Chapter 1
After they wiped my memory,
I forgot about my fiancé-the Underboss who’d trained me to
I forgot about the girl I saved, who then stole my everything.
I forgot all about the Cleaners’ organization, “Red Spider Lily
I faked my death and disappeared.
Ended unning a dusty bookshop on some quiet street in
Everyone thought I was just hiding out, throwing a tantrum.
That I’d get bored soon enough and crawl back to him.
Until one evening when nobody came into my shop.
From the shadows between the shelves, a few guys stepped of kept his voice low:
“Three years. Why haven’t you answered a single one of Mr. Commission for you?”
I froze, book still in my hand. “Sorry… I had my memory wip
The room went cold.
Then this weird tightness hit my chest. I looked toward the w
Across the street, half-hidden in the fading light, a tall figure
Staring right at me.
Didn’t blink.
I caught Dante Corsaro with Sienna the morning of our wed
Couldn’t find him. Figured the Commission had him on som
n the terrace instead, kissing the girl I’d saved-
I walked over. Went for his throat.
Had my fingers on his pulse when Sienna shoved me into the pool.
My head cracked tile. Everything went cold.
Right.
Everyone I care about ends up choosing her.
I’d pulled Sienna off a trafficking route in Southeast Asia five years back.
She was cargo. Fifteen years old.
Kept her
we had.
chat. Called her my sister. Taught her intel, brought her into my crew, put her in logistics-safest job
She was sweet. Always smiling. Like some flower someone spent years protecting.
After every bloody job, she’d have hot food waiting.
The guys in my crew-killers who didn’t blink at anything-went from watching her to treating her like gold.
“Finally got a real woman around here,” they’d say. Right in front of me.
Now the man I’d been with for ten years was doing the same thing.
When I woke up in the med wing, Dante was sitting there.
Didn’t ask if I was okay.
“Vesper. Don’t blow this up. Sienna was just messing around. If it bugs you, I’ll keep my distance.”
“You brought her in. She’s got nobody. She’s been through enough, Don’t make this harder.”
I looked at the scar on his collarbone. He’d taken a bullet for me three years ago,
And I suddenly laughed.
“You scared I’ll handle her myself?”
His eyes went flat. Grabbed my wrist hard. Didn’t answer.
“I know you’re pissed. But we don’t do this inside the family. You know the rules.
“Drop it. We’ll push the wedding back a week. I don’t need the crew talking.”
I pulled my hand back. Stared out at the dark.
He started to say something, but his burner went off at that moment.
I’m a killer. My eyes don’t miss shit. Saw Sienna’s name flash across the screen. Text said she was spooked, heart
racing.
He looked at me. Tone changed. Went soft.
“Got a new mark. Need to scope it out myself. Rest up.”
Then didn
for me to answer. Just walked.
Moved like his ass was on fire.
I never saw him again that day.
I stayed in that med bed, staring at my phone. Some ad popped up:
[Memory Encoding. Start Over. New Life. New You.]
I don’t do mercy. Never did.
Something breaks, I throw it out.
So I thought that Dante and those ten years we had could go straight to hell.
Walked out of the Rebirth Project lab with my head feeling wiped.
Clean slate. Nothing there,
Chunks of my past got locked behind walls I couldn’t climb. knew they existed. But I didn’t give a damn.
Memory work takes two rounds. Seventy-two hours between sessions. Then they seal it for good.
Body knew the way back to the safehouse even if my brain didn’t.
Iris scan cleared. Door clicked open.
Voices inside. Loud, happy.
“Eastern Europe job went smooth as butter. Sienna pulled it off!
“Girl’s a goddamn star!”
I walked into the living room. Everyone froze.
Dante got up. Looked pissed I was even there. “Your head still messed up?”
I touched the lump where my skull met tile. Kept it cold.
“I could be bleeding out on this floor and you still wouldn’t ly a finger on her.”
Room went dead quiet.
Lana cut in. We’d run jobs together for years. She was all smiles, playing peacemaker.
“Vesper, gla.,ou’re back. We’re throwing Sienna a party. Her intel gave us a clean takedown. Big Boss sent his personal congratulations.”
She pushed a gift box at me before I could refuse.
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