Elena's POV
The mansion didn't feel safe anymore.
It felt like a ticking bomb.
Ever since Alessandro said "She's coming for you," the walls felt closer... tighter... like they were closing in.
Guards everywhere.
Voices on radios.
Footsteps echoing nonstop.
And yet—
I felt alone.
I sat on the edge of his bed, staring at nothing.
My mind wouldn't stop.
The kiss.
His words.
Jessica.
And the worst part?
Him.
Why did I care so much?
Why did it hurt this much?
I stood up abruptly.
"No," I whispered to myself. "I'm not doing this."
I wasn't going to sit here waiting to be attacked.
If danger was coming—
I'd face it.
Big mistake.
I slipped out of the room quietly.
The hallway was empty.
Too empty.
My heart pounded as I made my way downstairs, then toward the back exit.
No guards.
No voices.
Just silence.
That should've warned me.
But it didn't.
The door creaked open.
Cold air rushed against my skin.
I stepped outside.
One step.
Two—
A hand slammed over my mouth.
A sharp sting hit my neck.
My eyes widened.
My body froze—
Then went weak.
Everything blurred.
Voices faded in and out.
"Boss... we got her."
Darkness swallowed me.
My head pounded.
My vision swam.
The first thing I felt—
Pain.
The second—
Cold.
I blinked slowly.
Hands tied.
Rough rope cutting into my skin.
A chair.
Concrete floor.
Dim light flickering above.
Fear hit me all at once.
"Finally awake."
A man's voice.
Not Jessica.
Worse.
Strangers.
I lifted my head.
Three men stood nearby watching me.
Smiling.
One of them raised a phone.
"Boss," he said. "She's awake."
Silence.
Then a faint female voice through the speaker.
Jessica.
"Good," she said calmly.
My stomach dropped.
"Kill her."
The word echoed.
Final.
Cold.
Then she added—
"But don't rush."
A pause.
"She's got a pretty face... nice body. Have your fun."
My heart stopped.
The call ended.
The men looked at each other.
Smiling.
Closing in.
"No..." I whispered, shaking my head. "Don't touch me."
One of them laughed.
"Relax. It'll be quick."
Panic exploded inside me.
I struggled—kicked—twisted.
"Get away from me!"
One grabbed my arm.
Another stepped closer—
Then—
BANG.
The sound exploded through the room.
The man holding me dropped instantly.
Silence.
For half a second.
Then chaos.
Alessandro's POV
I didn't think.
I didn't hesitate.
I didn't feel.
I just saw—
Her.
Tied.
Terrified.
Surrounded.
Something inside me snapped.
I pulled the trigger again.
Another man went down.
The last two lunged at me.
I didn't wait.
I fought.
One swung—
I ducked, slammed my elbow into his throat.
Another grabbed me—
I flipped him, slammed him into the ground.
No mercy. No control. Just violence.
Then—
Gunshots behind me.
My men.
They finished the rest.
Silence filled the warehouse again.
Elena's POV
I couldn't breathe.
Everything felt unreal.
One moment I was about to—
And the next—
He was there.
Alessandro.
Standing in front of me like death itself.
Blood on his hands.
Eyes wild.
Breathing hard.
"Alessandro..." I whispered.
He rushed to me instantly.
Dropped to his knees.
His hands shaking—worked fast, cutting the ropes.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, voice rough.
I shook my head, tears spilling.
"I—I thought—"
My voice broke.
He didn't let me finish.
The ropes fell away.
And then—
He pulled me into his arms.
Tight and Possessive.
Like letting go would kill him.
"I've got you," he murmured. "You're okay."
I clung to him.
Shaking.
"I was scared..."
His grip tightened.
"Don't say that," he snapped—voice breaking. "Don't ever say that."
The moment we got back—
Everything exploded.
He set me down.
Then turned on me.
"What were you thinking?!" he roared.
I flinched.
"I—"
"You walked out?!" he continued. "With everything going on?!"
"I didn't want to hide!" I snapped back. "I'm not weak!"
"That's not the point!" he shot back. "You could've died!"
Silence. Heavy Breathing.
His chest rose and fell violently.
"I wouldn't have forgiven myself," he said, quieter now.
The anger cracked.
Something deeper slipped through.
I stared at him.
"Why?" I asked softly.
He froze.
I stepped closer.
"Why does it matter so much?" my voice trembled. "Why did you come for me like that? Why do you—"
I stopped.
Because I already knew the question.
"Why do you care so much?"
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
His jaw tightened.
His eyes locked onto mine.
So many emotions—
War.
Fear.
Something unspoken.
He stepped closer.
Too close.
His voice dropped.
"You don't understand what you do to me."
My breath hitched.
"Then explain it."
Another pause.
Then—
He shook his head slightly.
Like he was fighting himself.
"I can't."
That hurt.
More than it should have.
I stepped back.
"Oh."
But before I could move further—
He grabbed my wrist.
Pulled me back.
His forehead pressed against mine.
Breathing heavy.
"I just know," he whispered, "that when they said you were gone..."
His voice broke slightly.
"...nothing else mattered."
My heart slammed.
"I would've burned the world down to find you."
Then a Dangerous silence.
We were inches apart.
Again.
Always this close.
Never enough.
His eyes dropped to my lips.
Then back to my eyes.
He was at a War within himself.
Then—
He pulled away.
Abruptly.
Like he'd gone too far.
"You're bleeding," I said softly, noticing his hand.
He glanced at it like it didn't matter.
"It's nothing."
"It's not nothing," I said, grabbing his arm. "Sit."
He didn't argue this time.
I guided him to the bed.
Got the first aid box.
Cleaned his wound carefully.
My fingers brushing his skin.
His eyes never left me.
Watching.
Studying.
Feeling.
And in that quiet moment "No guns.No chaos.No Jessica".
Just us.
Broken and Confused.
Drawn to each other in ways neither of us understood.
And maybe...
That was more dangerous than anything else.
Elsewhere...
Jessica stood by the window.
Phone in hand.
Listening.
Her expression darkened.
"They're dead?" she said slowly.
Silence.
Then—
A smile.
Sharp.
Terrifying.
"Good."
She turned.
Eyes cold.
"This just got interesting."
To Be Continued...