OUR BOND

Exposed

Third Person POV

Following day, Cyrus sat in the corner of the dim hotel room, the chair pushed down because of his weight. The curtains were drawn, keeping the late afternoon light out, but a thin strip of sun cut through the seam landing across the carpet like a spotlight he wanted no part of.

His phone lay on the table beside him, screen dark, silent. Every few minutes, his eyes flicked towards it, searching for the one call he was waiting on - Damien Cassano's.

He wasn't panicking, not exactly. Panic was sloppy and Cyrus had spent years training it out of himself. But calm? He wasn't that either. His chest felt like it was strung with wire, pulled tight enough to hum with every passing second.

He had options and the resources to protect himself - he always had. There were weapons stashed in the duffel at his feet, cash folded tight in the lining and multiple burner accounts that had millions, new passports tucked away in a place no one would think to look. He could disappear again if he wanted to. Run to another city, another name, another shadow.

But none of that would last, not this time.

The ledger had changed everything. It wasn't just a bargaining chip - it was dynamite, and he was carrying it like a lit fuse. The rival family would never stop hunting him, not until his blood was spilled and the book, their foundation was back in their hands.

Only one man had the kind of reach, the kind of power, to shield him from what was coming.

Damien.

Cyrus leaned back on the chair, elbows on the armrests, fingers steepled infront if his mouth. Trusting Damien Cassano was a gamble, maybe even a mistake, but it was only play he had left. And until that phone lit up with Damien's name, he'd sit here in this quiet room with nothing but his own thoughts pressing in, reminding him how thin the line was between survival and the grave.

* ** *

"What's up with you? Is the movie boring? should I change it?" Alessandro asked seeing the young lady next to him lost in thought. That made Alexander also assess the situation.

Noel turned to them, lips parting before she caught herself.  She almost asked if Damien talked to them about a Cyrus - but that would expose far more than she was willing to. So instead she bit down on the question and forced a thin smile "It's fine. I was just.. thinking"

Thinking about Cyrus.

Pérez had called her that morning, his voice unbothered as he relayed the update: Cyrus was still in the city. He was holed up in some hotel since yesterday and Pérez - annoyingly claimed he didn't know what he was back for. Noel didn't buy it. Cyrus didn't just reappear after three years and start lingering around like a shadow. Especially not if Damien was somewhat involved.

The thought made her restless, every bit of laughter from the twins half-reaching her.

Just as Alessandro leaned in with another quip, Alexander's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and his playful grin faltered. "it's Damien" he muttered, straightening as he answered the call.

Noel's gaze sharpened, trying not to make it obvious she was listening.

"Yeah" Alexander said into the phone. Then silence as he listened, the shift in his expression immediate - the careless humor draining from his face, leaving behind a sharper, colder seriousness. "We're on our way"

Before Noel could ask, he was already standing, pulling Alessandro with him.

"Where are you going?" she pressed, standing too.