Week Three: December 20th
The call came at 2 a.m.
Viktor. Voice tight with urgency. "We have a problem. Alexei Volkov is back."
Isla sat up immediately. Killian was already awake beside her—prison reflexes.
"Who's Alexei Volkov?" Isla asked, putting the phone on speaker.
"Roman's father. Dmitri's brother. Head of the Volkov family before he disappeared three years ago. We all thought he was dead. He's not. And he's—he's angry. About Roman. About the alliance I made with you. About everything."
Killian's expression went cold. "What does he want?"
"Revenge. Blood. He's declaring war on the alliance. Saying I betrayed the family by siding with you. Saying you murdered his son. Saying—saying he's going to destroy everything we've built."
"How credible is the threat?" Isla asked.
"Very. Alexei has resources. Connections. Loyalists who followed him into hiding. He's not just one man with a grudge. He's—he's a legitimate threat to everything."
