|| IRIS's POV ||

Frowning hard, my eyes swept over the unfamiliar black uniforms. The group definitely looked dangerous but they didn’t intimidate me as I was too tired and mentally exhausted. I sighed in exasperation.

“No more today! Please!” I complained to myself.

Where did they all come from anyway? My right hand slowly travelled up to my waistline to pull out my favorite weapon. They were instantly alarmed by my movement.

“Put your down hand little girl. Don't be stupid and follow us quietly.” The leader commanded.

Having a military grade rifle pointed at my head, I decided to lower my hand. I shrugged my shoulders before instinctively bringing my hands together behind my head. At the leader’s command, one of the individuals tied my hands together behind my back before covering my face with a black sheet. They quickly dragged me out of the cemetery, not caring if I tripped on the surrounding tombstones. I felt asphalt under my feet right before they tossed me into a car. Driving at a high speed, despite the heavy rain, I heard a lady’s voice beside me as she called her boss.

“We finally got her and we are the way.” She reported.

“Who was she talking about?” I wondered. “I just arrived in the city a few days ago.”

I hoped it had nothing to do with him.

.....

|| XAVIER'S POV ||

" Surprise, Xavier! Happy Birthday bud!"

Daniel threw his arms cozily. I almost jerked him away since I had no interest in this stupid party. It was my father's plan from the beginning. He called me to remind me that I should celebrate this party with my members. He called it a business, public stunt. In his eyes, it was important to represent a party like a family to the eyes of the public. To be honest, I would have loved to celebrate it possibly if he suggested that I celebrate it as his son, not as the president of USK state.

Other members stood up gradually, wishing happy birthday one after another. I had to wear a fake smile to follow his order. Daniel brought me champagne and muttered to my ears with a grin,

" You look like dead meat. Missing your hot secretary?"

I rolled my eyes at him. The image of that self-stubborn girl lingered in my mind. She was pretty hot today. My wild imagination got interrupted by a phone call. It was from the Mayor of Blueborn City. It seemed odd to get a call from him at this late hour.

As soon as I picked up his phone, a cry broke through the speaker. Mr.Brown who was at my father's age was pleading miserably,

" Xavier! They got...they got my daughter...They want revenge! Please save her..Save her..."

A month ago, we seized a truck of illegal drugs near the border. The information was revealed by an insider. However, I didn't expect the outcome too fast. Kidnapping the Mayor's daughter was too lame for me. I clenched my jaw tight, asking in a growling voice,

" What happened? Tell me everything!"

Mr.Brown told me that he got an anonymous call from an unknown number. The dialer told him that it was his price to assist me. Then his eighteen years old daughter went missing from her grandpa's house. Although he didn't know the man, I didn't even need to investigate who it was.

Rubbing my sore forehead, I assured him, ending the phone call,

" Don't worry, Mr. Mayor. Your daughter will be safe. Just give me some time."

Suddenly a text message appeared on my phone. It was written in sarcasm, using a funny emoji,

" Like my gift?"

My lips twisted in rage. Involving girls into our own personal issues were never for me. I felt sorry for the girl who had to go through this shit at this very young age for her father's loyalty to me. Without answering his reply, I made another call to my best hitman, Michale. Although he was under me, I rarely contacted him. Not everything could be solved through guns and shots.

" Boss!", he spoke in a lazy tone, just had woken up from his sleep possibly. I took a sip from my freshly served wine, ordering after letting out an exhale,

" Head for the south and blow their entire materials out. I want to see the truck burn. Also rescue Mr.Mayor's daughter. That man had made a big move this time."

Michael was silent for a while. He blurted letting out a whine,

" Don't worry! I worked for him for 3 years. I know how to handle the piece of his shit."

I hummed before putting down the phone. I had trust in Michael. He was a man who couldn't be controlled by Money or power. It was a miracle that his father was my teacher back in my childhood. As a family man, he felt devoted to me. It was also surprising that he left that life to be my undercover man. He wanted to live in this city.

Half an hour later, Michael called me again, his tone still sounding lazy. While puffing his smoke out, he explained the whole thing with a yawn,

" Boss, it's done! His 1 billion dollar assets are ashes now. By the way, the girl is saved but harmed a little."

I clenched my jaw in anger. It was never tolerable for me that an innocent one was hurt because of our chaos. After a few more chats with Michael, I ended the call with a happy smile. As soon as I hung up, an unfamiliar number called me again. I picked it up to hear his deeply hated voice,

" Well played, Xavier! Aren't you afraid that I will expose your secret to the whole world? Huh? Do your people know how many people you killed to secure your position?"

|| IRIS's POV ||

" Black Limbo! Hmm! Interesting! I thought,You guys are dead already!"

