Thalia and Vicious were on each other on the floor, breaths tangled. Their lips brushed against each other soft at first, then electric. Thalia's palm rested against his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart beneath. His strong arms were wrapped tightly around her waist.
Reality crashed back into her.
She gasped, pushing against him, scrambling to her feet as though burned. Without a word, she turned and bolted down the hallway. Her fingers fumbled with the doorknob before she slammed her bedroom door shut. Lily hurried after her, calling her name, but Thalia pressed her back against the door, chest heaving, stunned at what she had just done.
Back in the hallway, Vicious remained frozen.
Slowly, he lifted the back of his palm to his lips and wiped the taste of her away almost angrily, yet his eyes betrayed the confusion clawing at him.
What the hell just happened?
Is this her way of telling me she wants me?
He scoffed under his breath and straightened his suit. "Ridiculous," he muttered, brushing it off as he walked away.
His secretary entered his office minutes later, arms full of contracts.
"Sir, these require your signature."
Vicious glanced at the files—yet instead of ink and paper, all he saw was the image of Thalia beneath him… her lips trembling against his… her body so close—
He blinked hard.
"Leave them," he said shortly, thrusting the contracts back into her hands and standing abruptly. His phone buzzed with a notification, but he barely glanced at it. Without another word, he strode out of the office, abandoning everything behind.
At the Mafia's Secret Hideout
Mario, Martinez, Fernandez. The three of them lounged around the round table, drinks in hand, the room thick with cigar smoke and gun oil.
Vicious sat silently among them, glass untouched.
Then flash.
Thalia. On his bed. Her hair sprawled like silk. Her lips parted.
He ground his teeth and smacked his palm against his head. "Damn it. What is wrong with me?"
The three men stared at him.
"Uh… boss?" Mario asked cautiously. "You good?"
"I swear she poisoned me," Vicious muttered, gripping his glass tighter. "Because my head isn't working right. I can't think straight."
"Poisoned?" Mario snorted. "You sure it's poison and not emotion?"
Vicious shot him a deadly glare.
Mario leaned back with a stupid smirk. "I'm telling you… he's thinking about that hot, sexy maid
"Call her that again, and I'll blow your tongue off," Vicious growled.
Mario raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Just saying… Something's going on between you two, and everyone with eyes can see it."
"There is nothing," Vicious snapped.
"A complication," Fernandez finished. "Right. So, why'd you beat the living hell out of Matt?"
Vicious looked away, jaw tight.
"She wants to use him, I am sure" he muttered. "To escape. To manipulate me." His eyes darkened. "And I won't let that happen. That's all. It was anger. Nothing else."
His friends exchanged looks. They didn't believe him—but they let it go.
Martinez stood suddenly with a wicked grin.
"Anyway… I have a surprise." He snapped his fingers.
Two guards dragged in a bloodied man, barely conscious, knees scraping against the floor.
"Recognize him?" Martinez asked.
Vicious leaned forward, bored. "Should I?"
"He's the rat. The one leaking our operations to the other mafia bosses."
The man fell at Vicious's feet, trembling. "P-please—please don't kill me. I-I didn't mean—"
"Quiet," Vicious said calmly.
He didn't raise his voice—but the silence that followed was deadly.
The man whimpered.
Vicious stood, straightened his cuffs, and crouched beside him with unsettling calm.
"You're going to tell me everything," he said softly. "Every shipment you sabotaged. Every deal you exposed. Every traitor you spoke to."
The man babbled instantly—spilling names, locations, alliances. He revealed how multiple mafia leaders had formed a coalition to destroy Vicious's empire, targeting his drug lines, weapon routes, and underground contacts.
Martinez whistled. "That's a lot of information."
Vicious smiled slowly.
"Mm. Useful."
Then—SNAP.
He broke the man's neck in one swift, merciless motion. The body hit the floor like discarded trash.
His friends stared, stunned—even for them, it had been too fast to see.
Vicious dusted his hands casually.
"Clean that up," he ordered, sitting back down. "Now… pour me another drink."
His friends obeyed.
Thalia was in the kitchen when she heard footsteps entering the house. She froze.
Vicious.
Her heartbeat thundered in her chest. Without thinking, she ducked down behind the counter, pretending to be busy.
He walked past without going to the kitchen.
She exhaled shakily.
Vicious entered his room and threw himself onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, he finally admitted it
She's under my skin.
He sat up, dragging a hand down his face.
"This isn't poison," he whispered. "This is… desire."
A dangerous smirk crept across his lips.
Fine. If fate wants to play this game… I'll win it.
"Besides," he muttered with that signature arrogance, "I don't take a woman to bed twice…I will be done with her"
His smile deepened.
"…But Thalia?