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I squeeze his shoulder. I’m not sure what he’s referring to, and maybe one day, he’ll tell me, but for now, I know the person he is right now.
“You’ve come a long way, Alex. We all have our demons. What’s bothering you?”
He hesitates. “Before I joined you, I did some things, things I’m not proud of. I need you to know, Vanessa, in case it comes back to haunt us.”
I study his face. “You can tell me anything, Alex. We’re in this together.”
He takes in a slow inhale. “I don’t know if you know this… Before the Shadow Syndicate fell, there were times when Leo would do dealings with Viktor. Viktor, back then, asked me to do some things for him… questionable things. Long before the Shadow Syndicate was no more, ties were severed with Viktor, between the mafia and him and me and him. I left all of that behind, but now…I don’t think he’ll come after me specifically, but he might be gunning for you in part because of me.”
I soften. “You left that life for a reason. We all have our pasts, Alex. What matters is who we are now, and if Viktor thinks he can get to me through you or get to you through me, he’s wrong. We’re united.”
Alex looks deeply into my eyes. “I want to be better for you, for us. I just hope you can forgive me for the things I’ve done.”
For his sake, I’m able to smile. “We all have our darkness, Alex. What matters is that we face it together. I chose you because I believe in the person you’ve become.”
As Alex confronts his past, our connection deepens, and the challenges ahead only serve to strengthen our bond. Love, tested in the crucible of adversity, emerges resilient, ready to face the storms on the horizon.
But he’s not whole yet, and he hangs his head. “I’m sorry for failing you.”
“Failing me?”
“I’m your Head of Security. I should’ve found all about Anderson’s plot.”
“I had no idea about it either,” I remind him. “No one did, only Dominic, and he hadn’t told anyone.”
All of this is still so very raw, and Alex isn’t the only one who has to face demons.
“I get it, Alex,” I continue. “We’re all dealing with the fallout from Dominic’s sacrifice. The fact that he kept this from everyone, including you, it’s a wound that’s going to take time to heal.”
He nods. “I still should’ve known. I should’ve been more vigilant.”
“Dominic made a choice to protect us,” I say softly. “We can’t change that, but we can use this pain as fuel to ensure that Anderson pays for what he’s done.”
Alex’s expression shifts to one of fierce determination. “You’re right. Anderson won’t get away with this.”
I pat his hand. “We’ll find him, and we’ll make him pay, but we need to be smart about it. Revenge can’t cloud our judgment.”
He grits his teeth. “I know. It’s just hard seeing you go through all of this.”
My smile is faint. “It comes with the territory, Alex. We’re in this together, remember?”
As Alex grapples with his feelings of responsibility, the wounds left by Dominic’s sacrifice continue to shape our actions and decisions. The pain runs deep, but it also serves as a reminder of the price we pay in the pursuit of power and revenge.
Alex excuses himself to accept a phone call, and I motion Xavier over. He’s looking particularly tense.
“Xavier, we need to talk.”
His expression is guarded as he sits beside me. “What is it, Vanessa?”
I take in a deep breath. “I know this has been tough on you, on all of us. Dominic’s sacrifice, the plot to blow up this place,the betrayal from Damian… it’s testing our limits, but we can’t let it break us.”
He clenches his jaw. “It’s not just that. I... I should’ve been able to protect you better.”
I rub his arm. “Xavier, you’ve been my anchor through all of this. You can’t blame yourself for things beyond our control.”
“You don’t know… When it happened, I froze. I didn’t know what to do. Should I fight? Should I get you out of there? I ended up killing some of his henchmen, but they can be easily replaced.”
“Alex got me out of there. We all survived… apart…”
