Ava sat at her desk, her fingers brushing against the photograph of Marcus. The image was grainy, a moment captured from a time long ago. Her heart tugged painfully in her chest as the memories swirled in her mind like an insidious storm—memories she didn't even know she had. They were fragments, disjointed, but each one held weight, revealing glimpses of a truth she wasn't ready to face.

The chaos of the night at the warehouse replayed in her mind, like a vivid dream she couldn't shake. Ali's warning echoed in her head, but it was something deeper that held her captive. He hadn't just been talking about the fight. He had been talking about something else—something darker and more dangerous.

Her mind kept returning to one moment. The look in Ali's eyes when he'd said those words to her: "You've only just begun to play." His smirk had been one of knowing, as though he had orchestrated everything she had lived through up until that point.

She leaned back in her chair, eyes closing as she tried to block out the barrage of thoughts flooding her consciousness.

A knock on the door jolted her from her thoughts. She opened her eyes, and Eric stepped into the room, his face taut with concern.

"We need to talk," he said, his voice tense, his usual calm demeanor cracked under the pressure.

Ava nodded, feeling a sense of foreboding crawl up her spine. "What's going on?"

Eric hesitated before speaking, his eyes scanning the room as though making sure no one else was listening. "We've uncovered something—something bigger than we realized. Ali's been moving pieces we didn't know about."

Ava straightened, her pulse quickening. "What do you mean?"

Eric stepped closer, lowering his voice even more. "It's not just the network of men he controls. There's something—someone—higher up. Someone he's been working with all this time. We're missing a key player."

Ava's heart skipped a beat. "Who?"

Eric sighed, a shadow crossing his face. "We don't know yet. But what I do know is that Ali isn't acting alone. And the scope of his operations... it's bigger than we thought."

Ava's mind raced, the realization settling in like a cold, suffocating weight. Marcus had been a part of this world—she knew that. But now, as pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, she understood that Marcus wasn't just a casualty of the game; he was a part of it. And so was she.

"I need to find out everything I can about this," Ava said, her voice firm. She had no choice but to dive deeper into the darkness, to unravel the secrets that Marcus had kept hidden from her. She owed him that much.

Eric nodded, his face hardening. "I'll start digging. But be careful, Ava. Ali's not just playing games anymore. He's working with people who have far more power than we ever thought."

The night was cold, the air thick with the scent of rain. Ava stood at the edge of the building, staring down at the city below. The lights twinkled like a sea of stars, but she couldn't find any comfort in their glow. Everything felt like it was slipping out of her grasp, unraveling with every new piece of information.

The door to the rooftop creaked open, and Eric stepped out, his figure outlined against the dark sky. He walked toward her, his pace slow, deliberate.

"Have you found anything?" she asked, her voice quiet, almost distant.

Eric shook his head, his jaw tight. "Nothing solid yet. But we're getting closer. I can feel it."

Ava glanced at him, her mind clouded with questions. "What if we're not supposed to find out?"

Eric didn't answer immediately, but the look in his eyes said more than words ever could. He knew how deep this went. He knew how dangerous it was.

"I have to know the truth," Ava continued, her voice low but filled with determination. "Marcus's death—it wasn't just a mistake. He wasn't collateral damage. He was a part of this from the beginning. And I was too."

Eric placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch grounding her for a moment. "You're not alone in this, Ava. We'll find the answers. We'll bring them to light."

Ava nodded, but even his reassurance couldn't shake the feeling gnawing at her. She had always believed she was just a bystander in all of this—a woman who had loved a man who had been caught in a dangerous game. But now, with every revelation, every truth that came to light, she realized that she had been a player in this game all along.

A soft beeping from her phone interrupted the moment. Ava pulled it from her pocket, her breath catching as she saw the name on the screen: Unknown Caller. She hesitated, unsure if she was ready for another twist in this tangled web. But she answered.

"Ava," a voice crackled on the other end. It was distorted, but unmistakable. "It's me. You don't know who I am yet, but I know you."

Ava's pulse quickened. "Who is this?"

The voice on the other end chuckled darkly. "The game is far from over, Ava. You've barely scratched the surface. Marcus's death was just the beginning. Welcome to the real game."

The call ended abruptly, leaving Ava standing in stunned silence, the weight of the words sinking into her bones.

She turned to Eric, her expression hardened. "I think we've been looking in the wrong places."

Eric's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Ava met his gaze, the truth finally dawning on her. "This isn't just about Ali. There's something much bigger happening. And if we want to stop it, we need to go all the way to the top."

Eric nodded slowly, understanding now what Ava had known all along: This wasn't just a fight against Ali. This was something far darker, far more complex. And no one was safe.

The night seemed to stretch on endlessly as they made their plans, their minds focused on the task ahead. Ava knew that the journey ahead would be far more dangerous than anything she had faced before. But it didn't matter. She had come this far, and she was going to finish what she had started.

Marcus's death had been the catalyst, but it wasn't the end. It was only the beginning.

And now, the real game had begun.