Then, slowly, the figure reached up and took off her mask and voice changer.

Azalea Cole Virelli stood there, her dark hair pulled back, eyes wide with shock as she looked at her brother like she was seeing a ghost.

"You," she whispered. "You’re Hazard King."

"Yes."

"You’ve been Hazard King this whole time."

"I have."

"And Lunel—" Azalea looked at Aylin, really seeing her. "Aylin. You’re Lunel."

"Right," Aylin replied quietly.

"And you—" Azalea turned to Liam. "You’re in on this. With my brother. You’re part of it."

Liam just nodded.

Azalea looked over at Zayden. "How long have you been at this?"

"Five years as Hazard King," Zayden said. "But I’ve been going up against Maksim Karza for even longer."

"And you never told me—" she said, clearly hurt.

"I couldn’t risk it. The fewer people who knew, the safer everyone would be," Zayden explained. Zayden paused, his eyes steady on hers. "And you did not tell me about yourself either. About Ghost Net. About what you were doing. So, we both kept secrets, Zaria."

"I’m your sister," Azalea insisted.

"Exactly why I didn’t say anything. I wanted to keep you safe and out of this mess," he replied firmly.

"Well, I’m in it now," Azalea stated, her tone sharp. "Whether you wanted me to be or not."

Zayden looked at her closely, his blue eyes scanning his sister’s face. "Why, Azalea? What did Alpha do that makes this hit home for you?"

Azalea paused, her jaw tightening. For a moment, it seemed like she might not say anything.

"I..." she started, then stopped. "I’ve got my reasons."

"What reasons?" Zayden pressed, stepping in closer. "There are no secrets anymore, Zaria. Not between us. Not now. You can tell us."

Azalea turned her gaze away, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. The warehouse felt too quiet; everyone was waiting for her to say something.

"Zaria," Zayden said again, his voice softer this time. "What happened?"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper.

"Raphael."

The name dropped in the air like a bombshell.

Zayden froze in shock. "What?"

From behind him, Liam let out a quiet breath that only the nearby could hear: "Raphael?"

Aylin glanced between them, confused. "Who’s Raphael?"

"Zaria’s boyfriend," Zayden said without breaking eye contact with his sister. "He was her boyfriend three years ago."

Aylin nodded slowly, understanding starting to sink in. She’d heard the name a few times but never asked for details.

Azalea opened her eyes; they were watery, but no tears fell. "Raphael died because of Alpha."

"What?" Zayden’s voice cracked a bit. "Zaria, that doesn’t make sense. Their house went up in flames. There was a gas leak. His whole family was inside: his parents, his little sister, and Raphael himself. It was ruled an accident. A tragic accident."

"It wasn’t just an accident," Azalea said with conviction. "It was murder. Alpha did this."

Reyes stepped in closer. "What makes you think that?"

"Because I have proof," Azalea replied, glancing over at Zayden. "As soon as I heard about the fire, something felt off. Gas leaks don’t just happen like that, especially not in that neighborhood. Not in a house that had an inspection six months ago that went smoothly. So I started looking into it."

"And?" Liam pressed.

"And I found out that Raphael’s dad worked for one of Alpha’s shady companies. The one he uses to wash dirty money, turning black into white, you know? Raphael’s dad was a mid-level manager there. Not high enough to raise alarms, but enough to see stuff."

Aylin’s eyes narrowed. "What kind of stuff?"

"Financial records," Azalea said. "Transactions that shouldn’t be happening. Payments to people who shouldn’t be getting paid. Evidence of trafficking, arms deals, and bribes to officials. Everything."

Zayden’s face darkened. "He was going to blow the whistle."

"No," Azalea corrected him. "He wasn’t planning to expose anything. He was just being cautious. He kept copies of everything he came across, just in case he ever needed some leverage or protection. He saved it all on encrypted drives and stashed them at home. He never intended to use them; he just wanted to be safe."

"But Alpha found out," Reyes pointed out.

"That’s right," Azalea confirmed. "Somebody tipped Alpha off. And Alpha doesn’t play around. So he had his guys rig the gas line to make it look like a leak. Made it seem like an accident. And then—" Her voice wavered for a moment. "And he made sure there was nothing left to bury. Raphael’s dad, his mom, and his thirteen-year-old sister. And Raphael."

