Arizona looked different than they had ever seen her before. Her usual confident demeanor had vanished, replaced by a vulnerability that made her appear smaller, almost fragile. She was shivering, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if trying to hold her own body together. Her eyes, usually so sharp and focused, were wide and filled with fear, darting around the room as if she expected danger to leap from the shadows at any moment.

Ethan’s heart clenched at the sight of her like this. Arizona had always been a pillar of strength, someone who faced the world’s dangers head-on without flinching. Seeing her so afraid, so exposed, sent a jolt of protective instinct through him. He wanted to reach out, to pull her into his arms and tell her that everything would be okay, but he could sense that now wasn’t the time for comfort. She was holding onto her last threads of composure, and he didn’t want to be the one to unravel them.

“Arizona,” Ethan said, his voice low and filled with concern, “what happened?”

Arizona didn’t respond right away. Her eyes briefly flickered to Ethan, but there was a distant, haunted look in them as if she was wrestling to pull herself out of some dark place her mind had retreated to. Instead of answering him, she turned to Harold, her voice shaky yet resolute. “Harold… could you leave us for a moment? I need to speak with Ethan. Alone.”

Harold’s face twisted in a mix of confusion and concern, but he knew better than to question her when she was like this. He nodded slowly, glancing at Ethan with worried eyes. “Of course, Miss Lacks. I’ll go, but… if you need anything…”

“I know,” she whispered, cutting him off gently. “Thank you.”

Harold hesitated a moment longer, clearly torn between leaving and staying to support her. Finally, he turned and headed for the door. As he exited, he cast one last glance at Ethan, silently entrusting him with Arizona’s well-being before disappearing into the night.

Arizona lingered in the hallway, her hands trembling slightly. She turned her attention to Diana, who had been watching her with growing concern.

"Are you okay? What’s wrong?" Diana asked, stepping closer and wrapping her in a tight hug.

Arizona barely held back her tears as she responded, her voice soft and strained. “Diana… sweetheart, could you go to the bedroom for a bit? I need to talk to Ethan.”

Diana’s eyes filled with concern for Arizona, but she didn’t argue. She nodded and, with a worried glance at Ethan, disappeared into the bedroom, leaving the two adults alone.

The room seemed to close in on itself as Arizona gestured for Ethan to follow her into her office. The silence between them was heavy, charged with unspoken fears and questions. Ethan followed her, his mind racing. He could tell that whatever she was about to say, it was something serious—something that had shaken her to her core. And he wasn’t sure he was ready to hear it, but he knew he had to.

Once inside the office, Arizona closed the door behind them, the soft click of the latch sounding unnervingly final. She didn’t sit down, instead choosing to lean against the edge of her desk, her arms wrapped around herself as if trying to keep from falling apart.

Ethan couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped closer, his voice filled with a quiet urgency. “Arizona, talk to me. What’s going on? What’s happening?”

She looked up at him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears, and for the first time since he had known her, Ethan saw a crack in the armor she always wore,a ruptere within her optimistic self.Whatever it was, it was something big. Something that had driven her to the edge of her endurance. And as he braced himself for her words, Ethan couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever she was about to reveal would change everything.

Arizona’s voice trembled as she finally broke the silence, her words a hushed confession laced with despair. “We’ll never beat him, Ethan…”

She didn’t collapse into a sob, but the resignation in her tone was far more haunting. Slowly, as if the weight of her own thoughts had become too much to bear, she sank to the floor, letting herself fall gently onto the soft, green carpet. She pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly, her fingers tracing the rough material of her pants as if searching for comfort in the familiar texture.

Ethan’s heart ached at the sight of her like this—this woman who had always been so strong, so unyielding, now reduced to a shadow of herself. He could feel the fear radiating off her, the hopelessness that had crept into her soul. Without hesitation, he knelt beside her, his own heart pounding in his chest. He reached out and took her hand, his touch gentle but firm, hoping to anchor her to the present, to let her know she wasn’t alone.

"I don't understand "he mumbled softly, his voice filled with a quiet urgency. He needed to know what had driven her to this point, what had made her believe that they were facing an enemy they could never defeat.

