KIRA’S POV“Of course, she isn’t, honey,” Sasha said, a fake smile plastered on her face. My father raised an eyebrow in confusion, as though giving her permission to continue, and she didn’t hesitate. “We all know Azreal hasn’t touched her, honey. Last I heard he prefers sleeping with his maid’s daughter rather than our dear Kira.” She faked a sob for dramatic effect.My eyes widened at her words. It was true, but how did she know that?“That’s not—”“Oh, you poor thing. You don’t need to act strong for us. We’re your family,” she interrupted, finishing her unsolicited speech with fake sympathy.Beside her, Kayla and Karina snorted.“Yeah, so what if he prefers sleeping with the maids? You’re still the Dona,” Kayla taunted and Sasha nodded in agreement as if validating her point.My father remained silent, watching as his family tore me apart with their cruel words, mocking me, and like always, his reaction was the same.Nothing.Sasha's hands moved to touch mine but I moved them qui
ADRIAN’S POVTwo days later, I walked into the Gambia de Crianza Investigative Precinct. A few people stood near the door, seemingly waiting for me. They reeked of a scent I recognized all too well from my first visit here.Fear.The last time I was here, it was to confess to a crime my idiot father had committed. But now, the place was bustling with police officers—most of whom were already on my payroll.I had deliberately delayed the summons, instructing my lawyer to claim I was indisposed. Nobody gives me orders, not even the fucking FBI.I arrived with Victor, one of my most trusted guards, and a few other men. Romano, meanwhile, was currently in Ageeis, meeting with our Russian contact and investigating the port workers to track down the fucker who betrayed us. I had sent him there in place of Dead Ted, who somehow got stuck at the Casetra’s border during the ambush.I knew whoever was betraying me had something to do with Dead Ted’s interception. That’s why I sent Romano to Age
THIRD PERSON'S POVThe door to the dimly lit warehouse opened and Adrian accompanied by Romano and a couple guards walked in. At the edge of the room, a man was tied to a wooden seat, his arms and legs cuffed together, a black sack covering his head.The loud clatter of keys reverberated as they dangled from the doorknob. The tied man's sore body jerked at the sound, his ears straining to follow the movements drawing closer.Adrian walked at a slow pace toward the man tied to the metal chair, the soles of his shoes clunk as they met the metal floor causing an audible echo that reverberated through the corners of the cubicle.The man's head twitched as he heard footsteps getting closer, he let out low grunts that quickly turned into loud, panicked cries, accompanied by the harsh scraping of the chair as he thrashed violently, trying to free himself from his restraints.He struggled and struggled but to no avail, “Who is there?!” "Whoever you are, let me go now! Do you know who I am? M
DYLAN’S POVA low groan escaped my lips as I dabbed my swollen chin with a cube of ice. I took a swig of whiskey as I dabbed.Tiny drops of liquid trickled down my arm, but I didn't seem to care, all I wanted was for the excruciating pain to disappear. “You shouldn't have struggled with them, this was all supposed to be a harmless warning, do you know why? Because I still consider you to be my brother, Dylan.” one of Adrian's lap dog voices rang in my ears again. He said that after dumping me at the roadside. I took another swig to drown the pain and memories.Because he still considered me to be his brother? I scoffed.Brothers don't send men after their brothers. It all began after I had gone out to meet with my secret client, on my way. A van pulled up on me, it double-crossed me and gave me no chance of escape. As I calculated my next moves, five hefty men approached me. In situations like that, I'd be a fool not to fight. What if they wanted to kill me, should I have let them
KIRA’S POV.“You don't know anything about me,” I retorted.Dead Ted looked at me through the rearview mirror, “Indeed, you’re right, I don’t. But fight for yourself? The weak don’t survive in this cold world.”“I want to.” I chuckled wryly, “Do you know what it’s like to feel the urge to drag someone along the tarmac, punch someone in the face, or scream so loud your lungs give out?”“No. I fulfill my urges. You only live once. Why waste it bottling up emotions?”“That was a rhetorical question.”“As long as it answers yours,” he countered, his tone unbothered.“You can say this because you’re brave. You’ve probably spent your whole life training in some mafia facility, so fear doesn’t even register with you. You can do things without caring about consequences, and even if karma catches up, she’s probably too scared to punish you.”“You don’t know anything about me, Dona,” he said, his eyes darkening and I froze.The car lapse
KIRA’S POVI followed him, my mind reeling. Born in prison? Was that even possible? He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me, his brows furrowed in what seemed like genuine confusion. Seriously? Was he really confused right now?“What do you mean, ‘born in prison’?” I asked in disbelief. Just when I was starting to warm up to him, he casually dropped this bombshell. Did Adrian hire all the inmates he met in jail?“Oh, that,” Ted said with a chuckle as if he’d just mentioned something mundane. “My mother was convicted of arson.”Arson? My jaw almost hit the floor.“Crazy, right?” he continued, completely unbothered by my reaction. “You know, it’s funny—I think you and her share some similarities.”I nearly scoffed but managed to hold it back. I wasn’t about to risk offending him when he was finally being open without me prying. Still, I couldn’t see how I could possibly be similar to an arsonist.“What do you mean?” I asked carefully.He grinn