The warehouse went silent.

Zayden was shaking. "How do you know this? How can you be sure it was Alpha?"

"Because Raphael’s uncle came to me," Azalea explained. "Six months after the fire. He had his suspicions, too. He had some risky connections. He told me everything."

"Who’s his uncle?" Liam asked.

"Someone who works for Maksim Karza," Azalea said. "Someone on the inside. He hated Alpha for what he did to his brother’s family, but he couldn’t go after him directly without putting himself in danger. So he came to me instead. Gave me all the details and proof."

"And you’ve been on this case ever since," Aylin said quietly.

"Yes," Azalea confirmed. "For three years, I’ve been building a case, gathering proof, keeping tabs on Alpha’s moves, and figuring out everything I can about his operation. Six months ago, I finally had enough to start planning how to take him down. He keeps his head down. Maksim doesn’t know he’s feeding me information."

"Why didn’t you come to us earlier?" Zayden asked, a bit frustrated. "Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped you. We could have—"

"I had no clue you were Hazard King!" Azalea shot back. "I thought you were just my brother. A businessman. Someone who kept out of trouble. How was I supposed to know you were running the biggest crime empire in the city?"

Zayden had nothing to say to that.

Reyes chimed in. "You said Raphael’s uncle works for Maksim. Does he still?"

"Yep," Azalea nodded. "And his daughter, Raphael’s cousin, works as Alpha’s personal assistant. Her name is Linda. They both give me inside information. They both want Alpha taken down just like I do."

"That sounds super risky," Aylin warned. "If Alpha finds out they’re leaking information—"

"He’ll kill them," Azalea finished. "I know that. They know that. But they’re willing to take the risk."

Liam crossed his arms. "And you trust them completely?"

"As much as I trust anyone in this world," Azalea replied. "Which isn’t much. But their information has been spot on so far. Their hate for Alpha is legit."

Zayden ran a hand through his hair, trying to process everything. "Do you have the evidence? The proof about the fire? About Raphael?"

"It’s on the USB drive I showed you," Azalea said. "Along with everything else I’ve got on Alpha: financial records, names, places, messages between him and Maksim. Everything."

Zayden glanced at Aylin, and she gave a small nod.

"We’ll go over the evidence when we get back," Zayden said, turning back to his sister. "All of it. And from now on, you’ll work with us, not just as my sister, but as Ghost Net. You’ll be part of this operation. Got it?"

"Understood," Azalea said.

"But first," Zayden added, "you need to get something clear. If you’re in this, you have to follow my rules. No going off on your own. No unnecessary risks. And no secrets from the team. Not anymore."

"I can agree to that," Azalea responded.

"Good," Zayden said. "Because we’re going to bring Alpha down. Together. For Raphael. For everyone he’s hurt. For—"

Suddenly, Azalea paused, her hand going to her ear to press against a small earpiece. Hidden beneath her hair was a small earpiece.

Zayden tensed instantly. "What—"

"I wasn’t honest," Azalea confessed in a low voice.

In a split second, everyone in the warehouse drew their weapons, and the guards got into defensive positions. Zayden instinctively stepped in front of Aylin, ready to protect her.

"What do you mean you weren’t honest?" Reyes demanded.

Azalea met her brother’s gaze. "I said I came alone. I didn’t."

"Is someone else here?" Liam asked, already scanning the shadows.

"Outside," Azalea confirmed. "Waiting for my signal."

Zayden’s voice turned icy. "Tell them to stand down. Now."

"He’s not a threat," Azalea said quickly, raising her hands slightly. "He’s with me. He’s helping me. And—" she paused, "—you know him."

That made everyone stop.

"We know him?" Aylin repeated.

Azalea nodded and brought her wrist to her mouth, speaking into a small device they hadn’t seen before. "Come in. It’s okay. They are family."

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the warehouse door swung open again.

Footsteps echoed.

A figure appeared in the doorway, backlit by the last rays of sunset, walking forward into the light.

Everyone in the warehouse froze.

Because the person walking towards them, the one Azalea had brought with her, the one she claimed they all knew—

The figure stepped fully into view. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

And time stopped.