Influence didn't come with peace.
It came with weight.
Ife learned that fast.
Julian wasted no time. Meetings, calls, coded conversations—she was suddenly everywhere, seated beside him like a crown he enjoyed wearing. People looked at her differently now. With fear. With calculation.
With respect she didn't ask for.
She listened more than she spoke. Learned patterns. Memorized names, routes, numbers. She smiled when expected, nodded when required, and stored every secret like ammunition.
At night, she barely slept.
Julian noticed.
"You're quieter," he said one evening, watching her from across the room.
"I'm learning," she replied.
He smiled approvingly. "Good. Power rewards attention."
She wondered how long before power demanded blood again.
Across the city, Arden was unraveling.
The documents he released shook the foundations of Julian's network—but retaliation came fast.
Victor stood in front of him, pale. "They hit one of our safe houses."
Arden's heart dropped. "Who?"
Victor swallowed. "Tomi."
The name landed like a bullet.
Arden was already moving.
They found Tomi alive—but barely. Broken ribs. Blood loss. Eyes swollen shut.
Julian's signature was clear.
Arden stood at the foot of the hospital bed long after Victor left. His hands trembled for the first time in years.
"This is my fault," he whispered.
Tomi's lips cracked into a weak smile. "You always did choose the hardest way."
Arden turned away, jaw tight.
Julian wasn't just attacking him.
He was sending a message.
I know where to hurt you.
Back at the estate, Julian celebrated.
"Your friend's move was sloppy," he said over dinner. "Emotional men make predictable enemies."
Ife froze, fork hovering midair.
"What friend?" she asked evenly.
Julian chuckled. "Arden. He's louder than he thinks."
Her stomach twisted. "You hurt someone close to him."
Julian took a sip of wine. "Not fatally. I'm not cruel."
She stared at him. "You broke a man to prove a point."
"I broke hope," Julian corrected. "That's kinder."
She clenched her fists under the table.
This was the moment she understood.
Julian wasn't just a monster.
He believed he was right.
And that made him far more dangerous.
That night, Ife made her first move.
Quiet. Careful.
She slipped into Julian's office while he slept, heart hammering as she accessed his private server—something she'd memorized watching him for weeks.
One file.
That's all she took.
A ledger tied to offshore accounts that even Julian thought untouchable.
She emailed it anonymously.
Not to Arden.
To the one agency Julian had bribed—but never fully owned.
Her hands shook as she deleted the trail.
There was no turning back now.
Julian sensed it the next morning.
Not the file.
The shift.
"You look lighter," he observed. "Like someone who's made a decision."
She met his gaze calmly. "Maybe I have."
He studied her longer than usual.
For the first time, unease flickered behind his eyes.
By evening, the news broke.
Investigations. Warrants. Accounts frozen.
Victor stormed into Arden's place, breathless. "Someone leaked a ledger. High-level."
Arden stared at the screen.
The details were too precise.
Too intimate.
His chest tightened.
"She's inside," he whispered.
Victor frowned. "Inside where?"
"With him."
Realization hit hard.
"She's playing a long game," Arden said, pride and fear colliding in his voice. "And Julian doesn't see it."
Julian did see it.
Just not soon enough.
He threw a glass against the wall, shards flying. "Someone in my house betrayed me."
Silence followed.
He turned slowly toward Ife.
"You," he said softly. "Tell me why I shouldn't end this now."
Her heart pounded, but she stood her ground.
"Because I'm the only one still choosing to stand beside you."
Their eyes locked.
For a moment, it could go either way.
Then Julian smiled.
"A storm with a spine," he murmured. "I almost admire you."
Almost.
Outside, sirens wailed in the distance.
Julian poured himself another drink.
"Let's see who bleeds first," he said.
Ife watched him, knowing the truth.
Everyone already was.