Chapter 16 – The Power Behind the Mask

Lina sat curled up on the couch, her fingers gripping the warm cup of tea Ethan had prepared for her that morning.

He had left an hour ago—something he rarely did.

She wasn't allowed to ask where he was going.

But today, she needed answers.

She had spent weeks trying to understand how Ethan had built this perfectly controlled world around her.

How had he erased her past so efficiently?

How did he always know her every move?

How was he so untouchable?

And most importantly—was he doing it alone?

She had assumed Ethan had no one.

No family.

No close friends.

No one to help him.

But if that was true—then how was he managing everything so perfectly?

A dark thought settled in her mind.

What if he wasn't alone?

Lina carefully left the comfort of the living room and wandered through the house.

She had searched his office before, but now, she needed something else.

Something Ethan wouldn't have expected her to find.

After checking his usual spaces, her eyes landed on a small locked drawer inside his closet.

Lina's pulse quickened.

With shaking hands, she tried opening it.

Locked.

Of course.

Her gaze flickered around the room before she spotted a set of keys on the nightstand.

Swallowing back nerves, she took one, slid it into the lock, and—

Click.

It opened.

Inside were neatly organized documents, weapons, cash, and… a phone.

A separate phone. Not the one he used around her.

She quickly grabbed it, scrolling through the messages.

Most of them were coded, unreadable.

But one stood out—

A message from a man named Vince.

Vince: "I'll be there at the usual time. We need to discuss the shipment."

Lina's heart skipped a beat.

"Shipment?"

Who was Vince?

Why did Ethan need to meet him?

And—how had she never noticed?

Her hands trembled as she placed the phone back carefully, locking the drawer just as she had found it.

She had been in this house for weeks.

How had she never known that someone else came here every alternate day?

What else had Ethan hidden from her?

And—what the hell was he shipping?

That night, Lina pretended to sleep.

She lay still, listening.

Waiting.

Just past midnight, she heard the door open and close.

Footsteps.

Two sets.

Her breath caught. It was happening.

Ethan wasn't alone.

She carefully shifted in bed, making sure she could still hear them.

And then—she caught something chilling.

Their voices.

Muffled, but clear enough.

She listened.

Vince: "The police are asking questions again."

Ethan: "They always do. They won't find anything."

Lina's blood ran cold.

The police?

Ethan: "The shipment is secured?"

Vince: "Of course. No one dares to touch it. Not after what happened to the last guy."

Ethan chuckled darkly. "Good."

Lina's stomach churned.

What the hell were they talking about?

What shipment?

Who had they dealt with?

She barely managed to hold her breath as Vince spoke again.

Vince: "Boss, I still think it's risky keeping her here. The longer she stays—"

Ethan: "She's mine."

Lina's entire body froze.

The sheer possession in his tone.

He wasn't just obsessed with her.

He was protecting her from something.

But from what?

Vince: "If they find out you've got her here—"

Ethan: "They won't."

There was a pause.

Then—Vince sighed.

Vince: "You should have told her who you really are by now."

Lina's hands clenched the sheets.

Who he really was?

She had spent weeks thinking Ethan was just a man obsessed with her.

But now—she wasn't sure anymore.

What was he hiding?

Her heartbeat hammered violently.

The conversation ended, and moments later, Lina heard the front door close again.

Ethan had walked Vince out.

She had minutes.

Maybe less.

Lina scrambled out of bed, rushing to the window.

She pressed herself against the wall, carefully peeking outside.

And what she saw made her blood freeze.

Vince stood by a black SUV, talking to two heavily armed men.

This wasn't just a business deal.

This was something else.

Something dangerous.

Before she could process it, a voice spoke behind her.

"What are you looking at, love?"

Lina's breath hitched violently.

She turned slowly—only to find Ethan standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

She swallowed hard. "Who are you?"

Ethan stepped forward. "You already know."

Lina shook her head.

"No," she whispered. "I don't."

Ethan's smirk was slow, dark, utterly terrifying.

"You were eavesdropping," he murmured.

Lina's heart pounded painfully.

He knew.

He always knew.

But this time—she didn't care.

She lifted her chin.

"You think I don't notice how you always know everything?" she challenged. "The way you erase every trace of yourself, the way the police never even come near you?"

Ethan's amused expression didn't falter.

"Go on, love," he murmured. "Tell me what you think."

Lina's pulse spiked.

She wasn't stupid.

This wasn't just a man who had fallen in love with her.

This was a man who owned the world around him.

"You're untouchable," she whispered.

Ethan stepped closer, his eyes burning into hers.

"And why do you think that is?"

Lina swallowed hard.

Because he was powerful.

Because he was feared.

Because no one—not even the law—could touch him.

Ethan leaned in, his breath warm against her ear.

"You're right, love," he whispered.

Lina's breath shuddered.

"What are you?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

Ethan chuckled, slow and dark.

"A monster."

Lina's chest tightened.

"You're a gangster," she whispered.

Ethan tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"I am whatever I need to be," he murmured. "And now—I'm yours."

Lina's stomach twisted.

Her world had just shifted.

This wasn't just about obsession anymore.

She was in love with a man who no one could stop.

And now—there was truly no escape.

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