Three weeks passed, but the memory of the banquet never loosened its grip on Adeline.She tried to bury it in routine. Work, home, sleep. No parties. No unfamiliar places. She told herself that powerful men forgot faces easily—that she had been nothing more than a momentary inconvenience. But then, She was wrong.As she took her daily pay for the day, she contemplated on going home that night. It was past 11pm and she was used to going later than this but today she felt uneasy. She didnt have any other options so she just changed her clothes and journey through the streets of Milan to her houseOn the way she was meet with by what you might call...nemesis The night cracked open with gunshots.They were not distant or muffled. They were close—sharp, deliberate, echoing between buildings. Adeline froze for half a second before instinct took over. She ran.Her shoes slapped against the pavement as shouts rang out behind her. She didn't know who was shooting or why, only that fear pushed her forward until her lungs burned and her legs threatened to give out.When the street finally fell silent, she stopped, bent over, gasping.She was lost.The quiet stretched—unnatural, heavy.Headlights cut through the dark.A black car rolled to a stop in front of her, smooth and unhurried, as if it owned the street. For a split second, relief flared in her chest. She thought help had come..Then the door opened.He stepped out like a man stepping into his own territory.Donovan.The night seemed to shrink around him. He wore no visible weapon, yet Adeline felt the same certainty she had at the banquet—this was a man violence obeyed."Running again," he said mildly. "You have a habit of that."Her body screamed at her to move, but her feet were rooted to the ground."You ruined my evening once," he continued, circling her slowly. "And tonight, you wandered into a war that doesn't concern you."She shook her head, tears blurring her vision. "Please. I didn't do anything."He smiled.Somewhere behind him, a scream cut off abruptly.Adeline flinched."That," Donovan said calmly, "is the sound of someone who chose wrong."Her stomach dropped.He turned his head slightly. "Bring him."Two men dragged a bleeding figure into the edge of the headlights. The man was barely conscious, blood soaking his clothes. Without hesitation, Donovan lifted a gun from one of his men and fired.The sound was deafening.The body collapsed.Adeline screamed.Donovan didn't look at the corpse. His gaze stayed on her, unblinking."Now you understand," he said quietly. "Why you don't run from me."She collapsed to her knees, shaking violently."Take her," he ordered.Hands closed around her arms. She fought weakly, sobbing, but it was useless. She was shoved into the car, the door slamming shut like a verdict.
