Chapter 2 Price For Revenge

• Eve's footsteps echoed through the marble halls, the cold stone beneath her feet a sharp contrast to the fire burning inside her. The mansion was silent, save for the steady rhythm of her stride. It had been years since she’d set foot in this place, years since the fateful day Lorenzo had found her—a scared, broken child on the edge of the seashore, with nothing but the wind and waves to call her own. Now, she was far from that frightened girl. She was power incarnate—wealth, purpose, and the kind of strength that made enemies tremble.
• Nik had warned her that Lorenzo had returned. The news unsettled her, though she would never admit it aloud. What was he doing here? The boy who had once reached out to her when no one else would now stood as a man—entwined in the very world she had come to master.
• As she neared the meeting room, the first crack in her composure appeared. A woman’s voice pierced the air—sharp, full of venom.
• “Stay away from him, you filthy bitch!”
• Eve didn’t break her stride. She didn’t even flinch. The girl was young—too young to understand the difference between insecurity and power. But Eve had no patience for drama. She was done with the jealousy and petty games. She was here for one thing, and one thing only.
• When she entered Lorenzo's office, the years of separation fell away like dust. He was just as she remembered—tall, confident, that same familiar arrogance in his emerald eyes. But now, there was something else—an aura of raw, undeniable power. It radiated off him like heat from a flame.
• "Evelyn," Lorenzo greeted her, his smile slow, dangerous, as though he was relishing the moment.
• “Lorenzo,” she replied, her voice smooth but laced with steel. She wasn’t the same girl he had once pulled from the wreckage of her life. She didn’t need saving now.
• She didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “I want you to release me,” she said, her tone cold and final. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for far too long. I’m going after them.”
• Lorenzo’s gaze didn’t falter. His lips curved into something like amusement, a smile full of secrets. “You think you can take them on your own?”
• Eve’s eyes didn’t waver. “You’ll never know unless you let me try.”
• Lorenzo leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, his eyes calculating. “If you want your freedom, you’ll have to prove yourself. We’re not in the business of giving things away.”
• “Prove myself?” Eve’s heart picked up pace, but her voice was steady. “To who?”
• “To Marco,” Lorenzo said with quiet authority. “The strongest man in our ranks. If you can take him down, I’ll know you’re ready to face your people.”
• The room seemed to tilt as Eve processed the words. Marco—the giant, the brute. A test like this wasn’t just physical. It was a statement.
• “I’ll fight him,” she said, her voice unwavering.
• ---
• The fight was brutal.
• Marco was a monster—a hulking figure whose every movement was designed to break things. But Eve was a weapon. Her precision was unmatched, her instincts razor-sharp. The ring echoed with the sound of fists and feet, but Eve didn’t hear it. She was beyond the noise. She was in the zone.
• With each punch Marco threw, she dodged, countered, and struck. Her body moved like water—fluid, unstoppable. The crowd gasped as Marco staggered, but Eve didn’t slow down. She was a machine, built for this moment.
• Marco lunged, but Eve was faster. She ducked, twisted, and landed a blow that sent him crashing to the ground. The room went silent.
• Eve stood, chest heaving, her muscles aching from the fight. But there was no time for victory. Not yet.
• Lorenzo stepped forward, clapping slowly, his expression one of grudging respect. “I underestimated you, Evelyn.”
• She wiped the sweat from her brow, her gaze cold. “Now, release me.”
• Lorenzo’s smile faded. “I will. But it won’t be free.”
• Her pulse quickened. “A price?”
• He stepped closer, his voice low, dangerous. “Join us at the International Mafia Day party. And eliminate the Russian Mafia king. If you want your freedom, that’s your job.”
• Eve’s stomach churned, a mix of disbelief and intrigue. The Russian king—the most powerful man in the world. Could she really do this?
• Lorenzo read her silence. “I know who you are, Evelyn. The Knife. The assassin who kills without hesitation. You’ve built a reputation, and I’ve heard the whispers. This isn’t any different.”
• Eve’s mind raced. She’d killed kings before. But this? The Russian king was a different beast altogether.
• “You can’t be serious,” she muttered. “This is suicide.”
• Lorenzo didn’t argue. He simply nodded. “Then we’ll talk about this another time.”
• Eve didn’t wait for him to say more. She left the office, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. She didn’t head to her room as planned. She needed space, air, time to think.
• Outside, the city stretched before her, and she climbed onto her Kawasaki. The wind hit her face like a slap as she revved the engine and sped into the road, her thoughts consumed by what lay ahead. The fight had been one thing, but this—this was something else entirely.
