FIVE'S POV

I satin my padded, black leather chair, tapping my fingers against the dark wooden desk. My mind was consumed by the lingering taste of the kiss I had just shared with Y/n. The way her eyes flickered between mine. Her chest moved up and down slowly. There were a hundred reasons why I should've let go and stayed away from her, but I couldn't. All the control that I had been trying to preserve broke at the very moment when she entered the building. She was the only woman that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't resist. Starting with her dark, sultry eyes, the intoxicating scent of her skin, and the allure of her curved body, through the depth of her soul. She was perfect. Irresistible. She was the embodiment embodiment of sensuality. I knew that any attempt to resist her would be in vain. God knew how badly I wanted to kiss her and make love with her every time she was close to me.

Despite all that she'd done, her disappearing, her wicked games, I couldn't be mad enough to extinguish the flame she ignited within me. And now that kiss confirmed she still had feelings for me too. She could have fought her feelings all she wanted, but I could feel it. She still loved me, too.

Then Diego's gaze while he leaned in to kiss her pictured in my mind.

Fuck.

My jaw clenched. I reached for my phone and dialed my assistant.

"Yes, Mr. Hargreeves's ?" Vanessa's voice rang through the speaker.

"Vanessa, bring me the documents Luther prepared a few days ago," I instructed.

The documents, which I had previously shoved in my his face with rejection. The same agreement stated that the first of us to settle would inherit the majority of the company and assume the role of the new CEO. I knew how badly Diego wanted it all to himself, and now that I suspected he was using Y/n as his means to beat me in his cunning schemes, I was eager to play his game and claim back what was mine. I grinned to myself, swinging in my chair.

I'm back in the game now and will win back my woman and the company.

The joke's on you, brother.

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After work, I drove to the hospital to meet the family to visit Viktor. Rain blurred the passing scenery as I accelerated, my thoughts consumed once again with Y/n in the leading role. She was the root of my problems and all I desired. Shaking my head, I instructed the car audio system to call Wyatt. He followed me in one of our black Mercedes GLMs like a shadow wherever I went.

"Any updates on Zachary's whereabouts?" Tonight, I had to leave for Italy to run some business with the Moretti family, and the fact that we hadn't located the rat yet drove me fucking insane.

"Nothing new, boss."

My fist clenched around the steering wheel. I had my men dig through every corner of the state to track him down, yet there was no trace of him. He seemed to have vanished into thin air, much like four years ago. I had a hunch someone was helping him. Someone powerful. Someone like my brother.

My jaw tightened, teeth gritting. "Keep searching. Don't stop until you bring this piece of shit to my knees."

"Copy you, boss."

I ended the call and sped down the highway.

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When I entered the hospital, I made my way directly to my Viktor's room.

"Five," Klaus's soft voice greeted me as I stepped through the door. He stood by Viktor's side, holding his hand as Luther and leaned o the wall and Allison siting on the chair with a sleepy Claire on her legs. And not surprised Diego isn't here for his brother who was shot. I glanced at my family, realizing that during these four years that had passed, they hadn't aged a day. "We'll leave you two alone. I believe there are things you need to discuss."

I nodded. Thanking everyone as I took
Klaus's place beside my brother. His dark eyes, framed by heavy eyelids, locked onto mine.

"How are you?" I asked, noting a trace of a faint smirk curling up his lips. A rare sight.

"I'm fine," he replied, pausing to adjust himself on the bed, and I assisted him, the sound of the door closing behind my family rang in my ears.

I looked at my brother's face. I could sense there was something he wanted to tell me. "What is it?"

"It's about Zachary —"

"He shot you; I know," I cut in. "We have our men digging through every corner of the state to track him down," But Viktor's gaze wandered across the room, his facial expression tensing, and I knew it wasn't just that. My head tilted, my eyes narrowing.

"You must find him, Five," my brother began, his gaze as serious as ever meeting mine. "I believe he knows something about Y/n that she's desperately trying to hide from you, and it's not about Diego."

My brother had always been remarkably observant, choosing silence over words and revealing information only when strategically necessary, which usually granted him an advantage over his enemies. There might've been a strain on our brother -brother relationship, but I trusted his instincts and his judgments with my life.

"Fight for her, Five." His raspy voice snapped me back from my thoughts.

"Did I hear right? Did you just tell me to fight for a woman who you wanted dead? Are enemy's daughter?" My brow raised in sarcasm.

Viktor let out a heavy breath. His gaze dropped momentarily. "I've... never wanted her dead. I see that you genuinely love her and I saw how much you suffered after she had left."

My muscles clenched involuntarily, but I maintained the unreadable façade he over me.  "Why the change of heart? You've never showed the care my relationship with her."

My brother looked at me for a moment, carefully scanning my face. As if contemplating what he wanted to say. "My entire life, I've had to live with knowledge that I wasn't special and the knowledge that I lost the woman I loved. I know how it feels. Sissy."

