Bella gripped the steering wheel tightly as she drove.The city lights blurred past her windshield, but she barely noticed any of it. Her mind was racing, replaying the events of the past hour over and over again.Jacob’s hands around her throat.The cold look in his eyes.The way he had taken her money without a second thought.Bella swallowed hard, her fingers tightening even more around the wheel.Her throat still hurt.Every time she breathed, there was a faint reminder of what had almost happened.She had never felt fear like that before.Real fear.The kind that made your body go cold.The kind that made you realize just how fragile your life actually was.Bella blinked rapidly, trying to push the memory away.She needed to focus.She needed somewhere safe.Without thinking twice, she had gotten into her car and driven straight toward the one place she knew she could go.Her mother’s house.The car pulled into the familiar driveway a few minutes later.Bella parked hastily and s

Bella sat in her car, the engine off, her hands resting limply on the steering wheel.The street outside her mother’s house was quiet.Too quiet.It made everything feel heavier.The argument still echoed in her head—every word, every cold response, every moment her mother had dismissed what had happened to her like it was nothing.Bella exhaled shakily and leaned her head back against the seat.For the first time since everything fell apart between her and Andrew…She felt completely alone.There was no one to defend her.No one to tell her she didn’t deserve what had happened.No one to even acknowledge that what Jacob did was wrong.Her throat tightened again.Not from the pain this time.But from the weight of everything she was feeling.She closed her eyes.And somehow…Her thoughts drifted to Andrew.She hadn’t allowed herself to think about him like this in a long time.Not since she had walked away.Not since she had chosen a different path.But now…Now he came back into her

The construction site buzzed with activity under the midday sun.Heavy machinery roared in the background as workers moved in coordinated rhythm, steel beams being lifted, concrete being poured, instructions being shouted across the wide expanse.Olivia walked through it all with calm authority.A helmet rested securely on her head, her heels replaced with sturdy boots as she reviewed the day’s progress. A tablet was in her hand, and she occasionally paused to point out adjustments to the site manager beside her.“This section needs reinforcement,” she said, her tone firm but controlled. “We’re not compromising on structural integrity just to meet deadlines.”“Yes, Miss Olivia,” the manager responded quickly.She nodded and moved forward.Her presence alone kept everything running smoothly. Workers straightened when she passed, supervisors became sharper, and even the noise of the site seemed more organized around her.Olivia stopped near the central structure and glanced down at her

For a moment No one moved.The sound of the slap still lingered in the air, sharp and undeniable, like it had carved a line across the entire room.Becca’s head remained turned to the side, her hair slightly disheveled from the impact. Slowly, almost mechanically, she lifted her hand to her cheek, pressing her fingers against the burning skin as if trying to confirm it had actually happened.Her eyes widened.Not with tears.With disbelief.Olivia had hit her.Olivia.The composed one. The controlled one. The one who always calculated her steps, who always chose restraint over spectacle.And yet Here they were.The room shifted uneasily, the weight of what had just occurred settling over every single person present. Even the staff by the doors seemed frozen in place, unsure whether to disappear or witness history unfold.Becca blinked once.Then twice.And then, slowly, she turned.Her gaze didn’t go back to Olivia immediately.It went to her mother.“Mom…” her voice came out softer

The message didn’t reach him immediately.For two days, the outside world had been reduced to nothing.No calls. No distractions.No names that mattered beyond code and command.Inside the SSA headquarters, time moved differently, measured in drills, in simulations, in the quiet evaluation of men who were expected to operate without hesitation.Andrew had not stepped outside once, not physically. Not mentally.He had been in it completely.The final phase.The last stretch before everything changed.He stood in the training hall, breathing steady despite the intensity of the past hours, his shirt slightly damp at the collar, his focus still sharp. Around him, others moved, some finishing their own evaluations, some already dismissed.But Andrew didn’t leave immediately.He never did.He reviewed it.Always. Every movement. Every decision. Every angle.It was what made him different.What made him dangerous.And what made him valuable.“Agent Pierre.”The voice came from behind him.Andr