• As she sped through the city, she found herself back at the track. She needed to test her limits, find something familiar in the chaos. As she stretched beside her bike, she heard an approaching engine. The hum of a sleek, powerful bike cut through the air.
• Without turning, she knew he was there. The stranger.
• He was a shadow—confident, deliberate. He spoke, his voice smooth but teasing. “You always train like you’re preparing for war?”
• Eve didn’t answer immediately, not bothering to glance at him. “You always interrupt strangers who don’t care?”
• He chuckled, unfazed by her coldness. He stepped closer, his presence impossible to ignore. “I’ve seen a lot of riders, but none like you.”
• Eve remained silent, tightening her grip on her handlebars.
• “You’re not curious who I am?” The challenge was clear in his voice.
• She finished her stretch before mounting her bike, revving the engine. “No,” she said flatly. She wasn’t here for games.
• The engine roared to life, and she took off, the wind a blur around her. But as she glanced in her rearview, she saw him. He was still there, tracking her every move.
• The game had begun.
• For the next few miles, they were locked in a dance of speed, each pushing the limits of their machines, of their instincts. The stranger stayed on her tail, never faltering. Every time she accelerated, he matched her pace. It wasn’t just a race. It was a challenge—a test of wills.
• As the final turn approached, Eve twisted the throttle, her bike screaming beneath her. She surged forward, but the stranger stayed with her, always a step behind.
• In the final stretch, Eve slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt just before the finish line. The stranger wasn’t far behind, but he didn’t push ahead. He stopped, too.
• Eve yanked off her helmet, her breath heavy from the race. The stranger removed his, revealing sharp features and an infuriatingly calm smile. “You’re good,” he said. “Better than I thought.”
• “I don’t need your approval,” she snapped, walking away.
• But his voice followed her. “You’ve got fire. I like that.”
• She didn’t respond, but the words stuck with her, their meaning lingering like a challenge she wasn’t ready to face.
• She shut back her helmet and sped off, her mind already trying to push him out. But something about the way he moved, the way he matched her without breaking a sweat, lingered in her thoughts longer than it should have.
• She didn’t want to know his name. She didn’t care who he was. And yet, deep down, a small part of her couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the last she’d see of him.
• ---
• Eve raced through the empty streets, her Kawasaki’s engine roaring as the city blurred into a tapestry of lights and shadows. The adrenaline from her confrontation with Lorenzo still coursed through her veins, mingling with her frustration. Nine years of waiting. Nine years of planning. And now this—a mission that could very well end her life.
• The Russian Mafia king.
• Her grip on the handlebars tightened, the thought of him lighting a fire in her chest. She wasn’t afraid of death—she had danced with it too many times to count. What she feared was failure. She couldn’t let this end without justice for the family she lost, the life that was stolen from her.
• As the wind whipped past, her thoughts turned to Lorenzo’s smug smile, the confidence in his voice as he laid out his terms. She hated that he was right—that he always knew how to play her.
• She pulled to a stop at an abandoned lookout overlooking the city. The sprawling skyline twinkled below, a deceptive beauty masking the dark underbelly she had lived in for so long. Removing her helmet, she let her hair fall loose, the cool afternoon air brushing her skin.
• Eve took a breath, steadying herself. Then she pulled her phone from her pocket.
• Lorenzo’s number was still on speed dial. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before pressing the call button.
• The line rang twice before his deep, familiar voice answered. “Evelyn.”
• Her heart skipped, though she wouldn’t let it show. “I’ll do it,” she said, her tone sharp, cutting through any pretense.
• There was a pause on the other end, followed by a soft chuckle. “I knew you would.”
• “Spare me the theatrics,” she snapped. “I want everything you have—blueprints, surveillance, his network. I don’t care how dangerous it is. I need to know it all.”
• “Already in motion,” Lorenzo replied smoothly. “You’ll have the files by morning. But Evelyn... this isn’t just another hit. He’s more dangerous than anyone you’ve faced before.”
• “Good,” she said without missing a beat. “That’s what makes it worth it.”
• His silence was telling, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t doing this for him or for the power play he was orchestrating. This was personal.
• “Be ready,” Lorenzo said at last. “Once you step into his world, there’s no turning back.”
• “I never planned to until my work with him is done,” she replied, her voice a steel edge.
• As the call ended, Eve pocketed her phone and gazed out over the city once more. The skyline seemed smaller now, insignificant against the storm brewing within her.
• The Russian Mafia king would fall.
• And this time, it wasn’t just revenge. It was redemption.