Chapter 9: Assassination Attempt with the brides to be
984 Words
Victor sat at the head of the long, dimly lit study, a half-drunk glass of whiskey resting beside his fingertips. This seems to be what he's been doing everyday,soon he'd have to join AA meetings with the rate at which this was going on. He was already feeling a split headache coming,his father f****d him up really good. Sins of the father indeed,he didn't need this life but it was already curved for him since birth.The air was thick with tension as Enzo leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, his sharp gaze flickering between Sophia and Alana.
Sophia sat on the couch, composed but cautious, her unreadable expression betraying nothing. Alana stood near the window, moonlight casting a silver glow on her features.
Victor exhaled, rolling his shoulders before speaking.
“I need answers.” His voice was measured, cold. “This contract. This choice you’re suddenly giving me.” His eyes locked onto Alana. “What’s your angle?”
Alana smirked. “Angle? That’s cute.” She slowly walked toward the table, placing her hands on the surface and leaning forward. “Maybe I realized something.”
Victor raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
Alana’s gaze flickered toward Sophia before meeting his again. “I don’t need you, Victor.”
Silence.
A slow, burning rage simmered in his chest, but confusion overpowered it. He wasn’t used to people just… letting him go.
Sophia remained quiet, watching.
Victor leaned forward slightly. “You’re backing out? Just like that?”
Alana nodded. “No conditions. No price. You’re free to make your own choice.”
Victor clenched his jaw. Free to choose? When was the last time he had that luxury? When was the last time someone hadn’t tried to force his hand?
He was flabbergasted.
Something wasn’t right.
And then—
The light flickered.
Sophia’s head snapped toward the window just as glass shattered.
CRACK!
The unmistakable sound of a suppressed sniper round tore through the silence.
Victor dived to the side, flipping the heavy wooden table for cover as Enzo yanked Sophia to the ground. Alana reacted just as quickly, rolling into the shadows of the study.
The sound of another shot thudded against the mahogany desk, splintering wood just inches from where Victor had been sitting.
“Sniper!” Enzo barked, drawing his pistol.
Victor stayed low, his pulse thundering in his ears. The shot had come from the opposite rooftop. Someone had waited for this exact moment—when all three of them were together.
Alana’s voice was calm but edged with steel. “They were never here for me.”
Sophia, breathing heavily, pressed against the desk. “They were aiming for you.”
Victor pulled out his gun, his mind racing. Who the hell ordered this hit?
Enzo peeked around the cover. “If we move, we’re dead.”
Alana exhaled. “Not if we blind them first.”
She reached into her belt, pulling out a small smoke grenade. Without hesitation, she tossed it toward the window, where it exploded into a thick, billowing fog.
Victor didn’t hesitate. “Move!”
He grabbed Sophia’s wrist, pulling her toward the far door. Enzo covered them, firing two blind shots out the broken window, forcing the sniper to reposition.
They stormed out of the study, the tension crackling between them. The moment the door slammed shut behind them, Victor turned sharply toward Alana.
His patience was gone.
“Who the hell just tried to kill me?”
Alana adjusted her box braids, her face unreadable. “You should be asking yourself, Victor—who benefits if you die before making a choice?”
Sophia frowned. “Wait… Are you saying—?”
Victor’s eyes darkened. The realization hit him like a freight train.
This wasn’t just about power.
This was about who would take his place.
And suddenly, Don Rican’s marriage contract wasn’t the biggest problem anymore.
Someone wanted him gone before he could even decide.
And he had every intention of finding out who.
Meanwhile....
She wasn’t jealous—she had no reason to be. Her marriage to Victor was business, nothing more. But still… Alana’s presence bothered her.
So when she found the woman alone in the hallway, she didn’t hesitate.
“You’re getting too comfortable,” Sophia said, stepping in front of her.
Alana didn’t flinch. “I go where I am needed.”
Sophia crossed her arms. “Funny. I didn’t realize Victor needed you watching his every move.”
Alana’s lips curved ever so slightly. “And what do you think I’m watching for?”
Sophia’s fingers twitched, but she refused to let her emotions show. “If you have an agenda, I’ll find out what it is.”
Alana leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. “Good. Then maybe you’ll see what’s coming before he does.”
And with that, she walked away, leaving Sophia standing there with a chill creeping down her spine.
Sophia sat in her room, her laptop open on her desk. The glow of the screen illuminated her sharp features as she scrolled through countless articles, old business deals, and classified reports.
Alana Rican.
No official last name. No digital footprint in the public eye. Hidden, erased.
But that wasn’t the most alarming part.
Sophia’s fingers froze over the keyboard when she found an old, sealed FBI file. The title?
"Operation Revenant – The Disappearance of Alana Rican."
Her heart pounded as she clicked through. The file had been scrubbed, redacted—but what she could piece together was chilling.
Alana wasn’t just Rican’s niece.
She had once been presumed dead.
Sophia leaned back, her breath uneven. Who the hell was this woman?
And more importantly—what was she really after?
After a while she rang someone
"get me all you can on Alana Rican,red tape and all"
"On it" the voice replied.
- Writer
