The Docks of Shadows
The night air was cold, the waves crashing against the wooden planks of the pier. Flashlights cut through the darkness as Ethan, Damien, and a small team approached the old warehouse.
Ethan motioned for silence. Inside, faint voices echoed — one unmistakably Isabella's.
"You thought you could outsmart me, Eleanor?" she sneered. "You should have stayed quiet."
Ethan's heart pounded. He moved closer, just in time to hear Eleanor's voice — weak, but defiant.
"You'll never win, Isabella. The truth always finds a way."
"Not if you're gone before it does," Isabella whispered.
Ethan didn't wait. "Move!" he ordered.
The team burst through the doors. Chaos exploded. Victor drew his gun, but Damien tackled him. Isabella screamed as Ethan ran to Eleanor, freeing her from the ropes.
"Ethan…" Eleanor gasped, tears in her eyes. "You came…"
He held her close. "You're safe now."
But before anyone could breathe, Victor escaped Damien's grip, firing a single shot before vanishing through the back exit. The bullet grazed Ethan's shoulder — Clara screamed as he stumbled.
"Ethan!"
"I'm fine," he growled, clutching his arm. "Get Eleanor out of here!"
Damien dragged Victor's abandoned bag toward him — inside were documents, photographs, and something worse: evidence of a deeper plot.
He looked up, grim. "This isn't over. Isabella wasn't working alone."
Ethan's eyes darkened. "Then we find out who else wants my family destroyed."
As they left the docks, rain began to fall again — a cold reminder that even though one battle had ended, the war was only beginning.