3rd POV

TEN YEARS LATER, ITALY

The underground arena reeked of sweat, blood, and desperation. A place where the weak got crushed and the strong barely survived. It wasn't just about fighting-it was about destruction. About men with nothing to lose throwing punches until one of them stopped moving.

Kai stood in the center of it all, a storm in human form. His black tank top clung to his sweat-drenched skin, scars littering his arms like a roadmap of past wars. His knuckles were raw, bruised, and bloodied. Five wins in a row, yet his chest felt as hollow as ever.

The crowd roared, their voices a deafening chorus of chaos. But Kai heard nothing. Nothing but the dull, familiar hum of anger clawing at his insides, demanding release.

Across the ring, his next opponent hesitated, shifting nervously on his feet. Fear. Kai could smell it. See it in the way the man's jaw clenched, in the slight tremor in his hands.

Good.

The bell rang.

Kai didn't waste a second. He lunged forward, a brutal hook smashing into the man's ribs. The sickening crack of bone breaking barely registered in his ears. His opponent staggered back, gasping for air, but Kai didn't slow down. He couldn't.

Another punch. Then another. Then another.

His fists didn't just strike flesh-they tore into memories. Into the ghosts that refused to let him rest.

Elias.

The name flashed through his mind like a poisoned blade, and his rage surged. He slammed his knee into the man's gut, watching as his opponent crumpled to the ground, coughing up blood.

The referee barely had time to check before raising Kai's hand in victory. The crowd erupted, chanting his name, but he didn't acknowledge them. Their cheers meant nothing. He had already won. Already destroyed.

And still, it wasn't enough.

As he stepped out of the ring, his breath came in ragged exhales, his knuckles throbbing. He wiped a hand over his face, dragging away the sweat, but the exhaustion clung to him like a second skin.

From the shadows, Ethan, Kai's brother watched. His sharp gaze tracked Kai's every move, concern flickering beneath his usual indifference. It had been ten years, and still, nothing had changed. Kai was still running, still fighting battles that wouldn't end.

Next to him, a boy-lean, sharp-eyed, and eerily similar to Kai-stood with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

Kai's son.

He was taller now, almost seventeen, his features a perfect blend of his parents. Although adopted, he had inherited his father, Kai's fire, his sharpness, but there was something else too. A quiet understanding. A longing to reach out.

But Kai never let him.

Not fully.

As Kai disappeared down the hallway, fists still clenched at his sides, Ethan let out a slow exhale.

----------------

Ten years had passed since the night that destroyed everything. A single moment had ripped apart friendships, trust, and the last remnants of the person Kai once was. Now, standing at the helm of one of the most formidable criminal organizations in the city, Kai Adrian Cassano was nothing like the boy they had once known.

Gone was the fragile, hopelessly devoted lover who had worn his heart on his sleeve. Gone was the boy who had spent nights laughing under the stars with his friends. In his place stood a man carved from steel and blood, a man who ruled with fear, power, and an iron fist.

The underworld knew him as a name to be feared-Cassano. To his enemies, he was ruthless. To his allies, he was a necessary evil. But to himself? He was nothing.

Power meant nothing when there was no one left to share it with.

Ethan watched from the sidelines, silent as ever. He had always been there-always watching, always protecting. But the bond between them had withered, turned into something unspoken and distant. Even though they stood side by side, fighting the same wars, there was a wall between them neither dared to cross.

Ethan had vanished after that night ten years ago, cutting ties with everyone they once called friends. And when he returned, it wasn't as a brother or a friend-it was as Kai's right-hand man, just another soldier in his empire of violence.

Yet, sometimes, in the dead of night, Ethan wondered if the boy Kai used to be was still in there somewhere. If there was anything left beneath the layers of bitterness and scars. But Kai never let him see.

Not anymore.

Then there was Noah.

He, too, had moved forward-on the surface, at least. But memories had claws, and no matter how much he tried to bury them, they still tore at him. The stolen glances, the unspoken words, the things left unsaid between him and Noah-those ghosts never left. And he hated himself for still thinking about it.

For still thinking about him.

But Kai... Kai had no ghosts.

Or at least, that's what he told himself.

The only thing that kept him human anymore was Yohan-the child.