I knew how deeply he loved Sissy. Despite he let her go back in 1963, when going back to are normal timeline. she was the only person who could bring out his who Viktor really was. Sometimes, I wondered if she was the only person Viktor ever truly loved. At least so dearly. Not me, not my siblings. No one ever could ever compete for his love with sissy. Her name was deeply etched in his heart forever. Their love was forever embroidered in his soul. "I lost my sissy and I couldn't have done anything to get her back. But Y/n's alive, and now that she's back..."

I allowed him the room to talk.

"Do anything in your power to win her back. If it works, you'll make a happy family. If it doesn't, at least you'll know you've tried.

I sucked in my cheek. My arms involuntarily shrugged. "She's with Diego now. Do you want me to fight against your brother?"
Viktor's eyebrows wrinkled as he narrowed his eyes. "We both know it's just a game. And I should be the one paying for my sins, not you, Five."

"What do you mean?"

His jaw tensed. "That's not a conversation for today. Now go. You have some errands."

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I flew to Italy on my private jet that same evening. Sipping on my whiskey, I drowned in the memories of Y/n. The enticing depth of her eyes, the warmth of her smile, the melody of her voice, and the addictive trace of her scent lingered in my mind. She was like a drug. The addictive drug ran deep in my veins. Even after four years, I couldn't get enough. I overdosed, and I couldn't sober up. She was my fix, which I needed to breathe. And now that she was back in my life, I craved her like an addict in rehab, keening for their daily dose.

A few hours later, I touched down in Sicily, where my men stationed here were already waiting. I made my way to a black Mercedes GLM, and a convoy of identical cars followed closely. The passing scenery blurred as we drove through the night. Y/n remained vivid in my thoughts. It was ironic how a dangerous man like me, devoid of any emotions, could be rendered powerless by a fragile woman like her. She was like a rose that, despite the thorns that wounded me, still made me desire to cherish and protect her.

I stayed at one of the grand mansions we owned in the area far from the city. The night was restless, and my mind filled with images of her. The time we spent together. The time she was gone. All blurring in my mind like a tainted canvas.

The next day, I met the patriarch of the Moretti family, Carlo "Charles" Moretti. A man with a wild, wavy mane like that of a lion. Half-Italian from his father's side, half-French from his mother's. Hence, everyone knew him as Charles, as his mother tended to call him. Our families used to be enemies until a few years back when my father forged a pact with Cornelio, Charles's father, that turned us into allies. At least on the surface.

Business with Charles was a hard pill to swallow. But inevitable. To maintain the power, we had to keep the alliances. Even of this kind. Charles was a real piece of shit. The bastard was insufferable. I knew that deep down, he was waiting for the right moment to strike. To claim what he believed he deserved. His ambitions were far too high, and so was his hunger for power. The power he couldn't have because of us. The Hargreeves. The only hurdle stopping shim from expanding his dominion over New York and beyond.

Days of tense negotiations turned into wild nights of parties that, for Charles, were part of the deal. Clouds of smoke, the finest of alcohol, drugs, and women. Many would consider it a paradise on earth, but not me. I felt stuck in a lavish hell that Charles had hoped would sway me. But it worked to the contrary. I might've been one of them. A gangster. A criminal whose sins would scare the devil itself. I might've belonged to the darkest circles of the underworld, but the truth was, I didn't need any of this. I didn't need these girls to feel like a man. I didn't need to buy sex. I didn't do drugs. Drugs were dangerous. I knew it far too well... for she was my drug. The only drug I had ever tried. Y/n. She was enough to show me what drugs did to a man. They fuck a man up like nothing else ever would. She was my addiction. My obsession. And I didn't need another one.

Finally, I managed to negotiate the arrangement that allowed me to break free from that gilded cage of sin and corruption and, at last, return to New York.

What a relief.

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I entered my penthouse, loosening my tie and tossing it aside. I downed a glass of whiskey in one gulp. Collapsing onto one of the greige-bronze leather couches, I relished the solace and serenity that I'd lacked for the past few days. I remembered the first time Y/n walked in here, running toward one of the enormous windows to admire the view of Manhattan. The view that I'd never paid much attention to before, though, from the ninety-sixth floor was quite captivating. Y/n loved to sit on the windowsill adorned with grayish pillows and enjoy the view, especially at night. My gaze stopped on a vase with white orchids that Y/n placed on one of three round silverish tables all these years ago. I told the housekeeper to take care of the plant. It reminded me of the time, the happy time, we spent here together. Everything here reminded me of her.

I drowned in the memories of her until an insistent knock echoed at my door. Fucking great.

I swung open the door to find my Klaus, Allison and Viktor. He looked remarkably well, draped in a dark coat. I was relieved at his recovery, but I hadn't expected to see him here. Not tonight. On the very same night of my return. We had a scheduled meeting tomorrow to talk over business and all that I had brokered with the Morettis.

"Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow. I'm drained and in need of rest."

Klaus blocked my way, halting the door I wanted to shut close in his face. "It's about Y/n." His gaze darted between mine for a split second.

