The Russian Mafia's Queen.

2.

Chloe's POV

I ran until my legs burned, my breath coming in frantic gasps as I sprinted down the cobbled streets. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else. I didn't care where I was going, didn't care how late it was. I just needed to get away from him.

From Nicholas.

The man who had haunted my nightmares for so many years was standing right in front of me. And the moment I saw him—when I locked eyes with him—I felt the fear, the pain, and the guilt all crash back into my chest like a tidal wave.

I had spent ten years running from the life I had left behind, burying my memories, convincing myself that I was safe here. But it had all come crumbling down the moment I saw him. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything except run.

I didn't know if he remembered me, but I sure as hell remembered him. The man who had been part of my worst days. The man who had been involved in things I could never undo.

My footsteps faltered as I turned a corner, finally allowing myself to slow down. The city street was quieter now, the shops closed, and the world around me seemed to fade into the background.

I rested my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath, my mind still racing. My thoughts were a blur, spinning in circles.

He was here. He found me.

I couldn't—no, I wouldn't—let him drag me back into that world. I couldn't let him find out who I really was, the truth that I had worked so hard to keep hidden.

But what if he already knew? What if, somehow, he had recognized me? The panic that had gripped me when I saw him—was that just fear of him? Or was there something more to it?

I needed to calm down. I needed to think clearly.

I straightened, wiping my hands on my jeans, trying to steady my breathing. I couldn't let myself fall apart. I couldn't let him have that kind of power over me again.

I started walking again, slower this time, my footsteps echoing through the empty streets. I glanced over my shoulder once, just to make sure he wasn't following me, but the street was empty.

I was safe—for now. But for how long?

I didn't know how long I could keep running from my past. And I didn't know what I would do if Nicholas came looking for me again.

The only thing I knew for sure was that I couldn't let him find out the truth. No matter the cost.

Nicholas' POV

"Dude, you've been staring at that door for, like, five minutes now," Ken's voice broke through the silence, pulling me back to reality. I hadn't even realized how long I'd been lost in thought, my gaze fixed on the café entrance. The girl was long gone, but the sensation of her presence still clung to me—an invisible trace of something I couldn't explain.

I blinked, shaking my head as I pulled my eyes away from the door. My fingers clenched around the cup in front of me, the warmth of the ceramic doing nothing to calm the storm inside.

"I think I've found my soulmate."

Ken froze, his coffee cup suspended midair. His eyes locked on mine, wide with disbelief, before he burst out laughing, loud and sharp.

"What?" he gasped between fits of laughter. "You? Soulmate? Nah, man. You don't do soulmates. You do revenge and business. That's your thing."