Chapter Four — The Rival

Cherry

I thought I understood danger.

Until I saw the face of the man who kidnapped me.

Luca Moretti.

Rafael's older brother.

The one everyone thought was dead.

He wasn't.

He was very much alive—and smiling as I lay tied to a chair in a dim warehouse on the edge of the city.

"You must be the girl Rafael's willing to burn the world for," he said, circling me like a vulture.

"Let's see what makes you so special."

I didn't speak. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

He leaned down, voice like poison.

"He never told you, did he? That I was supposed to be the boss. That he took everything from me. That I killed his first love."

My stomach dropped.

His first love?

"You're just a replay of history, Cherry. And this time, I'll watch him break slowly."

That's when I knew I wasn't just bait.

I was a message.

Rafael

The moment I realized she was gone, something inside me snapped.

I'd built my empire on blood, fear, and silence. But none of that mattered anymore.

Because Cherry wasn't just my assistant.

She wasn't even just mine.

She was the last good thing I had.

And now she was gone.

I tore the city apart.

One by one, I broke bones and burned hideouts until someone screamed Luca's name.

My brother.

The ghost I never buried.

The traitor who'd taken the only woman I would ever love.

When I found them—Cherry bloodied, but alive—something in me shattered.

I didn't speak.

I just pulled her into my arms, held her like a lifeline, and whispered,

"I'm here. I've got you. I'll never let him touch you again."

And then I made Luca bleed for every second she was afraid.

Cherry

After he saved me, I saw the real Rafael.

Not the boss. Not the monster.

The man.

And he was breaking.

That night, I crawled into his bed without asking.

He held me like I was glass—his hand trembling on my waist.

"I should've kept you safe," he whispered.

"You did," I said.

He kissed my shoulder. My neck. My lips.

And when we made love, it wasn't rushed or rough or dark.

It was silent. Raw. Devastating.

Because it felt like goodbye.

And part of me knew why.