Chapter 125

Chapter 125
Chapter 125

Alexander’s POV

The call came a little after midnight.

My phone vibrated against the nightstand. Private number. Only one person used that line.

I glanced at Lucia. She was asleep beside me, finally resting. Her breathing was soft, steady. For the first time in days, her face looked calm.

I slipped out of bed and answered quietly as I stepped into the hallway.

“Talk.”

My man did not waste time.

“We have a situation.”

My chest tightened. “What kind of situation?”

“A hit request came in through one of our monitored channels.” A pause. “Target is Isabella Valen.”

Everything inside me went still.

For a second, I did not breathe.

“Who placed it?”

“Yvonne Rodriguez.”

Of course.

It had to be her.

I closed my eyes briefly, pressing my fingers against my temple. I had expected something. I knew she would not stop. But hearing it out loud made it real in a way I could not ignore.

“What do we have?”

“Everything,” he said. “Messages. Payment. Instructions. She sent photos, Lucia’s schedule, the house address. She wired fifteen thousand in crypto. She thinks she hired a real killer.”

“Does she know about you?”

“No. I stayed in character. She believes every word. She is desperate. Reckless. She did not even try to hide properly.”

Good.

That meant she had already buried herself.

I let out a slow breath. “Keep her talking. Do not scare her off. I want her fully committed.”

“She already is,” he said. “But I will push further. Make her confirm again.”

“Do it.”

I ended the call and stood there in the dark.

Yvonne had crossed the line.

Not threats. Not anger. Not revenge.

Murder.

She wanted Lucia dead.

I turned back toward the bedroom.

Lucia deserved to know.

She woke as soon as I touched her shoulder.

Her eyes opened slowly, then sharpened when she saw my face.

“What’s wrong?”

I sat on the edge of the bed. “Yvonne tried to hire someone to kill you.”

The words landed heavy between us.

For a moment, she just stared at me.

Then her body went stiff.

“What?”

“She went through the dark web. Paid money. Sent your information. Everything. She thought she found a hitman.”

Lucia pushed herself up, gripping the sheets. “How do you know?”

“He works for me.”

Silence again.

Her breathing changed. Faster now.

“She… really did that?”

“Yes.”

I watched the realization settle in her eyes.

Not shock. Not fear.

Something colder.

“She wants me dead,” she whispered.

“She does.”

Lucia looked down at her hands. They were shaking slightly.

“What happens now?”

“We can end it tonight,” I said. “We take everything we have to the police. They arrest her. She goes to prison. It is clean. Quick.”

She looked back at me.

“And?”

I held her gaze. “Or we do something else.”

She understood immediately.

“You want to trap her.”

“I want you to choose,” I said quietly. “You can stay out of it. Let the law handle everything. Or you can be there. See it. End it yourself.”

Her jaw tightened.

“I want to see her.”

I nodded once. “Then we set a trap.”

The next three days were precise.

Careful.

Controlled.

My man kept Yvonne engaged. Every message he sent pulled her deeper. She replied faster each time. More desperate. Less careful.

She sent more details. More confirmation.

More proof.

She was not thinking anymore. She was running on anger and fear and obsession.

Exactly what we needed.

I chose the location myself. One of our office buildings. Top floor. Private access. Full control.

We wired everything.

Cameras in every corner.

Audio clear enough to catch a whisper.

Police placed in adjacent rooms, waiting for the signal.

Everything had to be perfect. No mistakes. No gaps.

No way out for her.

The night came fast.

Lucia stood by the window, looking down at the city.

She looked calm.

Too calm.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

She did not turn. “I have been ready for a long time.”

My phone buzzed.

“She’s on her way,” my man texted. “Ten minutes.”

I showed Lucia.

She nodded once.

“Let her come.”

We moved behind the one-way glass.

From there, we could see everything.

The office door.

The room.

The man she believed was her answer.

The elevator dinged.

The doors slid open.

Yvonne stepped out.

For a second, I barely recognized her.

She looked thinner. Pale. Her hair was a mess. Her clothes hung off her like she had stopped caring weeks ago.

Her eyes moved too fast. Sharp. Unsteady.

She looked like someone already falling apart.

She walked into the room.

My man sat across the table, calm, controlled.

“You came,” he said.

Yvonne swallowed. “You said this was the final meeting.”

“It is.” He leaned forward slightly. “I need to hear it from you. Clearly.”

She frowned. “What?”

“Say what you want. No confusion. No misunderstanding.”

She hesitated.

Then she spoke.

“I want Isabella Valen dead.”

Her voice cracked, but she kept going.

“I want her gone. I want her killed. That is why I paid you.”

Every word was captured.

Clear.

Final.

That was enough.

I gave the signal.

The doors burst open.

Police flooded the room.

“Hands where we can see them!”

Yvonne froze.

For one second, she did not understand what was happening.

Then they grabbed her arms.

“No! Wait! What is this? What are you doing?”

“You are under arrest for conspiracy and attempted murder.”

“No. No, that is not possible. This is wrong. This is wrong!”

She struggled, panic rising fast.

Then Lucia stepped out.

Slow.

Calm.

Silent.

Yvonne saw her.

And everything broke.

Her face drained of color.

“No…”

Lucia stopped in front of her.

Alive.

Untouched.

Unbreakable.

“You tried to kill me,” Lucia said quietly.

Yvonne shook her head, even as the handcuffs clicked into place. “No. This is not real. This is a setup. You tricked me.”

Lucia did not raise her voice.

“You walked into it.”

Tears filled Yvonne’s eyes. “You ruined everything. You took everything from me!”

Lucia looked at her for a long moment.

Then she spoke.

“You destroyed me first.”

The words were soft.

But they hit harder than anything else.

Yvonne broke.

She screamed. Fought. Tried to pull away.

But it was useless.

They dragged her toward the door.

“This is not over!” she shouted. “You hear me? It is not over!”

Lucia did not respond.

The elevator doors closed.

And just like that, Yvonne was gone.

Silence filled the room.

Heavy. Thick.

Lucia stood still, staring at the empty space where Yvonne had been.

“It’s over,” I said.

She nodded.

But she did not look relieved.

Did not look happy.

She just looked tired.

“Let’s go home,” she said.

The drive back was quiet.

Lucia sat beside me, her hands resting in her lap.

She kept staring ahead.

Not saying anything.

Not reacting.

Winning should have felt different.

But it did not.

I could see it in her face.

This was not victory.

This was just the end of something painful.

And maybe the start of something else.

Something heavier.

I reached for her hand.

She let me hold it.

But she still felt far away.

Li
ke part of her was somewhere I could not reach.

We had stopped the threat.

We had protected her.

We had ended Yvonne.

But as I looked at her, I realized something that stayed with me long after that night.

We had won.

But Lucia was still carrying everything that came before it.

And I did not know how to take that weight away from her.

I only knew I would try.