~ ALEXANDRO'S POV ~

The warehouse smelled like rust and fear.

I stood in the doorway of the underground facility, watching Mario adjust his cufflinks with the same care he'd use to arrange flowers. The contrast was unsettling—his casual elegance against the concrete walls stained with God knows what.

"Ready?" he asked, not looking up from his sleeves.

I nodded, though ready was a relative term. The stitches in my side pulled with every breath, Lauren's worried face haunted my thoughts, and the weight of her ultimatum sat like lead in my chest.

‘Choose this life or me.’

But some choices weren't choices at all.

The two men Viktor's crew...