Chapter 90: The War Isn’t Over

The first light of dawn painted the city in hues of orange and gold, but for Isabella, the war was just beginning. She leaned against the hood of her car, arms crossed, watching the remnants of the night unfold.

Carver's men were being hauled away, their empire crumbling piece by piece. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, this was just another fallen piece on a much larger chessboard.

Alexander stood beside her, his usual calm presence grounding her amidst the chaos. They had won the battle, but the true fight was only starting.

A Glimpse of What's Next

"You're thinking too much again," Alexander murmured.

Isabella huffed a quiet laugh. "Maybe I'm just planning ahead."

"Since when do you stop at 'planning'?"

She turned to him, arching a brow. "You're not wrong."

For years, her fight had been personal—revenge, survival, proving she wasn't someone to be controlled. But standing here now, for the first time, she saw the bigger picture.

Taking down men like Langston and Carver had been necessary. But what if the real battle was deciding what came after?

A New Name, A New Enemy

Damian strode over, his usual smirk absent. Isabella already knew what that meant.

"We've got a problem," he said, handing her his phone.

She read the message once, then twice. A new name. A new threat.

The moment one king fell, another stepped up. It was a cycle. A never-ending game.

Alexander read over her shoulder, his expression unreadable. "And just like that, we're back at square one."

Ethan, always ready for trouble, grinned. "So, when do we start wrecking their plans?"

Claire sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You were asleep twenty minutes ago."

"Yeah, and now I'm refreshed and ready for action."

Isabella shook her head, but despite the weight of the moment, a small smile tugged at her lips.

No More Playing by Their Rules

She tossed the phone back to Damian. "Then we get ahead of this. We don't wait for them to make the first move."

Alexander's gaze met hers. A silent agreement. A promise.

"This is different, isn't it?" he asked.

Isabella nodded. "Yeah. This time, we're not just burning things down." She took a step forward, her voice unwavering. "This time, we decide what gets built."

The city still belonged to the criminals, the corrupt, the ones who thought power was theirs to take.

But not for much longer.

She met Alexander's gaze once more and smirked. "You with me?"

He smirked right back. "Always."

And just like that, the next war began.