2025-11-22 23:05:20
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Before the storm
LThe morning sunlight crept slowly across Cole’s living room, painting long streaks of gold across the floor. But Cole didn’t feel its warmth. He sat on the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees, staring into nothing.It had been three days since Fiona traveled, and the house already felt empty. Too quiet. Too cold.He rubbed his hands together, restless.Something was wrong.Not wrong in the obvious way — not like a threat he could point at or punch — but wrong in the air. Something he could feel in his bones.“Why does it feel like the world shifted without me noticing?” he muttered.Before he could think further, the door opened and Mendes walked in with urgent steps.“Cole,” Mendes said breathlessly, “you need to see this.”Cole stood. “What’s going on?”Mendes handed him a newspaper and a tablet screen.Headlines flashed in bold letters:“Unexplained delays hit local businesses.”“Investors panic as transaction failures spread.”“Financial instability approaching? Experts weigh
The gathering storm
Night had crawled across the city like a dark veil, and the streets were quieter than usual. Streetlights cast long shadows that swayed in the wind, and traffic lights blinked over empty intersections as if warning ghosts to stop.Inside a heavily guarded penthouse on the 27th floor, Uzumaki stood before a wall-length window, hands crossed behind his back. The city lights reflected off his glasses, giving him a cold, unreadable look.He was waiting.He rarely waited for anyone — but tonight was different.Tonight, everything he had been building was finally beginning to take shape.The elevator chimed behind him.Two men stepped out: Trojan, tall, sharp-featured, always carrying a laptop bag; and Blake Morgan, calm, smooth-talking, dressed in his manicured businessman style.They approached slowly.Uzumaki did not turn.“You’re late,” he said quietly.Blake cleared his throat. “Traffic was—”“Lie to someone else,” Uzumaki cut in, his voice chilled steel.Trojan swallowed and bowed his
The silence
The house was too quiet.Cole sat on the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor for what felt like hours. The ticking of the wall clock echoed through the living room like a countdown, each second stretching the emptiness Fiona left behind.But Cole wasn’t the type to sit still in pain.Pain sharpened him.Pain made him think.And the silence was starting to speak.He exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck as the realization settled:If Fiona—his strongest support—needed distance, then things had gotten worse than he wanted to admit.He needed clarity too.Cole’s Phone BuzzedHe blinked and grabbed it.It was a message from Rocco, his most loyal ally.Rocco: Boss, we need to talk. Something serious. Meet us.Cole’s jaw tightened.“Of course,” he muttered. “The world never sleeps.”He grabbed his jacket and stepped outside, locking the door behind him. The evening sky was a dull gray, heavy with clouds like a warning.Meeting With His AlliesCole arrived at
Fiona needs space
Cole pushed open the front door quietly, as if afraid to disturb the silence. The house felt different. Colder. The warm scent of Fiona’s cooking was gone, replaced by a stillness that pressed against his chest like a weight.“Fiona?” he called softly.She stepped out from the hallway, arms folded, eyes unfocused. She looked… distant. Not angry. Not sad. Just far away.Cole’s heart tightened.“Hey… I’m back.”Fiona nodded slowly, managing a small smile. “I know. I heard the gate.”He walked closer, trying to read her face. Weeks in prison had sharpened him — not physically, but emotionally. He noticed things faster now. Tiny changes. Subtle shifts. And the shift in Fiona… it was a storm.“You okay?” he asked.Her eyes flickered. “Cole… we need to talk.”Those four words hit him harder than any punch he’d taken in prison.He swallowed. “Alright. Tell me.”Fiona sat down, pressed her palms together, and exhaled shakily. “Since you got arrested… everything has been chaotic. My mind has b
The serpent new head
The night felt colder than usual.Cole sat inside Mendes’ hidden safehouse — a dim, concrete-walled room lit only by a single lamp and the glow of the laptop in front of him. Shane, Jax, Slim, Trey, and Mendes gathered around the table, watching Cole scroll through surveillance photos and recordings that Eden’s men had gathered over the last few days.Pictures of Trojan.Pictures of Blake Morgan.Pictures of them smiling beside Uzumaki like two eager disciples.Cole stared at one photo longer than the rest — Trojan and Uzumaki shaking hands.Mendes cleared his throat.Mendes:“Cole… you haven’t said a word in ten minutes.”Cole didn’t look up.Cole:“I’m studying them.”Shane raised a brow.Shane:“Studying who? Trojan? Blake? Or Uzumaki?”Cole finally leaned back in his chair, eyes cold.Cole:“All of them. I need to understand why Uzumaki picked those two… out of everyone in this city.”Slim crossed his arms.Slim:“Because they’re snakes?”Cole shook his head.Cole:“No. Because th
Return to a world on fire
The courtroom smelled of old wood and tension. Cole stood tall, though his ribs still ached from weeks of surviving inside that hellhole. His lawyer, Mr. Wyatt, adjusted his glasses and leaned close.Mr. Wyatt:“Just breathe. The arguments went well today. I’m confident the judge will finally grant bail.”Cole nodded slowly, jaw tight.He wasn’t afraid of prison.He was afraid of what Uzumaki was building outside of it.The judge returned to the bench, flipping through papers with the calmness of a man whose decisions controlled lives.Judge Garland:“After reviewing the new evidence presented by the defense… bail is hereby granted to Cole Brady.”Cole’s chest tightened — relief, pain, disbelief all tangled at once.He was getting out.For the first time in weeks, oxygen felt real.Mr. Wyatt gave him a small smile.Mr. Wyatt:“You’re going home, Cole.”Cole almost didn’t believe it until the handcuffs were unlocked. Until the guard simply said:Guard:“You’re free.”THE OUTSIDE HITS H
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