"My broken heart is now a piece of art."

➳ ➳ ➳

Alexander was standing in front of this desk, looking at the bright screen in front of him. His foot was tapping the floor nervously, and his hair was a curly mess as he ran his fingers through it a lot. He had a weird feeling, everything seemed to be going according to the plan, but he couldn't help but think that something was off. It was almost too easy.

The men, his friends, would be there soon to get their part of the deal, the girls. He only hoped that Angelina would come to her senses and agree to sign the damn papers, then he could get rid of her without any problems. Nicholas was in jail, and Ethan was dead; no one would get in his way anymore, and no one would be there to save her this time.

He had sent Daniel to talk to her and give her a little help so that she could decide more easily. Angelina was a girl with a kind heart; that was her flaw; she cared too much and trusted people easily. She wouldn't let those innocent girls die because of her, and she would make the right decision.

Alexander couldn't help but think that she was just like her mother, his beloved Veronica. She was so kind and clueless, she made mistakes because of that, she married that son of a bitch, Maxwell Starr and now she was dead. If she had chosen him, loved him, married him, everything would have been so different. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, she would have been protected from the dangers lurking in the dark, she would be happy, and he would have a real family. That's what Alexander wanted, a family. He had the chance to have one, but both times he was let down by the women he loved.

But that belonged to the past. Now he didn't want that anymore. No, he wanted money, he wanted power. And he would get that soon. Sweet Angelina would give a signature, and as soon as that happened, he would give her to Daniel as he promised. She wouldn't be needed anymore. Why keep an orphan who reminded him of the ones he hated? She was a pain to him; from the first time he took her to stay with him, he knew that she would make him feel miserable. And she did. Every day, he had to watch her smile, laugh, talk about the things she liked, and ask about her parents. It always angered him when she looked at him with love in her eyes, like he was her savior, her brown eyes would sparkle, and it reminded him of Veronica. He hated it. He hated her. He stills remembers the time when ten-year-old Angelina had stormed into his office crying her eyes out because of a nightmare she had, she ran to him and she had hugged him so tightly, she had taken his breath away. Her small, trembling hands had fisted his shirt as she cried to his chest, and she had told him something that until this very day haunted his dreams.

"Please, Uncle Alexander, promise me that you won't leave me as mommy and daddy did. Promise me. I'm afraid, and I don't want to be alone."

"I promise, my sweet Angel."

Alexander shook his head, frowning in disgust at the memory. He wouldn't let that stupid thing affect him. His blue eyes scanned the footage from the security cameras inside the Dollhouse. Everything seemed normal.

Just then, the front door opened, and Daniel entered his office. Alexander's eyes widened not only because of his rude and disrespectful behavior but also because his nose was slightly bruised.

What the hell happened to him?

"Who the hell do you think you are, Daniel? You can't just burst into my office! You have forgotten your place here, should I remind you?" Alexander asked the young man angrily, raising his voice as he looked at him.

Daniel smiled wickedly at him and tightened his grip around the bag he was holding in his hand.

"Oh, but Alexander, I think it's you who has forgotten who I am." He replied, approaching Alexander's desk. Alexander clenched his jaw tightly, causing the muscle in his cheek to twitch. His eyes were throwing daggers at him, but Daniel wasn't scared because he knew that he had something Alexander wanted, money.

"This is the money you asked for in exchange for Angelina. When the men come, and she signs the papers, she is all mine."

Daniel placed the bag on top of the desk with a thud and smiled when he saw Alexander's curious gaze follow the bag. The slowly unzipped it and pushed it towards Alexander's direction, letting him see the insane amount of money it contained.

The corner of Alexander's lips curved upwards as a smirk appeared on his face, and he looked up at Daniel with amazement. He didn't expect that much, he didn't believe that Angelina was worth that amount of money, but who was he to complain? He would get what he was offered without another word.

"Now, this is why I love doing business with you, Daniel. You never fail to amaze me in a good way, of course." He said, chuckling as he zipped the bag again. "Did you talk to her? Is she willing to finally obey?" He asked him.

