Chapter 50 – The Choice That Ends It All

The confirmation came in the form of a single, untraceable message.

You should have stayed dead.

Alexander stared at the screen, the words burning into his mind. He had known—deep down, he had always known. His father wasn't just a ghost haunting the shadows. He was the puppeteer, pulling the strings, orchestrating every move, watching, waiting.

A slow, dark rage curled in Alexander's gut. This wasn't just a game of power anymore. This was personal.

Carver was waiting for him when he arrived at the underground club, sitting in his usual booth with a glass of whiskey in hand. His smirk was the same—calculated, amused, as if he had already won before the game had even begun.

"You look like a man who just saw a ghost," Carver drawled, motioning for Alexander to sit.

Alexander didn't move. "You knew."

Carver took a slow sip, savoring the burn. "Knew what? That the man you've been running from all these years never stopped looking for you? That he's been keeping tabs on every move you've made?" He tilted his head. "Of course I knew. I was just waiting for you to catch up."

Alexander's hands curled into fists. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

Carver chuckled. "Would it have changed anything? You were always going to end up right here, standing at the crossroads. The only difference is, now you finally see the road in front of you."

Alexander exhaled sharply, his pulse a slow, steady drumbeat of fury. "Say it. Whatever deal you're about to offer, just say it."

Carver leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with something dangerous. "Your father is more powerful than you realize. He's got connections deeper than either of us can touch alone. But together?" He swirled the whiskey in his glass. "We could take him down. You and me, side by side. We end this. And in return, you get something real—control. The underground fights, the empire he built. You don't just kill the king, Alexander. You take his throne."

The words settled between them like a loaded gun, waiting to go off.

"You want me to become you," Alexander said flatly.

Carver's smirk widened. "I want you to become something far worse. Because that's the only way you survive this."

The night air was thick, suffocating. Alexander stood at the edge of the city, looking out over the skyline, his mind a warzone of choices.

Eve's voice echoed in his head. You always have a choice.

But did he? His father wasn't just an enemy. He was a force—a shadow that stretched far beyond the past. If Alexander went after him alone, he might not come back. But if he joined Carver, if he let himself become the monster his father had always wanted him to be, would there even be anything left of him to save?

He closed his eyes.

Memories bled through the cracks. His mother's screams. His brother's betrayal. The blood on his hands the night he ran, the night he became something else—something dangerous, something relentless.

A boy had died that night.

And the man left behind was ready to burn everything.

Alexander didn't sleep. When dawn broke, he made his decision.

Carver's club was nearly empty when he walked in, the scent of whiskey and smoke clinging to the air. Carver looked up from his seat, unsurprised.

"You've made your choice."

Alexander met his gaze, unwavering. "The boy who ran away is dead. The man left behind will burn everything."

Carver's smile was slow, satisfied. "Good. Let's get started."