The night was heavy with tension as Ochieng made his way through the abandoned alleyway where his story had almost ended years ago. The neon glow of a nearby streetlamp flickered, casting eerie shadows against the cracked walls. His fingers twitched slightly, every instinct screaming that this was a trap. But he had never been one to run from danger.
Footsteps. Slow. Measured.
A figure stepped out from the darkness.
Ochieng's heart clenched.
It was her.
Sienna.
The woman who had once been his entire world. The woman who had betrayed him.
Her long raven-black hair fell over her shoulders, her piercing emerald eyes studying him with a mixture of guilt and something else—something he wasn't sure he could trust.
Ochieng's voice was colder than ice. "You have five seconds to explain why I shouldn't turn around and walk away."
Sienna's lips pressed together. "Because everything you believed about my betrayal was a lie."
His jaw clenched. "Lies? You're the one who handed me over to the Syndicate."
She took a step closer. "I saved your life that night."
Silence.
Ochieng's fingers curled into fists. The past was a wound that had never fully healed, and now she was ripping it open again.
---
Sienna took a deep breath. "Ochieng, listen to me. That night, I had no choice. Volkov had put a hit on you, and if I hadn't played along, they would have killed you on the spot."
Ochieng scoffed. "And I was just supposed to believe that?"
Sienna's hands trembled. "Do you know what they did to me after you escaped? They locked me away, tortured me for months. I never wanted to betray you. I wanted to protect you."
For the first time, hesitation flickered in Ochieng's eyes.
If she was lying, she was the best liar he had ever known.
But if she was telling the truth…
His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Why now? Why show up after all these years?"
Sienna hesitated before speaking. "Because the real war hasn't even begun."
Ochieng's heartbeat quickened. "Explain."
She glanced around, lowering her voice. "You think Volkov was the end of it? He was just a puppet. The real power in this city has been watching from the shadows, waiting for the right time to strike."
Ochieng exhaled sharply. "Who?"
Sienna's eyes darkened. "The Order of the Black Phoenix."
A name he had only heard in whispers. A name that carried the weight of something far deadlier than anything he had faced before.
Ochieng stared at her, searching for any trace of deception.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
Sienna didn't try to stop him.
But just before he disappeared into the night, she called out one last time.
"They're coming for you, Ochieng. And this time… you might not survive."
---
Back at his penthouse, Ochieng poured himself a drink, staring at the city skyline.
If what Sienna said was true, then everything he had built was about to be tested.
His empire.
His power.
His life.
The shadows were moving.
And Ochieng was ready.
---