The weight of the past few days had settled heavily on Malia's shoulders, each moment stretching longer than the last. The tension between her and Nixus still lingered in the air, an unspoken rift neither of them seemed able to fully address. The cracks in their relationship had deepened, and no matter how much she wanted to ignore them, they were there, pressing against her thoughts at every turn. The business, too, had taken its toll. Evelyn's attacks were growing more sophisticated, her strategies more devious. Malia could no longer rely on just her own cunning and willpower to survive this fight. She needed an edge, something that would level the playing field.
That's when it hit her—an unlikely alliance.