Rising in Ruins

A dangerous candidate

Alexander Sinclair had always excelled in the art of deception, and his partnership with Lucien had allowed him to master it to an even greater extent. However, as the days passed and their alliance with Bianca became more intricate, Alexander couldn't help but feel a growing sense of unease.

One evening, after a meeting with Bella, Alexander returned to their shared hotel room. Lucien was out, engaged in yet another secret meeting of his own. As Alexander entered the room, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. He had always been a cautious man, and his instincts rarely failed him.

He walked over to the desk, where Lucien's laptop lay open. His fingers danced over the keys as he accessed his email. What he discovered sent a chill down his spine.

There, in a series of encrypted messages, were emails between Bianca and Lucien. They discussed their plan to manipulate Marco and Bella, to use them as pawns in their own game of power and betrayal. Lucien trusted Alexander implicitly, believing him to be a loyal ally, but Alexander had uncovered the truth.

Alexander's heart pounded in his chest as he read the messages. His loyalty to Bella was as fragile as her attraction to his but now their interference was for once in a satisfactory level where he had the advantage and not her, and now he faced a choice. He knew that Bella needed to be alerted to this disloyalty, but he also had to be careful. Lucien was a formidable opponent, and revealing his betrayal could have dire consequences.

Just as he hit send, he heard the door to the hotel room open. Lucien had returned. Panic gripped Alexander as he closed his laptop and pretended to be engrossed in other matters.

Lucien entered, a smug smile on his face. "Alexander, my friend, you won't believe the information Bianca shared with me today. Our plan is coming together perfectly."

Alexander forced a smile, his mind racing. He had to play this carefully, biding his time until he could secure Bella safety and dismantle the alliance he had unwittingly entered.

Little did Lucien know that his trusted ally had become a double agent, driven by passion and by greed ready to take everything that was belonging rightfully to him. All those years they worked together Lucien used to take all the credit for all the achievements, he held so much power, yet he was treated as a partner, as a vehicle that was used by its owner and he despised that. Bella had given him an opportunity to oversee himself and he wouldn't let that just pass by.

Bella and Marco had just returned to their own hotel room after another day of securing their cartel organization recruiting more workers to be ready for the final blow. They had been working tirelessly to secure their position and uncover any potential threats to their power.

As they entered their room, Bella's phone chimed with an incoming message. She retrieved it from her purse and saw that it was from Alexander. The urgency in his tone was evident even before she read the message.

"Bella," Marco said, noticing her tense expression, "what's wrong?"

Bella quickly opened the message and read it. Her eyes widened as she absorbed the shocking contents. "Marco, we've been betrayed. It's Lucien and Bianca. They're plotting against us, Alexander discovered them."

Marco's face darkened with anger and frustration. "Dammit! We should have seen this coming. Lucien was always too eager to form an alliance."

Bella nodded, her mind racing with the implications of the betrayal. "Alexander believes they're planning to use us and then discard us. We need to act quickly to protect our interests and expose their treachery."

Marco clenched his fists, his determination unwavering. "We can't let them get away with this. We need to gather our allies and confront them before they have a chance to strike."