ALEX’S POV
The phone felt heavy in my hand as my father's words echoed through the speaker. "So, what's happening with Scarlett, son?"
My blood ran cold. I scanned the living room, trying to keep my voice steady. "Everything's going according to plan, Father. Why do you ask?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Alexander." His tone carried that familiar edge of steel. "I've been watching. You're getting soft."
"Watching?" The words came out sharp as I moved through the house, checking windows and corners. "How exactly have you been watching?"
His dark chuckle made my skin crawl. "Did you really think I'd let you handle this mission without surveillance? After what her mother did to our family?"
"You bugged my house?" My free hand clenched into a fist. "What happened to trust?"
"Trust?" He bar
