Alex
The ringing in my ears wouldn’t stop. It was the only thing keeping me awake—the echo of the gunshot that had torn through my body.
I could still see Adriano’s face clearly. Cold and heartless. His finger had been steady on the trigger, like killing me meant nothing to him. No pause. No guilt. Just ice-cold hatred in his eyes when the bullet ripped into my side.
The pain had been unbearable. I remembered stumbling and falling, my blood splashing across the marble floor of his office.
The same office where he ruled his empire through fear. My legs gave out, and everything started spinning. He thought I was already dead.
But I wasn’t. Not yet.
Every breath felt like fire burning through my chest. Darkness kept trying to pull me under, but I fought it.
“Alex!” I heard my mother sc
