Chapter 10: 8| Thief-1

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓ Thief ┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛ Chapter 8: Thief (Tristan's POV) "Does it feel good to finally win against her again?" Cal asked, setting his glass of whiskey on the table with a light clink as the ice shifted before he made his move on the chess board. "She was getting too comfortable in her victories," I retorted, grabbing my glass and taking a sip, "you get comfortable in a world like ours and you lose, Cal." Moving my bishop, I leaned back in my seat and rhythmically tapped my first finger against the glass, the gold signet ring I wore repeatedly clicking against it. "What happens if she gets comfortable competing with you, Tristan?" He lifted a smug brow at me. "What if you can't scare her anymore?" "It would be incredibly stupid of her to underestimate just how dangerous I can be, Cal." "Or incredibly smart," he retorted with a small shrug, "she likes toying with you just as much as you do with her." I took another sip. "In that case, I'm sure she's seen how that ends for most people. She never heeds my warnings, maybe she'll heed yours. People who fuck with me don't get happy endings." He watched me for a beat but before he could reply, my phone buzzed on the black glass table, interrupting us. With a soft huff, I grabbed my phone and picked up once I read my assistant's name flashing on the screen. "You've been told not to call beyond office hours, Amy," I said, holding the phone to my ear. "Sorry, sir but I thought it was urgent to tell you this," she said, sounding panicked, horrified, and only a little breathless. "Mr. Ambrose withdrew his case from the company. He's refusing to work with you and demanded that we return whatever he already paid. As per the contract, we were obligated to obey him and return the entire six million dollars in one go." My eyes lifted to Cal's and a hint of amusement glimmered in them. He knew. Fucking bastard. "He'll be working with another attorney from now onwards and demanded that we stop all investigation and no longer interfere with his case." My jaw hardened as I set my glass down the clink echoing loudly in the silent room of The Veil. "And who is he working with now?" I questioned. She hesitated and let out a small, frightened squeak before answering me, "Milano Law Group." "I want a name, Amy," I demanded. "Amara Milano," she confirmed. Hanging up the phone without another word, I was up and out of my seat before Cal could utter a word. "No hard feelings, Harper," he said as I grabbed my suit. "I didn't call you here as a distraction. Amara told me right before you got here." Taking in a breath, I turned to him with a glare. "But you kept it to yourself anyway," I reminded him. "Sister's orders, can't refute her." He shot me a quick wink. "Have fun. I'm sure you'll walk in guns blazing. After all, she just stole your richest client." "Tell me. Where is she?" "She's still at work," he answered. "If I go there and she's gone," I paused, "may God fucking help you, Cal." With a light scoff under my breath, I spun around and walked out of the club, shrugging my suit back on, and leaving it unbuttoned. Pulling the keys out of my pocket, I stopped at my motorcycle and threw one leg over it, kicked up the stand, and took my helmet off the handle, tugging it over my head and snapping the visor down. I started the bike and sped out of the parking lot, heading straight for Amara's office. I most definitely chose the right night to take the bike out for a ride. Often, I took it out for a spin when I had too much on my mind, when I needed the fresh air as I sped past cars and down the road, breaking all speed limits. Don't take my advice, kids. But sometimes, that was my only option, the only way for me to let the rage out. Tonight, it wasn't enough. When it was Amara Milano playing games with me, speeding down the street couldn't possibly be enough. There was only one way for me to satisfy the hunger she instigated within me and I wouldn't walk away pleased until I had her at my mercy. Riding motorcycles recklessly started as a small hobby at sixteen and happened to become the one constant, the one escape I had from life. But tonight, I wasn't escaping anything or anybody because tonight, I was hunting Amara down. She loved to preach her morality and righteousness to me whenever she had the chance but if she wanted to get down and play dirty, I'd show her what a real dirty game looked like. Stealing clients was the one line we never crossed but since she made that foolish mistake, I was now taking it upon myself to push back twice as hard. She thinks she can start a game with me? I'll show her what it's like to fucking finish it. The engine roared louder as I sped past one car, taking a sharp turn into the parking lot of Milano Law Group's skyscraper building. It was late enough for the entire parking lot to be empty and I stopped my bike in the corner, out of view. Climbing off and pocketing the keys, I took the helmet off and ran a hand through my hair, leaving the helmet and my suit draped over the handle. Loosening my tie, I leaned against the bike before rolling up my sleeves as I glanced at my watch. It was already nine o'clock and the workaholic in her was keeping her up there but knowing her, she would be down any minute. My bike was far enough from her car that she wouldn't even notice and testing my luck, I approached her car but stayed behind it, waiting for her. The Ambrose case was meant to be my richest deal of this year, making me almost ten million dollars by the end of it. I was so fucking close to my mission and I already took six million in after dedicating nearly six months to it… Now, thanks to Amara, Mr. Ambrose backed out and he took all my money with him. Six million dollars was too much of a loss and far too big of a blow not just to me, but to the company too. Amara would pay for this, every fucking dollar of it until I recovered my six million, by hook or by crook. She would pay for this with her money, blood, tears, or whatever the fuck she had to offer. My gaze drifted up past the side mirror of her car as she came into view, shifting through her purse as she searched for something with her phone captured between her ear and shoulder.