Chapter 5 — The Choice
1405 Words
Aliyah pressed her ear gently against the door, careful not to make a sound.
Her heart thudded painfully—like her body already knew something was wrong before her mind could catch up.
The stranger’s voice drifted in again—low, gravelly, and threaded with irritation.
“You’re slipping, Adrian. And you know what happens when a Lysander slips.”
Lysander.
Her blood ran cold.
That wasn’t a last name she’d ever heard…
But somehow… it felt significant. Heavy. Like the kind of name people whispered, not spoke.
Adrian’s voice cut through the tension—still calm, but colder.
“No one is slipping. I had business to handle.”
“Business?” the stranger scoffed. “Is that what you call dragging an innocent woman into your world?”
Aliyah’s breath hitched.
They know about me.
She took one step back from the door, pulse racing.
The stranger’s voice lowered, sharp as a blade.
“What happened to staying unattached? What happened to setting your own rules?”
Adrian answered immediately—faster than she’d ever heard him speak.
“She has nothing to do with this.”
The stranger laughed… but it wasn’t friendly. It was dark, almost pitying.
“Everyone has something to do with this. Especially anyone you try to protect.”
Aliyah pressed a hand against her chest, trying to steady her breathing.
A brief silence fell outside.
Then the stranger said something that made her stomach drop.
“Tell me her name.”
Adrian didn’t hesitate.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you don’t need it.”
“I need to know who’s in my way.”
“In your way?” Adrian snapped. It was the first time she’d ever heard him lose composure. “She is not—”
“If she can be used against you,” the stranger cut in, “then yes, she is.”
Aliyah clapped a hand over her mouth, fear choking her.
Used against him? What did that mean? Who were these people?
The sound of movement—footsteps, closer now.
She backed up quickly.
Then, a deep, chilling voice said, “Is she behind that door right now?”
Aliyah froze.
Her heart stopped.
Her breath stopped.
Everything stopped.
Adrian’s answer came out like a warning growl.
“Don’t go near that door.”
The stranger chuckled.
“Then she is behind it.”
A beat of tension so tight it felt like the apartment itself was holding its breath.
Then, a sharp slam. A fist hitting a wall? Or a hand hitting a shoulder? Aliyah couldn’t tell.
But Adrian’s voice rose, firm, and lethal.
“I said don’t go near that door, Rafe.”
Rafe.
That was the stranger.
Rafe’s tone shifted—now serious, and dangerous.
“You’re going soft.”
“Get out.”
“Adrian—”
“Get out,” Adrian repeated, low and deadly, “before I forget you’re my brother.”
Aliyah gasped before she could stop herself.
Brother.
They were brothers?
A muffled curse followed, then Rafe’s voice turned icy.
“You’re lucky I care about you,” he muttered. “Anyone else in the family would’ve dragged her out by now.”
Aliyah’s knees almost buckled.
The family… what family?
Rafe continued, quieter now.
“Dad wants answers. And you can’t avoid him forever.”
Adrian’s reply came like steel.
“I’m not a child. He doesn’t control me anymore.”
Rafe snorted. “That’s what we all say, until someone ends up dead.”
Aliyah shivered.
She couldn’t breathe.
She didn’t know if she should run, hide, scream or curl into herself.
Another heavy silence.
Then Rafe sighed. Frustrated, and resigned.
“Fine. I’ll leave. But this isn’t over. For your sake, and hers, figure this out before someone less patient than me pays you a visit.”
Footsteps retreated.
The door to the apartment opened. Closed. Then silence.
Aliyah exhaled shakily, her hand trembling on the doorknob.
A moment later, soft steps approached from the hall.
“Aliyah? You can open the door now.”
Adrian’s voice.
Calmer now. But she heard the storm beneath it.
She hesitated anyway.
Finally, she cracked the door open.
Adrian stood there, hands at his sides, and shoulders tense.
His jaw was set in a hard line, but his eyes went soft the moment he saw her.
“You heard everything,” he said quietly.
Not a question.
Her voice barely formed. “Everything.”
A muscle in his cheek twitched. “I didn’t want you to.”
“Too late.”
They stared at each other, breathing the same heavy air.
Aliyah swallowed. “You called him your brother.”
“Yes.”
“And he said your… family… is worried about you.”
“Yes.”
“And he said they’d drag me out if they knew I was here.”
His silence was answer enough.
A shiver ran through her. Fear, confusion, or something else she didn’t want to name.
“Adrian…” she whispered. “What are you mixed up in?”
He took a step toward her.
She didn’t move.
Another step.
She stayed still, though her pulse raced.
He reached out slowly like asking her permission without words.
His fingers brushed her cheek, so gently she almost leaned into it.
“I never wanted this to happen,” he murmured.
“Then tell me what it is.”
His hand lowered.
His voice softened painfully.
“My real name,” he said quietly, “is Adrian Lysander.”
She swallowed. “ I heard Rafe called you that.”
“It’s not just a name.” His gaze locked with hers. “It’s a legacy. And a curse.”
She didn't respond. She just looked at him, waiting for his information.
He took a breath.
“My family runs the Lysander Syndicate.”
Aliyah blinked. “…The what?”
“An organization,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “that controls a very large portion of this city’s underworld.”
Her heart dropped.
“No,” she whispered. “No, that can’t—”
“I didn’t choose it.” His voice cracked, just slightly. “I was born into it.”
She shook her head, eyes burning. “So you’re… you’re mafia?”
A long pause.
He closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
Aliyah stumbled back a step, her breath catching.
Adrian reached for her instinctively—but stopped himself, his fingers curling into a fist midair.
“I’m not asking you to understand,” he said softly. “Only to listen.”
“I’m scared, Adrian.”
Her voice trembled.
He looked destroyed by it.
“You should be,” he whispered. “Because you’re in my world now… and my world doesn’t let go easily.”
She wrapped her arms around herself, as though shielding her heart.
“Why me?” she whispered. “Why did I have to do something with you? Why does your brother think I matter to you?”
The words caught in her throat.
“Why do you matter to me?”
Adrian’s restraint snapped, not physically, but in his eyes.
They went dark. Intense. Raw.
He stepped forward again. Slow, deliberate, closing the distance between them until she could feel his breath.
“You matter,” he whispered, “because the moment I saw you, I wanted something I’m not allowed to have.”
She froze.
“And when that jerk grabbed you,” he continued, voice rough, “I realized I would burn this entire city to the ground before I let anyone hurt you.”
Her heartbeat thundered so loudly she thought he could hear it.
Silence wrapped around them, thick with fear… tension… longing… and devastation.
Aliyah’s voice was barely a breath.
“Adrian… what am I supposed to do with that?”
His answer was a whisper against the shell of her fear.
“Stay with me today. Just today. Let me keep you safe.”
“And after today?”
Pain flickered in his eyes.
“After today,” he said quietly, “I’ll give you a choice.”
Her breath caught.
“What choice?”
He studied her with an expression that looked like it hurt him to wear.
“To walk away from me…”
His voice broke.
“…or to stay. Knowing exactly who I am.”
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