Novels by NotYourTypicalWriter

Isabella Voss sat in the back of a black van parked three blocks from the riverfront warehouses. The vehicle smelled like old leather and cigarette smoke. She held a tablet in her lap, screen glowing with the live feed from her last remaining team. Her face looked older under the harsh light from the screen. Lines she usually hid with makeup were visible now. Her eyes were narrow, lips pressed into a thin line.She had spent the last hour watching her empire shrink.One by one, the properties she used for meetings and storage had gone dark. First the commercial block. Then the factory district. Now the riverfront warehouses...the last place she could move people and goods without Leo noticing. Or so she had thought.Her fingers tapped the side of the tablet. The man next to her shifted uncomfortably in his seat.“Boss, the last team just reported in,” he said. “The warehouses are locked. New security systems. Cameras everywhere. We can’t get in without tripping alarms.”Voss didn’t lo

Leo stood in the private room at the back of the old administration building, phone in hand, eyes locked on the screen. The janitor uniform was still on, but the man wearing it had just become the owner of another major piece of the city.“Confirm the transfer,” he said into the phone. His voice was low and sharp. “The factory district is mine now. Every warehouse, every loading dock, every access road. Lock it down.”Sebastian answered on the other end. “Done. The papers are signed. We control the entire south industrial zone. Voss lost three of her main supply routes in one move. She’ll feel this by morning.”Leo’s face stayed hard. No smile. Just cold satisfaction. “Good. Start the next phase. The riverfront warehouses. I want them by tomorrow night. Cut off every escape route she has left in this city.”He ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket. For a second he allowed himself to feel the weight of what he was doing. Millions moving in silence. Buildings changing han

“Make it official. I want the papers signed before noon.”Leo’s voice cut through the quiet of the back seat as the SUV rolled smoothly down the side street. He held the phone tight, eyes locked on the screen showing the latest property documents. His shoulder still ached from the accident the night before, but he ignored it.Sebastian answered right away. “Done, sir. The commercial block is yours. The parking garage too. We now control every entrance and exit Voss used for her meetings. She’ll feel this one.”Leo’s mouth curved into a hard line. “Good. Start the next one. The old factory district on the south side. All of it. I want Voss to know she’s losing ground in this city.”He ended the call and leaned back against the leather seat. For a moment the satisfaction felt real. Every new building, every new piece of land, was another wall between Voss and the people he cared about. But the feeling faded fast when his phone buzzed again.It was Elena.He opened the message and read i

Elena sat at the small kitchen table, staring at the half-eaten toast on her plate. Her mother stood at the counter, pouring coffee into two mugs. The smell of it filled the apartment, warm and familiar, but it did nothing to ease the knot in Elena’s stomach.“You look like you didn’t sleep,” her mother said, sliding one mug toward her. Her voice carried that mix of worry and frustration she had used a lot lately. “Was it the message again? The one with my photo?”Elena took the mug and wrapped her hands around it. The heat felt good against her cold fingers. “Yeah. And the video. They sent a video this time, Mom. It was you sleeping on the couch last night. They were right outside our window.”Her mother’s face went tight. She set her own mug down hard enough that coffee sloshed over the rim. “This is exactly what I warned you about. Leo paid for my heart so he could control us. Now these people are using me to get to him. You need to stay away from him, Elena. Completely. No message

“Pass me the damn remote, Sarah. I’m not watching this shit again.”Brad’s voice came out sharp and tired as he slumped deeper into the old couch. The small motel room smelled like stale cigarettes and cheap cleaning spray. A single lamp cast yellow light over the worn carpet and the two twin beds pushed against the wall.Sarah sat on the edge of one bed, scrolling through her phone with a scowl. Her designer clothes were gone — replaced by a faded hoodie and sweatpants she’d bought from a discount store. She tossed the remote at him without looking up. “You watch whatever you want. Nothing good is on anyway.”Brad caught the remote and flipped through channels. He stopped on a news segment about Northwood University. The reporter was talking about new investments and campus upgrades. Brad’s face twisted.“Fucking unbelievable,” he muttered. “The school is getting richer while we’re stuck in this dump.”Sarah finally looked up. Her eyes were tired, with dark circles underneath. “You s

“Sir, you should really see a doctor.”Dominic’s voice was tight as he drove slower now, both hands gripping the wheel. The SUV moved through quieter streets, the earlier chaos left behind at the accident scene.Leo sat in the back, pressing a folded cloth against the cut on his temple. Blood had soaked through a little, but he didn’t care. The pain in his ribs flared every time the car hit a bump, reminding him of the warehouse fight just days ago. He looked at his reflection in the dark window — tired eyes, messy hair, a small bruise already forming on his cheek.“I’m fine,” Leo said. His voice came out rough. “Keep driving. We’re not stopping.”Dominic glanced at him in the mirror. “That truck hit us hard. You hit your head pretty bad. At least let me take you to one of our private clinics. No one will know.”Leo shook his head. “No. Voss is watching every move. If I show up at a clinic, she’ll know I’m rattled. I need her to think I’m still in control.” He pulled out his phone and