Chapter 2 Torn Between Love and Vengeance

Sera hadn't spoken a word in two days.

She stayed in the corner of the safehouse, eyes distant, fingers curled around the edge of her sweater as if holding herself together. Ali watched her from afar-this woman who once smiled at daisies, now looking like she was wilting under the weight of truth.

He had killed for her.

He would kill again.

But he couldn't find the words to make her stay.

"Sera," he said finally, standing in the doorway, voice low. "Say something."

She looked up, eyes red-rimmed. "What do you want me to say, Ali? That I understand? That I forgive you for lying to me? For dragging me into your bloody world?"

"No," he admitted. "I just want you to be safe."

"Then let me go."

The words sliced deeper than any blade.

But he didn't move. "If you step out of here now, Lorenzo's allies will come for you. They know your face. You're a target because of me."

She stood, trembling. "Then maybe I shouldn't be around you."

"I can protect you."

"I don't want protection," she snapped. "I want my life back."

A bitter silence stretched between them.

And then the door burst open.

Omar rushed in, his face pale. "Boss, we've got a problem. A big one."

Ali's voice dropped. "What now?"

"Someone leaked our raid plan to the authorities. They're not just after Lorenzo anymore. They're after us."

Ali's fists clenched. "It wasn't any of our men. Not from my side."

Omar hesitated.

"There's more. They're pinning the entire operation on you. And... they found your name, Ali."

Ali's heart skipped. "What name?"

"Your real name. The one Interpol has been looking for."

That night, Ali sat in front of the fireplace, phone in hand, listening to his lawyers scramble.

There was no time.

Someone within his own ranks had betrayed him.

And whoever it was, they wanted not just to end his reign-but to destroy everything he cared about.

Including Sera.

He walked into the bedroom where she sat curled on the edge of the bed.

"You're not safe here anymore," he said. "Pack a bag. We leave in ten."

She didn't look up. "Are we running now?"

"No," he said. "We're hunting."

The jet landed in a private airstrip just outside Istanbul.

Far from the reach of European police and Lorenzo's dying network, but not far enough from danger. Ali had allies there-some loyal, some bought-but none trustworthy anymore.

In a villa guarded by ex-special forces, Ali and Sera stayed in separate rooms. But their hearts remained tied, tangled in grief and longing.

One night, Sera slipped into the hall, barefoot, hearing voices.

She leaned close.

"...if she's the leak," Omar was saying, "we have to consider eliminating her."

Ali's voice was calm. "She's not the leak."

"You can't be sure."

"I can."

Sera backed away, heart pounding. Not because she was afraid of being killed-but because a small part of her wondered: Was she the reason all this happened? Did someone follow her? Use her?

She needed answers.

The next day, she approached Ali in the garden.

"I want to help."

He looked surprised. "Help?"

"I'm not stupid, Ali. Someone betrayed you. Someone close. If they used me, I need to know. I need to be the one to fix it."

His jaw tensed. "This isn't your world."

"I didn't choose it," she said softly. "But you dragged me in."

That hit home.

He nodded. "Fine. You'll work with Omar. But stay within the villa."

She smiled faintly. "Yes, boss."

He almost smiled back.

Almost.

Together, Sera and Omar traced the communication logs, old burner phones, dead bank transfers. She was quick, observant, emotionally driven-but sharp. She noticed a pattern no one else did.

"The calls before the ambush weren't made to Lorenzo's men," she said one night. "They were made to someone inside your legal business arm."

Ali stared at the screen.

The name that popped up nearly made him punch through the glass table.

"Marwan."

His legal consultant. His childhood friend.

A man who knew every weakness Ali had-including Sera.

That night, Ali called Marwan in for a meeting-under false pretenses.

Marwan arrived, all charm and fake smiles.

"You betrayed me," Ali said coldly.

Marwan didn't deny it.

"I sold information," he said simply. "Because I got tired of watching you lose yourself over some flower shop girl. You've gotten soft, Ali."

Ali stood slowly. "So you endangered her life to teach me a lesson?"

"No," Marwan said. "I endangered her life to remind you who you are. You're not made for love. You're made for power."

Ali pulled his gun.

"Goodbye, old friend."

One shot.

Justice. But not peace.

Later that night, Ali returned to the garden.

Sera sat on a bench, looking up at the stars.

"Did you find the leak?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Was it someone close?"

He sat beside her. "Too close."

She reached for his hand. "Are we done running?"

He looked at her.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "But if we are, it'll be together."

She nodded.

And for the first time in days, he felt like he could breathe.

But far away, in a shadowy room in Rome, another enemy watched their every move.

And he wasn't as sentimental as Lorenzo.

He wanted Ali dead.

And Sera broken.