Chapter 93

ALEXANDER

I faced the imposing building that held Raina, its glacial facade showing the harshness of our situation. My chest thumped and my heart roared at me to run inside at once and drag her out to safety, but my brain kept reminding me to be careful—one false step and Raina might get hurt. I motioned to my men waiting in the darkness, my tone low but firm, "Rig the house with bombs. When I extract Raina, I'm blowing this building to smithereens." My tone conveyed an urgency that didn't leave any room for discussion. They went about it silently and with speed, working like specters as they disabled the guards at the entrance without making any noise.

As I was starting to edge into the building, my ears picked up on a voice—a chilly, sneering remark cutting through the quiet: "You're late, Alex." I braced as I spun around, my blood freezing. Behind a bound Raina stood Nathan with a gun to my head. I scanned her quickly—she looked surprisingly all right despite the bindings—and my panic increased.

"Raina, are you okay?" I managed to ask, my voice clogged with concern. Before she could move or speak, Nathan snarled, "Don't even think about moving, or I won't hesitate to kill him and get it over with." His voice was absolute, and I felt completely helpless.

"See?" he went on with a nasty laugh. "She does what I say." My brain spun. Nathan barked another order at me, commanding, "Drop your gun, and tell your men to leave." I paused for a fraction of a second—how could I leave her now? And then I saw it: Raina's eyes. They were fluttering towards a bat that was on the floor in the corner of the room as if she was begging me to pick it up. I looked back at her, and before I could think, she attacked.

In a flurry of rebellious movement, Raina struck Nathan's nose with the back of her head and then his shin, and he stumbled backward. Released for only a moment by the shock and agony, she took off running, her tied hands waving like a banner.

I felt my heart twist with rage and terror. The moment had spiraled out of control, and I was faced with an instant choice—pursue her to keep her safe, or face the deadly danger that Nathan represented. I clutched my gun hard, my thoughts racing with conflicting orders. In that terrifying instant, I knew that if I delayed further, all that we had struggled for could be lost.

"Raina!" I yelled.

“Aghhh!” Nathan's rage-filled scream and the chaos of the ensuing struggle drowned out my plea. My men fanned out to clear the space as I rushed forward, determined to shield the one being I could not afford to lose. The world around me blurred, my mind locked onto her determined figure disappearing into the shadows.

Nathan blindsided me. He was a whirlwind of uncontrolled fury—a raw outburst of anger that didn't give me time to react. We were in a dirty fight the very next moment, our bodies slamming together in bottled rage. "You won't escape this time! I shouted, my voice bouncing off walls as I flailed a wild swing. Nathan smiled wickedly even as we wrestled, his eyes aglow with the rush of combat.

For an instant, the world seemed to have shrunk to the two of us, the pounding of my heart dampening everything else. Each blow a jolt that could overwhelm me. My instincts were shouting at me to knock him down and get it over with. But then, above the ringing sound of slapping fists and grunts of effort, I heard Raina's muffled scream from far away—a reminder that she was threatened.

Torn between the need to totally stop Nathan and the urgency to save Raina, I hesitated. In that fraction of time, Nathan was gone, melting into the maze of corridors like a specter.

My temper flared. and “Damn it!” I muttered, aware the decision had already been taken for me: pursue the devious danger or fly to Raina's rescue. Hanging no time, I left behind the fight and my heart sorrowful with guilt as I took off after her, allowing Nathan to disappear for the umpteenth time in the shadows.

"Come on!" I exclaimed, catching her up in my arms and yanking her from the building creaking forebodingly as if to warn us that time ran out, each step motivated by the desperation to get us both to safety before the building blew up behind us.

The instant we were both inside the car in safety, the low rumble of the engine filled the strained silence. I gazed out of the window, my thoughts churning with a combination of anger and anxiety. I was still angry at her. The car was full of silence, at last, she broke the silence.

"Alex, where is Faith? Is she safe?" she asked nervously, reaching for reassurance. I slammed on the brakes, tires screeching in harsh counterpoint to my rage. "Faith escaped," I answered curtly, eyes clouding with anger and guilt.

"Nathan lied. Raina, how could you do such a dangerous thing? If I hadn't beaten you at your own game, I wouldn't have been able to locate you." I stopped, breathing heavily, my jaw clenched, trying to take in the chaos that had just unfolded. "Listen," I went on, my voice low and deliberate, "I had to hack your phone to know where you were.”

She glared at me, her eyes blazing with hurt and accusation as she insisted, "How can you do that? And don't you forget—you locked me up!" Her words pierced me, and I couldn't believe the unreasonable things she was saying. I seethed with anger and frustration as I drove home in silence, her reproach heavy on my conscience. I remained silent to her throughout the drive; the trip was a rush of clenched fists and resentful silence.

