Twisted Fate (Rewritten)

16

Cristian

After speaking with Tyla, I walked into my office, hoping to lose myself in work. The confrontation earlier played on a loop in my mind, my thoughts slipping back to her every few minutes. The look in her eyes—torn between defiance and something else, something I couldn't quite read—haunted me. The more I tried to bury myself in the tasks at hand, the more distracted I became.

I had deadlines to meet and reports to file for both the firm and the business, yet my focus was elsewhere. It was maddening, because this never happens. Usually, I can push everything aside—personal feelings, outside distractions—and get things done. But today, Tyla had gotten under my skin, more than I care to admit.

I clenched my jaw and forced my gaze back to the screen. I had to get it together. The business didn't run itself, and with everything going on, I couldn't afford to let emotions cloud my judgment. Especially now.

The door creaked open behind me, and Gisella slipped into the room, her hood up, always keeping to the shadows. She silently shut the door, her movements smooth and practiced—years of training had made her every bit the assassin she claimed to be. There was an energy about her, something unspoken that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Are there any issues with the shipping?" I asked, not even turning around. My eyes remained glued to the monitor, even though the words on the screen were now nothing but a blur.

"No." Gisella's voice was low, almost casual, as she toyed with her pocket knife—a habit she'd picked up whenever she was deep in thought. "But I did spot Cesar around the area."

That made me swivel in my chair. My attention shifted fully to her now. "Cesar?" I asked. "Did you go after him?"

Gisella shook her head, her lips curling in a sardonic smile. "Even if I could've, you know he's sneaky like a snake. I may be the best assassin you have, brother, but you need to remember who taught me."

Cesar. That name alone was enough to send a rush of anger through me. He was as slippery as they came, always one step ahead, always watching from the shadows. He had a knack for showing up when things were about to go sideways.

"What's he planning?" I muttered, mostly to myself.

Gisella shrugged as she leaned against my desk, her knife glinting in the dim light. "From what we know about Cesar, nothing good. But I did see him meeting with Nicoolo."

Niccolo. My stomach churned at the thought of them teaming up. It wasn't just that Nicoolo was dangerous in his own right—it was the alliance that troubled me. Cesar wasn't one to align himself with anyone unless there was something in it for him. If those two were working together, it could only mean one thing: trouble.

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my face with my hands as I thought of my next move. Tatianna and her father had been plotting for a while now, that much was obvious. But if they'd teamed up with Cesar, it meant things were escalating faster than I'd anticipated. Cesar was a wildcard, and wildcards always made things unpredictable.

Gisella's voice cut through my thoughts. "We need a bug. Someone who can blend in, act natural, but still feed us information."

I frowned, considering the suggestion. "But that's the thing—who can we trust? No one in this business has our family's best interests in mind."

"That's true," she admitted, flipping the knife open and closed absentmindedly. "But what about Tatianna?"

My jaw clenched instinctively at the mention of her name. Tatianna was dangerous, unpredictable, and manipulative. She was also far too close to the enemy for my liking. "No," I said, shaking my head as I returned to typing on my computer. "She's in bed with the enemy."

"But you have leverage over her," Gisella pressed, her eyes narrowing. "She's all about you, Cristian. If you played your cards right, she'd settle. You could use that to our advantage."

"I don't trust her," I replied bluntly. "She's not going to come back to us so easily, not after everything."

"Think about it," Gisella said, leaning closer. "She could be a double agent. We feed her false information, and she reports it back to Cesar or Nicoolo. In the meantime, she could give us the real deal on what's going on behind the scenes."

I stared at my sister, weighing her words. She wasn't wrong—Tatianna could be useful if we played this right. But the problem was, there was always a catch with her. Nothing came for free where she was concerned. She always had an angle, always something to gain. And that made her dangerous.

"There's a catch with her," I said quietly, meeting Gisella's eyes. "And you know exactly what that catch is."

Gisella smirked, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, I do. But what's the harm in that, brother? You're not tied down to anyone."

I winced at that. Gisella knew about the mess with Tyla—or she just didn't care. Either way, Tatianna's involvement was a risk I wasn't sure I could afford right now.

"I'm not interested," I said, my tone final. "Tatianna's not the answer to this."

"Then what is?" Gisella shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. "You don't trust anyone, and you can't do this alone. We need someone on the inside, Cristian. Before it's too late."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I stared out the window. She was right. Time was running out, and I was running out of options. Cesar and Nicoolo were up to something—something big—and if we didn't figure it out soon, we'd be the ones playing catch-up.

Still, the idea of working with Tatianna made my skin crawl. She was too close to Cesar, too deep in their world. I didn't like the thought of relying on her, even if it was just to feed her false information. But Gisella was right—we needed someone.

"I'll think about it," I muttered, more to myself than to her.

"We don't have time for you to 'think about it,'" Gisella snapped, pushing off the desk. "Make a decision, Cristian. Before Cesar makes one for you."

Her words hung in the air long after she'd left the room, the door closing softly behind her.

I sat there for a long time, staring at nothing, my mind racing with possibilities. Every option felt like a dead end, every path leading back to the same problem: who could I trust? In a world full of snakes, even the ones closest to me had their agendas.

I glanced at my phone, my fingers hovering over Tyla's name in my contacts. She was the last person I wanted to involve in this mess, but a part of me couldn't help but wonder if she could be the one to break this stalemate. She had a way of seeing through people, reading situations in a way that I often couldn't. But dragging her further into my world...it wasn't fair.

No, I couldn't do that to her. Not again.

But the clock was ticking, and Cesar was already making his first move.