𝟿. "... 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚒𝚜"

TRAVIS'S P.O.V

"Kill them" I ordered turning away and walking back towards the car. "No no—" the three bangs resounded, cutting their pathetic protest.

I let out a cold breath, fixing back on my gloves. Silvano appeared beside me, letting out a satisfied sigh. "I miss this city" he commented.

"And you still let me do your work for you" I replied, throwing him a look. "Just like old times" he beamed and I shook my head as we both climbed into the car.

I couldn't say I miss this city, it certainly didn't miss me. Just an hour here and we've already made a mess. Glancing back at the bodies as they were being dragged out, I placed a cigar between my lips and lit it up.

Taking a drag, I let out a breath, glancing out the window. "Where to, boss?" He asked and I let out another resounding breath. "Empire"

"Which one? " he asked and I slowly turned back to him, "The One"

"The tallest skyscraper?"

"Shut up, please" I hissed, returning back to my cigar. Over the years, my corporations has grown far and wide and though it was mine, it didn't feel like it. I drop by few times to keep up appearance and supervise things but...others do the real work.

I was just the name, the heartbeat and nothing else. My responsibilities were now bigger and more vast than the one thing that was once important to me, which is now just...an inconvenience.

Now, the thought of coming back to this city and doing something that was my regular routine was strenuous and I leave the work for one particular person, the only person I could trust.

My phone began buzzing and I got it out of my blazer jacket and checked. Why can't this fuckers let me be for one second?

Pulling out the cigar, I answered. "Where are you?" Dominic cut in cold, of course, the one who will never kneel to me.

"Where do you want me to be?" I let out a breath, going straight to the point. "Mexico"

"I have no business with Los Zorros Negros" I stated, taking another drag of the cigar as I glanced out the window. "That's because you destroyed any business we have with them"

"I don't have time for this, Dominic"

"I remained quiet when you passed your judgement on Cesare, out of respect but the vote of no confidence can't be passed because—"

The car came to an abrupt stop, jolting me forward and knocking the phone from my hand. “What the fuck?!” Silvano cursed, snapping his gaze toward the driver.

Dominic's voice was still yelling through the phone on the floor. I hissed under my breath and ended the call with a sharp jab of my finger.

“We’ve got… company,” the driver announced grimly.

All eyes turned to the black SUV now blocking our path, its windows tinted, its presence ominous. Silvano leaned forward in his seat, his expression darkening. “Guess they’ve figured out you’re here, boss.”

I exhaled slowly, the kind of breath one takes before stepping into a storm. “How typical.”

Masked men poured out of the SUV, their weapons gleaming under the sun, and without hesitation, they opened fire. The sharp bursts of gunfire shattered the tense silence, bullets ricocheting off the armored glass of our cars.

“Such a warm welcome,” Silvano muttered dryly, pulling his seat up to retrieve his weapon.

The windshield cracked with a thunderous bang as another bullet hit, and I knew our time in the car was up. “Out. Now,” I ordered.

The cold air bit at my skin as I slipped out, crouching low behind the car. My men were already returning fire, their shots echoing in the distance. The chaos grounded me, the adrenaline sharpening my senses.

A bullet whizzed past, grazing the metal near my head. I ducked to the side and reached for my cigar, lighting it again with steady hands. Taking a long drag, I exhaled the smoke slowly, muttering, “So fucking great. Now I’ll be late.”

One of the attackers got too close. I kicked his gun out of his hand with precision and drove my fist into his face, relishing the crunch of bone under my knuckles. Before he could recover, I spun and fired at two others advancing toward me. Both went down in a heap.

Daggers in hand, I faced the next wave. One lunged at me, but I was faster, slashing across his face with brutal efficiency. Another tried to flank me—bad idea. I hurled my second dagger, the blade embedding itself in his chest with a satisfying thud.

A shot rang out dangerously close to my ear, the sound cutting through the melee. Turning swiftly, I spotted the bastard reloading his gun, a smug grin on his face. Before he could fire, Silvano’s bullet found its mark, and the grin was wiped away as he crumpled to the ground.

Touching my ear, I pulled my fingers back to see blood. The sight made my blood boil. I dropped the smoldering cigar, grinding it under my boot as I stalked toward the last man standing. He tried to aim his weapon, but I grabbed it, yanking it from his grip. With a surge of fury, I slammed his face against the hood of the car.

Once. Twice. Three times.

His body went limp, collapsing onto the pavement. I straightened, dragging a hand over my face to wipe off the blood splattered there. Out of breath, I leaned against the car, fishing out another cigarette. Lighting it, I inhaled deeply, letting the smoke settle my nerves.

Silvano kicked a corpse out of his way as he approached, panting. “Who the fuck are these guys?”

I didn’t respond immediately, instead crouching beside one of the fallen attackers. My boot nudged him onto his back, exposing the tattoo on his forearm.

