Chapter 5 THE MIDNIGHT GAME

Elena couldn't breathe.

The air in Clinton Tower's dimly lit lobby felt suffocating, heavy with unanswered questions. Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced at the screen: the unknown number had sent one word.

"Now."

Her heartbeat thudded in her chest. The shadows around her seemed to shift, their whispers curling through the marble walls. She'd been here only a handful of times, yet tonight, the building felt foreign, more ominous than the first time she'd set foot in it.

She adjusted her coat, forcing her steps to remain steady as she made her way to the elevator. It pinged open with a jarring noise, but no one was inside.

Whoever this person was, they knew something that could destroy her family.

She hadn't told Ares. She couldn't. If he knew, there was no telling how far he'd go to protect the fragile threads of his vengeance. Elena still didn't know if she could trust him, but right now, it didn't matter. What mattered was the truth.

The elevator doors closed behind her with a soft whoosh, and she pressed the button for the top floor, where Clinton Tower's highest offices loomed like silent giants.

Minutes later, the elevator slowed, and the doors slid open to reveal a corridor dimly lit by a few scattered lights. The silence was unnerving. There were no sounds of distant voices, no footsteps. It was as if the building had been abandoned.

She stepped out cautiously, her heels clicking on the floor as she followed the directions given by the mysterious text. It led her past a few closed office doors, down a hallway so quiet that it made her skin crawl. Her breath hitched as she came to a stop before a heavy door with no nameplate just a blank slate, as if it didn't exist.

The door creaked open as she pushed it. Inside, a figure waited in the shadows.

"You came."

The voice was low, familiar but distorted, as if the speaker had taken precautions to hide their identity. A man. Strong, calm, yet laced with an edge of authority that Elena instantly recognized.

Her breath caught in her throat.

She didn't say a word at first, simply staring into the half-darkness where the figure stood. There was something almost magnetic about the silhouette. Something she couldn't quite place.

Then the lights flickered on.

And Elena gasped.

Standing in front of her wasn't just anyone. It was someone who had a direct connection to her father. The last person she ever expected to find behind this secretive meeting.

"Julian."

His lips curved into a small, almost mocking smile. The man who served Ares, the one who watched from the shadows, always calculating, always just a few steps ahead.

"You," she whispered, stepping back. "What the hell is this? Why are you-?"

"Relax," Julian interrupted, his voice still smooth but with an undercurrent of something darker. "You're not here to make demands. You're here because you want answers."

The room felt colder now, the walls seeming to close in. Elena's mind raced. Julian was playing a dangerous game, one she couldn't quite understand.

"Answer to what?" Elena asked, her tone sharp, despite the unease flooding her veins.

"To the truth about your father," Julian said, slowly crossing the room toward her. "And to your role in all of this."

Her eyes narrowed. "My role?" she repeated. "You think I-"

"You think you're innocent?" he cut in, his voice rising slightly. "You have no idea how deep your father's betrayal went, do you?"

Elena froze, her eyes locked with his. Her body tensed.

"No," she said softly. "But I'm about to find out."

Julian laughed, the sound cold and bitter. "You think you can handle the truth? It's not something you'll be able to unsee, Elena. Once you know it, there's no going back."

His words rattled her. Every instinct screamed for her to turn and walk away to ignore the darkness creeping into her life.

But she couldn't.

"I'm not afraid," she said firmly, even though her pulse raced wildly in her ears. "Tell me what you know."

Julian took a step closer, then paused. His eyes gleamed with something unreadable. He stepped back and turned to a large, old wooden desk. There, beneath a glass surface, was a folder.

He slid it toward her.

"Take it," he said, his gaze never leaving hers. "It's all in there. The answers you need. Everything your father did, everything he hid from you."

Elena reached for the folder, her hands trembling slightly. She opened it carefully, scanning the pages. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the names listed. Important people. Powerful people. And in the center of the pages were the words that stopped her in her tracks:

"Marcus Blackwoods-Ares's true bloodline."

The air was sucked from her lungs. Her vision blurred. She could hardly comprehend what she was seeing.

Julian's voice cut through her shock.

"Your father isn't who you think he is. He wasn't just a traitor. He was part of a much bigger game. And now, Ares wants to finish it."

She shook her head, struggling to understand. "This doesn't make sense. Ares doesn't even know-"

"Oh, he knows," Julian interrupted, his voice quiet but final. "He just doesn't understand the extent of the betrayal. Your father's sins run deeper than you realize. Ares's vengeance isn't just for his mother it's for the empire your father destroyed."

A silence stretched between them, thick with tension. Elena's hands clenched around the folder as her mind raced.

"So," she said, her voice shaking with both fury and fear, "what are you asking of me?"

"Help him," Julian said. "Help Ares destroy everything your father built. Destroy his empire. And when it's done, you can walk away. You'll have nothing left to lose."

Elena's head spun. Her world was collapsing. She wasn't sure if she could trust him, if she could trust any of them.

Before she could speak again, Julian's phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen, his face going still.

"Someone's here," he said, eyes narrowing. He looked at Elena. "We need to go. Now."

She didn't hesitate. In a heartbeat, they were out of the office, down the corridor, and toward the stairwell. The air around her felt electric, as if something was about to explode.

A loud crash echoed down the hall.

Ares.

He was here.