KIRA’S POV“Oh God,” I gasped, covering my mouth with trembling hands.Dead Ted stood a few inches away from the dartboard, a blank expression on his face, with the knife I had just thrown lodged in his chest. A small, dark stain already forming across his shirt, marking the impact.My body stiffened for a few agonizing seconds as I stared at him. “Oh no. Oh God, what have I done?” I whispered, my voice shaky as I took a hesitant step toward him.Ted raised his hand, holding up the pocketknife I’d thrown earlier. “I was just trying to move this out of the way,” he said, his voice disturbingly calm, his expression unreadable. “Got in the way of your aim, I guess.”Oh God.I blinked in total disbelief. “I …I’m so sorry,” I stammered, as I got within arm’s reach of him. My instinct was to touch the knife or try to steady him, but he raised an eyebrow and shifted back, avoiding my hand.Is he alright, doesn't he see the knife in his chest or feel it? His eyes slowly closed, and I felt my
KIRA’S POVJena was sprawled on the desk, Adrian deep inside her. Her tiny frame arched under him, her tiny breasts moving upwards as he thrust into her. The desk was a chaotic mess, papers scattered everywhere, yet neither of them seemed to care.They both looked up when I entered, but their movements didn’t stop.Adrian’s eyes locked onto mine, his face twisted with anger, and his usually slicked hair was scattered and disheveled—no doubt from Jena’s hands running her hands through it. “What the hell are you doing here? Get out!” he barked.I froze for a moment, taking in the crazy scene before me. Jena turned to me, her lips curled into a smile that sent a sick wave of déjà vu washing over me. It was the same smug expression Kayla gave me every time she talked about Dylan. That look of triumph, of winning something they had no right to take.I swallowed my emotions, masking my hurt with indifference, and met Adrian’s furious eyes.“No,” I stated, cros
KIRA’S POVAdrian was slumped back in a chair, his chest red with blood.A table sat in front of him, completely stained red, with bandages soaked through and scattered across the surface. Books, papers, pens, and files lay in a mess on the floor, like he had shoved everything away in anger. An iron first-aid box sat open on the table, but all the instruments inside were soiled.My feet felt frozen to the ground as I stared at his bare chest. His lower abdomen was bruised, an ugly shade of pink like he had been punched or hit—but his chest… His chest was still bleeding, blood covering almost every inch of his tattooed body.The room was a vast, sophisticated study, much like the one he had in the mansion. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, filled with leather-bound volumes and neatly arranged files. A sleek mahogany desk stood in the center—now ruined with blood and medical supplies. One side of the room was all glass, offering a panoramic view of the city skyline. The blind
KIRA’S POV“Fucking hell,” Antonio muttered, lighting a cigarette.I glanced at him briefly before turning in the direction Adrian had gone. A million questions ran through my mind—was I supposed to live here permanently? And I also needed to get Aunt Linda here somehow. With those thoughts swirling in my head, I took a step to follow Adrian.“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”Antonio’s voice made me stop in my tracks. I turned to face him, my gaze landing on the cigarette between his fingers as he took a slow drag.“Do what?” I asked.“Go after him.” He exhaled a stream of smoke, his expression unreadable. “And try to ask him something or talk to him. I assume that’s what you were about to do.”“Um, why not?” I hugged myself, shifting uncomfortably. I wasn’t used to someone smoking so close to me… it brought back too many memories of Dad’s house.Antonio was undeniably good-looking… tall, sharp-featured, and not a single tattoo in sight. But I wasn't surprised, most of Adrian’s men
ADRIAN’S POVI sat on the stool watching the security footage, during which one of my trucks was intercepted and replaced with an empty truck.The pasta in front of me tasted bland.My mind flickered back to Kira. She had walked in on me throwing the pan in anger, oblivious to the news I had just received. When she’d offered to help, I let her. Not because I needed it, but because I was curious to see if she could actually pull it off.I turned my attention back to the screen.After the last interception, I had secretly planned to arrange for drones to follow all my shipments, especially the ones carrying arms.I watched as the truck carrying the goods veered off on the highway, separating from the convoy I had paid damn good money to ensure its safe passage. A second truck, identical in color and size, was already parked at the highway’s edge, waiting. The truck passed through the other side of the highway while the decoy continued, rejoining the convoy at a connecting road.A well-p
