Chapter 10
12:49 AM. SUV, parked outside the mayhem.
The warehouse erupted.
Glass shattered.
Shouts. Gunfire. Boots stomping over metal.
My screen blinked red as the drone went live.
"Stream started," I whispered.
Valentina leaned in. "Where?"
"Every major network. Encrypted links. Verified sources only. With clearance."
I showed her the feed.
NBC. CNN. Al Jazeera. Vietnamese national broadcast. Even livestreamed to an underground subreddit dedicated to missing persons.
All of it—watching in real time as international billionaires were dragged out in cuffs and blood.
Faces exposed. Screaming.
One man lunged at an agent. Got tasered flat on his back.
Another tried to run—right into the chest of a woman in riot armor.
Face-first. Into concrete.
Valentina gasped like she just saw her OTP kiss for the first time.
"You're showing the world," she whispered.
"Every last one of them," I muttered, hands flying across the keyboard.
"Do they know?"
"They're just finding out now."
My drone zoomed in on the face of a buyer screaming for his lawyer.
Then cut to the image of Nguyen L? Minh being escorted out safely by medics—her face blinking in shock as she looked up and saw herself being recognized again.
Across the world, her missing posters were disappearing from news feeds—replaced by her name and status: Found. Alive. Safe.
Valentina's hand slid onto my thigh.
I side-eyed her.
"You good?"
She looked like she was on the edge of spontaneous combustion.
"If you don't give me your attention in the next hour, I swear to god I am going to make out with your seatbelt."
I didn't blink.
"You're lucky I'm working."
"You're lucky I haven't climbed on top of this entire op."
"Valentina."
"I love you in a criminal way right now. Like in a I'd sell a kidney for one kiss way."
I turned back to the drone.
"Five minutes till shutdown. Let me finish ending organized crime."
"Fine," she groaned. "But I'm setting a countdown on my phone."
She opened the timer app like a menace.
I smirked slightly.
Typed one final command.
"Broadcast complete. World knows. Mission accomplished."
The drone beeped and returned to stealth mode.
Valentina's phone buzzed.
"Timer started."
I exhaled.
Let my hands fall still for the first time that night.
And Valentina whispered—
"...You're mine in fifty-nine minutes."
Outside Warehouse 7, 1:23 AM.
I watched the building from down the road.
The cleanup had already started.
FBI vans. Black bags. Handcuffs glinting in the moonlight.
I was in the SUV.
Hat low. Glasses on. Hoodie zipped halfway.
Phone in hand.
Five minutes earlier, Valentina had slipped back inside, high heels clicking like she wasn't the reason the world was on fire.
INSIDE:
Marco stormed into the space where the auction had been.
Empty. Silent. Bloody.
Gone.
His voice was venom.
"Where the fuck is everyone?"
His guards said nothing.
He turned to Valentina, who had just casually returned holding a bottle of water like she came back from a beach.
"I trusted you!" he snapped.
"You were supposed to watch everything—like my perfect little girl."
Valentina blinked.
Pretended to be confused.
"Not my problem the warehouse had no water, Daddy. I was dying. It's literally a health risk. I just stepped out."
He growled.
"You're lying."
She took a long, slow sip of the water.
Then licked her lips.
"Then check the cameras."
He snapped his fingers.
One of his men pulled up the warehouse security feed.
Footage rolled back.
They watched her on screen.
Smiling at the crowd.
"Be right back, lads! Gonna go get water—Gotta hydrate right!."
She waved. Blew a kiss.
Everyone laughed.
She walked out.
Marco paused the footage.
Silent.
His jaw tightened.
"...Fine. Not your fault."
She blinked innocently.
"Exactly. You taught me to stay hydrated."
He sighed.
That rare softness slipped into his voice.
"Don't go far again. It's dangerous now. Sleep here."
She shook her head.
"Already promised a sleepover at a trusted friend's house. She's been through a lot lately. I'll be home tomorrow after school."
Marco looked hesitant.
But then nodded.
"...Alright. Be safe out there, princesa."
Valentina smiled.
"I'll call an Uber."
Outside. 1:29 AM.
Right on cue.
Valentina stepped outside.
I pulled up, SUV rolling to a smooth stop in front of her.
Window down halfway.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Did someone order a getaway ride disguised as a 4.8-star Uber with 16 five-star reviews and one terrifying Yelp photo?"
She opened the door, climbed in, dropped the water bottle between us.
