Sophia

As soon as Vince stepped outside with Luca, I turned my attention back to the window, my fingers absentmindedly tracing along the cool glass. But my mind wasn't on the view. I couldn't stop thinking about Luca's sudden arrival or the way he teased Vince about our relationship, and more importantly, the shift in his tone when he asked to speak privately.

Something wasn't right.

I glanced toward the door, my heart picking up speed. A knot formed in my stomach, the kind that had become all too familiar lately—every time I thought about Liliana and the deal.

The deal I had made with her gnawed at me like an itch I couldn't scratch. The truth about my parents—what really happened to them—was something Liliana had dangled in front of me like bait. And in a moment of weakness, I had agreed to spy on Vince to get that truth.

But standing here now, after everything we had shared, the thought of betraying him twisted my insides into knots.

Still, this could be the opportunity I needed. I'd told myself I could gather information without hurting him. I just needed to know. Just enough to get the answers Liliana had promised. No more, no less.

I quietly moved away from the window, my steps light as I approached the door. I didn't want to listen in, didn't want to invade his privacy... but I had no choice. If I was going to find out anything that could help me, I had to take the chance.

I pressed my ear against the door, heart pounding in my chest as I strained to hear their conversation.

"I still can't believe you pulled that off, Vince," Luca's voice was low, almost incredulous, and I pressed my ear harder against the door to catch every word. "I mean, I've seen you do some crazy shit before, but throwing a knife straight into Reynolds' eye from all the way across the room? After all this time? I didn't think you had it in you anymore."

My heart thudded against my ribs. Reynolds is dead? The man who had humiliated me, insulted me in front of the entire room—Vince had killed him. And not just killed him—he had thrown a knife across the room, ending his life with terrifying precision. The casual way Luca spoke about it, like it was a skill Vince had simply picked up, made my skin crawl.

There was a beat of silence, and I imagined Vince standing there, arms crossed, his face as unreadable as always. Then, his voice came through, calm, almost nonchalant, but with a cold edge that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"It's in my blood," Vince said. "The moment I was born, I was raised for this. My dear old dad made sure of that."

There was something bitter in his tone when he mentioned his father, but it didn't soften the weight of his words. I knew Vince had a dark past, but this—this was something else. He wasn't just capable of violence; he had been groomed for it, shaped by it. It was in his blood, a legacy passed down from his father, whoever he was.

Luca let out a low whistle. "Well, if it's any consolation, you've still got it. Even after all this time away from playing with knives."

I felt a sickening twist in my gut. I had seen Vince angry before, seen him control a room with just his presence, but this was something far more dangerous. He hadn't just killed Reynolds; he had done it with the kind of precision that only someone deeply familiar with violence could achieve.

How long had it been since Vince had last "played" with knives, as Luca so casually put it? And what kind of person had raised him to be this way? I knew Vince had grown up in a world far different from mine, but I had never imagined the depths of what that world had truly been.

Luca's voice came again, this time a little softer. "I get it, Vince. I know why you did it. Reynolds crossed the line, and you had to make an example of him. But you gotta be careful. Sophia—she doesn't need to see that side of you. Not now, not ever."

My heart skipped a beat at the sound of my name. I leaned closer, barely breathing, waiting for Vince's response.

"She won't," Vince said, his voice quiet but firm. "She will never meet this side of me."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I already know, Vince. I already knew too much, and there was no turning back now.

The sudden bark of Mr. Barksalot nearly made me jump out of my skin. My heart raced in my chest, and for a split second, I thought Vince or Luca might have heard me listening in. I quickly stepped away from the door, my breath catching as I tried to calm down.

Mr. Barksalot, sensing the tension in the air, barked again, his tail wagging as he padded toward me, oblivious to the chaos swirling inside me. I bent down to stroke his head, trying to ground myself, but my mind was spinning too fast. I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd overheard—Vince's calm admission about Reynolds, the casual way Luca spoke about it, and, most of all, Vince's chilling words: "It's in my blood."

I needed to breathe, needed space to think, to process. My hands trembled as I stood up and hurried toward the bathroom, closing the door behind me with a soft click. I leaned against the cool tile wall, trying to steady myself, trying to make sense of everything I'd just heard.

Vince killed Reynolds. Not just killed him—executed. It wasn't self-defense, and it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was something deliberate, calculated. And it wasn't the first time. From the way Luca spoke, this was a skill Vince had, something he had learned, practiced. The man I thought I knew was far more dangerous than I had ever imagined.

I gripped the edge of the sink, my knuckles turning white. I knew Vince was powerful. I knew he was capable of controlling rooms full of people with nothing more than his presence. But this—this was different. This wasn't about power. This was about violence. Cold, controlled violence. And the way he spoke about it, so matter-of-factly, as if it were second nature to him, sent chills down my spine.

I splashed water on my face, hoping it would calm me down, but my thoughts were a mess. The deal I had made with Liliana played on a loop in my mind. I had agreed to spy on Vince, but now, hearing what I had just heard, I wasn't sure if I was any closer to finding answers or if I was just getting deeper into something far more dangerous than I had bargained for.

As I stood there, staring at my reflection in the mirror, the gravity of what I had overheard started to sink in.

Could he kill me too?

The thought made my heart race anew, this time with a sharp, piercing terror. I had been so focused on work, Vince and my mission, that I hadn't fully considered the dangers of getting too close to someone like Vince. What if he discovered that I was spying on him? What if he found out about my deal with Liliana? I had heard how easily he could kill someone who threatened him—or me. What would stop him from doing the same to me if he felt betrayed or threatened?

A shiver ran down my spine. I had seen the power Vince wielded, and it was terrifying. The idea that I might be on the receiving end of that power if he ever discovered my betrayal was almost too much to bear. I had made a dangerous choice when I agreed to spy on him, and now, the full implications of that choice were becoming horrifyingly clear.

But even as fear gripped me, another thought fought to break through the panic. Would I rather die knowing the truth about my parents? I thought about the uncertainty that had plagued my life since their deaths. The unanswered questions, the mysteries left in their wake—it was a constant, gnawing pain. I had pursued this lead with Liliana because I needed answers. I needed to understand what really had happened to them, to make sense of the chaos that had been their untimely deaths.

And now, standing here in the bathroom, the truth was within reach. The truth about Vince, about what he was capable of, and perhaps, about the circumstances surrounding my parents' deaths. The thought of dying, of facing Vince's wrath, was terrifying. But in a twisted way, it was also a form of clarity. If I were to die, at least I would die knowing the truth. At least I would have answers.