Thomas.

I slammed the file shut, the sharp sound echoing across the study like a gunshot. The force of it made the papers inside shift, and from the corner of my eye, I caught Ezekiel flinching slightly where he stood.

Good! At least someone in this room understood the weight of what had just been said.

"Say that again," I ordered, my voice low, too calm, too controlled, the kind of calm that came just before something snapped.

Ezekiel swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he straightened a little. "The report just came in, Alpha..." he began carefully. "Ella is still alive, and she is officially working with the Ironclad Group. As...as the triplets’ personal assistant."

For a moment, silence settled between us.

Then I let out a dry, humorless chuckle, dragging a hand slowly through my hair as I turned away from him.

"Assistant?" I repeated, the word tasting bitter in my mouth. "So they’ve reduced her to running errands for them now?"

The thought alone felt absurd, almost insulting.

What a joke.

The almighty Ella...reduced to something so trivial?

My lips curled slightly, but there was no amusement behind it, only irritation, only disbelief.

Ezekiel hesitated behind me, and that hesitation alone made my eyes narrow slightly.

"There’s more," I said flatly, not even turning to look at him.

"Yes...Alpha," he replied quickly. "From what we gathered...it’s not exactly that simple."

That got my attention.

My head snapped toward him instantly, my gaze sharp enough to cut through bone.

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

Ezekiel shifted under the weight of my stare but continued, choosing his words with obvious care. "They rotate her between their offices," he explained. "Each of them...seems to want her close."

For a second...just a second...something dark flickered in my chest. Then I clicked my tongue sharply, the sound slicing through the air.

"This is getting interesting," I muttered, more to myself than to him.

My fingers tapped lightly against the desk as my mind began to race.

Could this be it?

The weakness I had been searching for all this while?

But no...I paused mid-thought, my brows drawing together.

She wasn’t just a weakness, because Ella was anything but weak. If anything, she was dangerous and unpredictable.

A variable that refused to be controlled.

I began to pace the room slowly, each step measured, yet filled with the tension coiling tightly inside me. My chest rose and fell steadily, but the anger beneath it simmered, growing with every passing second.

"This was not what I was expecting," I said suddenly, my voice breaking through the heavy silence.

"Alpha?" Ezekiel called, uncertain.

I stopped, turning slightly, my gaze distant yet sharp at the same time.

"This was not what I was expecting," I repeated, slower this time, as if trying to fully process the reality before me.

My jaw tightened.

"With her by the triplets’ side..." I continued, my voice dropping into something colder, more dangerous, "how exactly am I supposed to overtake them?"

The question lingered in the air, heavy and unanswered.

I let out a quiet scoff, shaking my head slightly.

"She moved from Alex...to them," I added, almost in disbelief, as though the transition itself irritated me more than anything else.

My fingers curled into fists at my sides, this wasn’t part of the plan, not even close and now...everything just got a lot more complicated.

Silence fell over the room again, thick and suffocating, as the weight of the situation settled in fully.

Ezekiel shifted slightly where he stood, as if weighing his words before speaking. When he finally did, his voice was cautious, almost hesitant.

"Maybe...she’s trying to move on..."

The moment the words left his mouth, something in me snapped.

"Move on?" I repeated sharply, turning to face him with a speed that made him stiffen. My eyes locked onto his, cold and piercing. "From what?"

I took a slow step forward, my presence alone enough to make the air feel heavier.

"I tried eliminating her from the picture," I continued, my voice dropping into something quieter, more controlled, but far more dangerous. "And now she’s back in it."

My jaw clenched as the thought settled again.

Back.

Not just alive...but positioned right where she could interfere the most.

Ezekiel raised his head slightly, studying me with careful attention. "What do you have in mind, Alpha?" he asked.

For a moment, I said nothing.

Then I turned away from him and walked back to the desk, my steps measured. I placed both hands firmly on its surface and leaned forward, my fingers pressing against the wood as my gaze fixed on nothing in particular.

The silence stretched, heavy and calculated.

"Since she keeps getting in the way..." I began slowly, my tone almost too calm now, like the stillness before a storm.

I paused briefly, letting the thought settle fully in my mind before straightening to my full height.

"...Fine."

My eyes hardened instantly, any trace of hesitation gone.

"Then I’ll bring her back into the game," I continued, my voice firm, decisive. "And use her to achieve the goal for the bigger picture."

Ezekiel frowned slightly, confusion flickering across his face as he tried to follow my train of thought. "You’re planning something..." he said carefully.

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.

"Not planning," I corrected, my gaze shifting back to him, sharp and unwavering. "Executing."

The difference was clear, as plans could fail but execution doesn’t.

Ezekiel fell silent immediately, understanding that whatever I had in mind was already set in motion the moment I decided on it.

Still, he waited.

As he should.

"Set up a meeting with the Ironclad Group," I ordered without hesitation. "Business grounds. Something they can’t refuse."

Ezekiel nodded slowly, already processing the instruction. "And Ella?" he asked after a brief pause.

At the mention of her name, my expression darkened.

"I don’t need to go to her," I said, my voice calm but edged with something far more dangerous. "I’ll make sure she comes to me."

There was a certainty in my tone that left no room for doubt.

Ezekiel hesitated, just slightly. "And if she doesn’t?" he pressed.

A low chuckle escaped me, quiet, but laced with cold amusement.

"She won’t," I replied.

I let the words linger, my eyes glinting with something unreadable.

Because this wasn’t a guess.

It was a guarantee.

A brief pause followed before I added, my voice dropping even further, almost to a whisper, but one that carried weight.

"Because I still have something she definitely wants to lay her hands on."

And when that moment came...she wouldn’t have a choice but to step right into my reach.