Rafayel sat in his father's office, shoulder still bandaged, ribs still aching, but his mind was sharp as ever.
"You're obsessed with this girl," the Serpent Guild leader said, not unkindly. "It's going to be a problem."
"It's not a problem."
"It is when that obsession wakes up a sleeping dragon." His father pulled up a file on his tablet—Richard Anderson's complete underground history.
"The man retired twenty years ago, but he was one of the most ruthless operators in his time. You think he's going to let a crime prince take his daughter?"
"He won't have a choice."
"He'll have every choice. The moment he realizes what you are, he'll activate every connection, every favor, every resource he still has." The older man leaned forward.
"Richard Anderson didn't retire because he was weak. He retired because he was smart enough to get out alive. Don't mistake that for softness."
Rafayel's jaw clenched. "Then we deal with him too."
"Kill a retired crime lord and the Shen devil's?" His father's eyebrow raised. "Ambitious."
"Necessary, Xavier won't stop until he gets her back. And Richard won't stop protecting her."
Rafayel stood, ignoring the pain in his ribs.
"So we eliminate both threats. Take Xavier's territory while he's distracted. Then bring Richard down before he can mount a defense."
The Serpent Guild leader studied his son—young, beautiful, and absolutely ruthless.
"You're willing to start a three-way war over a girl?"
"Yes."
"Even if it costs us half our organization?"
"Yes."
A long silence. Then his father smiled—cold and calculating."Good.Because I've already mobilized our forces. Xavier's been attacking our operations for three days straight. He's declared open war."
Rafayel's smile matched his father's. "Then let's finish it."
"One condition." The older man's expression hardened. "You get the girl after both men are dead. Not before. I won't have you distracted while there's still a war to fight."
Rafayel nodded, though internally he was already making plans.
He'd waited eight months. He could wait a few more weeks.
But the moment Xavier and Richard were eliminated, Nana was his.
No more sharing. No more competition.
Just her, locked safely in his mansion where nothing could ever take her away.
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The sound of gunfire echoed through the concrete training room.
Xavier moved through the course with mechanical precision—target, fire, move, reload, target, fire. His accuracy was perfect. His speed was inhuman.
He'd been training for sixteen hours straight.
Jihoon watched from the observation deck, concerned. "Boss needs to rest."
"Boss needs to be ready," Xavier corrected, not breaking his rhythm. "The Serpent Guild has triple our numbers. We can't afford mistakes."
"We can't afford a dead leader either."
Xavier finally paused, lowering his weapon. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, his hands steady despite exhaustion.
"How many operations did they hit yesterday?"
"They took out our warehouse on the east side, one of our smuggling routes, and they made a move on the Kozlov partnership."
"Casualties?"
"On our side? Two injured, none dead. On theirs?" Jihoon's smile was grim. "Seventeen dead. You've been... efficient."
Because Xavier wasn't holding back anymore. Wasn't trying to keep things quiet, wasn't worried about exposing Nana to violence.
She wasn't here to see it.
She was safe in Paris, celebrating her twentieth first birthday at the Eiffel Tower, sending him videos of her smiling face lit by the tower's lights.
"Look, Xaviee! It's so beautiful! I wish you were here!"
Xavier had watched that video seventeen times in the past two hours.
"Any movement from the Serpent Guild toward Paris?" he asked quietly.
"Richard's security is solid. Former underground operatives, all of them. They've already caught and eliminated two of Rafayel's scouts." Jihoon pulled up surveillance photos. "Miss Anderson is safe. Richard knows what he's doing."
Xavier nodded, relief and frustration warring in his chest.
She was safe. That's what mattered.
Even if it meant she was far away. Even if it meant not seeing her on her birthday. Even if it meant—
His phone buzzed. A video call from Nana.
Xavier's exhaustion vanished. He answered immediately, his expression softening in ways that made Jihoon quietly excuse himself.
"Starlight."Her face filled the screen, backlit by Parisian streetlights. She was bundled in a coat, cheeks pink from cold, eyes bright.
"I'm at a café! Look!"
She flipped the camera to show him the Seine River, the lights reflecting on dark water, couples walking hand-in-hand along the banks.
"It's beautiful," Xavier said, his voice rough.
"I wish you were here." She flipped the camera back to herself, and her expression was softer now. Sad. "It's my birthday and you're not here."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Why couldn't you come? Is it school? Work?" She bit her lip. "Or... is it something else?"
