Chapter 90 Untitled Chapter
Chapter 90 Untitled Chapter
The room was dead quiet.
Roberto had the phone on speaker. Everyone was listening.
Victor’s voice came through calm, like he had all the time in the world.
“You have my terms,” he said. “Twenty-four hours.”
Roberto didn’t answer.
After a while, Victor said cockily. “And I want to meet with her.”
The word hit the room like a slap. Skyler’s head snapped up. Bash went still.
Roberto’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles went white. “No.”
Victor didn’t flinch. “My daughter, Roberto. That’s what she is, isn’t it?”
He said it was slow, like he was tasting it. Like he was reminding everyone in the room exactly what Kendrix was to him, whether she wanted it or not.
Kendrix went cold beside him. Her stomach dropped.
Roberto’s voice dropped too. Low and dangerous. “She’s not yours.”
“Biology disagrees,” Victor said, almost amused. “So yes. My daughter. Before the deadline.”
He made it sound like a claim. Like ownership. Not family. Not love. A label he could use whenever it was useful.
Roberto didn’t respond.
Victor let the silence stretch. Then he laughed once, quiet. “Twenty-four hours, remember. And don’t make me come collect what’s mine.”
The line went dead.
Nobody moved.
The silence after was heavier than before, because Victor hadn’t given them a fight. He had given them a choice they couldn’t shoot their way out of.
Kendrix stood beside Roberto and couldn’t shake the words out of her head.
It made her skin crawl, not because it sounded like a threat, but because it sounded sincere. That was more terrifying than any warning.
Across the room Skyler laughed, disbelieving. “No.”
No one looked at him.
He laughed again, louder this time. “No. Absolutely not.”
Bash ran both hands through his hair. “Tell me I heard that wrong.”
“You didn’t,” Roberto said, and his voice was too quiet. The kind of quiet that meant something was about to break.
Bash stared at him. “Then tell me we’re not considering it.”
“We’re not.”
The answer came immediately, with no hesitation.
Kendrix watched Roberto. He was staring at the dead phone like he wanted to crush it. His jaw was locked, his shoulders were tight, and every part of him looked ready to tear something apart.
Bash nodded. “Good.”
Skyler pointed at the phone. “Because that idea is insane.”
“No argument here.”
“Good.”
“Skyler.” Bash called.
“What?”
“Just…shut up.”
Skyler kept quiet for about three seconds. Then he said, “I wonder if Maya and Anthonio are doing alright. It seems they are in for a whole lot.”
The room went quiet again, because they all knew he was right. Victor wouldn’t have made the offer if he didn’t already have a plan to punish them for refusing.
Kendrix crossed her arms. Her chest hurt. Everything hurts. She hated that one phone call could do this. One sentence, and suddenly everyone was looking at her like she was the center of something about to blow up.
“Stop,” she said.
Three heads turned toward her.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
No one answered, and that made it worse.
Bash rubbed the back of his neck. “Kendrix…”
“No. I know what you’re thinking.”
Skyler looked away. Bash sighed. Roberto didn’t move at all. And that told her everything. He was thinking about it too. Maybe not the same way, but he was thinking it. Victor wanted her, specifically her, and everyone in the room knew it.
Kendrix let out a bitter laugh. “That’s great.”
No one laughed with her.
She looked at Roberto. “What if I went?”
The room reacted immediately.
“No!”
Roberto’s answer came so fast it cut her off. “No.”
Bash looked horrified.
Skyler almost dropped his laptop. “Kendrix…”
“Don’t.” Kendrix held a palm to silence him.
Roberto was already moving. He crossed the room and closed the distance between them. His eyes were dark.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
She lifted her chin. “What if…”
“No.”
“Roberto…”
“I said no.”
Each answer came faster, like he couldn’t stand the possibility of her finishing the sentence.
Kendrix’s frustration boiled over. “Would you let me finish?”
His laugh was humorless and close to breaking. “I won't.”
The room went silent.
They stared at each other for a long while. Then Roberto spoke, low and controlled. “You are not meeting him.”
“Why?”
The question came out before she could stop it.
Roberto blinked, slowly, like he couldn’t believe she asked. “Why?”
“Yes.”
His jaw flexed. “Because he’s your father.”
Kendrix laughed, harsh and bitter. “He doesn’t get to be my father now. He has never been.”
“No,” Roberto agreed immediately. “He doesn’t.”
“Then…”
“But he wants to be.”
That stopped her.
Roberto stepped closer. “That’s what makes him dangerous.” His voice dropped and the room listened. “He isn’t asking for money, or territory, or power. He’s asking for you.”
The words landed hard because they were true. Victor could have demanded anything. Instead he asked for a meeting.
Kendrix hated how much that bothered her.
“Do you know why?” Roberto asked.
She didn’t answer. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.
“He wants access. He wants a crack in the wall, a weakness, a way in. And you’re not becoming that.”
Something twisted in Kendrix's chest. Part of her understood him. Another part was tired of being protected, tired of standing still while everyone else fought.
“What about Maya and Anthonio?” she asked quietly.
Roberto closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them he looked exhausted and tired.
“What about them?”
Kendrix swallowed. “What if he’s telling the truth?”
No one spoke. Not even Skyler. Not even Bash. Because they had all thought it, and no one wanted to say it.
“What if refusing means they stay there?”
The words felt ugly coming out of her mouth.
Roberto looked away first. That scared her more than anything, because Roberto always had an answer. This time he didn’t.
The silence stretched, long and painful.
Finally Bash spoke carefully. “That’s exactly why he asked.”
Kendrix looked at him.
Bash sighed. “Because if anything happens to them, the guilt lands on you. Victor planned it that way.”
Kendrix felt sick. “Oh.”
Skyler nodded. “Yeah.”
The room felt smaller. The air felt heavier. Victor wasn’t just manipulating Roberto. He was manipulating her too, making her feel responsible, making her question every decision.
Roberto reached for her slowly, like he thought she might pull away. His hand found hers. Warm and steady.
“Kendrix.”
She looked at him. His expression softened just enough for her to see what was under the fear and anger.
“I don’t care what he says. I don’t care what he offers. You’re not going.”
The certainty should have annoyed her. Instead it made her chest ache, because she could hear what he wasn’t saying.
I can't lose you too.
The realization hit hard. This wasn't a strategy anymore. It was personal. Kendrix squeezed his hand once. She didn’t agree, but she understood.