I stood at the window, my hands braced against the cold glass, staring out at the city below. The lights of the street reflected off the wet pavement, painting the night in hues of gold and red. It should have been calming, the stillness of it all. But all I could think about was her.
Pricilla Moretti.
I couldn't get her out of my head. She was everywhere—every decision I made, every breath I took. I'd known this was coming, the moment I stepped into this war, that it would be about power, control, and eventually, blood. But somewhere along the way, she had stopped being just another obstacle to overcome. She had become something... more.
Fuck, this wasn't supposed to happen.
I should be focused. Should be thinking about the empire I was building, the people who would answer to me. But every time I close my eyes, all I see is her. The way her eyes glinted when she was pissed off, that sharp, intelligent look she always threw my way. She was a challenge. A challenge that, for reasons I couldn't explain, I wanted to take on.
My pulse quickens whenever she's near, a response I hate but can't control. I've spent years keeping everything locked down tight, every emotion buried, every instinct restrained. But with her, it's like my control is slipping through my fingers. I can't let her get to me.
I turn away from the window, my thoughts spiraling. She doesn't trust me, and for good reason. I wouldn't trust me either if I were her. But I can't deny how fucking irresistible she is. It's in the way she carries herself, like she knows the world is hers to take, but she's playing a long game. It's in the way she speaks—careful, calculated, and always two steps ahead.
I've tried to figure her out. Tried to peel back the layers, look beneath that icy surface. But the more I see, the more I realize I don't have a damn clue what's going on inside her. I want to, though. I can't stop myself from wanting to know the things she's hiding. The quiet moments when she lets her guard down just enough for me to catch a glimpse of something raw beneath it all.
I have to admit it: I'm fascinated. And that fascination is turning into something... dangerous.
I can feel it. The pull between us, this invisible thread that tugs at me whenever she's around. The tension is suffocating, and I can't decide if it's making me want her more or if it's just making me fucking angry.
I'm playing this game, trying to outmaneuver her, trying to get ahead of her every move. But damn, there are times when it feels like I'm losing. I hate losing. I hate being vulnerable. But when she looks at me with that mix of coldness and something I can't quite place—trust, maybe?—it makes something inside of me shift.
No, Anton, don't do this.
But it's too late. I already have. And the worst part? I don't know how much longer I can keep pretending I don't care.
She thinks she has me figured out. I've seen the way she watches me, the way she analyzes everything I do. I've never met someone like her, and that's the most dangerous thing of all. She's a mirror to me, showing me a side of myself I can't afford to acknowledge. And yet, there's this twisted part of me that wants to break down her walls, to push her until she lets me see every part of her.
The only problem is, I'm not sure if I want to see her break... or if I want to break with her.
I let out a sharp breath, running a hand through my hair, my mind a mess of thoughts and frustrations. But the one thing I know for sure is this: I'm not walking away from this. I won't. Not when it feels like the stakes are higher than ever before. And not when I can't seem to stop wanting her.
The buzz of my phone breaks the silence, and I glance at the screen. It's a message from Luka, my right hand. I should be more focused on what he has to say, but it's hard to concentrate on anything else when she's still occupying my thoughts.
Get the details on her. We need to know what she's up to.
I scowl at the text. I don't need Luka to remind me. I've been tracking her every move, shadowing her like a ghost, and while it's necessary, it grates on me in ways I didn't expect. The idea of her knowing someone is watching, that she's being hunted in the dark, doesn't sit right with me. I can't stand the thought of it, but I push it aside. She's in this world now, just like I am. She's fair game, and if I'm being honest, she's more than that. She's the key to everything I'm trying to build.
But goddamn, I don't want to admit that I'm feeling something more.
I shake my head, ignoring the tight knot forming in my chest. I've built this empire with blood and steel, and I'll burn it all down if I have to. I'm not going to let a woman, no matter how fucking perfect she might seem, distract me from the bigger picture. There are bigger things at play, and I won't let her be a weakness.
But that's the problem, isn't it? She already is.
I close the message from Luka without replying, throwing the phone back onto the table. I don't need to do this right now. I don't need to think about how I'm getting sucked into her orbit more and more each day.