I remarked about their special batch, remembering the clear details once shared by Artemis. I met a bunch of unfamiliar faces as soon as the black wrapped clothes were out of my eyes. They appeared shocked as soon as I blurted their identities correctly. I wondered how they discovered my location. So far, my mission in this city was kept super hidden.

The bald headed leader looked pissed off, a Blondie chick was almost grinding her ass over him. She passed me a look of hatred as if we had some enmity in our previous life. A guy with long hairs snapped at me, raising his gun,

" Another word, bitch! I will kill you!"

I almost laughed at his words. He couldn't even point the gun properly yet he was planning to kill me. That woman encouraged him, sending me a vicious smirk,

" She got a smart mouth, Tomy! Why don't you play with him?"

The rage inside me burst within a moment. Pretty sure, she was suggesting to rape me. I hated dominations and empty threats the most. Before I could punch her face, the old blad headed leader threw her off from his lap. He roared, casting her a murderous glare,

" Are you crazy, bitch? Do you know her identity? Wolf will turn the whole city down if something happens to her."

Blondie looked absolutely furious. She grounded her teeth together and didn't say anything further. I smirked back at her, turning her more furious than ever. The bald headed man started speaking to me respectively, lowering his voice,

" Girl! We have nothing against you but you must tell me where Wolf is!"

I exhaled heavily. Seriously, they caught me in a military style just to know where the madman was. I had no fucking idea. He barely talked with me. Even Artemis wouldn't tell me his exact location. I rolled my eyes at him, replied with a snort,

" Do you think that you are worthy of knowing his location?"

The leader's face darkened immediately. The blondie snapped at me again, gnashing her teeth together,

" Boss! I told you! She is a bitch! Let the boys have fun with her!"

" SHUT UP!", came the roaring answer from the bald headed again. He took a deep breath again before continuing in a serious voice,

" Listen woman! I don't care. He has broken all ties with me. I am hanging with my 50 million dollar business. I need to talk to him ASAP. Tell me otherwise..."

I raised my brows playfully, sticking my tongue out,

" Otherwise what, Mr.bald?"

He opened his mouth to speak something but was interrupted by a phone call. He answered it in front of me and heard a voice from the opposite, too familiar to me,

" Let her go unless you want your whole bar turning into ashes!"

WOLF!

My stomach churned into a sweet feeling. How did he know that I was abducted by his stupid enemies?

The bald looked upset by the threat. He clutched his phone tight, shouting desperately,

" You have cut off all the ties with us. You don't want to hear from me. I had to do this, Wolf. Don't misunderstand! But you must listen to me first."

I almost puked by his words. He was actually commanding the night king of the underworld to listen to his bullshit conversation. Another cold command echoed through the speaker lazily,

" You have 2 more minutes left, Sebastian!"

The bald gritted his teeth for the last time, threw his phone off before shouting at his men helplessly,

" FREE HER! FREE HER NOW!"

His men practically pushed me out of the bar as soon as possible. Once I was thrown in the street, I noticed that it was an old remote street bar, many miles away from the main town. It was surprising that they didn't want me dead.

Stumbling back, I stared hard at the building, surrounded with darkness. I wondered how he could threaten this man from that distance? There was not a single trace of blast anywhere. At least, some precautions were required.

A horn from the car pulled me back to reality. I froze in mid air, shooting a look only to see a black SUV. The air around me dropped remarkably low when the god-like man emerged from his luxurious car.

Mr.President!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the most bad luck that I could encounter today. He stepped forward to me, asking in a growling voice,

" What the fuck are you doing here?"

I almost hit my own head for this stupid kidnapping. The way he was suspecting, I could tell that I was so close to losing this job. I swallowed, replying after giving it a thought,

" I...I was kidnapped here.. Someone took me..."

The anger in his eyes turned into fury. He shot a glance at the old bar then at me before gripping me close,

" Who are they? Tell me! Show me! How did you manage to get rid of them? TELL ME EVERYTHING!"

His possessive tone made me regret everything. However he looked genuinely concerned about my safety. I opened my mouth to say something but at the same time, a blasting sound echoed so close. I gasped aloud in shock but soon I fell into a pair of warm, protective arms. He wrapped me close and dragged me away from the blasting spot. I cast a glance at the bar's destruction side. Even a few minutes earlier, it was standing with all its glory. It all had turned into no more than dust now. Remembering all the other people inside, I felt guilty except for the men who were no better than animals.

Then I remembered his clear threat and a line from my nun mother who once told me,

" Never trust a devil's words."

