Falling for the enemy || 18+

CHAPTER 14 : PREDATOR

I paced the length of my office, phone in hand, listening to the steady ringing. I wasn’t usually the type to wait for anyone, let alone call. People came to me when I summoned them. But with Bianca, I made an exception.

She didn’t know it, but I was playing a long game, and she was quickly becoming the key piece. I couldn’t get her out of my head. It was insane. She was Alessandro’s daughter, and yet every interaction with her only deepened my obsession. Maybe it was the challenge, maybe it was the fire in her eyes, or maybe it was something more. Either way, she had become more than just a player in this game. She was becoming the reason I cared about the outcome at all.

The line clicked, and her voice came through, clear and sharp.

“Eryx,” she answered, her tone cautious, as if she wasn’t sure why I was calling.

I smiled to myself. Of course, she was cautious. She was smart. She knew every conversation with me was a test.

“Bianca,” I said smoothly, settling into my chair. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

There was a pause on the other end. “What do you want?”

Straight to the point. I liked that about her. No time for games, except the one we were already playing.

“I’ve considered your father’s deal,” I began, my tone casual, though I knew the weight my words carried. “But there’s a condition.”

Another pause, and I could almost picture the way her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “A condition?”

“That’s right.” I leaned back in my chair, glancing out the window at the city below. “We’re going on a mission. You and me.”

“What kind of mission?” Her voice was steady, but I could hear the edge in it. She was trying to keep her cool, but I knew I was pushing her into uncomfortable territory.

I let the silence drag out for a moment before continuing. “There’s an arms shipment coming in. A mutual interest for both your father and me. But I need someone I can trust on the ground to oversee the operation.”

“And you want me to be that someone?” Her skepticism was clear, and I couldn’t blame her. She had no reason to trust me, and frankly, that’s what made this all the more interesting.

“I want to see if you’re as capable as you say you are,” I said, keeping my voice low and controlled. “You said you weren’t just your father’s puppet. This is your chance to prove it.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and I waited, letting her process what I was offering. I could feel her hesitation, the internal conflict she was struggling with. I knew she didn’t trust me, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to see how far she was willing to go for her father—and for herself.

“When is it happening?” she finally asked, her voice steady.

A flicker of satisfaction ran through me. She was in.

“Tomorrow night. I’ll send you the details. We’ll meet at the docks.”

She didn’t respond right away, and I knew she was still thinking, still trying to figure out if this was a trap or a test. In truth, it was both. I wanted to see her in action, to know if she could handle the pressure of working in my world, outside of her father’s shadow.

“And what’s in it for me?” she asked, her tone sharp.

I chuckled softly. “Besides proving yourself? You’ll have leverage with your father. He wants this deal to go through as much as I do, and if you’re the one to deliver it, you’ll be the one holding the cards.”

I could almost hear her considering it, weighing her options. This wasn’t just about her father anymore; this was about her stepping into a role of her own, taking control of her own fate.

“Fine,” she said finally, her voice clipped. “Send me the details.”

I smiled, leaning forward in my chair. “I knew you’d come around.”

“I’m not doing this for you,” she snapped.

“Of course not,” I replied smoothly. “You’re doing this for yourself. That’s why I chose you. Everyone wants me, you'd want me too.”

She didn't hesitate when she said, "You're the kind of man I keep under my heels."
There was a pause, and when she spoke again, her voice was colder. “Just send the details. I’ll be there.”

The line went dead, and I sat back, a slow grin spreading across my face. She was playing her part perfectly, whether she realized it or not. Bianca was strong, smart, and capable, but she still had no idea how deep I was willing to go for this.

She thought this mission was just another task, another step toward securing her father’s deal. But for me, it was more than that. It was an opportunity to spend more time with her, to see her up close, to get inside her head. Every second I spent around her only fed my obsession, and now I’d have the perfect chance to push her further into my world.

Tomorrow night, we’d be on the docks, watching the shipment come in, surrounded by danger and chaos. It was the perfect setting to see if Bianca De Luca could hold her own.

And if she could, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to let her go.

I poured another drink, my mind already racing ahead to the mission. This was no ordinary deal. The stakes were higher than she realized, and not just for our families. For me, this was personal. And I had every intention of making sure Bianca saw that—one way or another.

Tomorrow night, everything would change.