How is this possible

The weeks passed, and with each day, Alexander and Mia found themselves drawing closer to a sense of normalcy. The tension of the past months had not entirely dissipated, but they were making progress. Marco's empire had been dismantled, and the remaining pieces of his operation were being hunted down. The truth about 'Project Paragon' was still unfolding, but for the first time in a long while, Mia allowed herself to breathe. She could feel the baby's gentle movements inside her, a reminder of the life they had fought to protect.

But as the saying went, peace was always fleeting.

One afternoon, as Mia sat in the sunroom, flipping through the files Victor had sent her, a sudden knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat, a sense of unease settling in her chest. She stood and made her way to the door, opening it to find Victor standing on the other side. His usual confident demeanor was absent, replaced by a grim expression.

"Mia," he said quietly, stepping inside. "We've got a problem."

Her pulse quickened. "What is it?"

Victor's face was tense, his brows furrowed in concern. "We've uncovered something disturbing. Another faction. We thought we had taken down Marco's entire network, but we were wrong. There's another player in this game—someone even more dangerous."

Mia's stomach churned. "Who?"

Victor hesitated before answering. "It's a group calling themselves 'The Ascendant Order.' They're an underground collective, with resources and connections that rival even Marco's. And we believe they're picking up where Marco left off, continuing his experiments and even expanding on them."

Mia felt her blood run cold. "How is this possible? We destroyed Marco's labs. We thought it was over."

Victor's gaze turned steely. "That's what we thought. But it seems Marco's plans were just the beginning. The Ascendant Order has been operating in the shadows, and now they've made their move."

Mia exchanged a worried glance with Alexander, who had entered the room at the sound of Victor's voice. His expression darkened as he took in the information. "How do we stop them?"

Victor pulled out a tablet, swiping through the files. "We have intel on several of their hideouts. But it's a delicate operation. They're better funded and more secretive than Marco ever was. We need to tread carefully."

Mia stood, her hand instinctively resting on her belly. "We don't have time for careful. We need to act now before they get any stronger."

Alexander stepped closer, his eyes full of determination. "Mia's right. We can't let them operate in the shadows any longer. If we're going to stop them, we need to hit them hard, fast, and with everything we've got."

Victor nodded. "Agreed. But we have to be smart. This isn't just about taking down one person. It's a network, and they're scattered across multiple continents."