The heavy black parchment felt like a piece of solid ice in my trembling hands. I stared at the elegant, crimson calligraphy, my mind racing through a thousand terrifying scenarios. The High Council wasn't just another rival gang or a corrupt federal task force that we could simply bribe or violently blackmail. They were the ancient, untouchable architects of the entire global underworld. They controlled continents, not just cities.
"If we refuse the summons?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper in the quiet, sunlit master suite.
Valerius walked over to the massive windows, looking out over the sprawling city we had just violently conquered. His broad shoulders were tense, the heavy muscles in his back coiled tightly beneath his crisp white shirt like a predator anticipating an ambush.
"
