4

Lila's pov

I was hiding behind a pile of crates in a dock. It was the perfect night to make our move. So far, everything had gone as planned. My team moved quickly, each action careful and on point.

We were there to sabotage the shipment—a cargo full of weapons meant for the Rivera family, a rival to ours. I couldn’t allow them to strengthen their hold, especially not with weapons that would change the balance of power. This was our chance to send a clear message: the Rivera's didn’t belong here.

Normally, the boss wouldn't be doing all this dirty work. But my father had long instilled that if you wanted loyalty, you had to earn it by working alongside your crew. So here I was, right in the middle of it all. I hand picked a group of enforcers and turned into my crew for this operation.

There was Marisol, cold and tough, her long brown hair tied in a low ponytail as she gave orders to the others. She was my second-in-command and she was very deadly with a blade.

Then there was Bruno, a strong man with a heart as cold as ice. He was loyal, though, and more than capable of breaking bones if needed. Lastly, there was Leo, he was young and eager and was still learning the ropes. He was still naive, but I needed someone who could be molded—someone who hadn’t yet been hardened by this life.

"Shipment’s over there," Bruno grunted as he nodded toward the large container being loaded onto a docked ship. "We blow it, and they’ll know we’re not to be messed with."

Marisol gave a quick glance around, with her eyes sharp as a hawk's. "We move fast. No mistakes."

I nodded, keeping my hand near my gun. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, almost too smoothly. The Rivera’s men hadn’t spotted us yet, and we were closing in.

Then, just as we were about to make our move, I heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, if it isn’t my dearest tigress,You really think you can waltz in here and cause trouble without anyone noticing?"

I froze. That voice. It was annoying like nails on a chalkboard. Slowly, I turned to see him standing there, leaning casually against a stack of crates -

Lucian DeMarco A.K.A The devil.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and every bit as infuriating as I remembered. With his dark hair and his piercing green eyes. That damn smirk on his lips, as if he owned the entire world. He looked every bit the part of a DeMarco—sharp suit, casual arrogance, and a face that could charm the devil himself. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t the type to be charmed.

"What the hell are you doing here, DeMarco?" I hissed, my hand tightening around my gun.

Lucian climbed down from the crates and took a few steps toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. "Oh, you know, just a little business Seems your family isn’t the only one interested in this shipment."

I narrowed my eyes. The DeMarco's had no business being here. This was between the Moretti's and the Rivera's. Lucian showing up complicated things—badly.

"You’re playing a dangerous game, Lucian," I said, my voice low.

He laughed, the sound rich and mocking. "Dangerous? Please, Tigress. You know I thrive on danger. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You can’t resist a little excitement."

My teeth clenched as I glared at him. He always did this—turned everything into a game. And he loved pushing my buttons. We had history, him and me. Once, when we were younger, we were close, back then when war hadn't broke out between the three major families - Demarco,Rivera and Moretti.

But now things had changed.His family and mine had been at each other’s throats for years, and now, every time we crossed paths, it was like walking against a hard wall.

"You’re in my way," I spat. "Leave now, and maybe I won’t have to shoot you."

"Shoot me? You wouldn’t dare.Tigress"Lucian’s grin widened.

I stepped closer, pulled the trigger and aimed the barrel right at his head. "Try me."

His eyes flicked down to the gun, and for a brief second, I saw something dark flash in his eyes. Then, just as quickly his smirk returned. "You're even more beautiful when you're angry tigress ¿sabes eso?"

"Shut up, Lucian," I snapped, my finger twitching on the trigger. My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of anger and tension.

He was infuriating, yes. But god, he was attractive. His sharp jawline, those piercing eyes, the way his lips curled into that annoying grin—it all stirred something in me, something I always hated myself for feeling.

Lucian didn’t seem to care about the gun pointed at his head. Instead, he leaned in closer, with his warm breath against my skin. "You’re not going to shoot me, Tigress. You want me alive. You always did."

I growled, pressing the gun harder against his forehead. "You’re testing my patience." Damn it I hate that nickname

" And you're testing mine,Tigress" he shot back, his voice suddenly cold with all traces of mockery gone. "You think you can mess with the Rivera's business and get away with it? Piensa de nuevo. Me cruzas, y habrá consecuencias."

"Since when did you become the Rivera's guard dog" I sneered."The Rivera's don’t scare me."

"They should," Lucian replied, his voice dropping dangerously low. "You shouldn't declare war when You have no idea what you’re getting into "

Lucian’s smirk didn’t waver, even as the tension between us grew. I could feel the weight of Marisol’s question pressing on me, the need to act before things spiraled out of control. But I wasn’t about to let Lucian DeMarco walk in and take what was ours. This was Moretti business, and I couldn’t afford to lose this fight—not to him, of all people.

“You need to get out of my way, Lucian,” I said, my voice steady, despite the fury building inside me.

He shook his head slowly, that damn smirk still plastered on his face. “Not happening, Tigress. And if you think I’m going to let you destroy that shipment without a fight, you’ve forgotten who I am.”

My finger twitched against the grip of my gun. “I haven’t forgotten anything.”

Lucian’s eyes flickered with something dark as he took another step closer, his voice dropping low. “Two decades is a long time, Tigress. But it doesn’t change the fact that we both know how this ends.”

Before I could respond, Bruno’s voice cut through the tension. "Vivienne, we’ve got company. Rivera’s men are heading this way."