The air was thick with tension as Blair stood at the edge of the cliffside mansion, the wind howling against the rocky shoreline below. The mansion loomed like a dark shadow, its silhouette sharp against the dimming sky. For a moment, she hesitated, her mind flashing back to the faces of her team—Maya, Lena, Jax—people who had sacrificed so much to get this far. She couldn’t afford to lose them now. But Leo’s offer had been too tempting, too dangerous to ignore.
She had no idea what game Leo was playing, but she was about to find out.
With a deep breath, Blair stepped through the gates of the mansion, her boots crunching on the gravel. The silence was deafening, broken only by the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below. Every step she took brought her closer to the lion’s den.
She had no weapons. She wasn’t planning on a fight. But she was prepared for anything.
Inside, the mansion was eerily quiet. The floors creaked underfoot, the walls adorned with expensive artwork and dark, rich furniture. As she moved further in, she noticed the absence of any guards—an odd thing, considering Leo’s paranoia. It made her uneasy.
“Leo?” Blair’s voice was steady as she called out. The echo of her words was met with no response.
She turned the corner, and there he was.
Leo stood in the grand hall, his figure bathed in the soft light from the chandelier above. He was dressed in black, his face cold and unreadable. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his eyes fixed on her with a mixture of anger and something she couldn’t quite place. Something more complex.
“Blair,” Leo’s voice was low, almost too calm. “I thought you’d show up.”
Blair stood her ground, not showing any sign of fear. “What do you want, Leo?”
Leo’s lips curled into a half-smile, his eyes narrowing. “You’ve got a choice, Blair. You can leave now, walk away from all this, or... you can join me. Together, we can destroy everything Vincent built. We can take over the empire.”
Blair’s mind raced. She hadn’t expected this. She’d known Leo was conflicted, but she never thought he would actually offer her a chance to join him.
“Why would I join you?” Blair asked, her voice laced with suspicion. “You’ve hated me for months.”
Leo’s expression hardened. “I hate what you represent. You think you can just waltz in and take control? You think you can keep playing the hero while people like me are dragged into the mess you create?”
Blair’s brow furrowed. “I never asked for any of this, Leo. But you’re not the villain you think you are. Vincent has manipulated you, used you. He’s a monster, and you’re just another tool in his hands.”
Leo’s hands clenched into fists. “Don’t talk about my father like that.”
Blair took a step closer, her voice softening, almost pleading. “Leo, you’re better than this. You don’t have to follow in his footsteps. You can stop this, before it’s too late.”
For a moment, there was a flicker of doubt in Leo’s eyes. But then, just as quickly, the resolve returned. “I don’t need you to tell me what I am. I’ve already made my decision.”
Blair braced herself. She could feel the tension in the room thickening, the air charged with impending violence. “What decision?”
Leo stepped closer, his voice lowering. “This. This is the end for you, Blair. You’ve crossed a line, and now you’ll pay for it.”
Before Blair could react, she heard a sharp click. From the shadows, several men stepped forward, each armed and ready to move. Leo had planned for this, just as she had feared. This wasn’t an invitation to join him—it was a trap.
Blair’s heart raced as she assessed the situation. She wasn’t alone in the room. Somewhere, hidden in the corners, her team was waiting. They’d been tracking her from the moment she’d stepped foot inside the mansion. But she couldn’t rely on them just yet.
She needed to act fast.
Leo’s hand gestured to his men, who began to circle her. “You should have stayed away, Blair. This is the end of the road for you.”
Blair took a slow breath, calculating her next move. She could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on her. But she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“You’re wrong, Leo,” she said, her voice cold and steady. “You think I’m the one in danger here? You have no idea what you’ve just unleashed.”
Blair's hand darted to her side, pulling the concealed pistol from its holster. In one swift motion, she fired a shot into the chandelier above them. The glass shattered, sending debris crashing down. Chaos erupted.
In the confusion, Blair moved like a shadow, ducking and weaving through the falling debris. Her instincts kicked in, and she quickly took out two of Leo’s men before they could react. But the room was closing in on her.
“Move!” she shouted into her comms device, sending the signal to the rest of the team. They’d been waiting for the signal to storm the mansion.
Maya and Jax burst through the front doors, guns blazing. They’d arrived just in time.
But Leo wasn’t finished. He stepped forward, his expression cold and calculating.
“You think you’ve won?” Leo said, his voice thick with contempt. “You’ve made a mistake, Blair. I’m not like my father. I’ll destroy you myself.”
Blair’s heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t the same Leo she had once known. He had become something darker, more dangerous. And she knew, in that moment, that the fight was far from over.
She met Leo’s gaze, her voice steady despite the storm inside her. “You’ll never be your father, Leo. But you’ll never escape him either.”
The battle raged on, but in Blair’s mind, she knew this was only the beginning.