CHAPTER 38
CHRISTIAN'S POV
Leaving her in such a vulnerable state was never my intention. The image of her kneeling before me, asking—no, begging—for love twisted something deep inside my chest. A dull, unfamiliar pain spread through me, the kind I had sworn I would never feel again after Athena died.
For a moment, I sat in the driver's seat without starting the car.
My eyes lifted toward the towering glass structure where Brenda lived. The lights in her glass room glowed faintly in the distance, like a fragile lantern in the dark night.
I took one long glance at it before finally starting the engine.
If I told Brenda what I really did for a living, she would cut ties with me completely.
That thought alone felt like a blade slowly turning inside my ribs.
But that was what I wanted… right?
Keeping her safe meant keeping her away from me. That was the only way.
Daemon was already breathing down my neck like a rabid dog waiting for the right moment to tear flesh from bone. If Brenda ever got caught in that storm, she would be nothing more than collateral damage.
And I refused to let that happen.
So if the price of protecting her meant letting her believe that I didn't care about her anymore… then so be it.
I'd rather have her hate me than watch her die because of me.
The car rolled forward into the night as I forced myself not to look back again.
EVA'S POV
I sat on one of the stiff chairs designated for people waiting for the interview.
The room buzzed with quiet tension.
I pushed my glasses further up the bridge of my nose, adjusting them nervously. We were forty-four candidates and counting, all crammed into the same waiting area.
The sound of keyboards tapping filled the air.
Everyone around me was hunched over laptops, phones, tablets—anything with a screen—quietly conjuring up their old tricks, rehearsing their digital magic like magicians preparing for a performance.
I studied each one of them carefully.
And as the saying goes…
It takes one to know one.
I could see it in the way their fingers moved. In the way their eyes scanned the screens.
Most of them knew exactly what they were doing.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt something unfamiliar creeping up my spine.
Fear.
Not the kind that makes you run… but the kind that makes you question yourself.
For the first time in my life, I was nervous about competition.
Was I really good enough for this job?
"Eva Cattanio?"
A blonde woman called my name.
She looked like she had been cut straight out of a glossy magazine—perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect posture.
I stood up quickly and followed her.
"Relax," she said with a sweet smile, clearly sensing my unease. "Everything will be fine."
Easy for her to say.
She opened the office door and gestured for me to go inside.
I had broken into bank security systems, erased hospital records, cleaned people's criminal histories, and once cracked a high-security vault just for fun.
Yet here I was…
Shaking because of a simple interview.
Probably because I knew the truth.
What I was doing here wasn't exactly honest.
I was a mole.
The man conducting the interview had his back to the door, so I couldn't see his face.
All I could see was a thick head of healthy, shiny, silky curls and broad shoulders that stretched the back of his chair.
Huge shoulders.
I cleared my throat softly, hoping he would turn around.
"Have a seat," he said in a deep, gravel-like voice without turning around.
His voice alone sent a strange vibration through the room.
"Eva Cattanio… what brings you here today?"
Well… obviously the interview.
But I wasn't stupid enough to say that.
"I came for what the other candidates came for," I replied.
He hummed slightly.
"You all came for various reasons," he said calmly.
"There are those who came to show their speaking abilities. Others came to test their self-confidence. And some came for only one reason… to get the job."
There was a pause.
"Which one are you?"
"I'm here for the job, sir," I answered firmly.
"Why should we give you the job when there are lots of people outside with more experience than you?"
I straightened slightly in the chair.
"I don't think everything is about experience," I said slowly.
"It's about what you believe you can do… what you're willing to put in to achieve your goal… and how precisely you execute your duties."
Honestly, I was just saying whatever came into my mind.
Whatever sounded convincing.
"Hmmm."
Finally, he turned around.
And for a moment…
I completely forgot how breathing worked.
I had never seen a man so beautiful.
Not handsome.
Beautiful.
The kind of beauty that could make a woman jealous.
His curls framed his face perfectly, blending into a full beard that somehow made him look even more dangerously attractive.
But what truly captured my attention…
Was the scar.
A sharp, gorgeous scar that started at his eyebrow, sliced past his eye, and rested along his cheek like a permanent reminder of violence.
My throat suddenly felt dry.
I had been around good-looking men before.
Daemon, for example.
Plenty of others.
But none of them had ever hit me like this.
The man sitting across from me was simply intoxicating.
I stared.
Completely lost in his appearance.
So lost that I didn't hear his question.
Apparently, he had asked it four times.
He leaned back in his chair and smiled slowly.
"When you're ready to be interviewed… please say so."
I snapped out of my trance instantly.
"I'm sorry—I was just— I get very nervous!"
Especially when staring at ridiculously handsome men.
But I kept that part to myself.
"Hack into this phone," he said casually, waving the device in front of me.
That would be easy.
Too easy.
