The rain drizzled lightly on the cracked pavement outside the narrow hallway of Zayden's apartment. A strange calm had fallen over the city, but his heart throbbed with a familiar unease. It had been three days since the confrontation with Sam, and still, the streets whispered rumors like the wind—unreliable, yet persistent.
Zayden stood by the window, hands tucked in the pockets of his black hoodie, staring at the lights flickering across the skyline. He wasn't at ease. Something was off. His instincts—sharpened from years of betrayal—had never failed him before.
Then came the knock.
A soft but deliberate knock—like someone unsure of their welcome.
He opened the door.
It was an old woman. Eyes sunken, face creased with time, but her hands trembled with more than just age.
"You're Zayden?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
"Yes."
Without another word, she held out a brown envelope. "He said to give you this… when the time was right."
Zayden's brows furrowed. "Who?"
"Your father."
His breath caught in his throat.
She didn't wait for a reply. The rain swallowed her silhouette as she disappeared down the hallway.
Zayden shut the door with shaking hands and sat at the edge of the table. For a moment, he couldn't bring himself to open the envelope. His father had been presumed dead. Murdered. Lost to the shadows that had devoured his family.
And now—this.
He ripped the seal open.
Inside was a letter, yellowed with age, and a photograph.
The photo was of a young Zayden, barely ten, standing between his father and mother. Behind them… stood Chief Ekanem, the same man who now controlled half the criminal underworld.
The letter read:
> "Son, if you are reading this, it means they have succeeded in silencing me. But the truth must live on. Chief Ekanem was never your enemy—he was your godfather. The man who betrayed me… was someone far closer. Someone you trust. Someone who wears your blood."
Zayden's eyes widened.
Blood? A family member?
He stood, heart hammering against his chest, mind racing with questions.
Then, at the bottom of the letter, in ink darker than the rest, a name was written:
> Amari.
Zayden's steps faltered. His mind recoiled. Amari? His brother?
"No... no, that's not possible..." he whispered.
But the truth was there. And it stung worse than any bullet.
---
📌 Scene Transition:
Zayden pulled out a hidden file from under the floorboard of his room. Everything he had ever gathered—names, photos, secret records. But he had never suspected Amari. They had been through fire together. Hadn't they?
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud buzz from his encrypted burner phone.
Unknown Number: "If you want answers, come to the old cathedral. Come alone. Midnight."
Zayden stared at the screen.
His war was no longer just against the men who took his family.
Now it was against his own blood.
---
🧠 Author's Thought:
> This chapter changes everything. Sometimes, betrayal doesn't come from strangers in the dark—it comes from family in the light. Zayden's war just got personal. The truth is unraveling, but at what cost? Keep reading.