Mia's POV. “Mia, you need to get laid.” In response, I wrap my lips around my straw and slurp my blueberry martini as deeply as my mouth would allow. Mimi, my best friend and second in command, eyes me, entirely unimpressed and impatient based on the quirk of her brow.I think I need a bigger mount. More alcohol would fit in better. I don’t say this out loud because I can bet my left ass cheek that her follow-up response would be to use it for a bigger dick instead.When I continue sucking on the straw, she reaches over and ripes the plastic from my lips. I've reached the bottom of the glass a solid fifteen seconds ago and have just been sucking through the straw. It's the most action my mouth has gotten in two years now. “Woah, personal space," I mumble, setting the glass down. I avoid Mimi's eyes, searching the bar stand for Danny to make another blueberry martini for me and maybe a glass of whiskey for Mimi to cool off. The faster I have the straw in my mouth again, the slower
Mia's POV The morning sun was shining through the window of my office, casting a faint golden glow on the polished wooden floor. I sat behind my desk, the remnants of last night’s work scattered in front of me—a half-empty glass of whiskey, crumpled maps, and notes detailing our upcoming plans.It had been hours since Mimi left for the café, and my gut told me something wasn’t right. She never took this long, not without checking in. My calls went unanswered, and her phone went straight to voicemail; I wanted to go in search of her but held myself back, thinking she might have hooked up with someone. I ran my hands through my hair, the tension in my body palpable. "Where the hell are you, Mimi?" I muttered under my breath.A sharp knock at the door broke my thoughts. One of my guards, Marco, stepped in, his expression tight with worry.“Ma’am,” he said cautiously, “we’ve got a situation.”My chest tightened. “What is it?”He hesitated before stepping fully inside and handing me a sm
Mia's POV.The envelope felt heavier than it should have, even though it held just a single piece of paper. The audacity of the note had my blood boiling, the mocking tone of Dylan’s words ringing loud in my mind.“Had enough of this cat and mouse chase?”I crumpled the note in my fist, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt. Dylan Griffin wanted a confrontation, and I was going to give him one.“Marco,” I barked, my voice echoing through the war room.He was at my side in seconds. “Yes, boss?”“Get me a secure line. We’re contacting Dylan.”Victor tensed from across the table. “Mia, are you sure about this? You’re walking into his game. That’s exactly what he wants.”I turned to face him, my glare icy. “He already has the upper hand. The longer we play by his rules, the further away Mimi gets. If he wants me to meet him, then fine. I’ll meet him. But I’ll make sure he regrets it.”Marco didn’t waste any time, pulling out a satellite phone and setting it up on the table. Within moments, I w
Dylan's POV. The opera house was a masterpiece of decay, a perfect reflection of the chaos I planned to unleash tonight. I stood center stage, the crumbling grandeur around me illuminated by a single spotlight. My footsteps echoed against the dusty wooden floor as I paced, my thoughts sharp and focused.I had waited years for this moment. Watching her eagerly search the warehouses, her hope slowly slipping away was just worth the wait had been…. amusing. But Mia always knew this day would come. A storm doesn’t wait foreverWhen she pushed through the heavy doors and stepped inside, my heart skipped—not from sentiment, but from the sheer thrill of seeing her in person again. Mia. Fierce, unyielding, every step radiating that dangerous confidence she wore like armor. She hadn’t changed a bit, except now there was a feral edge to her, a sharpness that screamed she’d do anything to get her precious second-in-command back.“Right on time,” I called, my voice carrying through the empty hal
Mia's POV. “Are you out of your goddamn mind?” She shouted, rising to her feet so fast the chair nearly tripped backward. “You agreed to his conditions? You walked straight to his trap without a second thought.” I sighed, stepping forward into the room. “Mimi_” “Don't you ‘Mimi me’, Mia.” she snapped, her voice cutting through the room like a blade. It's hard to believe she was kidnapped for days and beaten almost to a pulp, yet she's still able to scream as loud as a chicken.The others stopped what they were doing, their eyes farting between us, but I raised a hand, signaling them to stay out of it. This was between us. “You think I didn't know it was a trap?” I said, my voice firm but calm. “ You think I didn't calculate every angle, every possible outcome? I did what I had to do to get you out of there.” Her hands balled into fists at her side. “ No, you did what he wanted you to do! You played right into his hands. Mia, Dylan's been Inside your head since day one, and you le
Mia's POV.Dylan’s smirk deepened, and his gaze sharpened as he leaned casually against the banister. “Oh, Mia. You misunderstand the nature of this visit. You don’t leave until I say so.”Mimi stiffened beside me, her fists clenching at her sides. “You son of a—”I placed a hand on her arm to stop her from lunging at him. “Enough, Mimi.” My voice was firm, steady, despite the anger boiling beneath my skin. “What’s your game this time, Dylan? You got what you wanted. We’re here. Now let us go.”Dylan descended the last step, his steps slow and deliberate, like a predator circling its prey. “Oh, I think you misunderstand the terms of our... arrangement. This isn’t just about a visit, Mia. This is about trust. And trust, my dear, takes time to build.”“We’re not here to play your sick games,” I said, my voice sharp as a blade. “If you think for a second we’re going to stay here willingly, you’re delusional.”He chuckled, the sound low and dark. “Oh, but you will. Because you don’t have
