chapter 13: fractured loyalties

The night air was thick with tension as Felix drove through the dimly lit streets. The echoes of Liam's warning still lingered, but it wasn't just the looming threat of Ravensgate that gnawed at him it was the weight of the truth.

Liam's words weren't a lifeline; they were a chain, dragging Felix deeper into the abyss. Every choice he made had consequences, and now, with Elena at his side, the stakes were no longer just his own.

"I don't trust him," Elena murmured, her voice breaking through the silence. She stared out the window, the neon lights casting fractured shadows across her face. "Liam gave you just enough to stir doubt, but not enough to act."

Felix's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "That's how he operates. Information is currency. And he only trades when it serves his interests."

"And what's his interest now?"

Felix's jaw clenched. "Survival."

Elena turned to him, her expression unreadable. "And yours?"

For a moment, he didn't answer. The truth was, Felix wasn't sure what he was fighting for anymore. Was it vengeance? Redemption? Or something far more dangerous something that looked a lot like her?

But before he could respond, his phone buzzed. One glance at the screen made his blood run cold. Blocked Number.

He hesitated, then answered.

"Felix Donovan." The voice on the other end was distorted, masked. But the chilling certainty beneath it was undeniable.

"You thought you could control the narrative," the voice rasped. "But the story's already written."

Felix's pulse quickened. "Who are you?"

"You already know."

A low chuckle crackled through the line. "Liam isn't the only one watching. Every move you make — every lie you tell we see it. And so does she."

Felix's gaze flickered to Elena, but she had already stiffened, sensing the shift in the air.

"Let her go, Felix," the voice whispered. "Before she learns what you've truly done."

The line went dead.

Felix slammed the phone down, his jaw tight. "They're toying with us."

But Elena's eyes were locked onto him, suspicion creeping into her gaze. "What did they mean? What haven't you told me?"

Felix exhaled sharply. "It's not what you think."

"Then what is it?"

He wanted to shield her from the ugliness that had poisoned his world. But that choice was no longer his.

"Liam wasn't the only one who stayed with Ravensgate," Felix finally said. "There were others. People I made deals with. People who trusted me." He paused, the weight of those memories pressing down. "And I betrayed them."

Elena's eyes darkened. "Betrayed how?"

"I silenced them," Felix admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "Their stories. Their evidence. I buried it all to protect the company. And when they refused to be silenced " He stopped, the unspoken words hanging between them.

"They disappeared," Elena finished, her voice trembling.

Felix's silence was answer enough.

"You lied to me," she whispered. "You said you wanted to take Ravensgate down. But how can I believe that when you're just as complicit?"

His chest tightened. "I'm not that man anymore."

"But you were." Her eyes burned with accusation. "And now they're threatening to expose what you've done. No wonder they're not afraid of you."

Felix stepped closer, his voice low. "You think I'm afraid of the truth?"

"I think you're afraid of losing control."

They stood inches apart, the tension crackling like a live wire. Felix's fingers brushed against her arm, a silent plea. But Elena pulled away.

"I need to know everything, Felix. Every lie. Every secret. Or we're done."

Her words sliced through him, but he nodded.

"Tomorrow," he said. "You'll have your truth."

The following morning, Felix led Elena to a secluded townhouse a place devoid of luxury, hidden from the eyes of Ravensgate. The air inside was thick with dust and forgotten memories. Scattered documents lined the walls, pinned like evidence in a case that had yet to be tried.

"Every deal I made," Felix said, his voice hollow. "Every cover-up. It's all here."

Elena moved through the room, her hands trembling as she scanned the papers. Photos of victims. Bank transfers. Letters of coercion. It was a monument to corruption and Felix had been its architect.

"You kept this?" she asked, disbelief lacing her voice.

"I thought it would protect me," Felix said bitterly. "A bargaining chip. But all it did was remind me of who I became."

Elena's gaze softened, but the pain remained. "And now?"

"Now it's yours."

Felix stepped back, the weight of his sins laid bare. "Expose it. Publish it. Do what you came here to do."

But Elena didn't move. Her eyes locked with his, searching for something perhaps a flicker of remorse, or a shred of the man she once believed he could be.

"I'm not sure I can save you from this," she whispered.

Felix's voice was low, resolute. "I don't want to be saved. I want to finish what I started."

But before Elena could respond, the door burst open.

Three men in dark suits stormed in, their faces obscured. Felix barely had time to react before one of them slammed him against the wall. Elena's scream echoed through the room.

"You should've listened, Felix," one of the men growled. "Some stories aren't meant to be told."

Felix struggled against their grip, but the cold press of a gun against his ribs stilled him.

"Let her go," he spat.

But the men only laughed.

"Oh, she's not the one we're after."

Felix's blood ran cold. He knew what they meant before the words even left their lips.

"You think losing your empire was painful?" the man sneered. "Wait until you lose her."

And just like that, they were gone leaving Felix on his knees, the weight of his worst fear crashing down upon him.

Elena was no longer just a witness