Zamiel's pov
I built my empire on rules.
Rules kept chaos out.
Rules kept innocent untouched.
Rules kept mistakes from turning into wars.
And Moretti had crossed everyone of them.
The message arrived just after midnight.
Moretti moved again. Unapproved. Same district.
I didn't raise his voice, I didn't slam the desk. I simply closed my eyes for a moment – something rear – and exhaled.
I warned him.
Zarin stood across the room ,tensed. "He thinks if he finished the task tonight, you'll have no choice but to accept the results."
I opened my eyes ,gaze sharpening.
"That's not confidence" I said calmly, "That's desperation."
And desperation makes men dangerous.
"To who" Zarin asked.
I didn't answer immediately.
My thoughts went,uninvited,to Lex,to that calm eyes that refused to look down ,that refused to bow.
To the fact that she didn't belong anywhere near my world – yet had been dragged too close.
"To Lex Wolfe," I finally spoke.
That was the moment I understood something unsettling.
I wasn't reacting like a boss protecting his territory.
I was reacting like a man correcting a wrong and protecting what belongs to him.
"Get the car," I ordered. "Now."
Moretti's final move
Moretti waited in an abandoned warehouse, convinced speed would save him.
His men were nervous. He ignored it.
"She's bait" Moretti said. "The man we're after won't stay hidden if he knows she's in danger."
One of his men hesitated. "Boss... Maranzano said –"
"I know what he said," Moretti snapped."And I know what he needs. Results."
That lie was for himself.
Moretti didn't see Lex as a person anymore. She was a shortcut. A tool. A risk he was willing to take.
That sealed his fate.
Lex pov
I sensed something was wrong the moment the street went quiet.
Too quiet
I stopped walking.
My reflection stared back at me from a darkened nearby shop window – shoulder squared,jaw tightened,fist clenched incase. I adjusted my hand on my bag, ready to move if needed.
A voice echoed behind me.
"Lex Wolfe"
I turned slowly.
Different men this time. Smarter.
Positioned carefully.
My heart beat stayed steady – not fearless but prepared.
"I told you," I said flatly, "I don't know what you want."
One of the men said "You're not what we want,but you're what we need to get what we want. "
That confirmed it.
I stepped back, eyes scanning for exits. I didn't panic – I was calculating. Time. Distance Movement.
Then headlights flooded the street.
Black. Familiar.
The car stopped with quiet authority.
Zamiel's pov
I stepped out before the engine fully died .
The men froze.
They knew.
Moretti's mistake had finally caught up with him.
"This ends now" I said voice now but absolute.
The men backed away instantly. No buts. No arguments.
I saw the way she looked at me, confusion flickering beneath her calm face.
"What took you so long,I could have being kidnapped or killed." She said in a calm but teasing voice.
"Sorry I was caught up with something." I blunt out.
I was confused at my response when did I start to say sorry? I whispered to my self.
She saw I was dumbfounded at my own response.
"You said fewer shadows," she said in a serious tone. Not accusing. Observing.
I met her gaze.
"I said I won't allow this," I replied.
I turned to my men."Get her home. Safely."
Lex stiffened. "I don't need –"
"This isn't a negotiation," I said. Not harsh – firm. It's protection. Temporary. "
Ain't you coming? She asked.
"I have some things to handle," I said.
She hesitated.
Then nodded once.
Aftermath – Zamiel
The room was silent apart from the echo of Zamiel's footsteps as he circled him, hands clasped behind his back. Moretti was on his knees, bruised,shaken, already knowing he had crossed the line that could never be uncrossed.
"You used her," i said quietly. My voice was low, deadly. "After being warned, I gave you mercy. I told you to stay away from her."
Moretti tried to speak.
I reached for my gun at my side.
The room froze.
You don't get to explain or defend yourself.
The shot echoed once.
Moretti crashed on the floor, screaming at the pain hit, clasping his leg as reality crashed down on him. He hadn't been shot to kill—i never wasted bullets like that. The injury was deliberate. A reminder. A pause before The men in the room didn't move. No one interfered. No one ever did when I decide judgement should be served.
I stepped closer ,crouching so we were eye to eye. My gaze was ice cold.
"That shot," I said calmly. "Is for thinking you were smart enough to disobey me."
Moretti sobbed now, broken , humiliation I mixed with terror. "Please...spare me...have mercy—"
"You ended that service the moment you tried to touch what belongs to me."
I straightened and turned to my men.
Take him away.
Moretti head snapped up. No— Zamiel—Mr Maranzano—please.
I didn't look back
"You endangered Lex," I said flatly.
"There's no forgiveness for that."
I paused at the door , voice dropping to a deadly whisper that filled the room.
"This city survives because I decide who lives and who does not. But you choose to decide for me." I continued.
"Make sure everyone hears why he died."
My men dragged Moretti away, his cries fading down the corridor, replaced by a silence so heavy it pressed into the walls.
I stood still for a moment longer, not with regret, but with resolve.
I adjusted my coaty and walked away.
I hated loose ends.
Yet Lex wasn't one.
She was a line I refused to let be crossed.
Everyone under Zamiel's rule would never forget what happened to the man who ignored a warning
Power was easy to control.
But principle were not.
And Lex had become one.
Lex pov
My apartment felt smaller than usual this night.