Upon arriving at home, I noticed Faith and Dominic in the living room hugging each other as if they were attempting to repair what was broken. I could hardly manage a nod of acceptance, my lips drawn tight into a thin line, yet I said nothing. Dominic, always the peacemaker, softly thanked me for taking care of it.

Later, while we were settling in, I attempted to query, "So, how did it go?" but Raina, ever contrary, merely retorted, "What?” without waiting for me to continue. I found myself at a loss for words, unable to articulate the storm of emotions raging inside me. Sensing the tension, Dominic suggested, “We should talk inside first. Raina, why don’t you wash up? ” His tone was gentle, but I could see the concern in his eyes.

Raina huffed in protest—she didn’t want to, and I could tell she was annoyed. At that instant, I was in conflict; I adored her to bits, but at that instant, the stubbornness of hers and her brush-off made me irate. I just stood there in silence and quietude, love warring inside me with raw, stinging irritation that I could not do away with. I stood there, my thoughts still whirling from the uproar, when I heard noise coming from the back. I spun around just in time to witness Faith, her eyes blazing with resolve, roughly pulling Raina away. The vision jolted me with a mix of opposing emotions. Dominic's worried voice cut through the thick silence: "Did something happen?"

But I couldn't speak of it; my throat was too constricted with rage and remorse. Picking up on my hesitation, Dominic changed the subject abruptly. "Did you get Nathan? "he asked, his voice questioning, as if he was so hungry for any morsel of information that could put us ahead.

I gritted my teeth, my voice low and full of rage as I answered, "The son of a bitch escaped." Dominic's answer was a bitter, resigned mutter: "I figured as much.”

Our conversation next turned to the other urgent concern."We have another issue on our plate," he declared, his tone thick with resignation and outrage. "Our father's son—some bastard who has never even been part of our world—demands a share of the property he never had any claim to." His tone dripped with acid contempt, and I could see the rage burning in his eyes as he told me yet another tale of peril to our already broken heritage.

I couldn't resist interrupting, my own voice strained with tension, "Does Raina know?" The words hung between us, electric. Dominic shook his head slowly, his mouth curling into a wry smile. "I don't think so," he whispered. "Raina's been out of the picture for so long—I don't think she'd even think twice about it. But now that she's returned, perhaps at least the board of directors, who've been riding me, will finally back off. Perhaps things will go smoothly again."

Before we were able to discuss anything further about our worries, our exchange was interrupted by a sudden entrance. Raina and Faith entered the room, and their arrival was accompanied by an awkward sense of tension. In that instant, Dominic moved instinctively, leaning forward to kiss Faith—a gentle kiss that expressed longing and forgiveness—while I slipped out of the room quietly.

The heaviness of the day bore down on me, and I realized I hadn't called the kids or gone home for what seemed like an eternity. I started packing my bag, resolute to escape the mayhem, even for a brief moment. I had just about finished when Raina stood in the doorway, questioning eyes on mine.

"Where are you headed?" she asked gently.

I hesitated, grappling with conflicting loyalties, and finally answered, "Home. I've got a family to visit." Without giving her time to say anything, I passed by with my bag tossed over my shoulder, leaving an atmosphere of undeveloped tensions and an on-going feeling of obligation that shadowed each pace.

“Are you mad at me?” Raina asked, and I paused, suspended in the tension of the moment. I could tell from her gaze that she already knew the answer, but I asked anyway, "What do you think?" Her eyes hesitated for a second, as though she was going to apologize, but I interrupted her. "I don't want to talk about it," my voice filled with bottled-up anger and sadness.

"Just be safe this time," I added, my voice breaking as I shoved her gently away, but my head full of second thoughts and remorse.

Then, when I was about to leave, Dominic saw the bag that I'd been carrying and asked, "What's wrong, Alex? Is something the matter with Raina?" I answered curtly, "No, the children require my attention—and so does the business."

Dominic's sleep-laden eyes locked with mine for an instant before he nodded, understanding without my having to explain the weight we all bore. When I arrived home, I went and grabbed the phone and dialed their line, my heart heavy with fear. When they did answer the phone, I could hear my daughter's tiny, shaking voice asking, "Daddy, when are you coming?" I steadied myself for a moment before attempting to put a cheerful ring in my tone, "Hello, sweetie, soon, okay? I promise that we'll have some fun together." I waited very long before my son softly said, "I miss you, Daddy." I heard the tears in their voices, and it broke my heart.

"I miss you too, guys," I said, attempting to infuse as much warmth as possible into each word. "Okay, listen, I'll be with you really soon—I swear. Just hold on for a little bit, okay?”

But inside me, I didn't know if I was really capable of leaving—not with Nathan still lurking and my business hanging in the balance.

And I sat there in the stillness of my house, my thoughts reeling in confusion, and I was left to ponder in a gentle, conflicted whisper, "What am I supposed to do now?"