The night had settled deep, and within the church''s serene confines, the stained ss windows cast a gentle glow, stretching the silhouette of a tall figure into something almost suffocatingly imposing. Suddenly, the stillness was broken by the sound of footsteps echoing through the vast space. A young man, cloaked in a ck robe and masked, made his entrance. "You daree before me withoutpleting your task?" The voice of the master was low, threading an eerie tension through the air.


    The young man standing before him was unfazed. "Sophie and Colby have been doing a ster job keeping Odie out of reach. We had no opening in Devonport, and it looks like the Aldridge family got a heads-up from Sophie. They had escort from the airport the whole way; we didn''t get a shot."


    Hearing about the Aldridge family''s interference, the master took a deep breath, fiddling with the ring on his finger, annoyance etched into his features. "The Aldridge family..." he muttered. "Without Gordon, are they even worthy of the name? Just a ragtag bunch, easily crushed."


    "Easier said than done, taking down Gordon. Rumor had it that his legs were done for in a kidnapping years ago, yet he''s still on his feet. And those whispers about his illness? He''s been hanging on, looking anything but frail."


    "The four great families have just one standout, andpared to their ancestors, Sophie and Colby don''t quite measure up."


    "Don''t measure up?" The young man gave a slight smile. "Those two, and Harold too, aren''t to be underestimated. Especially Colby. You''ve never seen him in action, have you? He''s like a madman. No, Sophie is his tether. Without her, he''s no longer a caged beast; he bes a tiger unleashed."


    "I''m just saying, going after the four great families isn''t our main gig. Leave Sophie out of it. If you don''t want to get burned, it''s best she stays alive and well. If she dies, Colby will lose it. We can take on anyone, but a madman? That''s a different story." The master, still twirling the ring, considered this. "And what if this madman were broken?"Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "What''s your point?"


    Silence reigned for a moment. "Sophie is his tether, as you said. He loves her but hasn''t been honest. If she finds out his secrets, what then? If the one he loves despises him, Colby bes a nobody. Even the greatest have their weak spots... I can''t wait to see them tear each other apart."


    "It seems I was mistaken," the young man''s tone chilled, "You''re mad yourself."


    uj


    By the next day, Adler had rung Sophie and Colby over a dozen times. Sophie, still half-asleep, could hear the incessant buzzing. She squinted at her phone''s screen trying to focus on the caller D


    "Hey?"


    "Hey? When are you guysing back?"


    Adler''s voice was on the edge of frazzled. Sophie held the phone away from her ear, letting him vent before replying, "Didn''t I mention? We''ve still got things to wrap up overseas."  en


    "What could be so urgent you''re still gone?"


    Adler''s voice was filled with exasperation. "You wouldn''t believe the chaos I''ve been dealing with in Devonport thesest few days!"