"Do you think you can escape me, Lola?" His voice was ice, his dark eyes burning with a promise. I am Lord Sir Lekzy, the man everyone fears, the ruler of a criminal empire that stretches across nations. Mercy isn't a luxury I afford, and weakness has no place in my world. But years ago, she shattered my control-Lola Salami, the one woman bold enough to defy me. She was a pawn in a cruel game, her life bought and paid for by her parents' debt. Yet, beneath her defiance, she awakened something in me I couldn't name. I let her walk away once, but she took more than her freedom-she took my heart. Now, fate has brought her back. But she's not the woman I remember. Lola is a force of nature, a king ruling her empire with fire and fury. And when I look into her eyes, I see secrets-ones that could destroy me. Her sons stand beside her, their hatred for me burning like wildfire. But there's something else I see, something familiar, something mine. As the truth unravels, one question remains: will love be my salvation-or my ultimate downfall? And when she whispers my name with trembling lips, I know one thing: this time, neither of us will escape unscathed.
Chapter 1 001
"Tell me, Lola, what is it that you value most in this world?" The voice was smooth, dripping with false sincerity.
I looked up from my desk, my gaze unwavering. Lord Sir Lekzy stood in my office, towering above me with his perfectly tailored suit, his slicked-back hair glinting in the soft light. His presence always had a way of sending a chill through the room, but today, it felt different-unsettling. A storm brewed beneath the surface, one that I knew all too well.
"Power," I replied, my voice a quiet steel. "It's why we're here, isn't it?"
Lekzy's lips curled into a smile, but there was no warmth in it. "Power is fleeting, my dear. What lasts is loyalty. Trust."
I raised an eyebrow, sensing where this conversation was heading. "And you believe you have my trust?"
"I had hoped so." His eyes gleamed as he stepped closer. "But I've come to realize that loyalty... loyalty is earned, not given."
Before I could respond, the door slammed open behind me. Jaden and Jayce entered, their usual confidence shifting to unease as they assessed the tension in the room.
"Is there a problem?" Jaden asked, his tone edged with suspicion.
I held up a hand, signaling for them to stay back. "Not yet, but it seems we're about to find out."
Lekzy's smile faltered, a flicker of something darker crossing his face. He turned slowly to face the two men who had walked in. "Ah, the famous sons. I've heard much about you both."
Jayce's eyes narrowed, a protective instinct flickering behind his usually calm exterior. "What's going on here, Lekzy?" he asked, his voice low but firm.
Lekzy leaned back, clearly enjoying the moment. "You see, boys, your mother and I were supposed to come to an agreement today. A business deal, as it were. But after much reflection, I've decided to... alter the terms."
I stood, my hands steady on the edge of my desk. "Alter the terms? I don't think I understand."
"Let me make it clear for you, Lola," Lekzy said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "The deal is off. And as for our alliance... it never really existed."
I felt a cold rush of realization, my body tensing. "You're betraying me."
"You're sharper than you look," he chuckled, his words a dagger hidden behind a velvet glove. "You see, I've been courting your empire, Lola, not to join it, but to take it."
A pulse of fury surged through me, but I remained still. I had built my empire from nothing, and this man-this pompous fool-thought he could take it so easily?
"Do you really think I'll let you destroy everything I've worked for?" I asked, my voice icy.
Jaden stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides. "You can't do this," he growled. "You think you can just walk in here and take what's ours?"
Jayce's expression remained calm, but I could see the storm brewing behind his eyes. He was the strategist, the calm to Jaden's fire, but even he knew when it was time to act.
Lekzy's smirk widened, and for a moment, I saw the arrogance of a man who believed himself untouchable. "I think you'll find I already have, my dear. You're too late."
The room seemed to shift, a tension filling the air that could snap at any moment. I glanced at my sons, who were both poised to make a move. The love we shared-our bond-was the only thing that kept me steady in this storm.
"You won't get away with this," I said, my voice firm despite the chaos swirling inside me.
But Lekzy wasn't finished. He raised his hand, signaling someone outside. The door opened once more, but this time, it wasn't just anyone who entered.
A figure cloaked in shadow stepped into the light, and my heart skipped a beat. He was the one person I had never expected to see here, the one person who had been presumed lost to the world.
"Mother," the figure said, his voice smooth and haunting, familiar and chilling all at once.
I froze. "Elias?"
He stood there, his eyes locked on mine, a ghost from my past come to haunt me. Elias, the son I had thought I'd lost forever, the child I had been forced to abandon years ago for the sake of my empire.
"How... how is this possible?" I whispered, the shock making my heart race.
Lekzy chuckled darkly, his eyes flicking to Elias. "Oh, Lola, you've always been so careful, so precise in your moves. But you never counted on him, did you?"
Elias's smile didn't reach his eyes. "You abandoned me for your empire, Mother. And now, it's time for you to pay the price."
My breath caught in my throat. This was the betrayal of all betrayals-my own son, standing in the very room where I had built everything I held dear, aligning himself with the man I had trusted.
Jaden's voice was a low growl. "You're working with him? You've sided with Lekzy?"
Elias's gaze flicked to Jaden, and a cold, calculating expression crossed his face. "You've always been the favored one, haven't you, Jaden? Always the one who could do no wrong. But you'll learn, just as Mother and I learned, that loyalty is only as strong as the person who holds it."
I couldn't breathe. Betrayal, lies, secrets-everything I had worked for seemed to be crumbling before my eyes. Elias, the child I had loved and lost, was now standing against me, and the man who had promised to support me had turned into a snake.
"Elias, you-" I began, but my words caught in my throat as the full weight of the situation hit me.
"I've seen the world, Mother. I've seen what loyalty really means. And I've learned how to survive without it," Elias said, his voice colder than I had ever heard.
A wave of panic surged through me, but I fought it down, drawing on the years of strength I had built. "You're a fool, Elias. You think you can tear everything down with this-this man? You think Lekzy will protect you when it's all over?"
He laughed, a hollow, bitter sound. "I'm not doing this for protection. I'm doing it for the power you stole from me. For the empire that should have been mine."
In that moment, I realized something that made my blood run cold. This wasn't just about business. This wasn't just about the empire. Elias wasn't here to help Lekzy take control-he was here to take it for himself.
The game had changed. And I had no idea what my next move should be.
But before I could make a decision, a gunshot rang out, echoing through the room.
Everything went silent.
I turned toward the sound, my heart pounding in my chest. Something had gone terribly wrong, and I wasn't sure if any of us would make it out alive.
The last thing I heard was Elias's chilling words before the room erupted into chaos: "This is just the beginning."
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