When Mimi stepped into Dnie's room, she closed the door behind her and turned with a serious look on her face.
I think it's time you make Mark understand what's going on between him and David, she said. "If he thinks this is just a game, then I'm genuinely scared for him."
Dnie sat at the edge of her bed, her fingers nervously toying with the hem of her sleeve.
I'm pretty sure David already knows about your outing today, Mimi continued. His bodyguards are loyal to him, and sooner or later, it's all going to come out. And guess what? You'll be the first one he blames because you were the one who followed Mark to meet that girl.
Dnie let out a breath. I've already told David that I won't pick sides. I'm just here, watching. And you know. There are things Mark doesn't know. Secrets. Maybe it's better if he ends up with someone outside this mess instead of David.
Mimi couldn't understand how Dnie could be so calm, Are you saying David isn't right for him? Because of the past? "It's not even his fault," Mimi whispered.
If Mark finds out David shot his father do you think he'll just say, 'It's not his fault'?"
There was silence between them before Mimi added, quietly, "Sometimes, Dnie, it feels like you're choosing Mark over David."
Dnie's voice was calm but heavy. David is my blood brother. But Mark he's my brother too. I've known him since he was a little boy. I'll stand by David after he's honest with Mark. Because Mark deserves to know the truth before giving his heart to him.
Mimi shook her head. But you're not protecting Mark either, not really. If you were, you'd stop him from seeing that girl. Because after watching how he reacted to David's call, I can tell. He's confused.
Dnie didn't answer.
Mimi sighed and stepped back. Forget it. Let's leave them both for now. We've got a party to plan, remember? She gave Dnie a small smile. "Let's focus on your birthday.
David Pov
Location: Private Hangar Perimeter of the City
Mr. Marcos, Ahmed said through the earpiece. We've tracked him to an abandoned villa twenty minutes from your landing point. He's alone. Just like you wanted.
David's lips curved, but it wasn't a smile. It was something colder like a hunter about to reclaim the blood owed to him.
Good, he said quietly. No distractions. No mercy.
David's plane was waiting, cold steel under city lights, engines warming like a heart preparing for war. He boarded without pause.
Tony handed him the final file as they sat across from each other in the leather seats.
Everything's been traced, Tony said. Maga's currently holed up in one of his safehouses near Prague. Ahmed Guarded.
David scanned the digital map. "That's where we start."
He leaned back, glancing at the scar peeking beneath the bandage on his hand.
This isn't just revenge, he said flatly. "He shot me, think he's smart. That makes it personal."
Tony didn't respond he knew better than to lecture David about boundaries. Especially when blood was involved.
They moved fast, surgical. David watched from a distance as Maga's men were picked off one by one like chess pieces quietly removed from the board. No noise. No hesitation.
When David finally entered the compound, his coat soaked from the rain, he was calm.
Maga was tied to a chair, blood trailing from his lip, but the grin he wore was bitter.
You don't look dead," Maga spat. "Shame."
David crouched in front of him. "I'm not. And now, you'll wish I was."
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
His presence alone was enough to make Maga regret his actions.
You came all the way here for what? A bullet? Maga chuckled darkly.
David leaned in, his voice a whisper. "You didn't just shoot me. You killed one of my Men, I've always wanted to keep safe. Do you think this is about pain? No. Maga, this is about erasing you."
David didn't waste time. He moved fast, clean, and quiet. No drama. But when he was done, Maga was finished and wiped off the map.
His name was deleted. His deals are gone. His clients were taken. Even his own men were paid to forget he ever existed.
But David didn't stay to watch him bleed.
A Day Later Underground Auction in Munich
By morning, David was in a new city. His face calm. Suit perfect. Not a speck of blood remained, but his hands still carried the chill of what he'd done.
Now, the battlefield was silent glass halls, whispered bids, and ruthless eyes behind golden masks.
He adjusted his cufflink as he entered the private auction room.
David stood in the shadows of a luxury hall, dressed in black, flanked by two of his men.
The crowd buzzed with whispered secrets and cold champagne.
He wasn't here for art. Or diamonds. Or power.
He was here for something rarer.
A hard drive.
Encrypted. Untraceable. Said to contain the last recordings of David's father before his death. A death that had left behind more than grief. There were whispers of betrayal. Files with names that shouldn't exist. Allegiances broken. Promises rewritten.
David wanted it not just for himself but for Mark.
He deserves to know everything. Even if it destroys me.
Item 32. Confidential archive. The starting bid is ten million.
As the final bid echoed, David raised his hand casually.
"Twenty million."
No one dared to raise the paddle after that.
He had tied loose ends.
He had recovered something that could change everything.
Now, all that was left was Mark. And the truth.
Mark stood by the bedroom window, his fingers lightly touching the glass as he stared outside. His heart skipped the moment he heard the sound of engines pulling up the long driveway.
The gates had opened. David is back.
A few black cars rolled in quietly his men, moving with purpose, unloading items from the trip.
They spoke in hushed tones, carrying boxes and sealed files into the house. It all looked normal. Business as usual. But to Mark, it wasn't.
He said the house had been unusually quiet without his presence, but now, the air felt heavy again.
Mark stood by the window in his room, arms crossed, pretending to look outside. But the truth was, he was waiting. Listening.
Then he heard the sound of footsteps. Slow, steady. David's.
The door opened quietly.
David stepped inside, dressed in black, tired but composed. His eyes found Mark immediately.
You've been avoiding me, for the last three days" he said, voice low.
Mark didn't turn around. David walked closer, each step deliberate.
A pause stretched between them. Then Mark finally faced him, arms still folded. "Did you handle it?"
David nodded once. "It's done."
Mark looked at him for a long moment. "Did you kill him?"
David didn't blink. Does it matter?
Mark lowered his eyes. "I don't know."
David reached out gently, touching Mark's arm. "I've missed you so much," David said quietly, stepping closer to him. "You're the first person I came to see after I got back."
Mark swallowed hard, his expression unreadable. Something flickered in his eyes longing, maybe, but it was buried beneath hesitation.
David moved closer, trying to kiss him.
But Mark didn't respond.
His lips remained still, his body slightly tense. He avoided David's gaze, as if trying not to let emotion slip through.
David noticed but he tried again, leaning in with more patience this time, his kiss deepening.
After a few seconds, Mark gently pushed against his chest.
"Go take a shower," he murmured, his voice low. "Rest for now. I'll come to your room later."
David held his gaze for a moment, something unreadable in his own eyes. But he didn't argue. He simply nodded and stepped away, leaving the room without a word.
The door closed behind him.
Mark let out a slow breath and looked down at his hands. Why does it always feel like this when he comes back?
Every time David returned from one of his "operations," something in Mark recoiled.
Even though he wanted David desperately the reality of who David was, of what he did when he disappeared for days at a time, made it hard to pretend.
Mark had seen the way David moved through the world, cold and calculated. The way he erased threats without blinking. And no matter how much his heart ached for him, no matter how much he craved the warmth of his touch… the blood that trailed behind David always made him hesitate.
He wanted David.
But he didn't want the part of him that killed without mercy.