C15 For her

Zack's POV

"Don't tell me that you're going to pass out on an offer as big as this?" Victor asked again, his voice laced with a tint shade of rejection.

"You know how little your supposed offer is Victor, just leave peacefully so I don't have to turn this into something else," I warned.

"What are you going to do Holmes and just so you know, half of this bar is filled with my men, and any wrong move will get you killed," he said, holding his gun out.

I scoffed at his lame attempt to scare me, causing him to scrunch his face in surprise.

"You must think this is a joke, Holmes," he said again, signaling to one of his men.

The latter came closer, holding a document in his hands.

I watched Victor take the paper from him, placing them on the table with his gun pressed by my sides.

"Sign the papers or you lose your life, Holmes, I'm pretty sure you make no difference to your father, that's why he gave the full control of his company to your brother instead of you," he said, making me smile.

"Sign the fuckin papers Zack!" He barked, pressing his gun tighter to my sides.

"Careful Victor, you need to learn how to be patient, I've to read what the document entails, don't I?" I asked, watching him almost flinch at my gaze.

I picked up the paper lazily, reading through the paper before dropping it back on the table.

"And you think you're scaring me by doing this?" I asked, happy at the sight of him losing control, as my hands played under the the table, unlocking a small space under the table.

"Get down Isaac," I said to my server. "I'm telling you to shut the fuck up and sign the paper..." He barely said when I pulled a gun from under the table, shooting his ankle with precise movements, and turned the next second to shoot an inch away from the man who came bearing the documents.

His eyes were red with pain and his forehead was brimming with sweat.

"You don't get to threaten me Victor, do you know why it is Alex who was allowed to lead the cooperate business? Because he's predictable, and I'm very well not the man you think I'm," I said, standing up from the chair, when my eyes caught a picture of his daughter behind the paper.

Beautiful... delicate, just like my Sofia. "I'm letting you go because of your daughter Victor, and I'm going to be keeping a watch over you, a single statement of you ever pitching her out to me, I'll make sure, I don't miss a shot to your heart," I said and walked past him.

"Take him to the hospital, he has nothing less than 30 minutes to live," Victor groaned in pain, clutching his bleeding ankle as his men scrambled to assist him. The look in his eyes wasn’t just anger—it was pure hatred, searing and venomous.

“You’ll regret this, Holmes,” he spat through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse from the agony.

"I don't miss shots Victor, I'm the best Archer in this city for a reason, and you can never beat me to it, try me again and I'll make sure it's your daughter who comes to collect your body, and that too in a bag," I said before turning to leave.

Not stopping or even glancing back. My steps were steady as I walked out of the bar, leaving behind the chaos I’d just created. The stench of alcohol and blood mixed with the low murmurs of patrons too afraid to intervene.

Victor had made a grave mistake threatening me. He thought he could strong-arm me into submission with his half-baked intimidation tactics. But I wasn’t Alex. I wasn’t predictable, and I didn’t play by anyone else’s rules.

Outside, the cold night air hit my face, but it did little to cool the fire burning inside me. My hands itched to pull out my phone, to call Sofia just to hear her voice, but I stopped myself. She didn’t need me bringing more danger into her life than she was already dealing with.

Victor’s daughter, though... Her picture lingered in my mind. A pawn in his games, just like Sofia had been in her father’s schemes. The mere thought of him using her made my blood boil.

As I reached my car, Isaac appeared from the shadows. He’d followed my order and stayed out of the line of fire.

“Everything alright, boss?” he asked, his tone low but concerned.

I nodded, pulling open the driver’s side door. “Victor won’t bother me again, at least not for a while. Make sure he gets to a hospital. Bare minimum. He doesn’t die—not yet and make sure the lock is fixed as usual, this time, change the password," I said, and he nodded, turning to leave before he asked again.

"What password should it be?" He asked. "The date of the last time I came here," I said and Isaac gave a sharp nod before disappearing back into the bar, leaving me to slide into the driver’s seat.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, staring out into the night. Victor’s threat wasn’t something to brush off. He’d come at me with his men once; he wouldn’t hesitate to try again. But this time, I had the upper hand.

This wasn’t just about me anymore. It was about Sofia. About keeping her safe.

Victor knew I wasn't the only one with the shares and even though she had the Holmes name on her, if he could threaten me, he could threaten her as well.

And 5 percent of the Holmes shares was enough to buy this city, talk more of a 10. She's needed to be safe at all times.

Victor didn’t realize it yet, but by bringing Sofia into his games, he’d made this personal. And if he wanted to play with fire, I was more than willing to burn his entire world down—for her.