Victoria placed her palms against his chest and gently pushed herself away, a lingering, breathless smile on her lips that quickly vanished as the cold weight of reality settled back into her eyes.

"I would love to let myself go right now" said Victoria, her voice laced with a bitter, dangerous edge as she paced across the hardwood floor. "However, the current situation is bothering me too much. Those fucking Sinclairs finally crossed the line with someone very special to me, and I want them to pay dearly for it. Tell me, Alexander... can you do that for me?"

"Of course" said Alexander, his dark eyes tracking her movements as a sudden, sharp spark ignited in the back of his mind. No... it couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? "Just tell me what you want done. But first... could you tell me what the Sinclairs did?"

"Does it even matter?" asked Victoria, throwing her hands up in frustration as her backless silk dress shifted over her curves. "I just want them to blown to fucking pieces."

"Just tell me, please" said Alexander, his voice dropping into a firm, unyielding tone. "What did they do?"

"They kidnapped the daughter of a very close friend of mine" said Victoria, her jaw tightening.

A heavy silence filled the penthouse as the final pieces of the puzzle clicked }into place inside Alexander’s head. The mysterious, hyper-wealthy benefactor Teacher Isabella had mentioned—the one who had sent a high-level operative to the warehouse district.

"You’re Isabella’s mysterious friend..." said Alexander, a low, calculating rumble vibrating in his chest. "Now I finally understand how you knew I was running around with Reaper. Isabella told you."

Victoria stopped pacing, her sharp eyes narrowing as she whipped around to face him.

"She didn’t tell me you were with Reaper, I found that out through a different channel" said Victoria, her posture tensing. "But how the hell do you know Isabella?"

"Because that day, I was the one who went to war to rescue Isabella’s daughter, Emma" said Alexander, his expression blank. "So yeah... that’s the situation."

Victoria’s mouth opened +in sheer shock, her dominant facade cracking for a second before a slow, incredibly wicked smile spread across her face.

"So it was you?" asked Victoria, her eyes practically devouring his massive, vascular frame as she took a slow step toward him. "I originally sent Reaper. Marcus is a good boy, and I occasionally like sending him on high-risk missions. The little brat has been dying to fuck me for months, but if I’m being honest with you... I’ve always preferred dark hair over blondes. You make me horny, Alexander."

She paused, just inches away from him, the heat radiating between their bodies as she pulled a sleek, encrypted smartphone from her designer clutch.

"However, before we enjoy the dessert, you need to do me a favor" said Victoria, tapping the screen to send a localized GPS coordinates file to his device. "That club belongs to Arthur Sinclair. His daughter is going to be there tonight. Her name is—"

"Stella..." said Alexander, cutting her off.

"What?" asked Victoria, her eyebrows knitting together in deep suspicion as her eyes locked onto his. "You know about her too? Don’t tell me you’re secretly working for them... no, that’s impossible. My people investigated your entire background."

"No" said Alexander, a dark, humorless smirk playing on his lips. "But I saved her goddamn life, and the ungrateful little brat turned around and sued me after she crashed her sports car directly into a concrete wall."

Victoria stared at him for a long, silent beat, a sharp, breathless laugh escaping her throat as she shook her head in utter disbelief.

"Ah... so you were involved in that disaster too?" asked Victoria, her eyes gleaming with fascination. "Wow. What the hell are you, Alexander? Are you some kind of ghost?"

Alexander let out a dry, quiet chuckle, his fingers brushing against the encrypted phone screen as he tucked it back into his leather jacket.

"It looks like the world is too small" said Alexander, his deep voice smooth and unbothered as his dark eyes locked back onto hers. "Don’t worry about it. I’ll go and destroy his club."

"It’s not just about the club" said Victoria, her expression hardening into a mask of pure, unyielding dominance as her manicured nails dug into his chest. "Bring that fucking brat to me. I am going to show the entire Sinclair family what happens when they think they can play games with me. Bring her here, Alexander."

"Understood" said Alexander, his posture shifting back into a cold, efficiency. "I’ll make sure she’s brought right to your feet."

A sudden, sharp gleam of excitement flashed in Victoria’s eyes, her lips curling into a wicked, spontaneous smile.

"Let’s go, then" said Victoria, her voice tracing a dangerous, adrenaline-fueled purr. "I want to come along and have some fun for a change."

"No, impossible" said Alexander, his tone turning into a flat, authoritative barrier that brooked no argument. "Every single person in that district would recognize you from a mile away, Madam. You cannot afford to risk your entire position on a whim like that."

"I don’t care, I’m the one paying you, and I said I’m going," Victoria insisted, stepping even closer, her jaw set in a stubborn, spoiled pout that clashed beautifully with her dangerous eyes.

Alexander didn’t back down. He placed his large hands firmly on her bare shoulders, his grip unyielding but careful. "Trust me on this, Victoria. Let me handle them. I’m going to take care of everything, and I’ll bring her back to you. Just stay here where it’s safe."

Victoria stared up at him, her breathing shallow as she felt the sheer, heavy authority radiating from his posture. She opened her mouth to argue further, but the sharp, piercing ring of Alexander’s personal phone cut through the tension.

He frowned, pulling the device out. The screen flashed with an unexpected name: Aria Ashford.

Alexander’s eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. He swiped the screen and brought the phone to his ear. "Tell me, Aria. What’s going on?"

"Alex... please, help me," Aria sobbed into the receiver, her voice trembling violently, }overwhelmed by a primal, suffocating terror. "Something... something really bad is happening right now..."