Two years after the incident, Kai had found him. An eight-year-old boy with wide, terrified eyes, abandoned in a world just as cruel as the one that had shaped Kai.

For the first time in years, he had felt something. Not pain, not rage-something else.

A promise. A purpose.

He had taken the boy in, vowing to shield him from the same horrors he had endured. And now, years later, the boy was his only source of light in an existence otherwise drenched in blood and shadows.

But even that light couldn't reach the parts of him that were already dead.

Ethan saw it. Yohan saw it.

And Kai?

Kai didn't care.

Not about them. Not about the past.

Because the past had already killed him.

And the man that remained was nothing but the aftermath.

As the echoes of the roaring crowd faded behind him, Kai stepped out of the underground arena, the remnants of adrenaline still thrumming in his veins. His fists ached, bruised and bloodied, but the pain barely registered-it never did. The fights were nothing but a temporary escape, a way to silence the storm that never truly settled.

The cool night air hit his sweat-drenched skin, but before he could take a breath, the vibration in his pocket snapped him back to reality. He pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen.

Victor Calvarez.

The name alone was enough to put him on edge. Victor wasn't just an ally-he was the head of the second-strongest mafia in the world. And more importantly, he was the only person Kai trusted in this godforsaken world.

A call from Victor was never meaningless.

Kai pressed the phone to his ear, his voice sharp and composed. "Victor."

"Kai, I need your help. It's urgent," Victor's voice came fast, edged with tension.

Kai's eyes narrowed. Victor never sounded rattled-not unless it was serious. "What's going on?" he asked, already running through possible scenarios in his mind.

"I can't explain over the phone. Can you please get to my mansion now."

Kai didn't miss the way Victor's voice dipped lower, like he was being careful with his words. A flicker of suspicion crawled up his spine, but he trusted Victor enough to know this wasn't a bluff.

A beat of silence. Then, Kai sighed. "I'm on my way."

He hung up, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

From the sidelines, his son watched him, concern flickering in his young but sharp eyes. "Dad?" His voice was hesitant. "Is everything okay?"

Kai exhaled, forcing a small, reassuring smile. "It's just business. I won't be gone long."

Ethan-leaned against the car, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "You sure about that?" he asked quietly. "The last time you got that look, things didn't end well."

Kai shot him a glance but didn't respond. He didn't have to.

With one last glance at his son, he pulled open the car door and slid inside. The engine roared to life, but even as he sped through the dimly lit streets, his mind was elsewhere.

Victor's words gnawed at him. Urgent. Now.

Something was coming. And if years in this world had taught Kai anything, it was that storms never arrived quietly.

Tonight would be no different.

----------------

Kai's car pulled up to Victor Calvarez's mansion, the headlights slicing through the darkness. The estate loomed ahead, a fortress of power and wealth, its marble columns and towering gates a testament to Victor's dominance in the underworld. The moment Kai stepped out, armed guards flanked him, their stances rigid, their gazes assessing.

He barely spared them a glance. They knew better than to question him.

The doors swung open, and he was ushered through the lavish corridors until he reached Victor's study. The air smelled of aged whiskey and expensive leather, but Kai barely registered it. His gaze locked onto Victor, who stood by the window, his usual composed demeanor fractured by something deeper-anxiety. Relief flickered across his face as he turned to Kai.

"You came." Victor exhaled, not wasting time on pleasantries. "I need your help with something delicate."

Kai leaned against the desk, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "Go on."

Victor hesitated for half a second before speaking, his voice measured but laced with something raw. "I found my half-brother."

Kai's brows lifted slightly. That wasn't what he expected.

"After all these years of searching, I finally found him," Victor continued, his tone a strange mix of joy and sorrow.

For a moment, Kai said nothing. He wasn't the type to celebrate reunions-he knew better than anyone that the past rarely returned without a price. Still, he gave Victor a curt nod. "That's good news."

Victor let out a quiet, humorless chuckle. "You'd think so." His expression darkened, his fingers curling into fists. "My mother's last wish was for us to reunite. But it's... complicated."

Kai knew what that meant. Complicated in their world never meant something simple like distance or lost time. It meant secrets, danger, and blood.