Daniel furrowed his eyebrows, taking a seat opposite him as his face heated up with anger. He shook his head. "That little bitch had the nerve to hit me in the face. Look at my fucking nose!" He exclaimed, pointing at his bruised nose.

Alexander laughed. He expected her to react and fight back.

"She did a pretty good job." He stated with a smirk, filling a glass with whiskey for the two of them. He offered one to Daniel, who took it without a second thought from his hand and watched him as he drank it all at once. The man was really pissed.

"Tell me one thing, Daniel. Why do you want her so much when it's clear that she irritates you? I mean, the girl hates you. Why are you so obsessed with her?" Alexander asked him, narrowing his eyes at the young man as he took a sip from his drink.

"It's as you said, an obsession. I don't really have a reason; I simply want her. She is pretty to look at, sensual, and I simply want her. The thought of taking that beauty away from Nick fills me with this unexplainable satisfaction." Daniel replied, looking at the empty glass in front of him. "Has that ever happened to you? To want someone to the point where you get obsessed with them?"

Alexander flickered his eyes to him. His fingers were rubbing the soft stubble over his chin, and his other hand tightened around the glass he was holding. It had happened, Veronica was his obsession.

"Yes, a long time ago. I don't talk about it. Tell me what you did with Angelina." He asked Daniel, changing the subject of their conversation.

"I did what you told me to, I set up the bomb and told her that I would return in half an hour. I hope this scares her, and she agrees." Daniel informed him. He pursed his lips together and stared at Alexander, who nodded his head in approval.

"She will; she is a good girl," Alexander whispered.

His eyes moved back on the screen of his computer, and a frown took over his face. Two men he hadn't seen before appeared on the screen, they were in the Dollhouse, near the stage where his Dolls were dancing. They looked too serious, too sober, too suspicious.

"What happened?" Daniel asked him, but he ignored him.

The men were looking around the place like they were trying to find something like they were searching for someone. Then suddenly, one of the two men turned his head towards the direction of the camera as he searched the room, and Alexander saw his face. He immediately recognized him. It was like something clicked inside; he had seen that man before. His fist hit the desk with force as the realization hit him.

"Fucking hell!" He cursed loudly, standing up quickly.

They were cops!

"Alexander what-"

"Shut up, Daniel." He ordered the young man as he grabbed his phone. He called his men.

This wasn't happening. He wouldn't let them catch him. He was Alexander fucking Bowen, and he would find a way out of this.

"Sean, it seems that we have some unwanted guests. Prepare the men. There will be blood tonight."

He wasn't going down.

~ ~ ~

[Nicholas]

"Are we going to stay in the car the whole time?" I asked the two men in front of me with annoyance as I stared outside the window. We were outside the Dollhouse, the lights inside were on, and I could see the silhouettes of the dancing women from where I was. Two policemen had gone inside undercover in hopes of finding my Angelina before the police would enter inside the place, and chaos erupted. Alexander wouldn't go down without a fight, and I wanted to make sure that Angelina was safe first.

"Remind me again, Parus, why did we take him with us? He's a pain in the ass." Officer Johnson asked officer Parus as he glanced from his seat back at me.

"Because he wouldn't shut up about his undying love for that girl." He replied to him, and Officer Johnson chuckled, folding his arms over his chest as he looked in front of him again. I rolled my eyes.

"I never said that!" I defended myself.

"So, you don't love her?" He asked me, looking at me from the rear mirror. My lips parted as I tried to reply to him.

"I-I care about her a lot- why does everyone ask me that?" I asked, frustrated.

"There's nothing wrong with being in love, boy. If you didn't love her, you wouldn't be here right now, risking your life for hers." Officer Johnson said.

I sighed deeply and sunk back into my seat. I didn't want to reply to them, and I didn't have to.

Silent took over the car, and I stared outside the window. This was a bloody joke. Why were we still here, and where are the two men that were sent inside? I was about to ask them again what was taking so long, but at that exact moment, the Dollhouse doors opened wide, and the two policemen came out, running towards us.

