Page 206 of I See You

“She’s mine,” Hassan said coldly. “And when I find him, I’m gonna peel him slow. Strip his ass to the bone until I see the first layer of his fucking soul.”

The silence in the room turned suffocating. Ariel sat there bleeding, betrayed, broken—realizing she was never part of Braxton’s plan. Her heart cracked open, pain turning quickly into rage. Hassan saw it in her face.

And for the first time since walking in, he knew she wasn’t just afraid. She was angry.

And that might make her useful.

“You love a nigga who forced you to kill your own baby... and thought you was running off to paradise with him?” Hassan chuckled coldly, the sound slicing deeper than the knife still drying in his pocket. Ariel’s tears spilled faster now, but it wasn’t just fear—it was fury. The kind that came when reality hit harder than any blade.

Her jaw trembled, lips quivering as the truth settled into her bones. “Okay... I’ll call him,” she whispered, voice fragile but cracking with betrayal. “I’ll tell him I have the money. I can lure him to a meeting spot. You’ll get him, and Sevyn.”

Hassan stared at her in silence, weighing her words. She was broken, but not useless. And right now, this was the closest lead he had. “Put her ass in the truck,” he ordered, his voice like frost. “Dori’s out front waiting.”

One of his men nodded and grabbed Ariel, her body limp and shaking as they led her out. She didn’t fight—she had nothing left.

Hassanturnedtoleavethetraphouse,buthisphonevibrated.

Jules.

“Yeah,” Hassan answered.

“I got word back from the top,” Jules said. “Braxton’s planning to flip on Carlos. The fed he ratted to? That’s my inside man. Braxton’s trying to pin Carlos for some serious drug shit—he’s looking to take him down and vanish.”

Hassan’s jaw tensed. Shit was getting deeper by the hour. Before he could respond, another call buzzed in—Roman. “Hold up.” Hassan clicked over. “What’s good?”

“Carlos agreed to meet. He’s on edge since we grabbed his granddaughter. Nigga’s been blowing my phone up,” Roman said. “You want to set it?”

“Yeah. Give him the location to the casino. We meeting now—I’m done playing with these motherfuckers. Call Von and Bully. Tell them bring Celine closer. Keep her out of sight but ready.”

“Say less,” Roman said before hanging up.

Hassan switched back to Jules. “Meet at the casino,” he said flatly. He hung up, jaw clenched tight as the engine roared to life. Hismind was racing, but one thing was clear:it was time to end this shit.He had every piece lined up. Now all that was left was to make themove,tellCarlosthetruthabouttheratinhiscamp—andhopeto God the deal was good enough to get Sevyn back alive.

Because if not... he’d burn the entire DeVille empire down to ashes.

???

Sevyn woke up in a pool of her own dried blood, every inch of her body screaming. Her stomach churned, head pounding like drumsin a war zone. Her limbs felt useless, like heavy noodles soaked in pain.ThesinglecutBraxtongaveherdaysagohadmultiplied—her thighs, arms, and midsection covered in shallow slices that burned with every breath. He didn’t stop. Every time she whispered Hassan’s name through cracked lips, he retaliated. First with the knife. Then with his fists.

Her faith kept her fighting at first—kept her mouth slick with comebacks and her eyes defiant. But now? Her hope was slipping. Hassan hadn’t come. Not yet. And maybe... maybe he wasn’t coming at all.

The door creaked open, and the masked woman entered again, her presence as bitter as the drugs they kept pumping into Sevyn's veins. Sevyn normally greeted her with venom, sarcasm... something. But today, she just laid there, barely able to lift her head.

“Why...” Her voice rasped, barely above a whisper, raw and torn. “Why are you helping him?”

The woman tilted her head, amusement dancing in her eyes behind the ski mask. “I’m not doing this for him,” she said with a shrug. “He ain’t my type. We just both want the same thing.”

Sevyn's lids fluttered, her breath shallow. “And... that is?” “To get rid of you,” the woman snapped.

Sevyn blinked slowly, her brows furrowing. “I don’t... even know you... what the fuck did I do to you?”

A slow, sinister chuckle slipped from the woman’s lips as she reached for the edge of her mask. With one swift tug, it came off—and Sevyn’s breath caught.

“Nova?!” she gasped, pain slicing through her as her stomach clenched.

“Yes, bitch. It’s me.” Nova's voice dripped with venom, and something unhinged twisted behind her eyes. “He was mine. Hassan. Hemight’vebeencold,emotionallynumb,butIknewthatmeant he needed someone. I was that someone. I fucked him when he was stressed, stood by him when he was silent. I thought if I gave him my all, he'd finally give something back.”

Sevyn stared, trying to process the madness unraveling in front of her. Her body was too broken to fight, but her eyes never blinked. Never looked away.

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