Codename Black: Rise of the Fallen Commander

Settle the Debt

Victoria hurried after her father as he stormed into the house. She could hear the tremble in his voice as he barked orders into his phone, presumably to their family lawyer.

"Father, please!" she called, following him down the hallway. "You have to listen to me, it’s not what you think!"

Sir Thomas came to an abrupt halt, turning on his heel to face her. "Not what I think?" His voice boomed through the house, the sound of it reverberating off the walls. "You’ve disgraced this family, Victoria! Dorian has severed all ties with us! Do you really understand what you’ve done?"

Victoria felt her stomach drop. "What do you mean… severed all ties?"

Sir Thomas’s eyes blazed. "He’s pulling out of every business deal. Every. Single. One." He paused, breathing heavily, the weight of his words almost too much to bear. "Your mother... she collapsed when she heard the news. She’s in the hospital right now, Victoria. Your actions did this. Happy now?"

The mention of her mother felt like a dagger to Victoria’s heart. Her breath stopped, and she took a step back, shaking her head in disbelief. "No... no, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen."

Sir Thomas's expression hardened. "Well, it did. And it’s too late to undo the damage." He stared at her, as if trying to understand how the daughter he had raised could have caused such chaos. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done to your mother? To this family? To me? To yourself?"

Victoria felt tears sting her eyes, her throat tightening as the reality of the situation crashed over her like waves. She had never meant for things to spiral so out of control.

All she wanted was to escape the suffocating life Dorian and her family had tried to force on her. But now, everything was unraveling before her eyes.

"Father, I didn’t choose this," she said softly. "I didn’t choose Dorian... I didn’t choose any of it."

Sir Thomas scoffed, dismissing her words with a wave of his hand. "You chose this when you brought that stranger into our lives." His eyes narrowed. "And now, you’ll have to choose between him or your family. Because if you continue with this... you will never come home again. You’ll be permanently disowned."

Disowned. Permanently.

She had always known her father to be rigid, but she never imagined it would come to this. The thought of never seeing her mother again, of being cut off from everything she had ever known, was a nightmare she hadn’t fully prepared for.

"Father, I—" she began, her voice cracking under the strain of her emotions.

Before she could say more, Sir Thomas turned sharply and marched toward the front door. "It’s too late for explanations, Victoria. You’ve made your bed," he said coldly, "now you have to lie in it."

Just as Sir Thomas reached the doorway, Alex appeared, stepping into the entrance hall. His eyes darted between the father and daughter, quickly assessing the tension in the room. His expression was relaxed, but there was a fire simmering behind his gaze.

Sir Thomas stopped short, his face twisting in disgust as he laid eyes on Alex. "You," he spat, pointing a trembling finger at him. "You’re the one who started all of this. This is your fault."

Alex met his gaze with a level stare. "With all due respect, sir," he said firmly. "I don’t think forcing Victoria into a marriage she didn’t want has anything to do with me."

"How dare you speak to me about my family affairs!" He took a menacing step forward. "You have no idea what’s at stake here. Who do you think you are to come between us? A nobody. A useless, wandering stranger!"

Alex’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t back down. "I know enough to see that Victoria isn’t happy. You may have a lot of power, but you can’t control her life like this."

Sir Thomas sneered, stepping closer, his face inches from Alex’s. "She is my daughter," he hissed, "and I will do whatever is necessary to save this family from the disaster she’s created. Even if it means taking her away from you."

Victoria’s heart quickened as she watched the confrontation unfold. Alex stood tall, not flinching as her father’s rage bore down on him. She could see the unwavering intensity in his eyes.

"Victoria," Sir Thomas barked, turning sharply toward her. "We’re leaving. Now!"

Before she could react, he reached for her arm. "You’re coming home with me," he ordered.

"No!" Victoria exclaimed, pulling herself back. "I’m not going anywhere with you!"

But Sir Thomas wasn’t listening. He tightened his grip, pulling her toward the door. Victoria struggled against him, panic rising in her chest.

"Let go of her…" Alex’s voice was a calm command. He stepped forward, placing himself between Sir Thomas and Victoria.

Sir Thomas glared at Alex. "Step aside, or you’ll regret it."

Alex didn’t move. His expression remained composed, but there was an unmistakable steel in his voice. "I won’t let you force her into anything."

Sir Thomas’s patience snapped. He pushed Victoria behind him and made a move toward the door, practically dragging her along. "You don’t get a say in this," he growled, throwing open the car door parked outside. "She’s coming with me, and you—"

Before Sir Thomas could finish, Alex placed a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

But Sir Thomas whipped around. "You have no idea who you’re dealing with, boy..." he said. "Now, leave us alone!"

***

As Sir Thomas’s car sped down the road, Alex stood motionless for a moment, watching the dust settle in the distance. His fists clenched by his sides. He could have stopped them—should have stopped them—but he knew that brute force wasn’t the answer, not yet. Dorian Blackwood was a different kind of enemy, and one Alex couldn’t just punch his way through.

Determined, Alex turned back toward the villa. He needed information, leverage, something to even the odds in this fight. His eyes caught sight of a laptop sitting on a desk in the corner. Perfect.

Sitting down, he powered it on and quickly bypassed the login. His fingers moved rapidly over the keys, bringing up an encrypted website. It was a database accessible only to those with the highest security clearances. The kind of site Alexander Mercer, top military commander, had used in his former life.

As the interface loaded, Alex muttered under his breath, “Let’s see what skeletons are hiding in the Blackwood closet.”

He typed in the name Dorian Blackwood and waited. In seconds, a detailed report appeared. His unblinking eyes scanned the screen as he absorbed every detail. Dorian’s family background, their wealth, their business dealings—both legitimate and not so legitimate.

“Typical,” Alex muttered. “Money, power, and arrogance… the perfect cocktail for a narcissist.”

His fingers then clicked on Victoria’s family name—Hale.

The Hales had once been prosperous, but financial mismanagement had led them to the brink of ruin. The marriage to Dorian was merely a transaction. Victoria had been sold off just to save her family’s dwindling fortune.

“Bastards…” Alex whispered, a mix of anger and pity filling him. “They’d rather sacrifice her future than swallow their pride.”

Just as he was about to close the database, another name flashed on the screen: Heinrich Lancastriel. The name stopped him cold. Alex leaned back, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Heinrich,” he muttered to himself. “Of course…”

Heinrich Lancastriel was the wealthiest man in the city, maybe even the region. A business tycoon whose reach extended across industries, governments, and borders. But to Alex, Heinrich was more than just another rich man. He had once served under Alex’s command, loyal to the core, owing Alex not just his life, but his fortune.

“Well, well…” Alex’s smirk grew into a full smile. “Looks like it’s time to call in a favor.”

He closed the laptop and stood, the pieces of his plan snapping into place. Dorian Blackwood might control Victoria’s family, but Heinrich had the resources to put Dorian in checkmate. And Alex had just enough leverage to make sure it happened.

He threw on his jacket and headed out the door, talking to himself as he walked. “Heinrich owes me—big time. And if he’s half as smart as I remember, he’ll know this is the perfect opportunity to settle that debt.”

As he stepped outside, he paused for a moment, glancing down the road where Sir Thomas had driven off with Victoria. His expression hardened.

“I’m coming for you, Dorian,” Alex muttered. “You just don’t know it yet.”

Without another word, Alex headed for a car. His next destination was Heinrich Lancastriel’s estate. This battle was about to take a turn, and Alex was ready to bring the full weight of his influence to protect Victoria and destroy anyone who dared to stand in his way.