I clenched the vase in my hands tightly in my hands, trying to synchronize my heartbeat with my breathing; what I was planning to do was probably dangerous and would cost me my life, but I needed a way to get out of it unscathed.I was going to save my best friend and Draven, if I used the most powerful of the brothers as a hostage.They thought I was helpless and I was going to take that as a disadvantage; I had more adrenaline coursing through my veins, than all the people present.I had no way out, other than the void, as armed men were waiting for me at every exit of the building.If I tried my luck, I would describe for the Dangello brothers who was more important; their talkative brother or their illegal wife, who wanted to escape using Maddox as a hostage.But it was all about every tear Lev was shedding in fear down there."Ami," he said in a whisper and with hands shaking, without a second thought, I hit the man over the head with the vase to the point of stunning him.I took
"And where are we going to take her?" asked someone's voice, in the distance.I felt like they were voices floating through my head, amidst the darkness that sucked me in like a black hole in space; an inevitable torture."Look at her, she is a tenderness when she sleeps," said another voice."He's already in love Dax, we lost him.""What? She looked like an angry Chihuahua," Dax mocked, as I felt the skin on my face being touched, but I didn't have the strength to open my eyes and push him away."Max.""Come here, Dax, I'm going to tell you something," the voice of the aforementioned one trailed off and a whimper was heard after, at the same time as a thud."What the hell, Max? Is this your way of talking? Fuck, you knocked the wind out of me," Dax groaned in pain, and a thud sounded again, but this time the groan was from the gray-haired man."You hit like a woman," his brother mocked."You were saved because I was weak, or I would have broken your ribs," snorted the younger one, li
I felt the warmth of a body in front of me, as I was wrapped by the blankets and a peculiar smell that pleased me made me feel good.Lazily and without opening my eyes, I reached for my fiancé's torso and slowly cum, however, he wrapped his arms around my waist and slid me down until I bumped into his chest.I didn't have much energy to get out of bed, after the nightmare I had had that was like a memory; it felt so real.My legs tangled with his and I sought the comfort of his lips, which tasted different and were warmer than usual, but he seemed at ease with my caress.Within seconds the lack of air separated us and I decided to open my eyes with a smile, to greet the man who was to be my husband."Good morning, princess," he whispered against my lips and when I defined his gray eyes, I jumped up and between the blankets fell to the floor.It was not Draven, it was Maximilian who was lying on the bed and whom I had kissed thinking he was my betrothed master.I covered my mouth, unab
Max jerked his hand away after the woman entered the bathroom without warning, however, my concern increased when she named my fiancé and that she was looking for me."Let it go and keep Maddox from seeing her like that. She'll kill you if she finds out you hurt her," he warned the woman, pointing to my wound, "It's time to go.""Yes sir. I'll go with Dax, keep an eye on Lev," the stranger informed before she left the room as if she had never been there before and I looked at Max."Where's Lev?" I questioned worriedly. If he was with Dax, I was worried for his life."She's in the next room, where Dax is guarding her. Dangerous for her, don't you think?" he said as he wiped his hands as if nothing was happening; I was haunted by how quietly they did things.It was frightening and my fiancé was about to arrive in the room.What was I supposed to tell him?"The truth," I heard a distant voice in my head as that of my best friend, who was all for seeking support from him from the beginnin
I tensed my jaw worriedly, as I tried to think of what to say, however, his burning eyes wouldn't let me think clearly. They seemed to be absorbing me, like a hurricane storm taking everything in its path."Max.""Do you really feel like murdering the people you love?" he interrupted me to ask and my breathing stopped for a second."I don't mean to, but...""But? Do you think this is a game?" he looked at me with intensity in his eyes, as if trying to understand what was happening to me. In any case it was very simple, I couldn't just tell him that he didn't love me anymore, it was suspicious and that was also going to hurt my family for my behavior, "Come here," he ordered pointing to his leg and with no intention of contradicting him, I approached him and sat on the leg he had free, while I looked sideways at the gun."How about we make a deal?" I asked softly and he looked at me curiously in silence."Do you think Dax and Maddox would be willing to make a deal with you, you've cause
After taking an energizing shower, trying to regain the strength I had lost, I arranged my clothes in the room after leaving Max in the bathroom.I had to convince Draven to stay away from the room so he could meet with Maddox and settle the deal he had made, in order to protect the safety of the ones I loved.Draven had to be happy, but without me. From the moment I woke up the next day in that penthouse, I no longer belonged to myself; that life I thought I was happy in was gone.I had no choice if I wanted to avoid having funerals of my loved ones, my parents and my siblings; my grandparents, my friends and Draven. I had enough to do with having to go back to New York to help Francesca's parents have her funeral, why they surely couldn't; they lived my friend's whole life scared for her safety and they were right.The consequences of not knowing how to control herself were her death."What are you thinking?" asked Draven entering the room, as I dried my hair, "Is everything okay?"
