Alyssa’s POV
The car ride away from the mansion was silent, save for the hum of the engine and my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest. I stared out the window, the city lights blurring into streaks of white and gold. My mind was a storm of disbelief, anger, and something else I couldn’t quite name.
I had spent years grieving my father, only to find out he’d been alive, watching from the shadows, pulling strings in a game I hadn’t even known I was playing.
The driver, one of his men, didn’t utter a word as he dropped me off at a penthouse suite downtown. It was sleek, luxurious, and impersonal. The kind of place a man like him would choose-a fortress disguised as comfort.
As I stepped inside, he was already waiting for me, seated at the head of a long dining table. A bottle of wine sat unopened beside two glasses.
“You’re here,” he said, his voice calm, like this was a family reunion instead of a reckoning.
I didn’t sit. “Explain.”
He sighed, pouring the wine into both glasses. “You’re upset. That’s understandable.”
“Don’t patronize me.” My voice was cold, cutting. “Start talking. Why did you fake your death? Why now? Why-” My words caught in my throat, choked by the weight of betrayal.
He stood, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace. “Alyssa, I did it to protect you. At the time, I had no choice.”
“Protect me?” I let out a bitter laugh. “By abandoning me? By leaving me to fend for myself while you played puppet master from the shadows?”
He flinched, a flicker of something-guilt? Pain?-crossing his face. “I know it seems that way, but you don’t understand the danger we were in. If I hadn’t disappeared, they would’ve come for you next.”
“Who?” I demanded.
“Xavier. Ethan. And others you don’t even know exist yet,” he said, stepping closer. “They’re predators, Alyssa, and I was the only thing standing between them and you.”
I shook my head, backing away from him. “You’re lying. This isn’t about protecting me. This is about power. You’re just like them.”
“No.” His voice was firm, but not angry. “I’m not like them. Everything I’ve done-everything-has been to ensure you survive. And now, I need your help to finish what I started.”
I laughed again, hollow and sharp. “You need my help? After all this? After you let me believe you were dead?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “Because whether you want to admit it or not, you’re in the middle of this now. And you’re the only one who can tip the scales.”
I crossed my arms, glaring at him. “Why should I trust you? Why should I believe anything you say?”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Because, Alyssa, if you don’t, Xavier and Ethan will tear each other apart-and you’ll be caught in the crossfire. I can help you stop them, but only if we work together.”
I narrowed my eyes, searching his face for any sign of deception. “What’s your plan?”
He hesitated, then gestured for me to sit. “It’s complicated. But first, I need to know: are you willing to listen? Or have you already made up your mind about me?”
I didn’t move. My instincts screamed at me to walk away, to leave him behind and figure this out on my own. But the rational part of me knew he was right-I was already too deep in this.
“I’ll listen,” I said cautiously. “But that doesn’t mean I trust you.”
“That’s fair,” he said, sitting back down. “Let’s start with the truth. The real truth.”
For the next hour, he laid it all out. How he’d built an empire of influence and connections, how Xavier and Ethan had once been his allies before turning on him, and how faking his death had been the only way to protect me from their wrath.
“They would’ve used you against me, Alyssa,” he said, his tone heavy. “I couldn’t let that happen.”
“So instead, you left me vulnerable,” I snapped. “You let me grow up thinking you were dead, while you sat back and watched my life fall apart.”
“I didn’t watch,” he said quietly. “I monitored. There’s a difference. And every time you stumbled, I wanted to reach out. But I couldn’t. Not without exposing you to even greater danger.”
I shook my head, my anger boiling over. “You don’t get to play the martyr here. You lied to me. You manipulated me. And now you expect me to just fall in line?”
“I expect you to survive,” he said, his voice rising for the first time. “And whether you like it or not, the only way to do that is by taking down Xavier and Ethan-together.”
I stood, pacing the room as his words sank in. “And how exactly do you propose we do that? They’ve got armies, resources, and more connections than we can count.”
“So do I,” he said, a glint of steel in his eyes. “And now, so do you. You’re smarter than both of them, Alyssa. You’ve already outmaneuvered them at every turn. With my guidance, you can finish what I started.”
“And then what?” I demanded. “What happens after they’re gone? Do you take over? Do you expect me to?”
He paused, his expression softening. “That’s up to you. I’m not asking you to inherit my empire. I’m asking you to survive. And to do that, we need to act fast.”
The room fell into silence as I processed everything he’d said. My father, the man I’d idolized as a child and mourned as an adult, was now a stranger asking for my help in a war I didn’t fully understand.
“You say you want to protect me,” I said finally. “But how do I know you’re not just using me? How do I know this isn’t just another game to you?”
He stood, crossing the room to stand in front of me. “Because, Alyssa, I’ve already lost everything else. I won’t lose you, too.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I didn’t let it show. I couldn’t afford to.
“I’ll think about it,” I said, stepping back.
He nodded, though I could see the disappointment in his eyes. “Take your time. But not too much. Every moment we wait, they get stronger.”
As I left the penthouse, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting a message from Isabella, but froze when I saw the sender.
It was an unknown number, but the message was clear: You can’t trust him. Meet me tomorrow. Midnight. Alone.
My heart raced as I read the message again, my father’s warnings echoing in my mind. Was this another trap? Or a chance to finally uncover the truth?
I stared at the screen, torn between fear and determination. Whatever lay ahead, one thing was certain: the game wasn’t over yet.