3rd POV

ROME, ITALY

Kai's Mansion

Kai ended the call with Victor, fingers tightening around the phone before he set it down with deliberate control. The dimly lit study was heavy with tension, shadows flickering against the dark wood paneling. Ethan sat across from him, arms crossed, gaze sharp with unspoken questions.

Kai exhaled slowly. "I saw a ghost today," he murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Only this one isn't staying dead."

Ethan didn't flinch, but the way his fingers tapped against the armrest of his chair gave him away. "Silas?"

Kai gave a single, sharp nod. "He's back. And he's not just making noise-he's moving pieces. Victor's absence isn't a coincidence."

Ethan's jaw tightened. "You think Silas orchestrated it?"

"I don't think. I know. Victor is tied up in Russia, conveniently too distracted to reinforce our borders. This isn't about a power move-it's a setup."

Before Ethan could respond, the door creaked open, and Yohan stepped inside, hands in his pockets, eyes alight with calculation.

"Dad, Uncle Ethan," he greeted, before walking toward the desk. He pulled out his phone and placed it on the table, screen glowing with a paused video. "I've been going through encrypted messages on the dark web. There's chatter about Victor's absence creating a power vacuum. But more importantly, there's this."

He tapped the screen, and a grainy image expanded. It showed a man, half-shrouded in shadow, standing beside an armored convoy in an undisclosed location. The timestamp was fresh.

Kai's gaze darkened. "That's Silas."

Ethan leaned in, expression hardening. "He's baiting us."

"Of course he is," Kai muttered. "But I'm done playing by his rules."

Yohan tilted his head. "Actually, this could be an opportunity. Silas is confident enough to move openly, which means he's stretched thin. We can use this to our advantage."

Kai's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "You're thinking we make the first move?"

"Exactly. We let him believe he's ahead, but we set the real trap."

Ethan exhaled, shaking his head. "It's dangerous. If Silas has allies, we could be walking into an ambush."

Kai's jaw tightened, eyes glinting with something colder than fury-resolve. "That's the thing, Ethan. I don't care how many allies he has. I should have killed him when I had the chance. I won't make that mistake again."

Silence settled between them, charged with unspoken agreements. Yohan studied Kai carefully, then nodded. "Then let's make sure we don't waste this chance."

Kai leaned back, his fingers flexing before curling into a fist. "If Silas wants a war, he's going to get one. And this time, I'll make damn sure he doesn't walk away from it."

Ethan exchanged a look with Yohan before nodding. "Then we start preparing. No mistakes, no missteps."

Kai's smirk was razor-sharp. "No second chances."

The air in the room was thick with finality. They weren't just reacting anymore. They were going to strike first-and this time, there would be no escape for Silas.

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ELIAS' ROOM

Elias sat alone in his dimly lit study, his mind a storm of conflicting thoughts and emotions. The weight of the letter from his mother, Roseanne, pressed heavily on him. The revelations had shattered the image he had built of his parents-especially his father, Alexander Graves. The walls of the room felt like they were closing in, the silence thick with unresolved questions.

Hours had slipped by as he dissected the letter, trying to reconcile the mother he never knew with the man who had raised him. The betrayal, the vengeance, the life of crime-it all felt like pieces of a puzzle that refused to fit. His father had been his foundation, the man who had always been there. But now, doubt gnawed at the edges of that certainty.

A sharp vibration from his phone jolted him back. He picked it up, and the name flashing on the screen made his chest tighten-Alexander Graves.

Elias hesitated, his thumb hovering over the answer button. He knew that answering this call meant stepping into a battlefield of emotions, confronting the man he wasn't sure he could trust anymore. But the urgency of the call left him no choice.

"Hello?" His voice was controlled, but uncertainty bled through.

"Elias," Alexander's voice was as composed as ever, but there was an edge of expectation beneath it. "You've been quiet. I assume you've been thinking."

Elias's fingers curled into a fist on the desk. "That's one way to put it."

A pause. Then his father's voice, lower, sharper. "How are you?"

Elias blinked. The question felt too personal, too unlike Alexander. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" The skepticism in his father's voice was clear. "Because the son I raised doesn't let distractions cloud his judgment. You've been gone too long, Elias. It's time to focus."

Elias ground his teeth. "If you're talking about Italy-"

"Of course I'm talking about Italy," Alexander cut in, his tone growing colder. "You didn't go there for some brotherly reunion with Victor. I sent you there for a reason. Have you forgotten?"

Elias exhaled slowly, the grip on his phone tightening. "No."

"Then act like it. You're a Graves, not some sentimental fool chasing after ghosts. Whatever Victor filled your head with, forget it. I need you to be clear-headed for what's coming."

Elias clenched his jaw so hard it hurt. "And what exactly is coming?"

Alexander's voice sharpened with authority. "An alliance. Me, Silas, and The Black Serpents. We're taking control before Kai Cassano becomes a problem."

Elias's stomach twisted. "Taking control? Or eliminating him?"

"The details don't matter. What matters is you understanding that this isn't a request, Elias. It's a necessity."

Elias leaned forward, gripping the edge of the desk. "And what if I don't want to be a part of it?"

Silence stretched between them, thick with tension. Then, a low chuckle. "Don't be foolish. You're already a part of it."

Elias's fingers dug into the wood. "And if I say no?"

Alexander's voice lost any pretense of warmth. "Then you're making a mistake you can't afford. You think you have time to hesitate? You don't. Those words from your dead mother-it's making you weak. I can hear it in your voice."