"Let me grab my jacket"

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I felt my temples pulsating as my gaze landed on him. I entered one of our warehouses. There he was. His hands were bound with handcuffs and chained behind the chair. His legs were secured.

"You fucking son of a bitch," I hissed through gritted teeth.

Zachary remained silent. His numb gaze fixed on mine. His eyelids didn't move. It seemed like life had escaped him. His hair was now dark brown, almost black. And he had a black eye. Probably my siblings given him a rough time. Good.

"Start talking now." Viktor's stern voice reverberated through the steel walls of the warehouse. He circled Zachary with calculated steps. "Repeat everything to Five that you've told me, or..." he leaned to whisper into Zachary's ear from behind. "I'll kill you."

But as soon as he started speaking, my world crumbled down. My rage intensified, but so did my pain. It felt like my whole life seemed to implode before my eyes, and I couldn't do anything to prevent it. That's how I felt. After I finally learned their plan and what came after. The after was the most painful part.

"And what happened to the baby?" I growled. My fist clenched around my gun.

"She lost it," his emotionless voice echoed in my ears.

My heart shattered into a million pieces.

We could've had a baby, Y/n and me. And now she lost it. We lost it.

"I should've killed you four years ago."

I cocked my gun and fired a single shot.

I pushed the accelerator as if my life depended on it. Each passing mile seemed like an endless distance. My entire body trembled. Tensed. Each fiber in me. Thousands of thoughts ran through my mind. I hardly focused on the road. Now, everything fell into place. Now, everything made sense. I finally understood why Y/n had chosen to vanish four years ago. But the most heart-wrenching was that she was pregnant, and she lost the baby, our baby. I could've had a child, a family with the woman of my life. If it wasn't for him—Zachary. I had never thought he could turn out to be such a twisted bastard and ruin my life like a devastating hurricane. Tsunami. If only he hadn't woven those wicked lies that he thought would help him win her back. If only she had stayed... Our child might have been alive. Perhaps, just perhaps, we could have been a happy family now.

If only... How many times did people use this phrase to imagine a life that could've been but never will be?

I didn't suppose learning the truth would be so painful. For all I knew, my soul fractured, and there was no way to mend back the pieces.

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I pulled up at Diego's place. I slammed the door shut, the sound of my car engine fading. I hurriedly headed towards the entrance. My fists pounded on the door repeatedly. Each time louder. Each time harder. I shouted for them to let me in. My mind was still in a haze. In a frenzy. Zachary's voice still haunting me. The door swung open. There he was. My so-called brother.

"You came back from Italy, and your first stop is your brother's. I feel honored." He sneered.

I said nothing. I couldn't utter a word. Devilish rage entwined with a lethal ache. I stood before a man I had once considered family. Now I knew the blood ties meant nothing.

"Why do I owe the pleasure, brother?" His twisted tone snapped me back.

"We caught Zachary," I hissed in the darkest of tones, watching the twitch of his lips fading. He knew what it meant for him. He knew he was fucked.

"I need to talk to Y/n," I rasped, my muscles tensing. The rage flew through my veins like a deadly poison.

"I don't know what this dick told you, but whatever was between Y/n and you is over, Five. Deal with it," Diego hissed. "She's with me now, and we're getting married in two months. No matter what you think, it's happening for real. You lost her."

I couldn't stand his game any longer. The façade, his twisted vendetta, meant nothing compared to what I had just learned.

"Don't test my patience," I warned, my anger smoldering.

"Fuck off." Diego tried to shove me away, but I blink in back of him.

That was the breaking point for me. I reached for my gun and seizing Diego by the collar, pressed the cold steel to his throat. "Either you let me talk to her, or I'll blow your head off."

"Do it. Because if you don't kill me now, I will kill you sooner or later," Diego threatened. "I hate it that you're my brother," he hissed.

"You dare to call yourself my brother?" I scoffed, indifferent to his threats. I wasn't scared of death. I was already dead inside. "You're not my brother anymore. You're my enemy."

"Well then, one of us needs to die. It's always been inevitable."

"Stop it!" Y/n burst from the house, hastily tying her silk robe. Her hair was tousled by the biting wind. "Just stop it already!" she implored, tears glistening on her lashes.

"We need to end this, Five," Diego spat. "There's no place for two Hargreeves's in this world. It's either you or me."

"Mommy?"

Mommy?

My heart dropped. I turned toward the door. I wasn't sure whether it was real or just a cruel mirage born of my bleeding heart. A little boy with the beauty of Y/n but the face of mine. Two peas in a pod. He was terrified. His little lips trembling.

"Mommy?" My gaze drifted to Y/n whose face drained of color.

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FIVE FINALLY FOUND OUT ABOUT EZRA!!!!! THE FATHER AND SON REACHED.

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Question Of The Day!!!

"If you could be friend with any Umbrella Academy character, who would it be?"

Mine: it's honestly hard for me. I wanne say Klaus of course, But! I just love Viktor. He's been my favorite since day one!!

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