Chapter 60: MINUS ONE(1)
7AM, MORNING
Bianca was perfectly situated on the velvet sofa, her legs elegantly crossed. She held a crystal glass of expensive red wine. A slow, self-satisfied smile stretched across her face as she took a deliberate sip, relishing the absolute chaos she had caused.
Matteo and Aurora were nowhere in sight.
A slight sound signaled an arrival. Vixen appeared from the hallway, her expression neutral but her dark eyes sharp with professional curiosity as she took in Bianca’s smug composure.
"You look too happy, want to tell me what's up with you? Vixen observed, stopping a few feet away.
Bianca didn't even glance up, simply swirling the wine in her glass.
"None of your business" she drawled, her voice laced with proprietary satisfaction.
Vixen shrugged, already turning toward the main door leading out of the penthouse suite. She gave a dismissive half-wave over her shoulder. "Not like I care anyway"
Vixen was actually on her way to see Axel. He had saved her life once; she owed him this meeting, even if she didn’t trust his timing or motives now.
Vixen drove across the city, arriving at a quiet, elegant house, not a mansion, but clearly expensive. She cut the engine and got out.
She walked inside without knocking.
Axel stood by a tall window, silhouetted against the morning light, looking calm and too handsome for the disaster currently happening.
"Good to see you again, Vixen" he said softly, turning from the glass.
Vixen kept her stance guarded, glancing around the empty room. "What brings you to Paris?"
Axel laughed, a short, easy sound. "You," he said, then chuckled again. "Funny"
"Funny," Vixen echoed flatly. "I doubt you know why I'm here"
Axel took a step closer, his eyes steady. "Trust me, I do. I'm ready to team up with you guys"
Vixen frowned, confusion overriding her caution for a moment. "What are you talking about?"
Axel leaned against a nearby table, suddenly serious.
"I heard things," he started simply. "You all came here because of Antonio DeLuca. He killed Matteo’s mother, right?"
Vixen’s eyes narrowed. She hadn't told anyone outside the main group the full reason they were in Paris. "Who told you that?"
"Details later," Axel waved a dismissive hand. "The main thing is the plan. You need to get inside the DeLuca circle"
"Why are you so interested, what's your deal?"
Axel stepped in close, smirking. "Matteo is my brother, Vixen and this is our mother we're talking about here"
Vixen took a sharp step back, nearly stumbling over. Her diamond bracelet, felt suddenly heavy on her wrist. "What did you just say?"
"We were separated as kids," Axel explained quietly. "But we’re twins. We’re brothers. And I’m here to back up the play. I'm ready to work with you, Maya, and the others"
Vixen’s mind raced, trying to process the stunning news: Matteo had a twin brother, a man who had saved her life and who was apparently working alongside them.
That means they don't even know anything about their boss, at all.
"Does he know you're here in Paris?"
"Just Maya"
"Crazy"
"You look prettier" Axel complimented simply, his eyes holding hers.
Vixen rolled her eyes, but she couldn't completely hide the slight upward curve of her lips. "Oh, please. Don't try to flirt with me"
"I'm not even trying," Axel chuckled, a smooth, deep sound that filled the quiet room. "It's a natural skill"
"It's a stupid skill" Vixen retorted, her gaze softening slightly as she met his. She walked across the room, needing the space to clear her head.
"Where are your manners? You didn't even offer me anything"
Axel watched her move, his expression unreadable, yet intensely focused.
"You’re forgiven," Vixen conceded, turning back to him, "because you saved my life"
Axel’s composure didn't break, but the air around him seemed to sharpen, pulling them back to the smoky, burning night in Sicily. "If I didn't," Axel murmured, his voice low, "I wouldn't be speaking to you right now"
He then pushed off the table, closing the distance between them.
"So, what now, Axel?" Vixen asked, her professional guard dropping slightly, replaced by genuine curiosity.