I saw Officer Johnson tense as he watched them, and Officer Parus' hand rested on the gun next to him. I frowned and moved a bit forwards to have a better look. One of them was yelling and waving his hands in the air as he approached us. Officer Parus quickly opened the door and stepped outside.

"They know we are here!" The man yelled, and then a loud gunshot was heard. I jumped in my seat, not expecting what was happening. The man groaned in pain and collapsed on the ground as the other man ran to him and took him in his arms, trying to help him.

My eyes widened as officer Parus hid behind the opened door and fired towards the Dollhouse. The lights had gone off, and the panicked screams of the girls which were inside were heard. The other policemen left their cars, and they all gathered around us. Officer Johnson stepped outside, too. I followed him.

"He knows, we don't have time to search for the girl. We have to get in there." Parus yelled, keeping his eyes glued to the empty entrance. My eyes trailed down to the lifeless body of the man that was shot. He was dying.

"Fine." Officer Johnson agreed. "But we have to separate, and we will surround the Dollhouse so that no one escapes." He ordered his men.

"Parus and you-" He said, pointing to a group of men behind him. "Follow me inside."

The men approached him, and then his eyes met with mine. He spoke again. "The rest of you surround the perimeter, and you stay in the car." He ordered me.

What? No.

"No fucking way! I'm coming with you, and you can't stop me. I promised to stay in the car if you found her, you didn't, so now I'm coming inside with you." I raised my voice as I walked around the car towards him.

His expression hardened, and he was going to speak again, but a gun was pressed against my chest and stopped me from arguing any further.

"Take this. We don't have time, Johnson." Parus said and started walking first. Officer Johnson shook his head in disapproval and slowly followed the rest of his men inside the Dollhouse.

My head was thumping hard against my chest, I don't know if the others could hear it, but it was all I could listen to. I was scared, for the first time after so many years, I was afraid of what would happen. I couldn't help it though, just the thought of losing her because of that bastard scared the crap out of me.

As we entered inside, Parus grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. The Dollhouse looked abandoned, the lights were all off, and the stage was suddenly empty, no music, not a sound. Alexander's men were hiding and waiting for us to approach them.

"Stay behind me," Parus whispered as his brown eyes looked at me, and I nodded, following his every step.

Officer Johnson looked at Parus, and they both stared at each other before Parus pointed to the staircase.

They all obeyed to his order and they started taking slow, steady steps as they ascended the stairs with their guns securely in their hands. I was about to do the same, but as I looked around me, a weird movement was coming from my left, where the main stage was caught my attention, and I stopped.

What was that? Could it be Alexander?

I glanced at the other men who disappeared upstairs and turned my attention back to what caught my eye. Parus hadn't seen that I wasn't following them so I could check the place here, and if it was safe, I could go back to them.

I narrowed my eyes and raised my hands in front of me, holding the gun Liam gave me. I looked around the empty room, and it looked like a tornado had hit the place. The tables were filled with shattered glasses; the stage where the Dolls usually danced was stained with blood.

Did Officer Johnson's men manage to shoot any of Alexander's men? I pressed my lips together and walked further inside.

Nothing.

"This place is giving me the chills," I whispered to myself, taking a deep breath. Maybe I was wrong, and maybe I didn't see anything. It was my imagination after all the place looked creepy like this and I'm just paranoid. I just want to find her.

"Where are you, Angel?"

"She is not here, but I am." A low voice was heard from behind me, and before I could react and turn around, I felt a sharp pain on my back, which caused me to fall forwards on the ground. I groaned and looked up at the man standing in front of me. His piercing blue eyes were visible in the dark, and he smirked as he watched me, throwing down the wooden plank he was holding.

"You."

"Long time no see, Nicky." He said, and right when I was about to stand up, he grabbed me by the collar and pulled me back, dragging me towards the stage. That strike on my back still hurt, but I wouldn't let it affect me. I had to fight him.

