The dimly lit room reeked of fear. Shadows danced along the cold concrete walls, cast by the single overhead bulb swaying lazily on its chain. The sound of muffled cries filled the space as a man knelt on the ground, trembling. Around him stood Ezekiel Chen’s men, their faces impassive but their eyes betraying the discomfort they felt in the presence of their leader’s wrath.
Ezekiel sat in a chair at the far end of the room, his legs crossed with an air of casual dominance. His tailored black suit was immaculate, a sharp contrast to the bloodstained floor in front of him. A glass of dark liquor rested in his hand, untouched, as his piercing gray eyes bore into the man before him.
“You had one job,” Ezekiel began, his voice calm and measured, which only made it more terrifying. “One simple task.”
“Mr. Chen, please,” the man stammered, his voice cracking. “We-”
“You failed.”
The words cut through the air like a blade. Ezekiel set the glass down on a small table beside him and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“She was drugged, led to the brink of danger, and you-” he gestured lazily to the trembling man, “-were supposed to prevent it. Where were you?”
The man’s lips moved, but no sound came out. He was frozen in terror, unable to form a coherent response.
Ezekiel sighed, his patience wearing thin. He stood slowly, his movements deliberate, and approached the man. The room seemed to grow colder with each step he took.
“Do you know what happens to people who fail me?” Ezekiel asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
Before the man could respond, Ezekiel turned to one of his guards. “Take him out. Make sure he understands the price of incompetence.”
The guard nodded, grabbing the man by the arm and dragging him out of the room. The door slammed shut, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.
Ezekiel returned to his chair, his expression unreadable. One of his lieutenants, a wiry man named Viktor, stepped forward cautiously.
“Sir, the team has already doubled its efforts. We’ve tightened surveillance around Ms. Daisy.”
Ezekiel’s gaze flicked to him, and Viktor swallowed hard.
“Not enough,” Ezekiel said flatly. “I don’t want her protected. I want her untouchable. Do you understand the difference?”
“Yes, sir,” Viktor replied, his voice steady despite the tension in the room.
“Good,” Ezekiel said, his tone softening just a fraction. “Because if anything like this happens again, you’ll all answer to me personally.
Once alone, Ezekiel poured himself another drink and walked to the window of his high-rise office. The city stretched out before him, its lights twinkling like stars in the darkness. Somewhere out there, Daisy was sleeping, likely unaware of how close she had come to disaster.
He closed his eyes, the image of her smile flashing in his mind. It was a smile he had cherished from afar for years, a light in his otherwise dark world.
No one knew the extent of his obsession. Not his men, not his business partners, and certainly not Daisy herself. He had seen her once by chance at a gala, her laughter ringing out like music, and from that moment, she had consumed his every thought.
He wasn’t foolish enough to approach her directly. Not yet. Daisy was already surrounded by danger, and he refused to become another shadow looming over her. For now, he would protect her from a distance, ensuring she remained safe even if she never knew his name.
Ezekiel’s phone buzzed on the table beside him. He picked it up, his expression darkening as he read the message.
“Ricci is moving against Grant. He’s using Natalie as bait.”
Ezekiel’s jaw tightened. Louis Grant was no ally, but they had an unspoken agreement to stay out of each other’s way. This move by Ricci would only escalate tensions in their already precarious world.
More importantly, it put Daisy in even greater danger.
Ezekiel decided to act. He called for Viktor and instructed him to arrange a meeting with one of Ricci’s associates. Within the hour, he was seated across from a greasy-looking man in a dingy backroom.
“You’re here on Ricci’s behalf,” Ezekiel said, his voice calm but laced with menace.
The man nodded nervously. “Yeah, but-”
“I’m not interested in your excuses,” Ezekiel cut him off. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to relay a message to Ricci. If he touches Daisy again, he’ll regret it.”
The man blinked, confused. “Daisy? What’s she got to do with this?”
Ezekiel leaned forward, his gray eyes piercing. “Everything.”
The man hesitated before nodding quickly. “I’ll tell him. I swear.”
Ezekiel watched as the man stumbled out of the room, his mind already working on his next move. If Ricci thought he could use Daisy as leverage, he was sorely mistaken.
As dawn broke, Ezekiel stood on the rooftop of his penthouse, watching the sun rise over the city. He pulled out his phone and opened a secure app, pulling up the live feed of Daisy’s villa.
She appeared on the screen, sitting in the garden with a book in her lap. The sight of her brought a rare smile to his lips, but it was fleeting.
“One day,” he murmured to himself, “you’ll know who’s been protecting you all this time.”
Until then, he would remain in the shadows, a silent guardian watching over the woman who unknowingly held his heart.