His Innocent Sera

The slap sent his head sideways.

"You thought we wouldn't find out?" she seethed, trembling in rage.

"You will break the girl, and we wouldn't know," she barked sharply. Realisation struck Nate. She betrayed him again. Again. He ground his jaw.

"You will never see her again, much less torment her," Ara stated in finality. Nate stood there, jaw tight but saying nothing, his silence only stoking her anger. With a firm grip, she snatched the front of his shirt, making him meet her eyes.

"Do you hear me?" Ara demanded, her voice sharp and steely as she tightened her grip on his shirt. "Say it. Say you won't trouble her again. I've raised you better than this."

Nate swallowed.

"I can't do that, Mom," Nate murmured, as if she was asking him of something that was beyond his control. "I..I love her," he confessed, words trembling with raw, fervent intensity.

Sera was astounded. Her son had never refused her before. This was the first.

"Pack your bags. You're leaving for the States tonight. Santiago will take over your training from here," Killian intervened in a tone that demanded submission.

"No. I'm not going anywhere," Nate stated firmly, his voice hemmed with iron resolve. Locking his adamant eyes with Killian, he added, "Not without her."

Killian's eyes narrowed, the air around him grew chilly. He approached him with measured, threatening strides.

"I am not asking. It's an order," his voice quite but lethal. "You will leave Spain tonight, and that's final."

The tension crackled between them like a bomb about to explode, but Nate held his ground.

"Not without her, Dad," Nate maintained, there was no hesitation in his tone, no fear, only a manic obsession that pulsed through every cell of his being. Like a snake striking, Killian's fist collided with his face, jerking his head sideways. Nate stumbled backward, blood oozing at the corner of his lips. But instead of submitting, he straightened slowly, eyes light with the same fire.

"I want her, dad," Nate said, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, "and no one, not you, not mom, not the whole damn world can stop me from having her." There was madness in his eyes, a feral, unchecked obsession blazing through them like a wildfire determined to destroy everything in its path.

Ara was in tears, utterly disappointed and shattered.

"We'll see that," Killian growled before his fist slammed into his jaw, sending him to the floor. Nate hissed in pain, but Killian paid no heed and picked him up like a sack of potatoes. Not giving him a moment to recover, Killian lashed him with his killer punches, determined to beat some sense into him. He struck with the precision of a man who had trained killers and commanded wars.

Killian drove his elbow into his stomach, making him double over. Nate coughed blood; every inch of him was throbbing in pain, but he didn't beg, didn't cry out. Nate slumped like a dead weight until Killian grabbed him by his collar, breaking his fall.

Authority dripped from his icy stare as he barked, "You will obey your mom and leave that girl alone."

Nate was too beaten up to form a reply. Killian let go and he collapsed to the floor, his face a mess of fresh bruises and swollen eyes.

"Get his stuff ready. He's leaving tonight," Nate heard Killian tell Ara. Seconds later, their footsteps faded into the shadows, and his eyes fell close.

Nate woke up in a moving car, squeezed between two burly men. As soon as he woke up, the throb in his head surged into a brutal hammering, his eyes barely opened due to swelling. Realisation followed soon after-cold and heavy, dulling every ache in its wake. He was being taken to the airport.

The car pulled over, and he climbed out, his guards close on either side. His calculating eyes scanned their surroundings, taking in every detail. Even in the wee hours, the airport buzzed with activity.

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He pulled his hood up to hide his battered face and marched forward, head bowed. They veered towards the restricted path that would segregate them from the crowd and lead straight to Killian's private jet. They were about to bypass the crowd when Nate let his diamond ring fall to the ground and asked the man to pick it up. As soon as the man bent down, Nate whipped the pistol from his waistline and fired a

shot into the air. Chaos erupted in

the blink of an eye. Taking

advantage of men's confusion, Nate ran in the opposite direction, ignoring the splitting ache in his legs.

Sera rolled on her back with a sigh, sleep had completely eluded her. She wondered how Ara was going to stop Nate. She really hoped he would listen to his mother and get off her back. The fact that he was going to marry her......it sent a chill down her spine. There could be nothing more dreadful than being his wife.

Two of Serrano's men stood watch outside, unseen. Inside, her oblivious family slept soundly. She sat up and decided to paint as she needed a distraction.

She had just fetched the colors when the sharp crack of gunshots burst through the air, piercing her eardrums. The colors fell from her hands. She raced towards the window and peered out, only to meet the expected stillness of night. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She traced her way back to the colors and crouched to pick them up.

Suddenly, a loud thud followed, causing dread to coil low in her stomach. Then came another and another- each heavier than the last, sending her to her feet. With the breath caught in her throat, she hurried downstairs. Franklin, too, stepped out of his room, looking confused.

They both stood in front of the door, watching as the bolt began to give in under the force. Cold sweat dripped down her brows.

"Call the cops, Dad," she instructed, her voice trembling.

"Who is it?' Franklin demanded, frowning.

"Call the cops now," Sera repeated, running out of patience. Franklin moved to go back into his room and retrieve the phone when the bolt gave way with a sharp snap, and the front door swung open.

Her face drained of color as Nate

stepped through the doorway, radiating quiet menace. His eyes locked with hers, making her shrink back instinct. His face was

unrecognizable beneath thever?

swelling, bruises, and cuts tattered across his body, making him look even scarier. A whimper tore from her thought when her gaze landednoveldrama

on the pistol he was holding.

"What are you doing here at this hour?' Franklin asked, confused. Nate didn't

respond, his gaze kept pinning Sera.

Franklin walked towards him, "Nate, why are you.." as he drew closer, Nate swung his fist, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Dad!” Sera screamed, rushing toward him but Nate caught her mid-run, his arm locking tight around her waist.

"Leave me..leave," she struggled against his unyielding hold, tears welling up in her eyes. Mrs. Diaz came out, horror etched across her face upon seeing the

sight.

"What is happening here?" Mary asked, her worried gaze shifting between Franklin and Nate.

"Mom, you go inside. Please, just go," Sera pleaded while still struggling to break free, but Mary didn't listen. She wheeled herself towards Franklin, who was now sitting up, clutching his head.

"You brought this on yourself," he snarled into her ear, and right before her eyes, he raised his arm, aimed at her father, and pulled the trigger. Sera froze, gaping in pure horror. The bullet whizzed past her dad's ear and drilled through the wall. The old couple stilled,

"Why are you doing this to us?" Mary demanded, still shaking from the incident. Nate let out a maniac chuckle, his chest vibrated against hers. In one swift motion, he spun her around to face him. Sera whimpered as she caught the crazed, unhinged glint in his eyes.

"Ask Sera," Nate said, his eyes still fixed on her. "She is the reason you're all

going to die tonight." Sera tensed up under his touch.

"Do..don't hurt them," Sera pleaded in her trembling voice.

He flashed her a smirk that could strike fear even into deads before stating, "You

involved mine."

"I'll tear your family apart right in front of your eyes," he told her.