"You breathe like sin and drive like vengeance. Five stars."
I smirked.
Pulled away from the warehouse.
And drove us into the night.
1:41 AM. Manhattan, Inside the SUV.
The roads were quiet now.
The city still buzzed in the distance—sirens, lights, life.
But we were floating through the edges.
Valentina had her head resting against the seat, watching me with half-lidded eyes.
I drove. One hand on the wheel. The other resting close to hers.
She whispered it. Soft.
"Can I choose where we go?"
I nodded, eyes still on the road.
"Anywhere."
She bit her lip.
"I don't know where. I just... want to feel like I'm not being watched for once."
I smirked.
"I got just the place."
She blinked.
"You already planned this, didn't you?"
"I knew you'd want air after blood."
2:03 AM. Undisclosed Rooftop. Secret Point – Liberty View.
The car rolled into an old underground garage.
Long abandoned. Paid off in silence.
We climbed four flights up.
Silent stairs. Faint echoes.
At the top, I unlocked a reinforced door.
It creaked open slowly.
Valentina stepped through first—
And gasped.
The rooftop opened into a glass canopy, vines growing through steel supports, fairy lights overhead gently glowing gold.
And in front of us—
The Statue of Liberty.
Lit up in moonlight.
Perfectly centered. Perfectly quiet.
We were above everything.
No one here.
No one watching.
Just... freedom.
Her breath caught.
"...You come here often?"
I nodded.
"When I need to remind myself I'm real."
She turned to me.
And in that moment?
She looked free.
Not the Mafia Princess.
Not Marco's heir.
Just Valentina.
She walked to the edge of the rooftop, looked out at the water.
Arms crossed over her chest.
"I've never felt more like myself than I do right now."
I stepped beside her.
She leaned into me slightly.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"You picked the right place."
I didn't say anything.
Just stood there with her, in silence.
Looking at the Statue.
Looking at what freedom really meant.
For both of us.
The city glowed in the distance.
The Statue of Liberty stood tall and untouchable—
But beside me, Valentina was holding her breath.
I could feel it.
The air was thick between us.
Not from tension.
From truth.
She turned, slowly, her voice barely above the night breeze.
"Can I ask you something?"
I looked over, calm.
"Yeah."
She didn't look at me right away.
Just stared out at the water.
"...Why me?"
My eyes stayed on her.
"What do you mean?"
She finally looked up.
"I mean... you could've picked anyone. You could've ignored me. Let me rot in my fake-ass Mafia Princess life. But you didn't. You stayed. You saw me. Why?"
Silence.
For a moment, I thought about brushing it off. Deflecting. Making a joke.
But I didn't.
I answered her for real.
"Because you weren't faking it."
She blinked.
I continued.
"You weren't a villain. You were a girl playing a role. I saw it in your eyes the first day you tripped me and looked like you hated yourself for it."
Valentina's mouth opened slightly.
"I stayed," I said softly, "because I knew you were drowning and pretending you were the water."
Silence again.
Her eyes welled up. But she didn't cry.
She smiled.
A real one.
Not her princess smile.
Not her mafia smile.
Just her.
"Thanks for seeing me."
I nodded.
"...It's hot up here."
She blinked again.
"What?"
I reached for my hoodie and tugged it off in one smooth motion.
Valentina stared.
Like she got hit by a truck made of gay.
Her mouth parted. No sound.
Her knees buckled just slightly.
And then—
"GHBBDDDUH."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You okay?"
She shook her head violently.
"I—I—I can't—You—ABS. WHO GAVE YOU—NO—YOU DON'T—YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED—"
She backed up two steps.
"YOU TOOK OFF YOUR HOODIE LIKE YOU OWN THE PLANET—"
I tilted my head.
"You want me to put it back on?"
"NO—WAIT—YES—NO—FUCK—OH MY GOD—"
She turned in a circle.
Face red.
Heart gone.
Brain destroyed.
I smirked.
"Thought you were the scary one."
She pointed at me, trembling.
"You're evil. You are God's hottest crime."
Then she promptly collapsed onto the nearest chair.
Still gibberishing.
And I just stood there.
Arms out.
Breathing calm.
Knowing exactly what I did.
Secret Rooftop, 2:23 AM.
Valentina was still in her chair.
Red-faced.
Feral.
Making strangled sounds every time she remembered what I looked like five seconds ago.
I sighed.
