The storm broke at dawn. Rain hammered against the villa’s tall windows, running in heavy streams down the glass. Thunder rolled over the cliffs, shaking the walls. Lightning flashed across the horizon, casting the sea in silver and shadow.Inside, the atmosphere was just as stormy. Leon stood in the study, shoulders tight, staring at the maps spread across the table. He didn’t move, didn’t speak. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the old clock on the wall.Jason leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes flicked between Leon and the storm outside. Finally, he muttered, “You’re wound so tight, boss, I can hear your teeth grinding.”Leon didn’t answer. His jaw flexed, his eyes locked on the map, but Jason knew he hadn’t seen a single line on it in the last hour.Eira entered quietly, her presence soft but sharp at the same time. She held a folder in her hand, damp from the rain. “Satellite confirmed Kael’s convoy moving east last night,” she said. “Toward the bo

The villa was heavy with silence. Outside, the waves crashed hard against the cliffs. Inside, the air felt thick, every shadow darker than it should have been.Selena sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the envelope in her drawer. She had hidden it again, but she could feel its weight even from here. Proof of her father’s betrayal. Proof of her own.Her father’s voice still echoed in her head: “Don’t do it, Selena. Don’t give him Leon.”But Kael’s words drowned it out: “Tomorrow night. The shipyard. Or your father dies.”Her hands shook in her lap. She whispered to herself, “There has to be another way.” But no answer came.A knock sounded on her door. She flinched. “Selena,” Leon’s voice said, deep and steady. “We’re leaving in an hour.”She forced her voice calm. “Where?”“To hunt Kael,” Leon replied. “I think I know where he’ll strike next.”Her blood ran cold. He didn’t know he was walking straight into Kael’s trap.Downstairs, Jason checked his weapons with quiet curses under

The night was fire and smoke. Leon dragged Selena through the choking haze, her screams piercing the storm of gunfire. Jason covered their retreat, bullets snapping through the air. Eira moved like a shadow, her pistols flashing, cutting down Kael’s soldiers one by one. “Move!” Leon barked, pulling Selena toward the vehicles.“No! My father, let me go!” Selena thrashed against him, her face streaked with tears. “We can’t leave him! We can’t!”Gregory’s bloodied body lay on the concrete behind them, struggling to rise. His breaths were short, wet, ragged. Yet even in agony, his eyes burned with desperate resolve. “Go!” Gregory roared, his voice breaking. “Go, damn it! Don’t look back!”Another hail of bullets ripped across the dock. Jason cursed, firing wildly into the dark. “Boss, we’re out of time!”Eira hurled a smoke canister, the white cloud swallowing the battlefield. She grabbed Jason’s arm, shoving him toward the car. “Now!”Selena twisted free from Leon at the last second, s