KIRA’S POVI kept screaming, my legs trembling as his weight pressed down on me, making it harder to breathe. My knees wobbled as I tried to move him, but he was too heavy. The stranger had passed out, his body limp against mine, and blood gushed from a wound or multiple I couldn’t see, soaking into my clothes, clinging to my skin.His body shook and he let out a dry cough, “you—” he coughed again and threw up and I felt something hot splatter against my back. Blood.Oh God!“You… you must tell Don Adrian… the orphan, he the spy. He out for revenge… and he very cunning son of a bitch.” his accent was Italian, more like… Korean?My mind couldn't register his words and all I could think of was getting him off me, my knees were slowly turning into jelly.I didn’t know how long I stood there, paralyzed, screaming, until Adrian’s men came rushing towards me. Strong hands grabbed the stranger, lifting him off me, my entire body was drenched in red, and the sudden loss of weight made my head
KIRA’S POVThe next day, instead of staying in my room until Dead Ted came to drag me off to training… like I usually would, I decided to take a walk around the mansion.I was careful, though. No wandering into any unfamiliar or eerie places. The last time I’d done that, I had stumbled on Adrian torturing a man with an iron rod, and that had been more than enough to kill any interest I had in touring the mansion. Since then, I have kept to the areas I was already familiar with… and other times, I just stayed cooped up in my room, avoiding everyone and everything.But today, I needed an escape, even if just for a little while. A library, a garden—somewhere quiet. Somewhere I could breathe.The past few days had been nothing short of a disaster, and with Kayla and Dylan’s engagement party just a week away, I was running out of time to figure out a way to get out of attending. But at this point, I knew it didn’t matter.There was no getting out of it.I just had to brace myself and prepa
KIRA’S POV The next day, instead of staying in my room until Dead Ted came to drag me off to training… like I usually would, I decided to take a walk around the mansion. I was careful, though. No wandering into any unfamiliar or eerie places. The last time I’d done that, I had stumbled on Adrian torturing a man with an iron rod, and that had been more than enough to kill any interest I had in touring the mansion. Since then, I have kept to the areas I was already familiar with… and other times, I just stayed cooped up in my room, avoiding everyone and everything. But today, I needed an escape, even if just for a little while. A library, a garden—somewhere quiet. Somewhere I could breathe. The past few days had been nothing short of a disaster, and with Kayla and Dylan’s engagement party just a week away, I was running out of time to figure out a way to get out of attending. But at this point, I knew it didn’t matter. There was no getting out of it. I just had to brace myself and
THIRD PERSON’S POV“What do you mean you got kicked out?” Kayla Neel, soon to be Vasillios, screamed into the phone. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and looked around the kitchen to make sure no one was listening.She had given Dylan an excuse and left the bedroom to take this call, thinking it would be good news from the spy she had planted to monitor her sister’s every move.“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t know how but it’s like Kira convinced Adrian to kick me and my mom out,” a nervous Jena stammered on the other end of the line.“How does Kira get Azreal to do anything? I thought you said you had him wrapped around your finger!” Kayla snapped, her frustration increasing.“I... I thought so too, but—”“Stop with the fucking excuses! I didn’t get you out of a life in jail just for you to get kicked out,” Kayla interrupted, looking livid.Two months ago, when Jena was arrested for manipulating her principal’s sixteen-year-old son int
KIRA’S POVI entered his room. He was not there but I could hear some rustling in his closet. Why were the curtains drawn and the room so dark?Probably to match his dark heart.I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been inside Adrian’s room. The unfamiliarity made my chest tighten, each step feeling like a violation. My heart pounded in anticipation of his reaction if he caught me here.But I had no choice. I had to help Maria.I walked towards the closet, peeking inside first to make sure that he wasn't naked. Thankfully, he had his jeans on and he was flipping through shirts from the pile of laid-out shirts he had in front of him. It looked like he was trying to decide on what to wear. Which was weird because they were all black, long-sleeved shirts. What was the problem then? Was he looking for one that was darker than his soul?“You know,” his deep voice broke the silence, “I thought I liked this newfound boldness of yours, but i
KIRA’S POV “Please let me go! I didn’t see anything, I promise!” I screamed as my fists pounded on the rusted railings of the cage.The room was pitch black, with the only source of light coming from somewhere outside the heavy iron door. The air was damp and smelled musty, sticking to my skin like glue and the cold, rough stone under me made me shiver; I could tell I was in a dungeon. I banged on the railings again, and the loud clang of metal echoed in the room. I banged and screamed until I felt my throat getting sore. “Stop wasting your time. They’re not going to hear you,” a voice from the cage startled me. Someone else was in here with me.“Where are we?” I asked again, squinting my eyes in an attempt to locate the person, but it was still too dark.“I’m not supposed to say. They’ll kill me,” the voice responded, and I heard shuffling… like someone was getting up. Still, I couldn’t see her face.“What do you mea