"We make our move on auction night," Zayden declared. "Aylin will hack into their systems and take down security. Leo and his crew will back us up tech-wise. Liam, Reyes, and Charles, you three will lead the team to get those girls out."

"And what about Alpha?" William asked.

"Alpha is my problem," Zayden said firmly.

Azalea raised an eyebrow. "What about Maksim?"

"Also, my problem," Zayden replied. "This all wraps up in three days. Everything."

Leo looked up. "And Selina?"

Zayden met his gaze steadily. "We’ll get her out. Victor will pull her out before the auction. We can’t risk her being there when everything kicks off."

Leo nodded once, understanding how serious their plan was.

Aylin gave Zayden’s hand a little squeeze under the table.

Sarah jumped back in, "I’ll keep you updated with real-time info from the inside. Michael—Alpha, trusts me. I can keep an eye on his moves without drawing any attention."

"Thanks," Zayden replied.

Azalea looked around the table. "So, we’re all on the same page. In three days, Layla will get into the warehouse, and Linda will give us the lowdown on Alpha’s actions. Victor’s looking out for Selina, and Sarah’s monitoring things from inside Alpha’s place. Our mission is to rescue the girls, take out Alpha and Maksim, and put a stop to this."

"And we also need to talk to Zayn," Zayden added. "He has to know what’s going on."

"What if he doesn’t want to back off?" Liam asked. "What if he wants to jump in and help?"

Zayden stayed quiet for a moment. "Then we bring him in, but only if he gets the risks involved. Emma can’t find out about any of this."

Charles spoke up. "If Emma figures out her dad is Alexander Kane, the guy who killed her real parents—"

"She’ll never bounce back," Aylin finished softly. "It would destroy her."

Everyone sat in silence for a moment, taking that in.

Zayden got up and addressed everyone in the room. "We’ve got three days. Let’s make them worthwhile. You all know what you need to do. Any questions?"

The room was quiet.

"Alright. Meeting adjourned. Aylin, Azalea, stick around. We need to nail down the hacking plan. Everyone else, get ready for extraction. I want your ideas on my desk by tonight."

The group started to file out, with Leo leading, followed by Liam and Reyes. Charles helped William stand up.

Sarah stayed on the screen. "Zayden."

He turned to her. "Yeah?"

"Be careful. Alpha’s more paranoid than usual. If he catches on—"

"I got it," Zayden responded firmly. "We’ll be careful."

Sarah nodded. "Three days."

"Three days," Zayden confirmed.

The screen went dark, leaving Zayden, Aylin, and Azalea alone in the room, looking at the mission plans and the countdown to action.

Three days.

*****

In the warehouse on Pier 12, Layla sat with a blindfold snug over her eyes.

But underneath, her eyes were wide open, watching and waiting.

Three days.

She just needed to keep the girls safe for three more days.

She could do it.

She had to.

*****

In Maksim’s penthouse, Victor stood near the living room door.

Inside, Selina laughed at something Maksim said.

She was just playing her part.

Victor’s hand rested on the gun tucked under his jacket.

Victor had been placed there for one reason: if Maksim discovered Selina’s betrayal, Victor would get her out.

Three days.

Just three more days.

*****

Meanwhile, in his apartment, Leo listened to the audio feed.

He heard Selina giggle, but he could pick up on the hurt behind it.

He recognized Maksim’s voice and thought, "Three days. Just hold on."

I’m on my way.

*****

Zayden was sitting across from his younger brother in a private booth at La Virelli.

The place was closed to everyone else for the next hour, just the two of them.

Zayn looked exhausted and worried. He’d spent the whole night at the hospital with Emma.

"You got a message," Zayden said straight up. "Last night. From a burner phone."

Zayn tensed. "How do you know that?"

"Because I know everything," Zayden replied sharply. "That’s part of my job. The message said: ’Alexander Kane knows more than you think. And so do we. Keep your guard up, Virelli.’"

Zayn’s jaw tightened. "I was going to tell you—"

"When? After Alpha made his next move?" Zayden leaned in. "That message was from Alpha Dark. Michael Arthur. Do you get what that means?"

"He knows about Emma and me."

"He knows you’re tied to Alexander’s daughter, making you a target." Zayden’s voice was serious. "You need to step up your security. Right now."

"I already have security—"

"Double it, but keep it on the down-low. Don’t let the public or our rivals catch on that we’ve boosted security. Got it?"

Zayn nodded slowly. "What else should I know?"

"Alpha’s got his eyes on you now. He’s digging into your background and looking for any weaknesses. This means he’s also keeping tabs on Emma, and through her, he’ll be watching Alexander." Zayden paused. "Alexander’s cracking under pressure. He collapsed last night from stress. Right now, he’s Alpha’s weak spot."

"So what’s the plan?"

"We take advantage of it," Zayden replied. "But you need to keep Emma safe. No matter what goes down, no matter what she finds out, you protect her."

Zayn held his brother’s gaze. "Always."

"Good." Zayden stood up. "Stay away from our operations. Keep your distance. If Alpha thinks you’re just a lovesick businessman, that’s perfect. Let him believe that."

"And if he goes after Emma?"

Zayden’s smile turned cold. "Then he’s done for. Simple as that."

*****

Later that day, Aylin was in Zayden’s office with Ayla by her side.

Zayden looked at both of them. "Do you get what you have to do?"

Aylin nodded. "I’ll go see Alexander. Emma will be there, and Ayla and Emma can hang out while I talk to Alexander alone."

"He’ll recognize you," Zayden said. "The minute he sees you, it’ll click. He knew your mom."

"I know," Aylin replied calmly. "That’s why it’s got to be me. He needs to understand the weight of what I’m offering."

Ayla looked worried. "Are you really sure about this?"