Aleena — POV
It had been a week since Nico left the Caruso estate.
My father had his chemists working around the clock, pushing to restart the drug operation that had been stalled. The lab sat on the opposite side of the basement, hidden behind layers of security far tighter than the abandoned section where I'd caught Nico brutalizing someone. Eleanor had already returned to California. Before she left, I made arrangements to keep her safe for now.
My phone buzzed.
Elanor : 'I'll be safe. Don't worry about me. I'm learning how to fight.'
A selfie followed. Eleanor stood in a self-defense class, gloves on, determination written across her face.
Good. For once, she wasn't running from reality.
I sat locked inside my room, typing lines of code while my father buried himself in the base