"...It's cold. I'm putting the hoodie back on."
"NOOOOOOOO."
Her scream echoed into the night like I just declared war on her sexuality.
"STOP. STOP STOP STOP—EMILY IF YOU LOVE ME—YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO LOVE ME—JUST BE AN ALLY—PUT—THE HOODIE—DOWN—"
I zipped it halfway.
She fell to her knees like I'd betrayed a sacred code.
Then—
Phone vibrated.
I checked the screen.
Selene.
Of course.
I answered.
"Emily speaking."
"WHY DO I HEAR MOANING AND GAY SCREAMS. WHO'S WITH YOU. WHO'S TOUCHING YOU. ARE YOU TOUCHING SOMEONE. WHO TOOK YOUR CLOTHES OFF. I SWEAR TO GOD—"
Valentina shot up from the ground.
"I'M THE ONE SCREAMING. SHE TOOK HER HOODIE OFF AND THEN PUT IT BACK ON. I SAW HEAVEN AND THEN GOT SHOVED BACK INTO EARTH'S CRUST."
Selene gasped. So loud it echoed through the phone.
"You took your hoodie off?!"
I sighed. "It was hot."
"DID YOU SHOW ABS?!?"
Valentina screamed into the phone, "ABS. MUSCLES. BLACK brA. I NEARLY DIED."
Selene screamed back.
"I HATE YOU. I HATE BOTH OF YOU. I AM VIDEO CALLING RIGHT NOW. I AM TINY. I HAVE RIGHTS."
"Selene—"
"NO. LET ME IN. I'M GOING TO LICK THE SCREEN. I'M SWEATING. LET. ME. SEE. THEM."
She initiated video.
I hit decline.
Valentina collapsed.
"She declined the video. She declined the FUCKING VIDEO."
Selene texted: "YOU HAVE 60 SECONDS OR I'M SENDING A DRONE WITH A THIRST CAMERA."
I put my hands over my face.
God. Help me.
I was being attacked.
By a Mafia princess.
And a tiny hacker who has no limits.
Both screaming.
Both obsessed.
Both very very loud.
Valentina whispered at my side.
"Please. Just... lift the hoodie. One last time. A single ab. Just one."
Another call.
Selene again.
The screen read:
And me?
All I could do was sit down and mutter—
"...I need a nap."
They were both screaming.
Valentina kneeling like a cultist.
Selene, via FaceTime, banging her desk with what I pray was a stuffed animal.
"ONE AB. PLEASE. ONE—"
"JUST ONE MORE—SIX IF YOU LOVE US—"
I exhaled.
Long.
Tired.
Soul-dead.
"...Fine."
I stood up.
Grabbed the hem of my hoodie.
Lifted it.
One slow motion.
The air hit my stomach.
Six-pack. Veins. Muscle definition. Collarbone glinting under the lights. Black bra still flawless.
Valentina?
Screamed like she got hit by lightning.
She fell backwards onto the rooftop tiles.
Selene?
She choked.
On nothing.
On her own breath.
She screamed so loud, the mic cracked.
"OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WITH LOVE I'M GOING TO THROW MYSELF INTO THE SUN I'M OVULATING I CAN'T brEATHE—"
Valentina was clutching her chest.
Gasping like she'd seen God.
"WHY—ARE—YOU—LIKE—THIS—"
I stood there.
Hoodie still lifted.
Dead inside.
This is who I am now.
An abs dealer for chaotic lesbian addicts.
2:37 AM. Rooftop, post-thirst.
I sat back down.
Hoodie zipped again.
Selene was wheezing on her floor through the FaceTime.
Valentina was limp beside me, whispering "thank you" to the sky.
I texted Selene.
"I'll meet you after school tomorrow. Your penthouse."
Three dots appeared immediately.
I muted her.
Looked at Valentina.
Who was still breathing like a sinner post-exorcism.
"I'm okay," she muttered. "I think I saw the future."
"You good to focus now?"
"...Possibly."
I looked out toward the Statue of Liberty again.
Hands folded. Calm again.
"The next phase starts tomorrow."
Valentina blinked, recovering.
"What's the mission?"
I smirked slightly.
"Marco's offshore shell companies. They think they're invisible."
Her eyes widened.
"You're gonna wipe his accounts?"
"Not yet."
I turned toward her.
"I'm going to make him think he's richer than ever."
Pause.
Then I whispered—
"Then I'll crash it all in a single breath."