Chapter 2

The orange glow of a burning cigarette was the only flicker of life in the sheer darkness of a stormy night. Taking long drags, Alejandro felt the smoke seep into his lungs. Tall, handsome, and imposing, he exuded an aura of authority that commanded attention. His piercing gaze seemed to bore into the darkness as he sat in his study, fuming about the audacity of someone who dared to enter his territory and kidnap his sister. Anger and worry consumed him as he thought of Sophia, the unexplainable circumstances surrounding her abduction, and the fact that all efforts to uncover the truth had proven abortive.

Today marked the fifth day since she had been taken from the estate. How? He still had no idea, especially since every nook and corner of the estate was under the watchful eye of surveillance cameras monitored by his men. He sat unmoving in the dark like a statue, a lit cigarette in hand, grappling with the feeling of failure. Sophia was his only living relative, and he loved her dearly, even if he didn’t always show it. Now, she was gone, and he blamed himself for not being able to protect her.

Alejandro had been the mafia lord and leader of the Hernandez cartel since his father’s death. He lost his mother to cancer when he was much younger and had sworn to protect his sister with everything he had. Eight years had passed since he took the reins of the cartel, and he had built a legacy far greater than his father’s—one forged from blood, pain, and sweat. His men had been working tirelessly to figure out who was behind her abduction. He had even hired one of the best hackers to breach the police's CCTV database, searching for any trace of Sophia, but all efforts had been in vain.

“Alejandro!” shouted Juan as he hurriedly entered the study. Juan had known Alejandro for as long as he could remember. Though they came from different worlds, their fates had been intertwined from the very beginning. Alejandro’s father was a feared and respected mafia lord, while Juan was the son of Alejandro’s father’s most trusted lieutenant. They had been trained together by Alejandro’s ruthless father, learning the art of survival, strategy, and leadership. Alejandro was expected to inherit his father’s empire, and Juan was trained to stand by his side as an equal, not a servant. The boys endured every hardship together, becoming brothers bound by loyalty and forged through the dangers of cartel life.

“We found her!” Juan exclaimed.

Alejandro jumped to his feet. “Where? Who took her? How is she?"

“We found a clip of Sophia. The last person she was seen with was Jace, before we saw her being hurled, unmoving, into a black truck by some men with covered faces.”

“Wait! Jace? That bastard! He planned this because he knows he’s going to have to pay for the drugs he stole! Where was he last seen?” Alejandro asked, pacing back and forth.

“He’s completely off the radar, and we can’t track him,” one of his men responded.

“Fuck!” Alejandro shouted, hurling a whiskey bottle against the wall. “Find me everything you can about his family and report back to me. Also, tell the other guys to get ready.” His tone was final.

Two hours later, Juan managed to gather every single report on Jace’s family, both dead and alive. He discovered that Jace had only one sister who resided in New York, along with every detail about her—where she worked, her home address, and the routes she took to and from work. Alejandro ordered Juan and the others to suit up and prepare for a flight to New York. If Jace thought it was acceptable to mess with his family, Alejandro would do the same—and worse. He vowed to make Jace’s family suffer, relishing the thought of making him regret ever stealing from him and having the audacity to kidnap his sister.

Downing the remaining whiskey in his glass, Alejandro left the study. They landed in New York at midnight and tracked down Aria to a sketchy old warehouse. Moving in silently with his men, they lurked in the darkness until they heard hushed voices arguing. Alejandro laid eyes on two figures and fired shots into the night. One of them was Jace. He fired another shot, hitting Jace in the arm, and sent some men after him as he attempted to flee.

His gaze shifted to the petite woman rooted in place, dressed in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants, shaking in fear. “Hi, Aria,” he said coldly, a sinister smile creeping across his face.

“What do you want from me?” she stammered, her instincts screaming warnings as she felt the blood rush in her ears.

“I have a proposition for you,” Alejandro replied, moving closer. He whispered into her ear before injecting her in the neck with a syringe containing midazolam, a powerful sedative. He watched as her body went limp against him, then shoved her into Juan’s arms and ordered him to get her into the car.

The men he had sent to chase after Jace returned, reporting that he had help and had driven off. They hadn’t seen the driver’s face, as the window was rolled up. Alejandro ordered them to search Aria’s apartment for any important information and to hack into her cell phone to send an emergency leave notice to her workplace, avoiding any suspicions that might arise.