- Omniscient Narrator -Maddox lay in front of the large windows of the penthouse he had bought for his wife after they were married. He had so many contacts, they managed to get the luxurious place in the middle of the city and a lawyer to draw up the paperwork to leave it in Amalia's name.She only woke up to find her best friend dead in the bathroom, so it was probably going to take her a while to get used to her new house.They didn't plan to force her to live with them; they were going to wait for her to realize how she felt about them on her own and return to their arms.He held the bottle of the most expensive wine in his hands, while he watched the cleaning people tidy up the entire penthouse to welcome her.Even though he knew she hated them, he hoped to give her a spacious and well-kept place, so that she would have her private space.Later they would take her to the mansion, to live with them.She was his wife. He couldn't look suspicious, until they announced that lifelong
The French city rose before them with indifferent beauty. Marseille welcomed them with a salty breeze and a sky covered in low-hanging clouds, as if the very weather sensed the war that was coming.Amalia stepped off the jet with her coat tight around her body, eyes fixed on the urban horizon. Beside her, Maddox walked with a steady pace, flanked by Max and Dax. Lev, slightly behind, held her purse discreetly, observing everything with sharp eyes."This is the point of no return," murmured Dax as the armored vehicles approached on the private runway."We passed it a long time ago," Max replied, without taking his eyes off the approaching cars.They boarded in silence. The convoy took them through the streets of Marseille to an old manor on the outskirts, a property that had belonged to the Dangello family for generations. Now turned into a temporary headquarters, it would be their base for the final operation.Inside, maps, screens, and electronic devices buzzed with the energy of the
The early morning left a faint trace of mist over the land surrounding the house. Amalia woke wrapped in a warmth that had nothing to do with the fire: Maddox’s arms held her with measured strength, as if he feared the world could take her even in sleep.She said nothing. Just watched his face. Serene, contained, human.For a moment, she allowed herself the luxury of thinking the end was near.But the sound of the cell phone on the nightstand shattered that fantasy.Maddox sat up instantly, his gray eyes already alert."Who is it?""Dax," she said, picking up the phone. "He says they found something."Half an hour later, they were all gathered in the main living room."We intercepted a call," Dax reported, opening a recording on a laptop. "The number belongs to one of the Council's old contacts. They’re organizing a secret meeting in less than 72 hours.""Where?" Max asked."Marseille. A private yacht, in international waters. It’s not an ambush, it’s a power statement."Amalia crosse
The morning light filtered softly through the windows of the Dangello’s old hideout—far from Las Vegas, far from the noise, far from the chaos. The stone walls held a strange silence, one that didn’t come from the absence of sound, but from the weight of what had just ended.The war had been stopped.Cillian was dead. Project Phoenix, neutralized. The Council, weakened.But no one spoke of victory.Amalia had locked herself in the room she shared with Maddox and hadn’t come out since they arrived. She had been the first to shoot. The first to bring down the monster. And though everyone looked at her like a hero, all she felt was a strange emptiness.Maddox didn’t push her.He waited.Outside, Max was coordinating the final cleanup of what was left in Las Vegas. Dax was training the new allies with a seriousness he had never shown before. And Lev… Lev was resting more peacefully. Her pregnancy was progressing well, and peace was reflected in her eyes every time Max came near. There was
The sun had just begun to tint the edges of the windows with gold when Amalia woke up. Not from exhaustion, but from the intensity of the thoughts that wouldn’t let her rest. The day had come.The operation against Project Phoenix would begin that very night.She went down to the living room and found it empty, though it still smelled like freshly brewed coffee. Max was on the terrace, speaking softly with Lev. From a distance, Amalia noticed the gentleness of his smile and how Lev looked at him with a mix of admiration and curiosity. A silent connection that seemed to grow without words.Dax appeared with a folder under his arm.“We already have the internal blueprints of the Cosmopolitan. Maddox wants us to review them together before noon,” he announced, placing the documents on the marble table.Amalia nodded, taking a quick glance. Internal corridors, emergency exits, evacuation routes, and most importantly, the camera blind spots. Dax’s work was clean. Precise. And that gave her