Silvano knelt down, rolling the sleeve higher. His lips twisted into a grimace as the mark became clear—a snarling wolf.

“Volkov Syndicate,” I muttered, my voice cold.

Silvano looked up at me, his eyes narrowing. “This is going to get messy.”

I exhaled a stream of smoke and flicked the ash from my cigarette. “It already is.”.

➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫➫

The cameras flashed in our faces immediately they caught sight of us, I fixed my blazer, not given out anything. More police cars drove past, prolly heading to the scene of the crime but they were too late.

Silvano cleared everyone out of the way as I headed towards the building, I glanced up and caught sight of that bold serif— 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞.

Stepping into that lobby brought back a load of memory, all of which I've managed to put at bay for a while now. The questions and flashes were relentless, I was already late for the inauguration but I knew better than to not show up at all.

We got into the elevator and I pressed the button, in the ride, I pulled out the gloves, they were dried with blood. "What do we do about the ambush?" He asked and I let the silence drew for a while longer.

"We wait"

With that the door was pulled open and we stepped out into the hallway, by standers moving out of the way and whispering amongst themselves.

We walked through the double doors to the conference room and everyone turned around to us and the cameras began clicking again.

Yes, I was more than late. The event was already over and everyone was leaving. My gaze landed on him as he stood at a distance, his family beside him.

It's been a while.

I then turned to Silvano and signaled him closer, he leaned in and I sent him on something completely irrelevant because I didn't need him here.

He shot me a pointed look, this fucker. "Go. Now" I ordered, my tone final as I fixed my cufflinks. "Are you getting rid of me?" He asked and I shot him a look.

"Are you ashamed of me?!" He accused this time. Moments like this, I wondered where we met and why and also why I still kept him around. Aside from being a very good right hand, he was the most...unserious bastard out there.

"Yes, now leave" I answered before heading towards him. My works of life weren't much welcomed here and so was he.

As I approached, Hilary instinctively pulled her daughter closer, shielding her as if from some lurking danger—me. The corner of my lips curled, amusement flickering in my chest, but I didn’t let it show. I stopped right in front of them, letting the silence stretch.

Adrian’s gaze locked onto mine, unreadable, unrelenting. "Good evening, everyone," I greeted, my voice smooth, controlled. My eyes flickered to Hilary’s, but she offered nothing in return. No acknowledgment, no courtesy. Just cold indifference.

“I’ll get Jackson, and we’ll be in the car,” she said to Adrian, her tone clipped. Then, without sparing me another glance, she turned and walked away, her child’s small hand securely in hers.

"You’re late," Adrian finally spoke, his voice even, but edged with something unspoken.

I met his gaze again, studying the changes time had carved into him. It had been a long time since we stood in the same room. Long enough for him to wear the weight of it. The sharp angles of his face were softened by a beard, his presence steadier, more settled—more fatherly than before.

"I got caught up in something," I replied, just as the television across the room flickered with breaking news.

"…a violent and chaotic incident has just unfolded on the streets of Los Angeles. About thirty minutes ago, a massive shootout erupted in the heart of the city, leaving multiple men dead and several cars reduced to wreckage. Witnesses describe the scene as something out of an action movie, with gunfire echoing through the streets and plumes of smoke billowing into the sky."

I exhaled slowly. The room seemed to still as the report continued.

"Authorities have confirmed the presence of a disturbing symbol found on some of the attackers, raising fears of a possible coordinated and foreign-driven assault. The exact meaning behind the symbol or its connection to the attackers remains unclear at this time."

Silence settled between us, thick and heavy.

Adrian’s gaze didn’t waver. "You were indeed busy," he murmured.

I looked away, scanning the room, letting the noise of the event ground me. "How’s the event?" I asked.

"Successful as always," he said, his tone neutral. "Though we expected you to show up sooner."

"You’ve handled everything well. I don’t think I’m needed at all."

He didn’t argue, just looked away, his hands slipping into his pockets.

"How long are you planning on staying this time?"

"A while. I have business here."

"Of course," he muttered. The silence stretched again, unspoken history pressing between us.

I broke it. "You have a daughter now."

His gaze snapped back to mine. A pause. Then, evenly, "Yes. Her name is Jocelyn."

"Congratulations," I said, and just like before, he gave nothing away.

I sensed a presence beside me but didn’t turn. I already knew who it was. He leaned in, murmuring something—an update from the errand. I had expected it to take him longer.

Nodding, I glanced back at Adrian, but before I could speak, he did.

"I have to go," he said. Then, after a beat, "Family." Like that single word explained everything.

"Of course."

"We’ll be seeing more of each other at the office now," he added. I nodded. Without another word, he turned on his heels and walked away.

Time changes a lot. We used to know each other. Now, we spoke like strangers.

"You didn’t introduce me," Silvano murmured beside me. I closed my eyes briefly, inhaling. "Shut up," I muttered.

He only chuckled.