CHAPTER 4 : Shadows of the Past

The weight of the past was heavier than any punch Alexander had ever taken. It pressed against his ribs, a silent force reminding him that some demons never die—they only wait for the right moment to strike.

Vincent Carver had always been that moment. A ghost in the dark corners of his life, waiting, patient, biding his time.

"Debts don't just vanish, Voss."

The words echoed in his skull, carving through the thin layer of control he held onto. Alexander's fists tightened at his sides. He could still feel the old scars Carver had left on him—not just on his skin, but in his soul.

"I don't owe you anything," Alexander said, his voice like gravel.

Carver smirked. "That's not how I remember it. But I'll give you a choice. You can either step back into the ring under my terms—or I take payment another way."

A cold chill ran down Alexander's spine. Carver never bluffed.

His gaze flickered to the shadows behind Carver, where two men stood—watching, waiting. Not fighters. Enforcers.

He knew what the "other way" meant. And he knew who would suffer for it.

His stomach twisted.

"When?" Alexander asked through clenched teeth.

Carver's smile widened. "Good boy. Friday. You fight who I tell you to fight. And you win. Or you lose exactly how I say."

Alexander's jaw tensed. He had spent years clawing his way out of the darkness Carver had once dragged him into. But in one night, in one single moment, he was back at square one.

Eve's face flashed through his mind.

What would she think if she knew?

But it didn't matter. She wasn't a part of this. She couldn't be.

Carver leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. "You were never meant to walk away, Voss."

And with that, he disappeared into the night, leaving Alexander standing in the alley, his hands curled into fists, his heart hammering against his ribs.

He had just stepped into a fight he wasn't sure he could win.