The Warlord's Revenge

Chapter 105

The Ultimatum

Victor’s hands trembled as he held the letter, his mother’s cold words scrawled across the page like a curse. He read the ultimatum again, his chest tightening with every word: *Either reconcile with me and let me be part of Lila’s life, or I will take her away from you forever.*

He felt the weight of it crushing him. His past, his pain, and his fear all wrapped up in the woman who had given him life and nearly destroyed it. Now, she was threatening to do the same to Lila.

Emma stood in the doorway, watching him with concern. She could see the battle raging inside him, but she didn’t know what to say. The rift between them had grown deeper since Lila’s disappearance, and though they’d found her unharmed, the sense of safety in their lives had vanished.

“What does it say?” Emma asked, her voice tentative, but Victor couldn’t bring himself to answer. He couldn’t look at her, couldn’t admit the truth, not yet.

Instead, he crumpled the letter in his fist, his knuckles turni