Chapter 10: Into the Lion's Den
1035 Words
The moment Xavier's elevator disappeared from sight, the fear vanished from Mhagi's face.
The trembling hands stopped. The frightened expression disappeared and the actress named Lilia David ceased to exist. Only Mhagi Flores remained.
She calmly entered her condominium and locked the door behind her. Then she immediately called Fathima. The line connected after two rings.
"What happened?" Fathima asked.
Mhagi walked toward the window and look at the busy street and think about the earlier attack.
"I'm staging another one."
Silence.
Then—
"What?"
"I want you to do it."
The silence somehow became louder.
"Mhagi, have you lost your mind?"
"No."
She sat on the edge of the couch.
"I'm going into the Porter Mansion tonight."
Fathima immediately understood. The attack at the restaurant had created an opportunity and Mhagi intended to exploit it.
"You're going to use Xavier's protective instincts."
A smile appeared on Mhagi's lips.
"I'll ride whatever is happening."
Several seconds passed. Then Fathima sighed.
"I hate it when you're smart."
"See you in twenty minutes."
The call ended.
Less than half an hour later, Fathima arrived with several trusted Flores men.
The condominium looked like a disaster zone. Broken furniture. Shattered glass. Bullet holes. Chaos.
Yet none of it compared to what Mhagi planned next. Fathima entered the living room and froze.
"Mhags..."
Mhagi had already changed into torn clothing. Artificial bruises mixed with real ones from training. A convincing image of someone who had barely survived an attack.
"What now?" Fathima asked cautiously.
Mhagi extended her hand.
"Give me the gun."
The other woman immediately narrowed her eyes.
"No."
"Fathima."
"No."
Mhagi sighed dramatically.
"Shoot me."
The room fell silent.
Even the Flores men looked horrified.
"What?"
"My shoulder."
"No."
"And my waist."
"Absolutely not."
Mhagi rolled her eyes.
"The bullets will go through."
"The Don will kill me."
"I'll explain."
"The Don will still kill me."
A laugh escaped Mhagi.
"Trust me."
"I don't."
"Fathima."
"No."
"Fath."
"No."
Several moments later, Fathima found herself holding the weapon while questioning every decision she had made in life.
"This is insane."
"Probably."
The shot rang out. Then another. Pain exploded through Mhagi's body. She nearly collapsed. For the first time, genuine agony flashed across her face.
"There."
She forced herself to smile.
"Much better."
Fathima looked ready to faint.
"You're impossible."
Ignoring her, Mhagi grabbed her phone and dialed Xavier.
The call connected.
"Li—"
Two gunshots echoed through the line.
Mhagi forced panic into her voice.
"Help..."
She let the word come out weakly. Broken. Terrified. Then she ended the call.
Immediately afterward, she fired several random shots around the apartment. The sounds echoed throughout the building.
Fathima stared at her.
"You belong in a psychiatric institution."
"Maybe."
Then Mhagi looked at her.
"Punch me."
Fathima blinked.
"What?"
"Punch me."
"No."
"Fathima."
"No."
"Do it."
"You'll be the death of me."
Despite the complaint, Fathima delivered a punch. Not enough to cause serious damage. Enough to complete the illusion.
Several minutes later, everyone left. The apartment became silent. Mhagi dragged herself toward a cabinet near the living room.
Blood stained the floor behind her. Then she waited. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen then suddenly—
The front door exploded open. Xavier Porter stormed inside. For perhaps the first time in years, the feared heir of the Porter family looked genuinely terrified.
The elevator ride had felt endless. Every second had seemed too slow. Every possibility had grown worse inside his mind.
He shouldn't have left her. The realization repeated endlessly. He shouldn't have left her.
The destroyed condominium greeted him like a nightmare. Broken glass covered the floor. Furniture lay overturned. Blood stained the walls.
The scene looked like a battlefield.
"Lilia!"
No answer. His pulse accelerated.
"Lilia!"
Then he heard something. A weak sound. Following it, Xavier found her inside a partially opened cabinet.
Blood covered her clothes. Her face looked pale. Her breathing was shallow. She slowly looked up at him.
"Help me."
For a brief moment, Xavier stopped breathing. Without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms.
She felt frighteningly light. Too fragile. Too vulnerable. Nothing like the confident woman he knew.
Removing his jacket, he wrapped it around her. Then he carried her outside.
"Get the car ready!"
His men immediately obeyed. One glance at the apartment was enough to tell them how serious the situation was. Xavier's expression darkened.
"Investigate this."
"Yes, Boss."
"Find whoever did this."
Nobody questioned the order. The drive that followed was reckless. Dangerously fast.
Every traffic law became irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was reaching safety. A hospital wasn't an option.
The media would discover everything within hours and Xavier couldn't allow that. Instead, he brought her somewhere even safer.
The Porter Mansion.
A private doctor was already waiting when they arrived. The medical team immediately rushed her into a prepared room. For nearly two hours, Xavier remained outside.
Waiting.
Pacing.
Thinking.
The doctor finally emerged.
"The bullets have been removed."
Xavier immediately stood.
"Will she recover?"
"Yes."
Relief flooded through him. The doctor continued.
"She lost some blood, but she'll be fine."
Only then did Xavier allow himself to breathe. A short while later, Mhagi was transferred into one of the mansion's guest suites.
Bandaged. Sleeping. Safe. At least for now.
Xavier remained beside the doorway for several moments before finally leaving. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, another figure appeared.
His father Don Alejandro Porter. The current head of the Porter family.
The older man studied his son's expression carefully. Then glanced toward the room.
"Who is she?"
Xavier remained silent. Don Alejandro raised an eyebrow. Interesting.
His son rarely brought anyone into the mansion. Especially not a woman.
"What happened?"
This time Xavier answered.
"Someone attacked her."
The older man's gaze sharpened.
"And?"
Xavier's jaw tightened. The same question had been bothering him for hours.
The restaurant attack. The condominium attack. The timing. The targets. None of it made sense.
For the first time in years, events were moving beyond his control. And Xavier Porter hated not knowing who was behind it. Because if someone was willing to target Lilia David...
Then sooner or later, they would come for him too.
- Writer
