Chapter 3 Bloody Lines

• The scent of blood fills the air with the sound of rain dripping on the warehouse roof. Ivy stood still, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. The lifeless body of the scar-faced man lay dead at her feet and Harrison Willow stands over the scene like a spirit of death.
• “Pick it up,” Harrison said, his voice was calm.
• Ivy’s eyes go to the file she had dropped, now lying in a pool of blood. Her legs felt weak, her hands shaking as she reached down to pick it.
• “What... what did you do?” she whispered.
• Harrison’s eyes glow with a cold amusement. “I eliminated a problem. You should be thanking me. He was going to betray us.”
• Her heart dropped. “You didn’t even give him a chance to explain.”
• Harrison moved closer. “I don’t wait for explanations. I act before someone else can. That’s how you survive.”
• She had stepped into a world where morality was a weakness and mercy didn’t exist.
• “Come,” Harrison ordered, turning back.
• Ivy hesitated, her instincts telling her to run. But where would she go? The city was a maze and Harrison’s reach was very far beyond what she could imagine.
• She followed him to the car waiting outside. As they drove through the dark streets, Ivy stared out the window, her reflection was like a ghostly figure against the rainy glass.
• “You’ll get used to it,” Harrison said, breaking the silence.
• She turned to him, her anger burning despite her fear. “Get used to what? Watching people die?”
• Harrison gave a smirk. “Yes. And if you’re smart, you’ll learn to use it to your advantage.”
• Ivy clenched her fists, biting back the response on her tongue. Arguing with him felt like challenging a storm; pointless and dangerous.
• Back at the mansion, Harrison took her to his office.
• “Sit,” he said.
• Ivy obeyed. Harrison leaned against the desk; his eyes locked on her.
• “You passed tonight’s test,” he said.
• “Test?” Ivy repeated.
• “I want to see how you’d handle pressure. Fear can either sharpen you or break you,” he explained.
• Her fists tighten. “And what if I had failed?”
• Harrison leaned in closer. “Failure isn’t an option in my world. You survive or you don’t.” “You think this is a joke,” she said, her voice shaking.
• Harrison raised an eyebrow. “Does it look like?”
• Ivy stood; her anger spilled over. “You’re playing with people’s lives like they’re nothing! How can you... kill someone and act like it doesn’t matter?”
• For a moment, Harrison said nothing. Then, he laughed in a cold gloomy sound.
• “Because it doesn’t matter,” he said, his voice cuts. “Not to me.”
• He straightened; his expression hardens. “But you…..you’re different. You still care. That’s what makes you interesting.”
• His words left her speechless. Before she could respond, he stepped closer, his hand brushed her cheek. The gesture was surprisingly gentle, but it sent fear through her.
• “Don’t lose that fire,” he mumbled. “It’s what makes you... valuable.”
• Harrison’s phone buzzed. He looked at the screen, his expression darkens.
• “I have business to attend,” he said, turning away. “Stay here. Don’t wander.”
• Ivy waited until the door clicked shut before sitting into the chair, her head in her hands. She feels like a puppet, her strings tangled in Harrison’s hold.
• Her eyes fell on the file she had delivered earlier, still lying on the desk. Curiosity hit her, and despite the risk, she opened it.
• The contents made her paused. Names, addresses, transactions; it was a detailed account of Harrison’s operations, connecting people in positions of power.
• A creak behind her made her freeze.
• “I told you not to wander,” Harrison’s voice comes.
• Ivy turned around, the file slipping from her hands. Harrison stood in the doorway; his eyes dangerous.
• “What are you doing, Ivy?” he asked.
• She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. He moved closer, his existence suffocating as he picked up the file.
• “You’re playing a dangerous game, darling,” he said, his voice low. “And you just broke the rules.”
• Ivy backed away as he closed the distance between them, his expression a storm of fire and something darker….and possessive.
• “You’re mine, Ivy,” he growled, his hand gripped her chin. “And in my world, disobedience comes with price.”
• To be Continued…