Dylan's POV. I leaned against the control panel, my gaze fixed on the flickering monitor. The grainy feed didn’t do her justice, but even now, Mia’s presence radiated through the screen. She was pacing again, her movements sharp and deliberate, like a tiger caged by its own instincts.Mia always had this way of holding herself—unyielding, fierce. Even when the odds weren’t in her favor, she refused to bow. It was… admirable. No, it was infuriating.“Stubborn as hell,” I muttered under my breath, though my lips twitched into a faint smirk.Forrest sat across the room, trying his best to blend into the background. His unease was palpable, but I didn’t bother to reassure him. He wasn’t important right now—she was.Mimi’s voice blared through the speakers, cutting through my thoughts. “Can’t you just fucking accept defeat like a normal human being?” she snapped, her words laced with frustration.I chuckled softly, the sound barely audible. Mimi had no idea who she was dealing with. Mia d
Dylan's POV. “Weird.” " What?” Liam asked, with a mouthful of popcorn, turning to look at me.“It's been three days since I took both Mia and Mimi hostage but I haven't heard anything from her clan or her father's, nor has she tried to escape. It's just so fucking weird and suspicious. Don't you think?” “What do you mean? Aren't things going the way you planned it? Both Mia and Mimi are trapped here; her clan got a crippled message that they had some business to handle with us, and Ray got a message that his daughter was with us but is quiet ....” Liam said, realization dawned on him. " Ohh, now I see it too. What should we do?” " Do what I originally planned,” I replied, standing up from the chair; I walked towards the balcony, letting the cool, even air blow on my face as I stared down at the clan I built from scratch. All the ups and downs I faced before finally getting to this level. “Dude, what the fuck do you mean by, ‘what you originally planned?’ if this wasn't the first
Chapter 90 – Ghost Signal 2.Mia’s POVThe tires crunched against the gravel, loud in the otherwise deafening silence that filled the car. As the estate’s main entrance loomed before us, glowing faintly under the dim porch lights, the engine gave a soft sputter before Dylan brought the car to a stop.Before it even fully parked, I shoved the door open and stepped out.Cold air slapped my face, rustling strands of hair across my cheeks, but I didn’t react. My boots hit the ground with purpose—measured, unshaken. I didn’t wait for anyone. Not Dylan. Not the others.My hands were still. My breathing was level.And my face—stone.No grief. No rage. No tears.Only silence.Behind me, Dylan opened the back door with the kind of reverence that belongs to sacred things. He moved with slow, calculated care, like each gesture carried a weight he wasn’t allowed to fumble. And then he emerged, holding Mimi in his arms.Her body.Blood had dried on her skin and soaked into her clothes. Her curls,
Chapter 89: Ghost Signal(Mia’s POV)It started with a whisper. A feeling. Like something wasn’t right.The estate was quiet—too quiet. Victor had gone radio silent again, eyes always on the window, as if expecting someone to break through it. Alison kept herself busy, but I could feel her watching me when she thought I wasn’t looking. Everyone had their routines, their coping mechanisms.Except Mimi.She hadn’t shown up for breakfast. Or lunch. I hadn’t seen her since yesterday.I asked around.“Maybe she’s training again,” one of the guards said with a shrug.But someone else—one of the newer recruits—looked nervous. “I saw her,” he said quietly. “This morning. Thought I was imagining it. She was heading toward the north wall… looked like she was in a hurry.”A hurry?No one else saw her. Everyone was equally busy.Panic started to claw at my chest.I ran back to my room and grabbed my phone, praying she'd just gone on a walk and forgotten to text back. But there was nothing. No new
Chapter 87: Fractured LinesThe Betrayal(Mimi’s POV)Days passed in a haze after we returned to the estate.The bruises faded, but the weight didn’t. Victor was quiet—dangerously quiet—and Mia hadn’t left his side, except for the occasional walks to clear her head. Alison stayed alert, tense, as though expecting something to go wrong again. Me? I threw myself into training, cleaning, anything that could distract me from the feeling that we had failed.Then I got the message.MIA: “Need to talk. Alone. Same spot as before—urgent.”I didn’t hesitate.We hadn’t spoken since that night. Not properly. I figured she needed space, but the sudden text felt like a shift—like maybe she was ready. And I was desperate to fix the cracks between us. I didn’t even stop to wonder why she wanted to meet alone, or why she sounded so... unlike herself.I slipped out past midnight, using the gaps in the estate’s new patrol routes. The wind bit at my skin, and the forest whispered warnings I chose to ign