Axel reached out slowly, his fingers tracing the edge of the large, elegant diamond bracelet on her wrist. He didn't answer the question about what was next. Instead, his gaze returned to her face, warm and direct.
"I’m still waiting for that punch you promised me that night" he recalled, a genuine, easy smile finally spreading across his face.
Vixen felt a familiar surge of fury and impotence from that traumatic night. "Lucky for you, my arm is fully healed now"
She lifted her fist, not to strike, but in a silent, playful threat. Axel simply stood there, inviting the strike, their shared history connecting them in a way that went beyond their current roles.
•••
A QUIET ROAD
The early morning mist still hung low over the quiet road, dampening the sounds of their running shoes. Maya and Storm had been setting a fast, punishing pace.
Storm, clad in his usual dark hoodie and combat boots, ran quietly. Maya, in her black training gear, kept pace easily, but her movements lacked their usual energy. Her face was set, her eyes distant.
After another kilometer, Storm suddenly slowed to a walk, his breath coming easily despite the distance. Maya, grateful for the stop, slowed beside him.
"You okay?" Storm asked, his voice low and sudden, cutting through the quiet. It was a rare, direct question from someone, who usually preferred observation to conversation.
Maya stopped dead, turning to him with a quick, guarded expression. "Why?"
"You’re not the lively Maya I know," Storm stated simply, shoving his hands deep into his hoodie pockets. He wasn't prying, he was stating a tactical observation.
The memory of Ace’s rejection—"I don't know what this is, but Boss mustn't find out..."—flashed through her mind, turning her hurt into icy anger.
"I know you as someone quiet," she said, her tone suddenly frigid. "Kindly maintain that"
Storm scoffed softly, the sound barely audible. He looked at the road, then back at her, his expression giving nothing away.
"Well... I'm heading back" he said, turning abruptly.
He broke into a jog, disappearing quickly back down the road, leaving Maya alone in the damp morning air. She watched him go until he was a distant shadow.
Maya then let out a shaky breath, the enforced control leaving her face. She walked to the roadside railing, settling down to rest, allowing the physical exhaustion to mask the raw, painful turmoil inside her.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her. She didn't need to look up to know who it was. The familiar scent of expensive leather and gunpowder was unmistakable.
She lifted her head to see Ace standing over her, his expression a complicated mix of guilt and concern.
"You look miserable," he said, "That's not the Maya I know"
Maya's gaze hardened. She had no energy left for games or fighting. "Just go"
"I wish I could," Ace admitted, taking a half-step closer. "But I can't"
"You should," she challenged, her voice flat. "You made it very clear that's what you want"
Ace raked a hand through his hair, his composure finally starting to crack under the weight of his own internal conflict. "The truth?..."
He was interrupted by a noise behind them... a sharp, muffled thud followed by a groan.
They both spun around instantly. An elderly man in a track suit, jogging slowly down the road, had tripped over a raised section of the pavement and fallen, struggling to push himself back up.
Ace and Maya rushed forward simultaneously, their shared professional instinct overriding their personal drama. Ace took one arm, and Maya took the other.
"Are you alright, sir?" Ace asked, his voice instantly shifting to a tone of calm authority.
The elderly man was breathing heavily but managed a grateful smile as they helped him to his feet. "Oh, thank you so much," he wheezed, rubbing his knee. He looked from Ace to Maya, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. "Are you couples?"
"No" they chorused instantly, their denial sharp and unified.
The man chuckled, adjusting his cap. "I don't believe you. And if you're not couples, you should become one"
He gave them a final nod, smiled warmly, and continued his jog down the road, leaving Ace and Maya staring after him in stunned silence.
Ace turned back to Maya, his eyes dark with the heavy weight of what he couldn't say. "Maya—"
"Just leave me alone"She pushed past him, breaking into a frantic jog in the opposite direction.
Ace watched her go, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. He knew he should follow his own advice and leave, but his feet remained rooted to the spot, paralyzed by the conflict between his duty to Matteo and his desire for his sister.