WHO AM I

INTO THE LIONS DEN

The next day came too quickly. The sun barely peeked over the horizon when Noah made his move. Lila watched from a distance, her heart pounding in her chest as he walked right into Renzo's territory—calm, collected, and completely vulnerable. She wanted to scream, to tell him to stop, but she knew better. Noah had made up his mind.

"This is insane," Cathy muttered under her breath, leaning against the car. "He's actually going through with it."

Jasper, leaning on the hood beside her, crossed his arms. "Well, it's not like we've ever been the picture of sanity. Why start now?"

Lila didn't respond. She couldn't take her eyes off Noah. Every step he took closer to Renzo felt like a countdown, a ticking clock, and they were running out of time.

"So, what's the plan if things go south?" Zara asked, glancing nervously between them.

"Pray," Jasper said, throwing his hands up in mock surrender.

Stacy glared at him. "Jasper, can you be serious for once?"

Jasper sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. If things go south, we improvise."

Cathy pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh yeah, because that's always worked out great for us."

Meanwhile, Noah was already inside Renzo's building, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Phillip had promised to keep an eye on things from the inside, but no one trusted him. He was a wild card, switching sides whenever it suited him.

"I still don't get why we're trusting Phillip," Lila said, biting her lip. "He's probably going to stab us in the back the second he gets a chance."

"He might," Cathy admitted. "But right now, we need him. Phillip knows Renzo better than any of us."

Lila didn't like it, but they were out of options. Noah was already in the lion's den, and Phillip was their only lifeline.

Inside, Noah kept his cool as he navigated the maze of Renzo's empire. The walls were lined with expensive art, the kind of wealth Renzo flaunted at every opportunity. But Noah wasn't intimidated. He knew what he was here for.

"Ah, Noah," Renzo's voice greeted him as he stepped into the room. Renzo sat at a large, polished desk, his smile sharp and smug. "I wasn't expecting you."

Noah matched his smirk with one of his own. "Thought I'd drop by. You know, check on things."

Renzo leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "Checking on things? Or checking on me?"

Noah didn't flinch. "I think you know the answer."

Renzo chuckled darkly. "You've always been an interesting one. Playing the humble card, keeping everyone at arm's length. But you and I both know there's more to you than that."

Noah's jaw tightened, but he kept his voice steady. "What do you want, Renzo?"

Renzo stood up, slowly circling the room like a predator. "I want what I've always wanted. Power. Control. And the satisfaction of watching you squirm as I take everything from you."

"You've got nothing on me," Noah shot back, his voice icy.

Renzo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? We'll see about that."

The air between them crackled with tension. Noah knew Renzo was playing a game, but so was he. This was a dangerous dance, and one wrong move could mean everything.

Back outside, Lila was growing restless. "What's taking so long?"

Cathy checked her watch. "It hasn't been that long. Just give him a little more time."

Jasper glanced at the building nervously. "I mean, he's not getting murdered in there, right?"

"Jasper!" Stacy hissed.

"What? It's a valid concern!"

Lila's foot tapped anxiously against the pavement. "We should've come up with a better plan."

Zara sighed. "We never have good plans. We just... figure things out as we go."

"I'm really not liking this 'figure it out' approach right now," Lila muttered, her eyes still fixed on the entrance.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Noah stepped out. Lila's breath hitched. He looked unharmed, but his expression was guarded.

"Well?" Cathy asked, tension in her voice.

Noah didn't speak right away, walking toward them with slow, deliberate steps. When he finally reached the group, he let out a long exhale.

"We're in deeper than I thought," he said, his voice low.

Lila's stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"

Noah met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "Renzo's planning something big. He's got more power than we realized. And we're running out of time."

Jasper's face paled. "Okay, so... plan B?"

"What's plan B?" Stacy asked, already dreading the answer.

Noah glanced at Lila. "Plan B is simple. We need to take him down before he takes us out."

The group exchanged uneasy looks. This was getting more dangerous by the minute, and they were playing a game they might not be able to win.

But there was no turning back now.