It was two days later when Maximus Anderson received the message.

Just like the last time, the courier arrived at the lobby of the Anderson Group. This time, it wasn't a letter; it was a thumb drive containing a short video. On the screen, Rose Harrison appeared, still wearing the same clothes from the night she vanished. She was a tangled mess of misery, curled in a heap on the cold, hard ground.

A familiar voice crackled from the speakers, dripping with malice. "Listen here, you little shit. Your woman is in my grip. You want her back? Then cough up every last thing you stole from me. Otherwise? Well... you’ll be receiving a corpse instead."

The man speaking was the kingpin of the Salazar Syndicate, known as Ryker Salazar. He had once held power in New York, but as his influence grew, he set his sights on expanding into Night Haven. Last year, Maximus had single-handedly gutted the syndicate’s operations, seizing their assets to pull the Anderson Group back from the brink.

In this business, power was the only currency that mattered. With the Salazar Syndicate resurfacing, the situation was far from ideal.

Maximus stared at the monitor, his brow furrowed as his dark eyes churned with a lethal storm. He knew this wasn't just business—it was a blood feud. Given the depth of their history and Ryker’s notorious cruelty, there was no way he would let Rose go unscathed.

It was a nightmare scenario. Maximus had to force Ryker to change his target, and even then, he couldn't guarantee Rose’s safety.

As he calculated his next move, the image of Delilah Kelly flashed through his mind. A plan, cold and calculated, began to take root. He exhaled a long, heavy breath, his jaw tightening. He knew that by doing this, he would likely force Rose to endure more misunderstandings and more pain. But some choices were inevitable. Some sacrifices had to be made.

Maximus spent the entire night finalizing the strategy. He immediately ordered his men to surround the Anderson Estate, effectively putting Delilah under "protection." He was manufacturing a decoy, creating the illusion that she was the one he truly cared about, baiting the Salazar Syndicate into a trap.

Simultaneously, he dispatched his most trusted inner circle to comb through Night Haven and pinpoint Ryker’s hideout. He hoped that once the false narrative hit the streets, Ryker would make a mistake. A single slip-up was all he needed to get Rose out, though he was painfully aware of how slim those odds actually were.

The next day, as expected, Ryker’s scouts reported that Maximus had tightened his grip around the Anderson Estate.

Ryker exploded in a fit of rage, hurling his glass against the wall until it shattered into jagged shards. "Damn it! I was played! That woman at the airport was nothing but a damn decoy!"

He spat on the floor, snarling, "Maximus, you sniveling fox. When did you get the intel to set all this up?"

"Boss, it was my error in judgment. I snatched the wrong woman," a thick-necked henchman stammered. "Should I take the men and go grab the other one?"

"Grab what? You brainless idiot!" Ryker roared. "Maximus is already on high alert! We’ve missed our window. Every damn precaution I took, and he still leaked the wrong information. It’s enough to make my blood boil!"

He paced the room, his eyes dark with frustration, before coming to a decision. "Let’s go. We’re going to pay a visit to that Harrison woman again. I’m sending him another video. I don’t believe for a second that little shit doesn't care."

With that, he marched out, followed by a mob of men, and stormed into the room where Rose Harrison was being held.