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I keep reading as my ears start to ring, absorbing each detail, committing the timeline to memory while my stomach turns.

The plan continues on the next page. Police raids, grieving parents, and reporters swarming the block. Every protected family in the district will turn on them. Their allies will scatter, their debtors will stop paying, and rival gangs will flood the territory the second the Blue Note appears weak.

“And because the drugs will be found inside Blue Note property, under their control, no one will believe it was an outside operation.” Alexei sits back in his chair. “The neighborhood that currently trusts them will be the weapon that buries them.”

I set the final page down and fold my hands in my lap, keeping every reaction locked down despite the sickness roiling within me. Pressure locks around my ribs as the air in the room thins, leaving nothing left to breathe.

“This was the council’s original plan, but we were hoping to remove the Blue Note without destabilizing the area, too.” Alexei waits to see whether I understand the implication. “Since our softer approach failed, we are left with this angle.”

My attention drifts to the photograph of the recovery lockers again, trying to calculate which of them Orien would check first when things started to go wrong. Which one would he unlock to find the evidence that would damn him, his people, and everything they’ve built?

Alexei’s stare hardens as he continues. “Unless your hesitation with the original plan was strategic. Perhaps you recognized its limitations.”

He lets the offer hang in the air. A path back, paved with a lie we would both have to live with. A way for him to justify his trust in me to the others, and to himself.

My head lifts slowly. “Children?”

“This plan requires precise execution and absolute commitment.” Alexei’s gaze holds mine. “There can be no second thoughts, no wavering. Once the drugs are in place, we move forward regardless of the outcome. Do you understand?”

I nod once, the motion tight.

“Say it,” Alexei says.

“I understand.” My voice remains steady only from years of training. “No second thoughts. No wavering.”

Alexei studies me for a long moment before nodding. “The family is counting on you, Lev.”

The weight of the unspoken settles between us, heavier than any order ever given. This is my chance to prove to the council, and to Alexei, that my loyalties haven’t shifted, and my judgment remains intact despite whatever is happening with Orien.

It’s also my chance to destroy everything the Blue Note has built, everything they’ve protected, everyone who’s trusted them.

All to prove I’m still a Vartanian.

“I believe we have a path forward,” Alexei says, addressing the table rather than any single person. “Levon will execute the approach we’ve outlined.”

The words hang in the air for a long moment before Mikhail says, “Excellent. The resources have been allocated. We proceed in seventy-two hours.”

This isn’t a vote. It’s a confirmation, sealing a decision already made.

The council rises as one, the formal portion of the meeting concluded.

Mikhail steps around the table to clap Alexei on the shoulder. “You handled this well. A difficult decision, made for the good of the family. Your father would have approved of the outcome.”

Alexei accepts the praise. “I’ll keep you informed.”

As the room empties, Alexei remains seated. He doesn’t speak, leaving me to grapple with my place in this plan under his heavy silence.

When I remain silent, he says, “Whether you were right about them is irrelevant now.”

My head snaps up. “Then why…” I gesture to the folder. “Why this?”

“Because they are a threat.” His finger traces the pattern in the wood grain. “The council’s position is firm. The Blue Note has too much potential to challenge us. They have no reason to offer us loyalty, so we cannot allow them to grow.”

“But—”

“This plan,” he interrupts with a hard edge, “serves as a clear point for anyone else who tries to build within our territory.”

I shove to my feet, my chair nearly toppling as I shove it back. “Since when do you go after children to prove a point?”