The room went absolutely still.
Every eye locked onto Alex's face, waiting with barely contained anticipation.
"I'm not what any of you think I am."
Alex let those words settle for a moment, watching understanding flicker across Viktor's features, seeing the team lean forward almost unconsciously.
"First," he said, his tone sharpening like a blade, "I am not under House Blackwood. Not their subordinate. Not their agent. I don't operate for them, answer to them, or move within their chain of command."
He paused, letting that sink in.
The room didn't just fall silent...
it froze.
Pavel stiffened.
Dimitri's eyes sharpened.
Damien leaned forward, tension rising.
Andre's brow furrowed hard.
The man who had run every background check, cross-referenced every lead, built every logical profile…
now stared at Alex with pure contradiction in his eyes.
This didn't match his research.
It didn't align with any data he'd gathered.
