The phone felt warm in her trembling hand, slick with her own blood. Izora pressed it to her ear, pulse thundering beneath her skin like a warning. Her other hand remained clenched at her side, bandaged loosely by Kaiser's handkerchief, still damp with red. The line rang once. Twice. “Please… ple
And Kaiser wasn’t offering answers. He turned to go, stopping just to peep over his shoulder. "If I learn you are lying to me...," He uttered quietly, "I won't be merciful." Kaiser had just turned the doorknob when delicate but piercing Izora's voice emerged behind him. “Are you going to kil
The door clicked softly as Celestine closed it behind her, leaving Izora alone with the heavy quiet. Celestine’s voice lingered, cold yet somehow gentle. “If you hide anything about your relationship with Kaiser… it will be dangerous. For you.” Izora's gaze darted to the shade Celestine had just
Rita placed a stack of printouts on the table. Photos, newspaper clippings, a faded birth certificate, and a school ID. “The woman’s name was Amaris Nox. She was a private investigator, quietly funded through Benedict’s firm. They worked together off-book in the early 2000s.” “And the boy?” Rita
Enoch. Leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyes like carved steel. “How long were you standing there?” Kaiser asked, low and clipped. “Long enough,” Enoch replied. “Long enough to know we’ve got a bigger problem than the Dimitrovs.” Kaiser’s gaze narrowed. “How do you know about them?”
The heavy bedroom door whispered shut behind them with a soft metallic click. The silence that followed wasn’t peaceful, it was too taut for that. A stretched wire between breath and breaking. Kaiser exhaled slowly. He turned his gaze back to Izora. Her breathing had settled again, deep and stead