Building The Strongest Family

Three Hours Later

The surveillance feed flickered to life, revealing two ominous figures approaching Malik's stronghold.

The Twins,genetically enhanced assassins with a flawless track record. But what happened next was anything but expected.

The camera blinked, and when the image sharpened, the Twins lay twitching on the ground, their nervous systems overwhelmed by familiar neural disruptors.

A shadow swept across the screen, tall, impeccably dressed.

Jax Krayne stepped into view and locked eyes with the camera, sending chills down spines everywhere.

Then, just like that, the feed cut to static.

---

The Black Lotus Teahouse – Aegis District

Outside, rain poured in silver sheets over the Aegis District, transforming neon-lit streets into shimmering mirrors of crimson and electric blue.

Inside the Black Lotus Teahouse, a neutral ground for information brokers and fixers, the usual hum of clandestine deals had been replaced by a tense silence thick enough to cut with a knife.

Every screen in the establishment played on loop: The Twins,Kain Vex's legendary assassins,lay twitching like broken marionettes.

And there was Jax Krayne again, staring straight into the camera before it all went dark.

In a corner booth, a low-level enforcer from the Lupo Syndicate nearly choked on his sake.

"That's… that's impossible," he stammered. "The Twins took out an entire Red Serpent cell alone last year!"

His contact,a wiry arms dealer sporting a cybernetic eye, leaned in closer. "Did you see what they were carrying? Those weren't just disruptors; those were some serious weapons."

He paused before adding quietly, "Who is Malik working for?"

At the high table in back sat Madame Lily, the most connected information dealer in the district,gently setting down her teacup as if it were made of glass.

"Kain won't take this well," she mused thoughtfully.

Her associate, a former corporate spy,snorted derisively.

"Kain? The entire Syndicate just got slapped in the face! You think Crowe or Selene are sleeping easy tonight?"

Lily's smile turned razor-thin as she replied coolly, "Nope. But I suspect they'll sleep even less once they realize Malik isn't their biggest problem."

Her gaze flickered to Jax Krayne's frozen image on-screen.

Meanwhile, in a private room upstairs, Captain Rourke of the Fourth Precinct wiped sweat from his brow while glued to the feed.

"We need to pull back surveillance on Malik's operations," he muttered urgently to his lieutenant.

"Sir? The Commissioner said…"

"The Commissioner isn't the one who'll end up in a body bag if we keep poking this," Rourke snapped.

He poured himself a double whiskey, hand shaking. "That's Jax fucking Krayne. Last time he showed up in this city, two crime families vanished overnight."

The lieutenant paled,"So what do we do?"

Rourke downed the drink in one gulp.

"We stay the hell out of his way."

The message arrived simultaneously on every Syndicate leader's encrypted device at precisely 3:00 AM.

A single video file.

When opened, it showed The Twins,alive, but not unharmed,kneeling in a dimly lit room.

Jax's voice, calm and measured, played over the footage:"A gift. To remind you of the new rules."

Then the screen went black.

Damien Crowe was the first to break the silence in their secure group chat.

"We have a problem."

Selene responded five minutes later.

"No. Kain has a problem. The rest of us have a choice."

-----------

By dawn, three things became clear:

Kain Vex had gone completely dark,no calls, no messages.

Rumor was he'd boarded a private jet to an undisclosed location.

Three mid-tier gangs,previously neutral in the conflict, had suddenly pledged allegiance to Malik.

And most telling of all…The Syndicate's weekly weapons shipment never arrived.

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The Crimson Lounge – Malik's Territory

The club was eerily quiet, save for Malik's enforcers standing like silent sentinels along the plush velvet-lined walls.

The air was thick with the scent of expensive liquor and polished leather, while dim lighting cast long shadows across Selene's porcelain features as she elegantly crossed her legs and took a sip of her gin martini.

Malik lounged across from her, his newfound confidence radiating in the way he relaxed in his chair, fingers steepled in front of him. "Didn't expect to see you here, Selene. I thought you Syndicate types preferred your ivory towers."

Selene's smile was sharp as a knife. "I prefer not to be on the losing side of history, Malik. And right now? You're making quite a bit of it."

Setting her glass down, she locked her dark eyes onto his. "So let's skip the posturing. Who's backing you?"

Malik chuckled softly, swirling his whiskey with a casual flick of his wrist. "You think I'm just going to hand over that kind of..."

Suddenly, the door swung open.

Jax Krayne stepped inside, his presence instantly sucking the warmth from the room like an icy wind.

Selene felt her grip tighten around her glass, this wasn't good.

"Ah," Jax murmured with a hint of amusement. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Recovering quickly, Selene tilted her head slightly. "Jax. Should've known it would be you,the Crowe family always said you were the Federation's attack dog."

He didn't bother sitting; he commanded attention simply by being there. "I don't work for the Crimson Blood anymore."

His voice dropped to an almost conspiratorial tone: "My boss is… impressed by you, Selene."

She raised an eyebrow playfully. "Flattered! But I already have a backer."

With deliberate slowness, Jax reached into his coat and slid a tablet across the table.

The screen flickered to life, revealing a live feed: Roland Mercer, her supposed benefactor,strapped to a steel chair, bruised and battered in his once-impeccable suit.

His voice crackled through the speakers: "Selene… whatever they're offering… take it."

And then, darkness.

Selene didn't flinch; instead, she felt her pulse quicken in her throat.

Leaning forward slightly, Jax whispered just above a murmur: "You don't have a backer anymore... but you do have a choice."

Taking a slow breath through her nose, Selene exuded grace, a woman who had spent years turning disadvantages into opportunities, as she reached for her martini again.

"What are the terms?" she asked coolly.

A sly smile crept across Jax's face.