Chapter 87: Fractured Lines### Part I – My Descent (Mia’s POV)I remember the cold bite of the night air as we slipped out from behind the high walls of Dylan’s clan estate. I, Mimi, and Alison had long shared a rebellious streak, but tonight—tonight it felt different. There was an intensity in our hearts, a mix of defiance and dread. We’d disobeyed orders once more, driven by the desperate hope of finding Victor before something irreparable happened to him. I clutched my side, not from pain but because my pulse roared in my ears as we crept through the labyrinth of back alleys.The moon was a thin crescent in the sky, and its pallid light barely touched the ground. “We shouldn’t be this far out,” Alison whispered, her eyes darting around in the darkness as though expecting danger at every turn. I couldn’t help but agree. But every step was driven by the memory of Victor’s last call—a single, cryptic text that hinted something was very, very wrong.Following a series of hastily scraw
Chapter 86: Disappeared I tapped my fingers against the edge of the table, my gaze flicking toward the door for what had to be the tenth time that morning. The estate was unusually quiet—not that it was ever particularly loud—but something felt... off. It had been nagging at me all day, a persistent itch at the back of my mind.Mimi sat across from me, idly spinning a ring around her finger. She hadn’t said much, which was unusual. Normally, she had something to complain about, something to gossip about, or some ridiculous scheme to rope me into. Today, though, she was just as distracted as I was.I finally voiced what had been bothering me. “Hey… have you seen Victor lately?”Mimi stopped playing with her ring and frowned. “Now that you mention it… no. Not in a while.”A small crease formed between my brows. “Yeah. Me neither. I thought maybe I was just missing him, but it’s been—what? A week?”“At least.” Mimi sat up straighter, her gaze sharpening. “Victor doesn’t just disappear.
Chapter 85: The Truth Beneath the SurfaceMimi finally spoke, her voice quiet. “I had no idea.” She met my gaze, something like guilt flickering in her usually confident eyes. “About your father, I mean. My father’s group… they destroyed a lot of lives. But I never knew yours was one of them.”I studied her for a moment, then shrugged. “It’s not like you had anything to do with it, you were just a toddlar like I was.”She didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway.Dylan tilted his head slightly. “So? Now that you know, what are you going to do with it?”I thought about that. About Ray, about my mom, about how knowing the truth didn’t change much—but at the same time, it changed everything.Then, I smirked.“Nothing,” I said easily. “Just thought you two should know.”Dylan let out a quiet chuckle. “Typical.”I stretched, letting the weight of the conversation settle. And then, because I couldn’t resist, I added, “Though, there is one thing.”Mimi raised a brow. “What?”I grinned, m
Chapter 84: The Truth Beneath the SurfaceI checked my phone for the third time, pressing the call button and holding it close to my ear. The silence in my room was absolute, the soft hum of the city beyond my window the only background noise. No static, no strange interruptions.No one was listening.I took a deep breath and dialed.The call barely rang twice before my mother picked up."Mia?"Her voice was the same as always—warm, steady, familiar. It made me think of childhood memories filled with home-cooked meals and gentle lullabies. But there was also something else now, an underlying concern."Yeah, Mom. It's me," I said, settling onto my bed, pressing my back against the headboard."Is everything alright?"I hesitated. How was I even supposed to start this conversation? But I needed answers, and she was the only one who could give them to me."Yeah, I just… I wanted to ask you something."A pause. "What is it?"I swallowed, glancing at my locked bedroom door as if expecting s
Chapter 83: The Dawn Before the StormThe morning arrived quietly, as if it were the soft prelude to an overture that had yet to unfold. In the dim light of early day, I found myself awake in a solitude that felt almost sacred —a pause before the crescendo of events that would later alter the course of my night. Every minute of that morning carried a sense of both anticipation and introspection, a tender space where memories of yesterday blended with the elusive promise of what was to come.I lay in bed, cocooned in the faded linens that had borne witness to many restless nights, and listened to the gentle hum of the city beginning to stir. Outside, the first hints of daylight crept over the horizon, casting long, gentle shadows across the worn wooden floorboards. The quiet was profound, filled with the unspoken possibilities that only early morning can hold. It was a time when the world seemed to be holding its breath, awaiting a signal to burst into life.As I slowly sat up, the
Chapter 82: Crossing the Line I needed air.The party was loud—too loud. The mingling of voices, the clinking of glasses, the occasional bursts of laughter—it was all starting to press in on me.Or maybe… maybe it wasn’t the party at all.Maybe it was the way Dylan had been looking at me all night.I’d felt it the moment I walked in. That flicker of something unspoken, something sharp. It wasn’t the usual annoyance or rivalry that colored our interactions. This was different.And it was driving me insane.I needed space.I turned to slip out of the room, but before I could take more than a few steps, a familiar voice stopped me."Leaving already?"I froze. I knew that voice.Dylan.I turned, finding him standing just behind me, drink in hand, his expression unreadable. But his eyes—they were intense, locked onto me like they saw right through every excuse I was about to make.I lifted a brow. “Just getting some air.”He tilted his head slightly, like he didn’t quite believe me. “Mind