The explosion shook the entire street.
Glass rained from the sky.
Car alarms screamed in unison.
Sophia woke to the sound of sirens and Ethan already on his feet, phone pressed to his ear.
"What do you mean it's gone?" he snapped. "That building had 24-hour security!"
He froze.
Sophia sat up. "Ethan… what happened?"
He looked at her.
And for the first time since she'd known him again…
He looked afraid.
"Reed Holdings' data center," he said quietly. "It's been destroyed."
Her stomach dropped.
Marcus.
No warning.
No message.
Just violence.
A statement written in fire.
By the time they arrived at the site, smoke still curled into the morning sky.
Firefighters swarmed the ruins.
Reporters were already circling like vultures.
Ethan stepped out of the car.
Cameras flashed instantly.
"Mr. Reed! Do you believe this is connected to Blackwood Corporation?"
He didn't answer.
His eyes scanned the wreckage.
Years of work.
Gone in a night.
Sophia touched his arm.
"This is my fault," she whispered.
Ethan turned sharply.
"No," he said. "This is Marcus announcing the rules."
He looked back at the burning skeleton of the building.
"He's saying there are none."
Across town, Marcus poured himself a drink.
The TV replayed the explosion.
Again.
And again.
And again.
His assistant stood silently behind him.
"She chose him," Marcus said calmly.
"Yes, sir."
Marcus sipped his drink.
"Then she learns what happens to people who choose against me."
The assistant hesitated.
"Sir… the daughter…"
Marcus's gaze turned cold.
"I don't have a daughter," he said.
"I have an enemy."
That night, Ethan doubled security around the penthouse.
Guards at every entrance.
Cars rerouted.
Phones monitored.
Still, Sophia couldn't breathe.
Every shadow looked like a threat.
Every sound felt like a warning.
"He won't stop," she whispered.
Ethan stood by the window, city lights reflecting in his eyes.
"Good," he said.
Sophia stared at him.
"You want this?"
He turned slowly.
"I want him to understand something," Ethan said quietly.
"What?"
His voice dropped.
"That he drew first blood…"
A knock interrupted him.
Sharp.
Urgent.
The guards outside shouted.
Then silence.
Ethan reached for the hidden gun in the drawer.
Sophia's heart stopped.
The door handle moved.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
A voice on the other side.
Calm.
Familiar.
"You should've stayed quiet, Sophia."
Her blood turned to ice.
Marcus.
He wasn't supposed to be here.
He wasn't supposed to get through.
And yet…
He was standing outside the door.
❤️ If this chapter gave you chills, vote and add to your library.
The war just walked into their home.