Dark Romance

Chapter Six

Stella's POV:

Ak's steel gaze locked onto mine, his eyes burning with an intense determination that sent a chill down my spine.

Without breaking eye contact, he moved with swift, lethal efficiency. His hand shot out, clamping around the man's throat with a vice-like grip. The man barely had time to react before his body crumpled to the floor, lifeless.

With a predator's grace, he turned to the next man. His movements were fluid, almost effortless.

The sound of his fist connecting with the man's throat was a muffled impact, yet it held a gravity that echoed in the silence. The man staggered, his eyes wide with shock, before collapsing in a heap. Ak stood over him, unshaken, his presence commanding the room as if daring anyone else to challenge him.

Afterward, Ak shifted his intense gaze away from the fallen man and locked eyes with me. With purposeful strides, he made his way toward me, his presence commanded authority.

As he approached, I noticed another man slowly advancing from behind him. My heart raced, and my eyes widened in terror as I saw the man gripping a metal rod, preparing to strike Ak from behind.

Ak yanked his hand back with a sudden, forceful motion and gripped the man's neck with a steely determination. He dragged the man roughly in front of him, and with a powerful and unrelenting assault, began to hit him hard.

Each strike was brutal, echoing through the room. Unable to bear the violence, I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the horrific sight. On hearing a loud thud, I opened my eyes. To my horror, I saw the man's lifeless body sliding down the wall.

I gasped, my breath catching in my throat as AK's gaze finally shifted to meet mine. His eyes, usually so cold and distant, held a flicker of something unreadable.

"Let's go," he muttered, extending his hand towards me.

I stared at him, trying to understand his intentions. Why is he helping me? He is the man responsible for all of this, the one who dragged me into this nightmare. And yet, here he was, acting as if he cared.

He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming as he tried to take my hand once more. I yanked my hand back, shaking my head.

"I can't," I stuttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

AK's eyes narrowed, a spark of frustration flashing in them.

"Where is my bracelet?" I demanded, my voice trembling but firm.

He let out an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"In this situation, all you care about is your bracelet?" he asked, his tone tinged with disbelief.

Before I could respond, he dragged his hand across the small distance between us, his fingers brushing against mine before firmly closing around them.

His blue eyes pierced through mine, their intensity making me feel as though I was adrift in an endless ocean. I found myself lost in their depths, unable to break free from the magnetic pull of his gaze.

When he tried to drag me towards him, I was jolted out of the spell of his eyes. The intense connection shattered as the physical force brought me back to reality, the pull of his grip snapping me away from the oceanic depths of his stare and thrusting me back into the present.

"I....I....can't, they'll kill my family," I said, my voice breaking as panic surged through me.

"They can't—" he started to reply, but his words were abruptly cut off by the sudden, echoing sound of footsteps reverberating through the walls.

"Let's go," he whispered urgently, his eyes darting towards the staircase where the sound was coming from.

As his attention remained fixed on the footsteps, I yanked my hand from his grip. He turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed in frustration and confusion, just as the lights flickered on.

I glanced up at the lights and then quickly averted my gaze to AK, but he was nowhere to be seen, and I found myself standing among the lifeless bodies scattered around.

In front of me, the Boss loomed with his gunmen by his side,  his gaze cold and sharp as he surveyed the scene.

Marco, the boss's trusted right-hand man, came running to the boss, his breath heavy with panic.

"Boss, we have a serious problem, there was an attack, someone ambushed our men. Many were killed, and their bodies are scattered outside. We lost more people than I can count."

Mr Giovanni (the boss) Clenched his fists, his face flushed red with intense anger, trying to suppress the wrath and frustration that boiled beneath the surface.

Marco's eyes darted to the boss's face, searching for an answer, but he found only a hardened expression. He then followed the direction of his gaze and took in the scene, his eyes widening in disbelief. I gulped nervously, making an effort to keep my expression neutral.

"Who was there?" the boss asked me, his voice sharp.

As I glanced at him, my gaze inadvertently drifted to the wall behind him. There, partially concealed in the dim light and melding with the shadows, was the one and only AK. He was crouched low, trying to stay out of sight. I quickly averted my eyes, trying to ensure that no one else saw him there.

"I… I… don’t know," I stammered, my voice was shaky.

"What do you mean you don’t know?" Mr. Giovanni shouted, his frustration evident as he leaned forward, eyes blazing with anger.

"Boss, the lights were out, and I couldn’t see his face clearly, he was about to attack me when you arrived. As soon as you came in, he bolted and disappeared."

"Which direction did he run?" Mr. Giovanni demanded, his tone sharp and urgent.

"I saw him darting towards the stairs."

"How is that possible? We came from there and didn’t see anyone," ? Mr. Giovanni said, visibly puzzled.

Marco, standing nearby, immediately took action, instructing a few men to head upstairs and search the area thoroughly for any sign of the suspect.

"Could you recognize him, even slightly, if you see him again?" Mr. Giovanni asked.

And my gaze fell on AK once more, his intense blue eyes were fixed on me. With a subtle, almost unnoticeable nod he gestured for me to say yes.

"Yes, boss."

"Show her the picture," Mr. Giovanni ordered.

Marco pulled his phone from his pocket and began scrolling through the screen. The dim glow illuminated his face as he swiped through images, finally pausing on one. He held the phone out, displaying a picture of AK, whose face was covered with a mask as usual.

"Was it him?" Marco asked, anticipation evident on his face.

I glanced quickly at AK, who remained motionless, his expression unreadable, and then back at the photo.

I felt the weight of everyone’s eyes on me. The room was silent, the tension almost palpable as every gaze was fixed on my face, waiting for my answer. The pressure was overwhelming, and my heartbeat pounded loudly in my chest, each thud reverberating through the silence as I struggled to maintain my composure.

Until then....