Not because anything had changed — the same narrow couch, the same chipped mug on the counter, the same basketball resting by the door.
But because my mind wouldn't slow down.
I sat on my bed, knees drawn up, staring at nothing.
The streetlights outside flickered, casting soft shadows across the walls. Shadows I'd normally ignore.
Tonight, I noticed all of them.
I replayed the moment over and over — not the men, not the danger — him.
Zamiel Maranzano.
He didn't move like anyone I have ever met.
He didn't rush.
Didn't threaten.
Didn't posture.
He simply arrived, and the world rearranged itself around him.
And yet… he had stepped between I and harm without asking for anything.
It confused me more than fear ever could.
I rubbed my thumb against the scrape on my palm.
I don't owe him anything, I reminded myself.
Still, when I closed my eyes, I remembered his voice — calm, steady, almost grounding.
"I won't allow this."
No one had said something like that to me before.
Not like a promise. Not like a rule.
I hated that it stayed with me.
At midnight I decided to go have a warm bath to wash away all those feelings and to relax my head.
Before I let for the bathroom I took some sleeping pills cus I know I won't be able to sleep cus of all the unplanned encounters that occured today.
I got to the bathroom, pulled off my shorts and top.
I only had my panties and bra on.
Walked to the water heater and on the tap to fill it ,took some body wash an headed to the bath tub. Played some cool music.
I poured the body wash in,the scent of it instantly sending me a hmm remark.
Then gently stepped into it and relaxed my body inside, didn't bother taking off my pants and bra.
After some,I started to scrub myself with a sponge after scrubbing,I rinsed off the soap away from my body but I still choose to stay in cus the water was still warm.
Few minutes later the pills started to work, I decided to take a quick nap.
Zamiel's pov
After dealing with Moretti , I decided to go check up on Lex.
I had no valid reason cus my men had sent her home and reported she is home already.
Guess I just wanted to see her for my self.
It was a one hour drive from my office.
Upon getting to the apartment, I noticed there was no gate.
I sighed ,"It's very easy for danger to come knocking at her door cus there's no gate ," I said to myself.
Got to the door, knocked a few times but no response.
I thought something had happened.
I held the handle of the door then noticed she didn't lock it.
"Careless" I murmured.
The door opened into a narrow living space, washed in cool tones – deep greys,muted blue and black. No warm colors. No softness to impress. The light was low on purpose a single floor lamp casting a pale glow instead of casting the darkness away.
Her couch was charcoal – worn but clean,pushed against the wall like it was conserving space. A thin throw lay folded over the arm, untouched. The walls were bare except for one framed photo – an old slightly faded picture
The air carried a quiet heaviness, not threatening, just contained – like emotions that had learnt to stay silent.
In the corner sat ber basketball resting against a small shelf stacked with note books. No clutter, everything had it own place.
Her kitchen blended into the room, minimalist and dark – black cabinets with steel handles. No unnecessary decorations. The faint hum of the refrigerator filed the silence,steady and grounding.
Then I heard a faint sound of music coming from another room I guessed to be her bedroom.
I went in expecting to meet her there but was greeted by the increasing sound.
Her bedroom was the darkest part of the apartment.
The navy curtains stayed down even at night, blocking the city lights from entering. The bed was low, sheets cool grey, blanket neatly folded. A small table by the window held a lamp with a blue – white glow,it lights comforting.
I was walking around the room, when a dime light from the bathroom caught my attention.
I swiftly moved my gaze away not wanting to peek at her privacy and be called a pervert.
But I still peeped anyway. Then I saw her in the bath tub fast asleep.
Her upper breast visible for me to see except for the bra that was covering from her nipple down.
Her hair wet ,her lower body buried in the water.
I called out her name a few times but I got no response. I poked her arm,no response, pinched her, still no response.
I didn't know what to do to wake her up,so I just took her out of the water and quickly wrap her in a towel to avoid seeing her lower body.
I left the bathroom and headed for her bedroom. I placed her on the bed and tried cleaning her hair,but she shook my hand off without opening her eyes.
For a moment there I had a mini heart attack.
I took off her bra and panties under the towel and slipped a top and tights I found in her closet.
I then tucked her into her bed. I placed a kiss on her forehead and left for the door.
Across the city, Zamiel stood at his office window, hands clasped behind his back.
I should have been thinking about damage control. About territory. About Moretti's fallout.
Instead, my thoughts kept circling one unacceptable variable.
Lex.
The way her bare skin felt on mine.
I tried hard not to touch her the way I wanted to.
How badly I wanted to kiss her.
Touch her cute boobs.
Hear her moan my name with that voice of hers.
Hadn't crossed a single line.
A part of me blamed me for not taking her the way I wanted to.
But I couldn't. I don't do my things without people's consent.
Not when she was vulnerable.
I want her to give me her full consent,beg for me to touch,crave for my touch before I'll make a move on her.
I want to make her mine in all possible ways.
I can't stand the thought of another man, looking at her, speaking to her or touching her the way I want to.
Apart from me drawn to her, I always see something in her that reminds me of myself long before power hardened me.
Restraint under pressure.
Intelligence behind silence.
Refusal to bend just because the world demanded it.
That was dangerous.
Not to me.
To her.
I turned away from the window.
She does not belong in my world.
And yet, my world wants her to belong in it.