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought I got rid of you, yet here you are." He asked angrily and punched me forcefully on the chest, knocking me down on the ground, wind out of me, causing my head to collide with the concrete. I hissed and brought my hand to my head before bringing it back to my face to look at the red blood on my fingers.

I stared at him with anger, realizing that I was no longer holding my gun. It must have fallen when he hit me the first time. My eyes wandered around me, and I finally spotted it by Alexander's foot.

I have to get it.

"You have someone that I want," I told him, trying to catch my breath.

He smiled wickedly.

"And who might that be? Is it the girl I sold to my friends? Angelina?" He questioned, and I gritted my teeth. I'm going to kill him.

I quickly reached out my hand to grab the gun, but he saw me, and he placed his foot painfully on top of my hand, applying pressure.

"Is that the one you are looking for, Nick?" He asked, increasing the pressure. I yelped in pain.

Bam... Bam

Gunshots were heard from upstairs, and chaos erupted. Groans, screams, and gunshots filled the place. Alexander's eyes widened; his attention was taken away from me. The police found his men.

I took that as an opportunity to free myself from his hold, and without thinking much about it, I raised my foot and kicked him on the gut, causing him to stumble backwards. Alexander's eyes darkened, and I stood up quickly.

"She's here, and I want her back, Alexander," I told him.

"This is your fault!" Alexander growled. Throwing a punch towards my head, I dodged the punch and hit him on the head with a left hook, knocking him back, but he didn't fall. He came back at me, his anger consuming him, punching without form just trying to do some damage. He managed to cut my lip, causing it to bleed.

I was starting to get tired; the pain on my back and chest were slowing me down. I tried to hold him and stop the onslaught of punches, but he grabbed me by the vest and pushed me on top of the table, crashing everything that was on top of it, pieces of glasses flew everywhere. I winced.

"And now you will pay for all of that." He threatened, referring to the shattered glass. He walked towards my tired body, and as he got a hold of me again, I head-butted him, busting his nose. He shook his head, getting dizzy from the impact, and got down on one knee as I stood up straight again. My head was pounding, and the gunshots never stopped.

I have to get the gun.

I was about to go and pick it up, but Alexander recovered quickly and got back up, tackling me on the ground with all his might. His nose was bleeding, and he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, which was now covered in blood, holding me down with his other hand. Then he started throwing punches at me. I could feel his anger; he wanted me dead, but so did I. I wanted him dead. With the power I had left, I raised my arms in front of me, blocking out his punches and hit him on the chest hard, knocking his breath away.

Alexander gasped, and I punched him on the jaw, a shivery sound was heard, and he fell on the ground beside me. I was breathing heavily, my chest rising and falling, it felt like I couldn't fill my lungs with oxygen, my throat was dry. But I couldn't give up now, not when I was so close to her.

I groaned and turned around, managing to get on top of Alexander, who looked as exhausted as I was. I gripped the collar of his shirt and brought his head up before letting my fist collide with his bloody cheek.

"Where is she?" I asked him angrily. He didn't reply, he only smirked. I punched him again.

"Tell me!" I demanded.

Nothing.

Punch.

Nothing.

I could taste my own blood, mixed with the sweat dripping down from my forehead, and I spat on the ground next to his head, before pulling away from him. He wasn't going to answer me, the smug look on his face told me so. He was defeated, yet in his own way, he was still fighting.

I grabbed the gun lying on the floor and approached him, aiming it towards him.

"I will not play your games anymore, Alexander. You answer, or you die." I informed him, wrapping my finger around the trigger.

"Alexander!" I demanded.

"Father." He whispered, I almost didn't hear him. I frowned.

What did he say?

"What?"

"Father. I'm your father, Nick." He said, raising his voice a bit. My lips parted, and I felt a tug in my heart as those words left his lips.

"Shut up!" I yelled over the noise. What is this sick joke of his? Alexander shook his head, leaning his head back on the ground in surrender. He laughed at himself.

"It's the truth, and you are my son, Nick. You are Paulina's son. You are the bastard I refused to acknowledge as my own." He informed me, his voice laced with disgust as he