A long silence followed as they processed the revelation.

Then Aylin asked quietly, "Why are you sharing this with us now?"

"Because this is his most significant vulnerability," Alexander stated plainly. "You asked for my assistance in taking him down. This is how you can do it. His mind is deteriorating. If you can take advantage of this, confuse him, disorient him, and make him question his own memory and perception, he will collapse faster than any physical strike could achieve."

Zayden and Aylin exchanged glances.

This changed everything.

Their entire plan could change based on this new information.

"You mentioned he’s been forgetting things for over a year," Aylin said slowly. "Does that mean he might not remember certain people or events from his past?"

Alexander took a moment to respond. "Yeah. He forgets things in cycles, usually about a year, but sometimes even longer. Names, faces, important moments, all of that gets kind of fuzzy for him."

Aylin felt a cold weight settle in her chest. "Does that mean he could forget my parents? Might he not even remember Marcus and Sibel Alston?"

Silence lingered on the line.

Alexander finally replied, "Honestly, I can’t say for sure. It’s possible. His memories from years ago are especially jumbled. He might remember their names but not their faces—or their faces but not why they mattered."

Aylin felt like the ground was shifting beneath her.

All this time. All those years spent chasing him down. Getting ready for revenge.

And Alpha Dark might not even remember the people he had killed.

He could have no memory of tearing her whole family apart.

"There’s something else you should know," Alexander continued. "Alpha has learned to deal with it. He pretends to remember things when he doesn’t. He acts like he knows stuff he’s unsure about and covers up the gaps with confidence and authority. Most people around him have no clue just how much he’s forgotten."

Zayden chimed in. "So he might act like he remembers Aylin and her parents, even if he has no clear memory of them."

"Exactly. He’s become really good at hiding his memory issues."

Aylin stood up abruptly and went to the window, trying to process all the emotions flooding her.

Anger. Frustration. A strange, hollow disappointment.

She turned back. "I want to test this. When we confront him in two days, I want to see if he actually remembers me. If he remembers what he did."

Zayden gave her a concerned look. "Aylin,"

"I need to know," she said firmly. "I need to find out if the guy who ruined my life even remembers doing it."

Alexander’s voice came through the speaker. "That’s your choice. But be ready for whatever happens. If he remembers, he’ll use it against you. If he doesn’t, that might be even tougher to handle."

Aylin nodded, even though Alexander couldn’t see her.

Then another thought popped into her head, one she had been trying to push away.

She plopped back down. "My mom, Sibel. You killed her, and I know. You’ve said it yourself. But my dad, " She hesitated. "Marcus Alston. Who took him out?"

The silence stretched on, feeling heavy, making Aylin think for a moment that the call had dropped.

"Alexander," she urged. "Who was behind my father’s death?"

"I don’t know," Alexander finally said.

Aylin felt herself freeze. "What do you mean you don’t know?"

"I mean I didn’t kill Marcus Alston," Alexander replied clearly. "I took out your mom, Sibel, on Alpha’s orders. I poisoned her and made it seem like a heart attack. That was my job. But Marcus..." He paused. "Someone else was responsible for him."

Zayden leaned forward. "Who?"

"I don’t know," Alexander said again. "All I know is that someone messed with his car five years ago, causing a brake failure and making it look like an accident. The car went over a cliff, and Marcus died on impact."

Aylin’s hands shook. "But Alpha ordered it."

"Yeah. Alpha called for Marcus’s death. But he never told me who was in charge of doing it, and I never asked. That was how it worked. You did your part without digging into what everyone else was up to."

Aylin felt like she couldn’t breathe. "You must have some guess. Some hunch. Who else was working for Alpha back then?"

Alexander sighed. "There were dozens of operatives. Alpha had a huge team of field agents, specialists, and people whose names I never got to know. Five years ago, when Marcus died, I wasn’t even in the country."

"Where were you?" Zayden asked.

"Europe. Paris, to be exact. I was handling another job for Alpha. I can prove it. I’ve got flight records, hotel receipts, and passport stamps. I keep records of everything—what I do and what I don’t, so no one can wrongly blame me for something I didn’t do."

"Send us that stuff," Zayden said.

"I will. Tonight. You’ll have all the proof you need showing I was thousands of miles away when Marcus Alston died."

Aylin’s voice was barely a whisper. "So, someone else killed him. Someone who’s still out there. Someone who hasn’t faced any consequences."

"Yeah," Alexander said quietly.

The implications hung heavily in the air.

Aylin’s mother had been murdered by Alexander, who was now collaborating with them.

Aylin’s father was also killed by a mysterious attacker, someone who could potentially still be a part of the Alpha organization and may still be alive and unaccounted for.

"I apologize for not being able to provide more details," Alexander stated. "But I have shared everything I know: the reality of Alpha’s dementia, the facts surrounding your father’s demise, everything."

Zayden interjected. "Is there anything additional we need to uncover before we proceed?"

"Yes," Alexander replied. "Alpha is orchestrating something. I don’t know the specifics, but he has been transferring significant sums of money lately, moving assets to offshore accounts and liquidating investments. It’s as if he’s getting ready for something substantial."

"The auction," Aylin remarked.