Isabelle’s POV
I sat in the dimly lit office, staring at the city skyline through the wide glass windows. The world outside carried on as usual—people walking the streets, traffic moving at its sluggish pace—but inside me, a storm was brewing.
For the first time in my life, I was done waiting.
Done hoping.
Done pleading for someone to stand beside me.
I was alone in this war, and that was fine.
Because I had finally learned that power wasn’t given.
It was taken.
Kaia and Walter thought they had broken me. That I would be too weak to retaliate.
They had no idea what I was capable of.
I reached for my phone, dialing a number I never thought I’d use. It rang twice before a voice answered.
“Isabelle,” Brian’s voice came through, steady and unreadable.
“I’m ready,” I said without he