Xavier's mind raced. How much could he tell her? How much should he?
"Starlight, I need to talk to you about something."
Her expression shifted—concerned, alert. "What's wrong?"
"It's about Rafayel."
"Rafayel? What about him?"
Xavier chose his words carefully. "I need you to be careful around him. If you see him in Paris, if he contacts you, I want you to call me immediately."
"Why? Did something happen between you two?"
She was watching him intently now.
"You've been acting weird about him for weeks. Are you... are you just jealous? Or is there something I don't know?"
"Both," Xavier admitted. "I am jealous. But it's more than that. He's not... he's not what he seems."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I don't trust him. It means I think he has ulterior motives for getting close to you."
Xavier held her gaze through the screen.
"Please. Just promise me you'll stay away from him."
She was quiet for a long moment, studying his face. "You're not telling me something. You, my father, even Rafayel—everyone's acting strange. What's really going on?"
"I can't explain right now. But I promise I will when you come home."
"When will I come home? Dad keeps extending the trip. First it was two weeks, now he's saying maybe a month. Maybe longer."
Her voice cracked slightly. "I miss you, Xaviee."
Xavier's chest tightened. "I miss you too. So much."
"Then tell me what's happening. Why did we leave so suddenly? Why can't I come home? Why—"
"Nana!" Richard's voice called from off-screen. "We need to go. Reservation in ten minutes."
She looked away, frustrated. "I have to go. Birthday dinner with Dad."
"Happy birthday, Starlight. I love you."
"I love you too." She paused. "But when I get back, you're explaining everything. No more secrets."
"Deal."
The call ended, and Xavier stared at his reflection in the dark screen.
No more secrets.
If only it were that simple.
"Boss?" Jihoon had returned. "We have movement. Serpent Guild is mobilizing for something big."
Xavier's expression hardened, the soft boyfriend vanishing, the Shen devil's returning.
"Where?"
"Multiple locations. Coordinated strike on five of our operations simultaneously."
"When?"
"Tomorrow night. They're coming with everything they have."
stood, checking his weapons with practiced efficiency. "Then we hit them first. Tonight. Take out their staging areas before they can mobilize."
"Boss, that's—"
"I know what it is." Xavier's eyes were ice. "It's war. Total war. No mercy. No survivors."
"If we do this, there's no going back. The Serpent Guild will retaliate with everything. This city will become a war zone."
"Good." Xavier loaded his gun, the sound loud in the quiet facility. "Let them come. While they're distracted fighting me, Nana stays safe in Paris."
"And if they send people after her anyway?"
"Richard will handle it. He's got enough firepower protecting her to stop a small army." Xavier's jaw tightened. "And if anyone gets past his defenses, I'll teleport there myself and paint Paris red."
Jihoon studied his boss—exhausted, heartbroken, and absolutely lethal.
"Understood. I'll mobilize the strike teams."ends tomorrow. One way or another. Either the Serpent Guild is destroyed, or we are. No middle ground."
"That's a pretty big gamble, Boss."
Xavier looked at his phone, at Nana's frozen smile on his screen.
"She's worth it."
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Nana couldn't sleep.
Something was wrong. She'd felt it for days, but the phone call with Xavier had confirmed it.
Everyone was lying to her.
Her father claimed this was a vacation, but he jumped at every unexpected sound. His "security detail" was clearly more than just bodyguards—they moved like soldiers, checked exits compulsively, communicated through earpieces.
Xavier claimed nothing was wrong, but he looked exhausted. Haunted. Like he was fighting a war.
And Rafayel... Rafayel had called her six times in the past two days. She'd ignored all of them after Xavier's warning, but the persistence was unsettling.
Her phone rang. Unknown number.
She answered without thinking. "Hello?"
"Nana." Rafayel's voice. "Finally. You've been avoiding my calls."
"I've been busy—"
"Busy running away. Did Xavier tell you to ignore me?"
Something in his tone made her freeze. "What?"
"He warned you away from me, didn't he? Told you I was dangerous." Rafayel laughed, bitter. "Did he tell you what he is?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Ask your father about the Shen devil's. Ask him why he really took you to Paris." Rafayel's voice dropped. "Ask him what happens to people who get close to Xavier."
"Rafayel, you're scaring me—"
"Good. You should be scared. Because right now, there's a war happening. And it's all because of you."
The line went dead.
Nana sat frozen, her hands shaking.
Shen devil's?
War?
Because of me?!
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To be continued.