Adrian's POV
The city looked calm from up here.
Lights shimmered through the glass walls of my penthouse, painting the room in gold and smoke.
Valeria moved beneath me, soft skin against silk sheets, her breath shallow. Her perfume jasmine and something darker lingered in the air.
"Missed me, didn't you?" she whispered against my ear.
I didn't answer. My hand gripped the edge of the bed instead, my focus lost somewhere between the rhythm of her voice and the thoughts I couldn't shake.
She laughed softly. "Still the same Adrian. Always in control. Never fully here."
Her words barely had time to sink in before my phone buzzed against the nightstand. Once. Twice. Then again.
Persistent.
I ignored it.
Valeria traced a line down my chest, smirking. "You're not going to get that?"
"It can wait," I muttered.
But it didn't stop. The buzzing grew louder, more insistent. Whoever it was, they weren't backing down.
Valeria sighed, pulling back slightly. "You always pick work over pleasure."
The name flashing on the screen froze me.
Mateo.
I reached for the phone. "Give me a minute."
Valeria rolled her eyes and sank into the pillows. "Of course. Business first."
I answered.
"Mateo."
His tone was sharp, cold. "Are you busy?"
I glanced at Valeria, who was watching me through half-lidded eyes. "You could say that."
"Well, stop whatever you're doing."
That tone low, lethal wasn't his usual. Something was wrong.
"What happened?" I asked, sitting up, my muscles tense.
There was a pause, then a sigh heavy enough to fill the silence.
"It's Elena."
That name hit like a switch. "What about her?"
"She got into some trouble at school."
"She's always getting into something. What kind this time?"
He didn't answer right away. Then I heard a faint sound, like a video playing through the phone. Muffled laughter. A girl's voice, trembling.
"Turn your phone on," Mateo said. "I sent it to you."
I opened the message. One tap, and the clip filled the screen.
A hallway.
A girl on her knees, gathering books while others laughed.
Her long dark hair covered part of her face, but her voice
"Stop recording," she said softly.
Even through the shaky camera, I saw her eyes.
Wide. Hurt. Angry.
Elena.
My jaw clenched.
"That's your sister?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah," Mateo said, voice tight. "Clara and her friends. You remember Clara?"
"The one she used to call her best friend."
"Not anymore."
Valeria shifted behind me. "Adrian"
I ignored her. My attention was fixed on the video on the part where a hand knocked Elena's books to the ground and laughter filled the hall.
"She's been trending all day," Mateo continued. "People are reposting it, mocking her. I can't get there right now. I'm in Madrid."
I exhaled slowly. "You want me to step in."
"I need you to look after her," he said. "Keep her safe. Keep her name out of more gossip. You know how fast things spread online."
"Mateo"
"I'm not asking. You owe me, Adrian."
Silence stretched. He was right. I did owe him. More than once.
I turned off the video, my jaw still tight. "Where is she now?"
"Her apartment near campus. I'll send the address."
Valeria sat up, the sheet falling slightly down her shoulder. "You're leaving?"
"Yeah."
"You're serious?" she snapped. "You answer a call in the middle of"
"Not now, Valeria."
She stared at me like she didn't recognize the man in front of her. "You're still the same. Cold. Distant. You don't feel anything for anyone."
I pulled on my shirt, ignoring the sting in her words. "That's not true."
"Then what's this about?"
I met her eyes sharp, beautiful, angry. "It's about a promise."
"To him? Or her?"
Her tone turned bitter, almost mocking.
"Both," I said simply.
Valeria laughed under her breath. "You think he'd do the same for you?"
"Doesn't matter." I buttoned my cuffs and grabbed my jacket.
Behind me, she got off the bed, wrapping the sheet around her. "She's his sister, isn't she?"
I paused at the door.
"Be careful, Adrian," she said, voice lower now. "You play savior too often. One day, you'll save someone you can't let go of."
Her words lingered as I slipped the gun holster over my shoulder and checked the clip. "Maybe."
The phone buzzed again with a message from Mateo.
Address attached. Don't screw this up.
I pocketed the phone and glanced once more at Valeria. Her eyes had softened, but her voice didn't.
"She's just a girl. Don't make her your next mistake."
I didn't answer.
I opened the door, the cool air of the corridor cutting through the heat of the room.
"Get dressed," I said quietly.
Valeria tilted her head. "Excuse me?"
"I'm driving you home. I have something more important to do."
And with that, I walked out leaving her in the glow of the city lights, half-wrapped in silk, whispering my name like a warning.
As the elevator doors closed, Adrian replayed the video in his head.
Elena's trembling voice. Her tear-streaked face.
For the first time in a long while, something he couldn't name twisted in his chest.
He didn't know it yet but this was the night everything would change.