"Because you make me forget who I should stay away from."
Alaska stared into her eyes.
"Maybe it's time you stopped running away."
When the World Calms for a Moment
Suddenly, the door opened.
Kenan entered without knocking.
"Boss, the security report is ready"
He stopped abruptly.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see anything."
"Kenan!" Alana snapped, while Alaska tried not to laugh.
"Relax, Alana," Kenan grinned.
"I just wanted to say, for the first time, our base is completely secure. No threats, no attacks. The world seems to be giving you both a moment to breathe."
Alaska looked at him, then at Alana.
"Maybe this is a sign."
"A sign of what?"
"A sign that we're given a chance to start over.
Chapter Epilogue
That night, Alana sat on the terrace of the Direndra mansion, writing in her small notebook.
The first page read:
"Maybe love doesn't always come the right way. But if two people are willing to change, maybe that's enough."
Alaska arrived, carrying two cups of hot chocolate.
He sat beside her, quietly reading the words.
"I like the last sentence," he said softly.
"You like sugarless hot chocolate, right?"
"Now I do, because of you."
"Then forcing you to try it back then wasn't in vain."
They laughed quietly together no weapons, no threats, no blood. Just two people finally learning the meaning of "peace" after a long war.
And for the first time,
Alaska Direndra was no longer the mafia boss.
He was just a man in love, trying to make amends gently.
The night sky grew cloudy.
Rain fell slowly over the backyard of the Direndra mansion. In the underground training room, Alaska stood silently, staring at his own reflection in the large mirror.
His hands were wrapped in bandages. Old scars traced lines across his skin, like maps of a past that could never be erased.
The door creaked open.
Alana appeared, wearing an oversized gray sweater.
"Still training at this hour?"
"Just trying to fight my own mind."
Alaska lowered his hands, exhaling.
"Every time I stop, the past starts screaming in my head."
"You don't have to fight yourself all the time."
Alana stepped closer, looking at the bandages.
"Scars like this don't heal if you keep reopening them."
"Some wounds can't be closed, Lana. Only guarded, so they don't bleed again."
Alana was silent. Her gaze was gentle but sharp, as if seeing through Alaska's soul.
"Or maybe you're just afraid that if they heal, you'll have no reason to stay cold."
Alaska stared back, long and steady.
"You're too perceptive for someone who says she doesn't care."
"I don't care…" she smiled faintly, "…but I'm not blind."
Midnight Call
Suddenly, Bumi's phone rang in the monitoring room.
"Boss, you need to see this."
His tone turned serious.
The large screen displayed an old logo the emblem of The Rave Syndicate, but with a new code underneath: "Project Echo."
"That's impossible," Alaska murmured.
"Rave is dead."
"Maybe Rave is dead," kenan replied, "but his people aren't."
Alana stared at the screen, tension in her face.
"Project Echo?"
"It's an operation code to track and reactivate their old systems," Kenan explained.
"And the worst part one of the access points comes from our internal network."
"You mean," Alaska's gaze sharpened, "there's a traitor inside?"
Kenan nodded gravely.
"And the leaked data… it's not business info. It's your location, Alana."
Silence.
Alana felt her breath stop for a moment.
"So… they're coming for me again?"
"Not just you," Alaska replied quietly.
"They're coming to destroy everything I've ever protected."
Midnight Meeting
The entire security team gathered.
Bumi went through the list of trusted personnel with system access.
One name made Alaska tense.
"Her?" he whispered.
"She can't be."
"Boss… all evidence points there."
"She's someone you personally recruited two years ago Kira."
Alana noticed the change in Alaska's expression.
"Who is she?"
"The one who saved me when I almost died," he said softly.
"If she's the traitor, it means something far bigger than we imagined."
A Quiet Morning
The next morning, the mansion felt empty.
Alana sat in the garden, sketching in her notebook her escape whenever her thoughts grew too loud.
Suddenly, soft footsteps approached from behind.
Kira arrived, carrying a cup of coffee.
"You look tense, Alana."
"I'm just not used to living somewhere everyone has secrets."
Kira smiled faintly.
"Sometimes secrets are the only things that can save someone."
Alana closed her notebook.
"You speak like someone who was saved but doesn't know how to live again."
Kira stared sharply. Her smile faded.
"Maybe that's true."
Then she turned and left the garden but before going, she whispered softly without looking back:
"Trust no one. Not even him."
Night Approaching Danger
Alaska stood on the balcony, watching the city glittering under the rain. He thought of Kira's words, Alana's face, and all he had ever sacrificed. In his left hand, he held a small bullet-shaped necklace the only keepsake from his late sibling.
Alana appeared, bringing her jacket.
"You haven't even had dinner."
"Not hungry."
"Not hungry, or scared?"
"Both," he admitted.
"Scared of losing again."
Alana stood beside him.
"You won't lose me if you stop seeing everyone as a threat."
Alaska looked at her.
"And you won't be happy if you keep waiting for me to fully heal."
They stared at each other, between pain and sincerity.
Then, without a word, Alana touched his hand.
A single, small touch but enough to make Alaska stop trembling.
End of the Chapter
In the control room, kenan still watched the screens showing Project Echo's encryption data. The indicator light turned green signaling a new active connection from within the mansion network.
Kenan immediately stood up.
"Damn… they're in!"
And on the monitor, a single message appeared
"ECHO HAS AWAKENED."