𝑪𝑹𝑰𝑴𝑺𝑶𝑵 𝑳𝑶𝑻𝑼𝑺 | 𝐓.𝐒 |

𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆

The smoke curled thickly around the dimly lit room, the soft flicker of candlelight barely cutting through the haze. Eva Zhao stood near the window, watching the streets of Birmingham as nightfall consumed the city. From this height, it all seemed so small—just like the streets of Shanghai once had.

Footsteps echoed behind her. She didn't turn. She didn't need to.

"You've built something strong here," Thomas Shelby's voice broke the silence, low and controlled. "But you've made enemies. Powerful ones."

Eva smirked, her fingers brushing the silk of her sleeve. "As have you."

The tension in the air was palpable, sharp like the edge of a blade, waiting for the right moment to strike. They had been here before—standing on opposite sides, sizing each other up like predators who knew the other was just as dangerous.

Thomas stepped closer, his reflection catching in the glass, but still, she did not turn to face him. "What's the next move, then?" he asked, his voice a calm contrast to the storm brewing beneath the surface. "We can't afford to hesitate."

A pause. Eva's lips twitched into the slightest smile. "You forget, Mr. Shelby—I don't hesitate."

She turned to face him then, their eyes locking in a silent war of wills. There was no trust between them, only the cold calculation of two minds that understood the stakes. Each knew what the other was capable of—and that was why they were both dangerous. Dangerous together, even more dangerous apart.

In the flicker of the dim light, their shadows stretched long across the room, intertwining in ways neither of them would ever admit. For now, they were partners. But in Birmingham's underworld, alliances were as fleeting as smoke.

"I suppose we'll see," Thomas said, the hint of a smirk playing on his lips. He turned to leave, the door creaking open as he disappeared into the night.

Eva's eyes followed him out, her heart steady, her mind already on the moves she would make. The game was far from over. And if there was one thing she had learned in her years of survival, it was this:

Victory wasn't just about power. It was about knowing exactly when to let go.

In the end, only one of them would be left standing.