Chapter 3

Web of Shadows

“Grin, grin, grin…”

My alarm blared, dragging me from a restless sleep. I groaned and slapped it off, blinking against the light. My body ached like it had run a marathon, but it wasn’t my muscles that were tired. It was my mind.

Peter.

The attack.

The stranger in the shadows who saved me.

I sat up, heart pounding. “What is happening to my life?” I whispered.

I checked my phone. No texts. No calls. Not even a message from Peter.

“At least no drama this morning,” I muttered.

That thought didn’t last.

Raised voices exploded from downstairs.

“You’re going to get us killed!” Victoria’s voice shook with fury.

“I’m not putting anyone in danger. I just need time!” my father shot back.

Their argument cracked through the house like thunder. I pulled on jeans and rushed downstairs.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Victoria whirled around. “Oh, sunshine. You’re awake.”

“Yeah. Awake and confused. Dad?”

Before he could answer, Vanessa chimed in, her voice dripping with venom. “He’s dragged you into it, not us. So congrats. You’re the bait now.”

“Vanessa,” my father growled. “That’s enough. We’re family.”

“You don’t gamble with your family,” she snapped.

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” I demanded.

My father looked at me, eyes bloodshot, jaw clenched. “I’m… in debt,” he admitted. “To someone dangerous.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “Who?”

He hesitated. “The Blackwoods.”

A name like a curse.

Don Vito Blackwood, the man who ran San Andreas City like his personal empire. His sons were even more terrifying;

Damian, ruthless and refined.

David, violent and unpredictable.

Denzel, smooth-talking and deadly.

And Dominique, cold, calculated, and cruel. They called him The Devil.

“You owed them money?” My voice cracked.

“I never meant for it to affect you,” he said. “I thought I could fix it before it got this far.”

“Well, it has,” I muttered, then turned. “I’m going to school. We’ll talk later.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Vanessa snapped. “You’re in this whether you like it or not.”

“Enough!” my father barked.

But I was already out the door.

---

The walk to school felt like a blur. Every step pressed the weight of last night harder into my chest.

The stranger. The attack. The Blackwoods.

I barely noticed the sleek black sedan creeping behind me, until it matched my pace.

I froze.

The car pulled ahead, then slowly rolled away. My eyes caught the license plate:

MYSTERIOUS

A shiver skated down my spine.

My phone buzzed, it was an unknown number.

“You’re safe, Love. Mysterious”

My breath caught.

It’s him. It has to be him.

---

At school, the car's presence weirdly comforted me, like he was still watching. Still protecting.

I found Alex in the library, tucked into a corner like always.

“Hey,” I whispered.

He didn’t look up. “You ditched me yesterday.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, making a fake-sad face. “Forgive me?”

He rolled his eyes but smirked. “So? How was the Festival? Spill.”

“It was... sweet,” I said. “Peter was sweet. But I don’t think I want to date him.”

“Really?” His brows shot up. “Didn’t you crush on him for years?”

“I know. I’m confused. There’s just… something else.”

He tilted his head. “Someone else?”

I hesitated. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Well,” he said, “whatever you do, follow your heart. And don’t get stabbed in the process.”

I laughed, but it didn’t quite reach my eyes.

---

Later, I grabbed lunch and sat alone, barely tasting a thing. My mind kept drifting to the man with the steel-cut jaw and unreadable eyes.

Back home, I set up my easel and began sketching him. Shadows. Angles. Eyes like secrets.

I didn’t even hear Peter approach until he called my name.

“Hey,” I said, startled.

He ran a hand through his hair. “I need to talk to you.”

“Okay. What’s up?”

“I’m breaking up with Tiffany,” he blurted.

I blinked. “Wait, what? Why?”

“Because I don’t feel anything anymore. I haven’t, for a while.”

“And… what does that have to do with me?”

He stepped closer. “Because I think my heart’s already chosen someone else. You, Rory.”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out, e en though I tried to say something.

He waited. “Say something?”

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

“I thought this was what you wanted.”

“It was. But maybe it’s not what I need.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I want you, Peter. But right now, my life is a mess. And I don’t want to hurt Tiffany, or you.”

“So that’s it?”

I nodded. “Let’s stay friends.”

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. He just nodded and walked away.

---

As I neared my house, the black sedan rolled up again.

My heart caught in my throat.

The window lowered.

It was him.

Brown eyes locked on mine, eyes that burned with something unreadable.

“You’re safe, Rory,” he said, voice like thunder on velvet. “But stay away from Peter.”

My blood chilled.

“Why?” I managed to whisper.

“Because I want you,” he said.

Then he was gone, car vanishing into the night.

I stood alone in the silence, his words echoing in my head.

“I want you.”

But who was he?

Why did I feel like my soul already knew him?

One thing was clear:

I wasn’t walking in the light anymore.

I was caught in a web of secrets.

And I was falling deeper into the shadows.