Instead, I grab my coat off the back of the chair and head out the door. I need to clear my head. The city at night offers a different kind of calm, something quieter, darker—something I can lose myself in for a little while. I get in the car, slamming the door behind me with a sense of finality. I don't want to think about her anymore tonight.
But I know I will.
I start the engine, the hum of the car filling the silence, and for a moment, all I can think about is the way her eyes flickered in the light during that last encounter. There was something in them—something raw. Something almost... inviting. It rattles me more than I care to admit. And that's what makes it dangerous. Because I'm starting to wonder if she feels the pull too.
As I drive, the streets blur past me. I let the city's pulse wash over me, the music in the car doing nothing to drown out the thoughts that are never far from the surface.
She's dangerous.
But so am I.
And I'm starting to wonder which of us is going to break first.
The streets of the city blur past me like a collection of shadows, but I don't really see any of it. I'm lost in my own head, replaying that encounter with her—the way her eyes locked with mine, how every word she spoke felt like it was wrapping around my chest, tightening the breath out of me. I was so fucking close to seeing something in her that I couldn't quite reach, something deeper than the icy exterior she wore like armor. It made my pulse quicken, and for a brief moment, I thought I might have pushed too far.
But then, she took a step back. The walls she's built around herself are too strong. I can't blame her for that. She's been groomed for this life, just like I was. I've seen enough women in my life to know how they work. But her? She's different. She doesn't bend to anyone—not even to me, and that pisses me off.
I grip the steering wheel a little too tightly, my knuckles whitening.
Why the hell does she have to be so goddamn perfect?
She's a storm, and I'm standing in the middle of it, thinking I can control it, thinking I can tame her. But I know, deep down, I'm the one who might get torn apart. She's playing the game—hell, maybe she's been playing it better than I ever have—but I can't let her see that I'm losing my grip.
I pull the car into a parking garage, the echo of the engine fading as I cut the engine. My mind is still spinning, fighting to make sense of everything, but it feels like I'm trying to hold onto something that's slipping through my fingers. I get out, slamming the door with a force I don't even realize I'm capable of. The cold air hits me like a slap in the face, but it doesn't clear the fog in my brain.
I'm walking fast, almost too fast, my footsteps loud against the concrete, matching the beat of my thoughts. I need to think. I need to find clarity. This obsession with her is going to ruin me if I don't get it under control.
But when I close my eyes, all I see is her.
Her soft hair cascading over her shoulders, the delicate line of her jaw, the sharpness of her gaze that somehow disarms me despite myself. The way she carries herself—like she's ready to fight anyone who dares step into her world. But there's something beneath that surface. I can see it, even if she's doing everything she can to hide it.
I reach the rooftop, where the view of the city sprawls before me like an endless sea of lights and noise. The night air is colder up here, and I breathe it in, letting it burn my lungs. It's grounding, this silence. It's what I need, the only thing that clears the storm in my chest.
But even as I try to center myself, I know there's no escaping her. She's lodged herself inside me, and every time I close my eyes, all I can think about is what comes next.
I shouldn't want her.
I shouldn't even care.
But god help me, I do.
I turn, pacing back and forth, my mind racing. My empire, my power, my control—none of it means a damn thing if she keeps slipping through my fingers like this. She's like a drug, and I can't stop chasing the high. I'm supposed to break people, not get broken myself.
I can feel her, even now, like an invisible thread pulling me toward her. But I can't let it happen. I can't afford to let her in, no matter how much I crave it. Because the moment I let my guard down, it's all over.
But the way she looked at me tonight... That was different. She didn't back down. She didn't flinch. It was like she saw straight through me, into the parts of myself I've buried so deep that even I've forgotten about them.
And it unsettles me.
For the first time in years, I'm scared. Not of losing, not of failing. But of her. Of what she could do to me if I let her.
I drag a hand through my hair, frustrated, my pulse hammering in my neck. I've had control of my world for so long, but when it comes to her, I'm starting to feel like I'm losing it.
I can't keep playing games with her. She's not some pawn. She's too much. Too dangerous. Too powerful.
And that makes her even more irresistible.
With a growl of frustration, I turn away from the edge of the building, heading back to my car. The cold doesn't bother me anymore, not with the fire burning inside me. I have to get back to business. To Luka. To everything that needs to be done.
But somewhere, in the back of my mind, I know this isn't over. It's only just begun.