The message arrived just after midnight. No name. No signature. Only a location and a time. Alicia didn’t need to ask who it was from—this was how challenges were issued in her world. Quietly. Directly. Without mercy.
She stood in her office, the city glowing beneath the windows, eyes cold as she read it again. A rival family was stepping out of the shadows, bold enough to test her authority face-to-face.
He watched her from across the room. “They want a reaction,” he said calmly.
“They’ll get one,” Alicia replied. Her voice was steady, but her mind was already three steps ahead. This wasn’t just about territory or power. It was about proving that she was untouchable—and that standing beside her came with consequences.
The meeting took place in a private club closed for the night. Low
