The silence was deafening.
Langston's body lay still on the cold floor, his reign of terror finally ended. The weight of everything Isabella had fought for pressed down on her chest, but instead of suffocating her, it felt like freedom.
Alexander stood beside her, his breathing steady despite the chaos that had just unfolded. His gaze was on her not on Langston, not on the blood-stained floor, but on her.
"Are you okay?" His voice was quiet, cautious, as if he wasn't sure whether she'd shatter now that the war was over.
Isabella exhaled. Was she okay?
For years, revenge had been her only purpose. But now that it was over, what was left?
She turned to face him, searching his expression. The man who had once been her greatest rival was now the only person in the room who truly understood what she had lost and what she had won.
Damian's voice crackled through the earpiece. "The estate is secure. The rest of Langston's men are either dead or have surrendered."
Ethan's voice followed. "Looks like we actually pulled this off. Drinks are on me."
A small, exhausted laugh escaped Isabella's lips. They had won.
She and Alexander made their way out of the underground chamber, stepping over the remnants of a war they had fought on opposite sides for so long. But now, they weren't enemies anymore.
The team was waiting outside. The fires from the attack had started to die down, the air thick with the scent of smoke and gunpowder. Claire, Damian, and Ethan stood near the convoy, relief evident in their eyes.
As Isabella stepped out, Claire gave her a nod. "It's over."
Isabella nodded back. "Yeah. It is."
Hours later, they gathered in a safe house on the outskirts of the city. The tension had finally lifted, replaced by a strange, quiet peace.
Isabella stood by the window, staring out at the dark horizon. She felt Alexander's presence before he spoke.
"What happens now?" he asked.
She turned to face him, and for the first time, there was no hostility between them no battle lines drawn. Only possibility.
"I don't know," she admitted. "For the first time in a long time, I don't have an answer."
Alexander stepped closer. "Then we figure it out together."
There was something different in his eyes something that had always been there, hidden beneath the rivalry and the fights.
Affection. Understanding. Maybe even love.
Isabella felt the same pull she had tried to deny for so long. But this time, she didn't fight it.
She didn't need to.
The War Was Over. But Their Story Was Just Beginning.