THE RETURN Of the LEGENDARY KING of WAR

The Imminent Fear Of The Unknown

There is a pause at the other end so much that Liliana thinks the call has been disconnected.

On the other end, Wilton Edner is stiff like a man who is tied and ready to be shot. His eyes dart to the security cameras above his office door, and even though he's not at the offer, the paranoia hasn't left.

He has heard, even though he didn't experience it first hand, the day the owner came… the air in Verizon changed.

No one who was there dared to speak of it. He had called in sick that morning—a twist of fate that sparked him from the silent storm that descended.

That day, all phones were confiscated. Every image that was taken was deleted by burly looking men that smell like death. Some say the phones were crushed right there on the floor with their boots.

Others whisper that those who tried to look too closely now wished they hadn't… even Valencia, even at this point, there has been no whispers of her name—because she's nowhere to be found.

Wilton swallows hard. “Madame McCalls… I—I’m afraid I can't help you with that.” he finally says. He prays no one overheard what she has said.

“What did you just say?” Liliana's voice drops, sharp with disbelief.

“I mean…things have changed. Drastically. I'd love to help, but it's out of my hands now. The leadership is… let's just say… not the kind of person you want to push against.”

“Don't be ridiculous, Wilton! You owe me—our families go back decades. I'm not asking for too much just—”

“I'm sorry,” he cuts her off hastily. “Truly. But I can't—”

He's already ending the call before she can finish her sentence.

Liliana blinks at the phone, momentarily stunned into disbelief!

He…he hung up!

On her?!

She lowers the phone slowly, lips parting in surprise, then curling into something darker.

Who is this new head of Verizon that causes fear to ripple across the hearts of men?!

Lizzy, who is sitting patiently, sees the change instantly. Her mother's jaw tightens, her knuckles whitening around the phone.

“He hung up on you?” Lizzy asks quietly.

Liliana doesn't answer at first. She places the phone down gently, as if afraid it might explode, then stands on her feet.

“He's afraid,” she mutters more to herself. “And if he's afraid, then this is worse than I had initially thought.”

Lizzy feels the hope in her chest licker, then collapses into a frightening dread. Her hands turn clammy. If her mother can't fix this… then…no one can.

And all at once, the bitter taste of humiliation returns. Her friends… her rivals… she had already pictured the ribbon cutting ceremony, the soft clicks of paparazzi cameras, the praises, the envy.

But now? Now it might never happen.

Tears threaten to sting her eyes, but she bites them back, forcing a sharp breath through her nose.

Liliana turns to her, expression unreadable. “I'm going to find out who this man is,” she says firmly. “And when I do, he'll wish hell never made my daughter cry.”

But mom, that's not the point!” Elizabeth snaps, voice crackling with frustration.

Her hands fling up, helpless, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Liliana arches a brow, folding her arms slowly. “Then what is the point?” She asks. Her time is cold, clipped, like an invitation and a challenge all in one.

Lizzy sucks in a shaky breath. “The point is that my official company opening is Monday, mom. Monday! And that's just two days away! And I haven't even signed the supplemental agreement.

Don't you understand? Without it, I can't move forward.”

Liliana's face immediately darkens at her words, heart skipping a deadly beat.

Instead of saying a word, she clenches her jaws. Her arms fall to her sides, and for a moment, her eyes go to stare at the chandelier—as if searching for strength in its light.

She knows the weight of what her daughter is saying. She knows the risk too. The looming embarrassment.

Her own reputation is also on the line too, hanging in between a thin line that will snap if this agreement isn't signed.

She had bragged about the launch just last week at the elite women's meeting. Faces she's spent years keeping beneath her heel are expecting to attend this ceremony.

If the agreement isn't signed in time, then… then it wouldn't just be Lizzy who falls. They both will and damn it, she isn't ready to face the mockery of the people she knows she is better than!

The thought makes her jaws tighten even more. She grabs her phone again with a controlled urgency, scrolling with a deadly focus.

Her fingers move quickly, and then she presses a name and lifts the phone to her ear.

Damn Wilton! If he can't even help her with something as little as this, there are others who definitely will! Even happy to help her!

The phone rings once and when it is finally answered, she goes straight to the point with a voice hard as steel.

“I want you to help me with the supplemental agree—”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The line immediately goes dead. Swift and cold.

Liliana's eyes wide , just slightly. Her lips part in disbelief. She stares at the phone for a beat longer than necessary… then dials another number with swift, sharp taps.

“Hello?” She begins, her voice poised. “I need you to assist me with something that's only accessible through Veri—”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The call is ruthlessly disconnected again.

There is no warning. No goodbye. Only silence.

Liliana slowly lowers her phone, her hand trembling slightly—almost imperceptibly—but Lizzy sees it. The moment her mother's legendary control slips.

Liliana exhales sharply through her nose. “They are cutting me off,” she murmurs, voice tight. “They're scared of him…”

She finally meets Lizzy's gaze, and for the first time in years, Elizabeth sees something unsettling in her mother's gaze.

Uncertainty.

“Whoever this man is,” Liliana mutters, voice darkening into a low growl, “how is he so powerful enough to make even my name irrelevant?”