Ryan's POVThe notebook was heavy in my hands and the writing inside was dense, line after line of it, a whole system laid out in blue ink on paper.It was a complete secret history of the mafia world and how my father had run it all, a guide for someone who wanted to take over, a book for a future mafia lord and I had no interest in any of it, not in being that man or dealing with that world.So I closed the book and I looked around the room for a while at the shelves and the single light bulb and the dust motes dancing in the air and I decided right then that I would come back to check it out again another time because the air in there was too still and too heavy with his presence and I needed to get out.I exited the inner room and I shifted the book back onto its shelf and the mechanism clicked and the shelf closed back up, sealing everything away like it had never been opened.I turned around to leave and I walked right into someone soft and small and we both stumbled back. It wa

Ryan's POVI watched Darius walk over to everyone who was still taking pictures and recording videos with their phones and he raised his voice so everyone could hear him clearly."Stop taking pictures right now," Darius said with authority that made everyone immediately lower their phones and step back. "This is a private matter and nothing should be shared outside this room."Darius turned toward me and leaned in close so only I could hear what he was saying next."I will do what needs to be done here but you need to trust me completely," he whispered while his eyes stayed focused on the new guy I found out his name was Noah.He was still standing there holding that silver key like it was some kind of trophy.After Darius finished handling the crowd and making sure everyone understood they were not supposed to share what they had witnessed today he walked back over to me and nodded toward the door."We need to talk privately right now," Darius said and I followed him out of the confe

Ryan's POVI wanted to run away from the balcony before anyone else came outside and saw what I had done but my legs would not move and I stood there frozen while Noah's mother bled out on the floor in front of me.The maid was still screaming for help when suddenly a man appeared behind her and moved so quickly that I barely saw the blade before it was already across her throat.The maid's screaming stopped immediately and she crumpled to the ground next to Noah's mother while blood poured from the fresh wound on her neck. I stared at the man who had just killed her and he looked directly at me with eyes that showed complete devotion and loyalty."Long live the king," the man said while he bowed his head toward me in respect.He walked closer and held out the knife he had used to kill the maid and placed it in my hand even though I did not want to take it from him."Kill me," he said calmly like he was asking me to pass him a glass of water instead of demanding his own death.I shoo

Ryan's POVEveryone stood completely silent while they watched me hold the knife against my fingers and prepare to slice through them. My hand trembled slightly and I could feel the sharp edge pressing into my skin when suddenly Noah's voice cut through the silence."Stop," Noah yelled out.I heaved a reliving sigh as every muscle in my body relaxed at once because I had not actually wanted to cut off my own fingers even though I had been prepared to do it.Thank god he stopped me because I really did not want to go through with that and the pain would have been unbearable and I would have been permanently disabled for the rest of my life. I tried to keep my face neutral so nobody would see how grateful I was that Noah had changed his mind at the last second.Noah walked over and tapped my back in a gesture that seemed almost friendly compared to the hostility he had shown just moments before."Would you love to start working for me today?" Noah asked.I shook my head because I knew S

Ryan's POVI stood there watching Sarah and the man embrace in the park and felt my stomach twist into knots but I did not confront them or make my presence known.Instead I pulled out my phone and took several clear pictures of them together because I needed evidence of what I was seeing in case Sarah tried to deny it later or make me think I had imagined the whole thing.After I had the pictures saved I turned around and walked back toward the office because I did not want to see anymore and I needed time to think about what this meant and how I should handle the situation.My mind was racing with thoughts about betrayal and deception and whether I could trust anyone in this world or if everyone was just using me for their own purposes.I got back to the office and sat at my desk and stared at the pictures on my phone while I tried to make sense of what I had witnessed.The way Sarah had hugged that man was not casual or professional and it showed a level of intimacy that made me qu