. “Walk us through what happened,” Victor told Lorenzo as we walked through the house. I'd asked that nothing be touched or cleaned until I came. I wanted to see everything for myself. “They came in s
EMILY’S POV “How did that even happen? The house is supposed to be very secure, and how did he even find out where they were?” The questions rushed out of me before I could stop them. The tears were flowing freely from my eyes, and I felt shattered. I'd spoken to Anita only some hours ago, and she sounded okay. She told me everything was fine. How could that have changed in only a short period? “I know as much as you do, Emily. I'm waiting for feedback from Lorenzo. I might have to make the trip down there.” Dominic said, sitting in the corner. Beside him were Victor, Barry, and Ezra, who were trying to console the both of us. “I'm going with you,” I told him. “You are not going with me.” He said quietly, shaking his head. “But—” I started to say, but he cut me off. “My decision has been made, and that is final. I am leaving before noon today, and you will stay here. I can't risk anything happening to you either.” He told me strongly. His tone left no room for argument, bu