His voice was steady, but his instincts were already on high alert. "What do you need from me?"

Victor ran a hand down his face, visibly conflicted before finally meeting Kai's gaze. "There was an attack on my organization. I have to leave for Russia-immediately. But my brother and his friend... they're here. And I can't risk leaving them alone."

Kai didn't move, his expression unreadable.

"I need you to take them in. Keep them safe at your mansion until I return," Victor said, the words heavy.

Kai studied him for a long moment. He didn't trust easily, and he sure as hell didn't like unexpected responsibilities. But Victor wasn't just an ally-he was the only person Kai considered close in this wretched world.

Finally, he nodded. "I'll handle it."

Some of the tension drained from Victor's shoulders, though the weight of responsibility still clung to him. "I knew I could count on you."

Kai said nothing. He had a feeling this wasn't just about protecting some lost brother. Complicated always came with consequences.

And something told him this was just the beginning.

----------------

The evening air in Kai's mansion was thick with unspoken words and suffocating tension. Every tick of the grand clock in the lavish living room felt like a countdown to something inevitable, something neither Kai nor Elias was prepared for.

Victor had summoned his half-brother and his friend, Noah to meet the man they would be staying with-his most trusted ally. None of them had expected that ally to be him.

Kai stood near the fireplace, posture relaxed but gaze razor-sharp. His fingers traced the bruises on his knuckles absentmindedly, remnants of the fight he had just walked out of. But the moment Elias stepped through the doors, his entire world froze.

Him.

A decade had passed, but Kai would have recognized that face anywhere.

Elias stood stiffly on the other side of the room, his dark eyes flickering between shock and something colder. The easy arrogance, the reckless charm-all of it was gone. Instead, there was only quiet steel, a sharp-edged version of the boy Kai once knew.

The boy he had once loved. The boy who had once destroyed him.

Fate had never been kind to them. And now, it was laughing in their faces.

Victor, standing between them, cleared his throat, completely oblivious to the silent war raging in the room. "I know this is unexpected, but there's something important I need to tell you all." His voice carried authority, but the weight of his words did nothing to ease the suffocating atmosphere.

Kai forced himself to breathe, keeping his expression impassive. He's nothing. He means nothing. But his own lie felt like a noose tightening around his throat.

Elias was just as still, his nails digging into his palms. The scars of ten years ago had never healed, and now, standing in front of Kai again, they burned like fresh wounds.

He and Noah exchanged bewildered glances. They were shocked to see that the person standing in front of them is Kai Adrian Cassano, the boy who used to carry his heart on his sleeve has now turned into cold, ruthless mafia.

Why him? Of all people... why did it have to be him?

Victor continued, "Kai is someone I trust with my life. He has agreed to keep you safe while I'm gone. I know this is sudden, but you'll be in good hands."

Elias barely heard him. His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out everything else. He had spent years trying to erase Kai from his memory. He had sworn never to let the past touch him again.

And yet, here he was-trapped in the one place he never wanted to be.

Kai's gaze flickered to him for a fraction of a second before turning away. No words were exchanged. No acknowledgment. Just silence.

It shouldn't have affected Elias.

But it did.

Victor gave a short nod of finality. "That settles it. You'll all stay here until I return." He turned to Kai, his expression serious. "Thank you for this."

Kai nodded. "Don't mention it." His voice was calm, but his hands, hidden in his pockets, clenched into fists.

Victor cast one last glance between them.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them spoke.

And yet, in that silence, a decade of pain, betrayal, and unfinished business screamed between them.

Elias exhaled sharply, turning away first, refusing to look back. This was going to be hell.

Kai stood unmoving, his gaze burning into the empty space.

The past wasn't done with them yet.

And now, under the same roof, with nowhere to run...

It was only a matter of time before the storm broke loose.

----------------

So, Kai and Elias finally meet after ten years, when none of them were expecting it. But both of them aren't the same young boy who used to find happiness in just each other's presence because the same presence haunts them now.

This reunion might not be the most wanted one. But it will shape Kai and Elias' life more than they ever imagined.

And they are yet to meet Ethan, their dear friend, who is in fact Kai's brother.

Ethan and Noah are yet to meet!!!