The morning light filtered through the curtains, bringing with it an unusual calm. Amalia was in the kitchen, making coffee, when a soft knock at the door made her turn around."Who could it be at this hour?" she thought, drying her hands with a towel.When she opened the door, the world seemed to stop. Standing in front of her were June and Kari, her lifelong friends—those she had believed lost forever."Amalia?" June whispered, tears in her eyes.Without a word, Amalia hugged them tightly, feeling overwhelmed by emotion."I thought I’d never see you again," she said between sobs.After a few minutes, they sat down in the living room, still processing the reunion."What happened to you? Where have you been all this time?" Amalia asked, searching for answers.June was the first to speak:"After that night when everything changed, we were kidnapped by a group looking for information about you. They kept us separated, interrogating us constantly."Kari nodded, adding:"We managed to esc
The night fell like a sigh over the quiet neighborhood, so different from the chaos I had grown used to. My mother's house, with its scent of cinnamon and aged wood, felt more like a memory than reality. Everything was silent, except for the soft murmur of trees swaying in the wind.Maddox stood by the window, his silhouette outlined by the warm light inside. He was still wearing his black shirt, though it was no longer fully buttoned. His gray eyes, as intense as ever, were fixed on the darkness beyond the glass."You're not going to sleep?" I asked softly, pausing at the threshold of the living room.He didn’t turn at first. He only answered after a long second."Everything here feels... too quiet. It’s strange."I walked closer. The sound of my steps was nearly inaudible on the handwoven rug. He tensed slightly when I stopped beside him, but didn’t pull away."It’s not strange," I said, looking at the same point he was. "It’s peace. Something we don’t know how to hold for too long.
The forest was covered by a fog so thick it seemed to swallow sound. Only the crunch of boots on damp earth broke the silence. Maddox led the march with steady steps, flanked by Dax and Max, while Amalia followed a few steps behind, feeling each heartbeat sync with the looming danger.Ivan and Nina had taken forward surveillance positions. Cillian didn’t know they were there. Not yet."You have five minutes to cross into the perimeter undetected," Ivan whispered through the communicator."Plenty of time," Maddox replied coldly.Amalia hadn’t seen this side of him in days. The lethal leader. The strategist who turned every decision into a perfect calculation. In that moment, he wasn’t just the man who desired her. He was the shadow walking ahead to face the darkness.Dax crouched behind an oak, studying the complex's map on a tablet."Side entrance. Three men. Active cameras," he said. "We need a distraction.""You’ve got one," Nina interrupted from the other end. "There’s a thermal gl
Dawn arrived with a sky tinted gray. There were no birds, no sounds. Only silence.The kind of silence that feels like a warning.I sat at the edge of the bed, wrapped in a white sheet, watching the first rays of light slip through the window. Beside me, the space was empty.The three of them had gotten up before me.I could hear their muffled voices downstairs. They weren’t arguing, but they spoke with the tension of people about to walk into fire.I got dressed slowly, as if any sudden movement could shatter what we’d lived the night before. I could still feel their lips, their touch, their intensity. Everything we’d shared had clung to my skin like a fresh scar.When I came down, Maddox was the first to turn toward me.Impeccable. Elegant. Imposing.He wore a long black coat over his combat gear. His presence was so dominant that everything in the room seemed to lean toward him. Dax, leaning on the counter with a cup of coffee, looked up and gave me a half-smile. Max already had th
The clock read 3:47 a.m.The silence of dawn was heavy with something unnamed. It wasn’t fear, it wasn’t desire. It was expectation. The calm before a storm.Max was checking weapons on the central table, the muscles in his back outlined beneath his tight black shirt. Dax paced from one side to the other, focused on the escape route, on the blueprints, on everything… except me. But I felt it. Felt his eyes sliding toward me every time he passed nearby.And Maddox…Maddox was leaning against the window frame, arms crossed, watching the darkness of the forest like he could control it. He didn’t speak. He didn’t move. But his presence alone was enough to dominate the air.I had tried to sleep. I had closed my eyes. Counted breaths. But every time I did, one image pulled me back to the present: the three of them. And everything I hadn’t said."Three hours left," Max murmured. "That’s our window before the security shift changes. If we’re doing this, it has to be before seven."Dax nodded