Chapter 36 Hard Decision
Anna's POV
The man planted by Lucas dropped dead instantly.
My body jerked slightly, my breath catching in my throat.
Blood spread across the floor. The room exploded into chaos.
Xavier’s expression didn’t just change, it snapped. Like something inside him had finally broken loose.
That playful, dangerous smirk he always wore? Gone. What replaced it was something darker.
“You dare disrupt my business?” he said, his voice dropping low, heavy with threat.
The entire room seemed to tighten around that single question.
Zack didn’t flinch. Didn’t even blink.
He lowered the gun slowly, like none of this fazed him, like killing a man in Xavier’s territory was just another Tuesday.
“You talk too much,” he replied, his tone calm… almost bored.
That was all it took. Xavier moved without hesitation, no warning, just action.
The gun was in his hand before I could even register it, he aimed it at Zack and then a shot rang out.
But Zack moved fast. Faster than I thought a man his size could move.
The bullet sliced through empty space where he had been standing a second ago.
Gasps echoed around the room.
Zack stepped back, his expression hardening, eyes turning cold as steel.
Then he spoke. “Kill him.”
As soon as Zack uttered the words, “Kill him,” everything shifted in an instant.
Men who had been seated just seconds ago, calm, composed, watching—suddenly moved with deadly precision. Guns appeared from nowhere, like they had been waiting for this exact moment.
The air thickened with tension as multiple barrels were aimed directly at Xavier.
At the same time, Xavier’s men reacted just as fast with guns up.
In a split second, the entire room became a battlefield.
My eyes didn’t stay still. They couldn’t.
I scanned the room quickly, sharply, searching for one thing— A weapon.
If there was ever a moment… this was it.
One way or another, Zack Arrow had to die today.
Zack’s voice cut through the chaos before the first shot was fired.
“You killed Marco,” he said, his tone low but filled with venom. “My right hand man. Did you think I would let that slide?”
Xavier didn’t flinch. Not even a little. “I killed Marco,” Xavier replied calmly, almost bored, “for the same reason I’m about to kill you— Messing with my business.”
Zack’s lips curled slightly, but there was no humor in it. His eyes shifted to me. “You killed him… for a common girl?” he said, pointing directly at me.
My heart skipped.
Xavier didn’t even look at me. “Step behind me, Anna,” he said. The command was quiet.
I didn’t argue. I moved instantly, stepping behind him, my body aligning with his back. I could feel the heat of him, the tension in his muscles, the controlled stillness before violence.
Zack chuckled darkly. “Let’s make this simple,” he said. “Two ways this ends.”
No one moved and no one spoke.
“The clean way…” he continued, lifting his gun slightly, “…the girl dies. That settles Marco’s death.”
My fingers curled slightly.
“The messy way…” his voice dropped, darker now, “…we turn this entire place into a bloodbath. Pick one, Xavier. I trust you to make a wise decision."
Xavier smiled, it wasn't the amused type, it was the deadly kind of smile.
“You’re not the one in charge here,” he said quietly.
Then he pulled the trigger at Zack's men. The shot rang out like thunder.
Everything exploded. Gunfire erupted from both sides at once. The sound was deafening, bullets tearing through the air, hitting walls, glass, bodies.
Men shouted. Others screamed. Some didn’t get the chance to make a sound before dropping.
Xavier grabbed my arm and pulled me down just as bullets flew past where I had been standing.
We ducked behind a large marble statue. Chunks of stone chipped off as bullets slammed into it.
“Stay here,” Xavier said, his voice sharp, controlled.
I nodded. He didn’t wait, he rose from cover—just like that—and walked straight into the chaos, firing as he moved.
My heart lurched as a bullet whizzed past him. Too close, way too close.
“Damn it…” I muttered under my breath, my chest tightening.
I couldn’t just sit here. I wouldn’t.
My eyes moved again, searching until I saw a body not far from me.
One of the men lay sprawled on the ground, unmoving… and beside him was a gun.
My pulse spiked. Without thinking, I dropped lower and crawled toward him. Bullets continued to fly overhead, but I tuned it out.
The moment I reached the body, I grabbed the gun. I checked the magazine, it was barely used.
A small smile tugged at my lips. Perfect.
I crawled back behind the statue, pressing my back against it, then slowly leaned out just enough to see.
My eyes searched. Past the chaos, past the bodies untile they landed on Zack.
He was still standing, barking orders, his men forming a protective line around him.
I raised the gun at him.
My breathing slowed as I pulled the trigger.
The bullet hit. Zack’s body jerked, and he went down.
My eyes widened in disbelief. For a second— I thought that was it.
But then, he got up again.
“Shit…” I muttered.
He pushed himself up, clutching his left shoulder, blood already seeping through his fingers.
His men rushed him immediately. “Move! Move!”
They began dragging him toward the exit.
No, no, no. Not like this.
I stood immediately, followed after them.
I slipped from cover, weaving through the chaos, keeping low as I followed their direction. My steps were light, controlled, every movement calculated.
They were getting away. I could see the door.
Just a few more steps.
But something caught my eyes and I stopped.
My body froze. I saw Xavier: He was surrounded completely.
Zack’s men had closed in around him, forming a tight circle, guns raised, all aimed at him.
For the first time— Xavier wasn’t in control. He was actually in danger.
My grip on the gun tightened. My heart pounded loud.
Zack was escaping, his death was my mission. But Xavier… If I walked away now— He would die.
My chest tightened. Why am I hesitating? I questioned myself.
Xavier dying would make things easier. But why couldn’t I move?
My eyes shifted between them. “Damn it…” I whispered under my breath.
My jaw clenched. I shut my eyes.
Forced myself to decide, forced the hesitation out.
Then I opened my eyes again.