Yes, he was the devil but unfortunately, I was stuck with the devil.

|| XAVIER'S POV ||

" Thanks for the rescue! I mean, I do appreciate that."

Iris struggled to answer. As much as I wanted to fire her instantly, the thought of her inside made my heart uneasy. She wasn't supposed to be there. Even the part of her kidnapping sounded unconvinced to me. As a normal girl, she should be shaking in fear after being caught by some local gangsters. Yet she looked so uneasily comfortable.

She attempted to leave my car. I stopped her surprisingly, pausing the car door to hang midway,

" Don't leave. You should stay at my place in case your kidnappers come back."

She looked baffled out. For a split moment, I sounded so whinny but she hesitated before answering,

" Is..is that okay with you?"

I gave her a small nod in which she sat back, phrasing her formal thanks again,

" Thank you! I have no words to say how much I am grateful. I mean, I was a little scared to get back to my lonely apartment."

It sounded reasonable but the blast left me shocked. That area was mostly owned by the local criminals. It was not surprising but the fact that they had targeted Iris, I was worried. I wished that it had nothing to do with me.

My security guards made a remarkable face as soon as I appeared with Iris. Much to their surprise, I never brought any woman in my place. It was no secret that I was asexual. After I was kidnapped in my childhood by a crazy woman, my trauma with women went on. It felt though I suspected each woman around me except my own family members.

Her eyes dwelled around the corner of the house. Apart from being shocked, she seemed mesmerized to see the space. My house wasn't exaggerating but it was definitely eye-catching. I pointed at the stairs, giving her space to get comfortable,

" Your room is on the second floor. Take any one that you like."

She bowed once again before making her way upstairs. Right after she left, I turned to my assistant to order coldly,

" Find out who has kidnapped her. How dare they touch my people?"

My assistant left after getting my order. Maybe he felt it was weird as well since I barely cared about people around me. But something was off with Iris. I couldn't stop myself when she was in danger. I felt the need to protect her.

__________

|| IRIS's POV ||

" Guess! Where am I?"

I grinned bashfully at Artemis on the phone. He was like a brother to me and always very supportive. It was probably my second step to get into Xavier Gray's house. But I was lucky enough to get into it so fast.

Artemis let out an annoyed snort then he spoke again dramatically,

" Wait! Don't tell me that....you..you are already in bed with Xavier Gray?"

I almost choked myself after his wild imagination. Please.. Didn't he wish to live longer?

Rolling my eyes, I replied, clicking my tongue out,

" Oh please! I wish to stay alive, dear brother. Whatever..I am at his house for the whole night. I know, it's too fast but do you have any plans here?"

Artemis squealed in excitement, his voice coming out dramatic,

" Ohhh! Hold on! Hold on! Did you really say that you have gone to Xavier Gray's house already? Fuck! This is a jackpot already, Sista. I am so freaking proud of you. Wait a second! Let me see if you can do anything there!"

I grinned hugely, rolling on my soft bed. I took the room next to the President. The walls were pink here, big and decent. Artemis came back after a few moments as he passed his order to me from his boss,

" You have to install a camera personally. Before this, we never managed to get in there. We are counting on you, sista!"

My brows furrowed hard at his command. Putting a camera could be a huge risk. It sounded like an old damn idea but who could disobey the man?

I lowered my voice to confront his decision,

" What?? How are you going to do that? We can be caught. Besides I don't have a camera to install here, idiot."

Artemis replied in a lazy tone, probably enjoying his vacation on the lake side again,

" You don't have to worry about that. It will be sent on your doorstep within an hour. You need to put it inside Mr.President's office."

I hummed softly but the fear in my heart didn't fade since I could be shot dead here if they found me successfully.

An hour later, a packet was delivered to me through the space of the door. I opened it up and found a little camera there. It was super mini around the bottom size. Putting it aside, I changed back to my home clothes, carefully clothing since the house was full of men guards. After being done, I made my way to the President's house, using the excuse of talking about my kidnapper. As I reached the door, his bedroom door was already open from the beginning.

I knocked twice but no answer came. Even no guards were seen on the whole second floor. Perfect Timing! I slipped inside the room, a little nervous yet excited to execute my first order. My eyes scanned the room, searching for a perfect corner to leave the camera. Then I saw a flower vase, made of golden elements. Smirking, I moved to get the vase effectively. I bet, he wouldn't even bother to take a look of his vase.

Just as I grabbed the vase and removed the flowers to put the camera in it, a door was clicked open. Before I could hide the camera, his cold magnetic voice captured my soul,

" What are you doing in my room?"

Damn..It was Xavier Gray!!! My doom!!