Morning traffic stretched thin across the road, the city only just beginning to wake. Jennifer’s car cut steadily through it, the low hum of the engine blending with the faint rush of wind outside.Inside, the atmosphere was far from calm.Mike sat behind the wheel, focused, both hands steady as he kept a measured distance behind the two black SUVs ahead. Their tinted windows gave nothing away, but everyone in the car knew exactly who was inside.Cedric’s men.Noah leaned back slightly in the rear seat, his gaze fixed past the windshield, sharp and unreadable. Beside him, Jennifer shifted, her arms folded as she glanced between the road and his face.“You’re very sure about this,” she said finally, breaking the silence.Noah didn’t look at her. “I am.”Jennifer studied him for a second longer. “Because right now, all we’re doing is following a lead that could either save them…” she paused slightly, “…or walk us straight into something worse.”Mike let out a quiet breath. “Wouldn’t be

Victoria didn’t just fall; she collapsed, as if something inside her had finally snapped under the weight of years. Her knees hit the floor first, then her hands, trembling, barely holding her up. Tears streamed down her face in uneven lines, her breathing jagged.“I didn’t mean it…” she whispered, voice breaking apart. “That wasn’t my intention, I swear it wasn’t…”Noah stood over her, unmoved at first. His jaw tightened, his eyes dark with something sharper than anger, more like betrayal, confusion, and disbelief, all tangled together.“Then what was your intention?” he shot back, his voice cutting through her sobs. “To kill him? To destroy everything? Because that’s exactly what you did.”Victoria flinched as the words struck her physically. Her shoulders shook harder.“Yes!” she cried out suddenly, her voice rising in a painful confession. “Yes, it’s my fault Anita died! I know that, I know!” She dragged in a breath that refused to steady. “But it wasn’t how it was supposed to hap