But I needed to bait him first.
How could I—
Ah.
Got it.
I pressed a few buttons on a small hidden device.
My secret weapon.
"What the fuck?" the interviewer cursed after a few seconds.
"What happened?" I asked innocently, even though I knew exactly what the problem was.
He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously and bit his lip.
God.
That was almost unfairly attractive.
Like watching Brad Pitt in Troy—except closer… and far more dangerous.
Just as planned, he connected to the fake Wi-Fi replica I had created.
And just like that…
I had instant access to his phone, passwords, and everything else.
"The internet isn't working," he muttered.
Then he looked at me again.
"You got a hand in it?"
"You wanted me to hack the phone," I said calmly.
"So I did."
"I have access to all your passwords and files. I can control your phone from here."
I waved the tiny black device in my hand.
He smiled.
But not an impressed smile.
More like a "I've seen that trick before" smile.
"Counting you," he said casually, "that makes twenty."
"Twenty what?"
"Twenty of you managed to hack the phone."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Which makes you eligible for the next phase of the interview."
I smirked slightly.
Then I pressed another button on my laptop.
The air-conditioning shut off instantly.
The room became silent.
Massimo looked around, confused.
I pressed another key.
The AC came back on.
His eyes snapped toward me.
"That wasn't a miracle," he scoffed.
Click.
The lights went out.
The entire office gasped as the ventilation system stopped.
Click.
Everything turned back on again.
I tilted my head slightly.
Massimo stared at me.
Then he sighed.
"You're hired."
He stood up smoothly.
"Head to reception. Edna will explain everything you need to know."
He walked past me like the whole thing was nothing.
But I couldn't help turning my head to watch him walk away.
That man had a body built like it belonged in pure sin.
For the past week, I had been assigned the most useless tasks imaginable.
Nothing important.
Nothing productive.
Nothing worth reporting back to Daemon.
Right now, I sat across from the same insanely hot interviewer.
Massimo.
We had been stealing glances at each other all week.
And if I didn't know better…
I'd swear he had the hots for me.
The thought made a slow smile spread across my lips.
An image popped into my head of him pinning me beneath his weight—
Heat rushed up my neck instantly.
"You're such a G-spot," Massimo laughed suddenly.
"You orgasm from your own thoughts and imagination."
He looked at me with mock pity.
One thing I had learned during this past week working with him…
Massimo could be a complete clown when he wanted to be.
I rolled my eyes.
"You're dirty," I said.
"So dirty your mind should be a dumping site."
"Oh yeah?"
The words rolled out of his mouth like smooth peanut butter.
Slow.
Dangerous.
He was suddenly standing in front of my desk.
He leaned down, his face moving closer to mine.
My eyes locked onto his.
My heart started beating faster.
Our lips were only inches apart when he tapped a finger against my nose.
"Boo."
He burst into laughter.
Complete jerk.
"You look so beautiful when you have those unholy thoughts," he added.
"Too bad they're not about you," I shot back.
His expression changed instantly.
His jaw tightened.
That playful clown vanished.
The dangerous version of Massimo appeared.
"That's a lie," he said quietly.
"And we both know it, Tesoro."
His voice dropped lower.
"If I put my fingers down your pot… I know I'd find it overflowing with nectar."
His filthy mouth.
His words made my legs tighten together involuntarily.
If someone walked in right now…
They would absolutely assume we were about to kiss.
Just then my personal phone rang.
An unknown number.
We both looked at it at the same time.
I had a feeling I knew exactly who it was.
I pushed him away quickly and grabbed my phone.
"I need to take this."
"You afraid to take it in front of me?" he smirked.
"No," I said sweetly.
"It's my boyfriend. And I wouldn't want him hearing the filthy words constantly coming out of your mouth."
His eyes darkened instantly.
Something deeper flickered there.
I hoped I hadn't pushed too far.
Massimo might flirt like a devil…
But he was still my boss.
I locked myself inside one of the bathroom stalls and sat on the toilet.
Then I answered the call.
"Any updates?" the voice asked.
"No, sir. Just cleaning police records."
Silence followed.
"What about Christian? Have you met the fucker yet?"
"No, sir. I've only come across my boss's boss… Sir Reginald."
"The important thing," the voice continued coldly, "is that you've entered their circle."
A pause.
"Soon we'll strike them where it hurts the most."
Then his voice turned darker.
"And remember, Eva… your family is under my watch twenty-four seven."
The threat made my stomach twist.
I hated it.
I hated the way he held my family over my head.
Hated the way he forced me to walk into the lion's den.
I muttered a curse under my breath before hanging up.
Then I straightened my clothes and walked back toward the office.
When I entered…
The playful Massimo was gone.
The clown had disappeared.
In his place sat the dangerous version again.
A ticking time bomb.
And unfortunately…
I was stuck in the same room with him.