Elias's pulse spiked. "You have no idea what that letter said."

"I don't need to. I know how she was. Always planting doubt, always playing her little games." Alexander's voice dripped with disdain. "But I raised you. I taught you how to survive. If you start questioning that now, you won't just be betraying me-you'll be betraying yourself."

Elias felt his breath hitch. The words were calculated, meant to push him into a corner. And the worst part? They almost worked.

"I need time," he said finally, his voice tight.

Alexander let out a slow, measured sigh. "Fine. Take your time. But remember-family comes first. Always."

The call ended, leaving Elias alone in the suffocating silence. A bitter chuckle slipped from his lips, thick with irony. Family. What a joke.

The weight of the conversation pressed against his chest, constricting his breath. Without thinking, his hand moved, and his phone flew across the room, smashing against the opposite wall. The sharp crack of breaking glass echoed through the space, but it did nothing to quell the storm raging inside him.

His hands shook as he exhaled through gritted teeth. He needed to regain control. Standing abruptly, he crossed the room to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a drink with unsteady fingers. The amber liquid sloshed over the rim slightly, but he didn't care. He took a long sip, the burn doing little to numb the emotions clawing at his insides.

Memories surfaced, unbidden and relentless.

He saw himself as a boy, trailing behind his father, eager to impress him. He remembered the first time Alexander let him sit in on a meeting, the pride swelling in his chest as he absorbed every word his father spoke. Back then, he had hung on to his father's every command, desperate for approval, for recognition.

Then there were the other memories-the ones that didn't sit as neatly in the narrative he had built for himself. The first time he saw his father order a man's execution without hesitation. The cold, detached way Alexander had delivered the command, as if the man's life meant nothing. Elias had been sixteen, and the horror had been immediate, but he had swallowed it down, telling himself this was what leadership required.

He gripped the glass tighter, staring into the swirling liquid as another memory surfaced-one he had buried deep.

Years ago, he had asked his father why mercy was never an option.

"Mercy is for the weak, Elias," Alexander had told him, voice as sharp as a blade. "A leader who hesitates is a leader who dies."

At the time, Elias had nodded, had accepted the lesson. But now, standing in the dim light of his study, he questioned everything.

Was that truly strength? Or was it simply a convenient excuse for cruelty?

He set the glass down with a thud, running a hand through his hair. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. His mother's letter haunted him, a specter of truths he wasn't sure he wanted to face. His father-was he manipulating him? Using him as a piece in a game Elias didn't even understand yet?

The room felt too small, the walls pressing in. The alliance, the war against Kai-it should have been a simple choice. It should have ignited the fire of vengeance inside him. But now? Now, it felt like stepping onto unstable ground.

Half-truths. That was the world he lived in. The question was-who was telling him the right ones?

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Silas leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the security feed as his fingers drummed against the desk in a slow, methodical rhythm. The pieces were shifting, but he wasn't foolish enough to assume they would all fall neatly into place. No, he had learned a long time ago that control was an illusion-one that only the most cunning knew how to manipulate.

Alexander had delivered the bait, and Elias was at a crossroads. But was hesitation guaranteed? Not necessarily. Elias was unpredictable. One moment he was his father's perfect soldier, the next, he was a man burdened by his own conscience. That unpredictability could be an asset-or a liability. Silas would be ready for both.

And then there was Alexander himself. A powerful man, a ruthless strategist-but not infallible. Trusting him blindly would be a mistake, and Silas didn't make mistakes. The old man had his own agenda, and Silas would make sure their goals aligned only as long as it benefited him.

Victor was distracted, his attention split between Kai and his own crumbling alliances. And Kai? He was wounded but far from defeated. Underestimating him would be a grave mistake. Silas knew that the Cassano king was dangerous, not just for his power, but for his unpredictability.

His phone buzzed on the desk, breaking his thoughts. Silas exhaled sharply before picking it up.

"What?" His tone was smooth, but the undercurrent of authority was unmistakable.

A voice on the other end spoke quickly, tension bleeding into every word. "There's movement on Cassano's end. They're not backing down. If anything, they're preparing for something big."

Silas chuckled, his fingers flexing against the armrest. "Of course they are. That's what makes this fun."

The informant hesitated. "And that Alexander? What if he doesn't bite?"

Silas let the silence stretch, savoring the weight of the question. Then, he smiled. "He doesn't have to. The moment he thinks he has a choice is the moment he's already playing my game."

The call ended, and Silas set his phone down. The game wasn't over yet. No, it was just beginning.

Silas smirked. "Time to set the next move."

He picked up his phone, dialing without hesitation. "It's me. Start preparing. We might need a contingency plan soon."

No matter how Elias moved next, Silas had already set his contingency plans. The game was still his to control.

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Hey everyone! 😊 This chapter was all about tension, manipulation, and the slow unraveling of Elias's trust in everything he once believed. I wanted to dig deeper into his internal struggle, making his hesitation feel more real, more painful. At the same time, Silas is out there, playing his own dangerous game, pulling strings, and proving that he's always a few steps ahead.

I also expanded Silas's perspective in this chapter because he's not just a background antagonist-he's a mastermind. He doesn't just react; he calculates, he anticipates, and that makes him incredibly dangerous. Adding the brief call at the end gives a small glimpse into how much control he believes he has over the situation. But the real question is-will everything go according to his plan? 👀

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! What do you think about Elias's hesitation? Do you believe Silas truly has everything under control, or is he underestimating his opponents? Let me know! 💬🔥

Next chapter's going to be intense-stay tuned! 🚀