REWRITTEN AS A VILLAIN.

THE LAST COUNTDOWN

LUCIAN

I walked into the hotel lobby with my bodyguards. The man I'm meeting today is one of my strongest competitors. He's had his eyes on my companies for a long time. Violence was always a possibility.

"Stay with Miss Morgan," I ordered one of the bodyguards. He turned around and returned to her.

According to my sources, a well-known mafia leader named Pierre had been seen with the man I'm meeting today. Did he really think propaganda alone would lure me here? My network reaches farther than he thinks.

"Make sure this place is private enough," I told the new bodyguard.

I spoke clearly enough for everyone nearby to hear, but never louder than my usual tone. They could have planted bugs in the hotel. If they believed I was worried about my words getting out, I'd let them believe it.

I was led into the private section. A glass of wine was placed in front of me. I put on my earpods and connected to Brooke, my favorite cousin. Becoming a hacker had always been her dream, and she was one of the best at it. I picked up the newspaper in front of me, pretending to read while I waited.

They still hadn't arrived. I checked the time again. The staff who had served me remained nearby. I picked up the glass, studied the wine for a second, then placed it back on the table.

"Why haven't you touched your drink, sir?" one of them asked politely.

"I don't feel settled," I replied, shifting slightly in my seat. Besides selling the impression that I was uneasy, the wait was beginning to test my patience.

There was still no sign of him, nothing in this place suggested he had arrived. I sent Brooke a message. Tell me if the new bodyguard leaves the building.

"Noted," she replied.

I needed to get this over with quickly. Gianne's fever was already high before we got here. If it got any worse, she'd completely break down. Her temperature was high enough that I had someone bring a fever pack. She slept on my shoulder the entire drive here. I almost smiled at the memory before fixing my expression. I wasn't lying when I said she intrigued me.

"Has he left yet?" I typed.

"No sign of him leaving."

Okay—

"Wait. A black car just entered the building." I straightened in my seat.

"More cars are following behind it... Someone just got out... It's not him. It's Pierre Antonio. The mafia is here for you. Get out, Lucian."

"And the bodyguard?" I asked.

"He's still with the others."

I stood immediately, cross-checked the hotel map I'd prepared beforehand, and headed through the secret passage.

"Get the new bodyguard and strip him of everything connected to the people who sent him," I instructed the guard I'd assigned to watch him.

"Are you done tampering with the cameras?" I asked Brooke.

"Yes. I got into their security system too."

Good, everyone was already waiting outside. I got into the car prepared for me. Moments later, the new bodyguard was brought before me on his knees. Every device and document linking him to his employers had already been taken.

I hate it when people think they can slip someone into my company without me noticing. I run a security company. If I couldn't protect myself, I wouldn't deserve to run one. They walked straight into my trap. This time, my rival had sent his own younger brother.

"Please... don't hurt me. I'll disappear. I won't say a word," he begged through tears. I looked at him without interest, begging rarely changed anything. It certainly wouldn't change this.

I gave a small wave, and my bodyguards grabbed him, preparing to tie him up. "Please! There's... there's a bomb in the hotel... and around the area."

A bomb? I underestimated them. "Who planted it?"

"Pierre Antonio."

Pierre... I'd never met the man before. At this point, I wasn't even sure who my real rival was anymore. I gave him a cold stare, he swallowed hard.

"Who brought Pierre into this?"

He looked away. His reaction told me enough, but I wanted to hear him admit it. I wanted him to betray his own brother before I decided what to do with both of them.

As long as he was here, I doubted the bomb would be triggered. Even if it was, whoever planted it clearly believed we were still inside the hotel. "Tie him down," I ordered as I slipped my hands into my pockets and walked away.

"It's... it's my brother." Too easy, i knew this would be interesting. I patted him on the shoulder and put a call through to his brother. He picked up almost immediately. I showed him my face first, then lowered the phone to show him his brother.

"What was your name again?... Hmm... Ah, Truce. Say hello to my new bodyguard." I teased him, he was visibly furious from the other side. "Where the f**k is Antonio?" he shouted.

"Probably left after realizing he couldn't find me. Anyway, come get your little brother. Meet me at the hotel." I ended the call, no doubt he's already on his way. I forwarded another message just to fuel his fury.

I leaned against my car, monitoring his movements from my laptop. He's closer to the hotel than I expected. He really came to witness my downfall. I'm not responsible for his failures, why make me the target?

Brooke reported that Pierre had gone back after failing to get through the doors I had sealed from the inside. Instead, he relied on the CCTV feed we had tampered with. We made it look like we were still inside the hotel. Convinced he had us trapped, he sealed the remaining exits and activated the bomb from his side with a remote.

Truce is already rushing here. He let his emotions take over. He'll have to park outside the hotel. The location I gave him is too narrow for a car. He reached the parking area, got out, and rushed toward the location I sent him. He should slow down.

"How much time do we have?" I asked Brooke.

"I'm not sure. Lucian, just get away from there."

"Okay." I opened my car door. Before leaving, I sent a message telling them to get Gianne away from the area.

"Lucian..." Brooke called, the signal was unstable.

"What?" No response.

"What?" I repeated, making sure she could still hear me, the line reconnected.

"Lucian, you can't handle a blast impact get away! three... two... one—"

A loud bang exploded.