She didn’t meet his gaze at first, her eyes focused somewhere far away, lost in her own dark thoughts. But the warmth of Ethan’s hand around hers seemed to pull her back, grounding her in the moment. She took a deep, shuddering breath before she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s my father,” she began, her words slow and measured, as if she were struggling to find the strength to speak. “He’s… he’s more powerful than we ever imagined. I thought I knew what we were up against, but I was wrong. So wrong.”

"Talk to me."

Arizona remained on the floor, her body trembling as she hugged her knees to her chest. The weight of her revelation hung heavily in the room, and Ethan watched in pained silence, his heart aching at her visible distress. The silence between them was thick, charged with the gravity of her confession and the fear that now permeated the space.

After a long moment, Ethan gently placed his hand on her shoulder, offering a comforting presence without pressing her to continue. The room, filled with the quiet hum of Ethan’s breathing and Arizona’s ragged exhalations, felt like a cocoon where time seemed to slow. The vulnerability and fear in Arizona’s eyes spoke of a struggle far deeper than any words could fully convey.

Gradually, Arizona’s breathing began to steady, her fingers loosening their grip on her knees. The quiet moments allowed her to gather herself, and she slowly lifted her gaze to meet Ethan’s. Her eyes, though still reflecting fear, now showed a glimmer of resolve.

“I met him at the docks, just like you said,” she began, her voice still quivering but with a newfound steadiness
"He was there with that bastard,with Enoch". She took a deep breath, as if drawing strength from the act. “He was waiting for me there, as if he knew exactly when and where I’d show up.”

She paused, her eyes unfocused, lost in the memory. “When I saw him, Ethan, I could barely breathe. Fear gripped me, terrified that he might have somehow discovered that you and Diana were at my place. I was struggling so hard to keep it together, and he…” She took a deep, trembling breath before continuing. “He was so calm—too calm. His gaze was cold, calculating, like he was draining the very air from the room, making me feel small and powerless.”

Arizona’s voice faltered as she pushed through the painful recollection, her determination mingled with dread. “He taunted me, threw every failure and mistake I’ve ever made in my face. And when he struck me that day…” she gestured towards her still tender clavicles, “it was as if it meant nothing to him. He said I was weak, that I’d never be anything without him. It wasn’t just the words, Ethan—it was the way he did it, like he was trying to break me, to show me that I was beneath him.”

She paused again, her eyes flickering to Ethan as if drawing strength from him. “But I couldn’t leave it like that. I had to do something. So, after he left, I gathered every ounce of courage I had and started searching through his documents—everything from the last few weeks. I was desperate to find something he might have overlooked. And… I did.”

Her hands trembled as she reached into her bag, pulling out a sketch  “What I found… it’s worse than we imagined.” Her voice quivered as she stood abruptly, nearly startling Ethan.

“I found a map—a sketch of where some crates are hidden,” she continued, but her legs wavered under the weight of her fear and exhaustion. Arizona stumbled slightly, her balance faltering.

Ethan quickly moved to steady her, his hands firm on her shoulders, grounding her. “Easy,” he murmured, concern etched on his face.

“And a ledger…” she whispered, as if the words themselves were too heavy to bear.

Ethan’s grip tightened, his voice low and intense. “What’s in that ledger?”

Arizona’s breath hitched, her eyes locking onto his with a mix of fear and resignation. “It’s a list of names… people he’s blackmailing—everyone who could stand against him. He owns them, Ethan. We’re not just up against a powerful man; we’re up against a monster who’s already wrapped his claws around everything and everyone that could help us.”

“Let me see those names,” Ethan demanded, his tone more urgent now.

“I couldn’t take the ledger,” she confessed, her voice trembling. “If he noticed it was missing, he’d know someone’s onto him. I barely managed to steal this map, hoping he wouldn’t realize it’s gone.”

Ethan’s face darkened, the weight of their situation sinking in. “I need to see those names, Arizona. We can’t fight if we don’t know who’s already fallen.”

She shook her head, desperation creeping into her voice. “Ethan, you don’t understand. There’s no one left in San Francisco who can help us. They’re either crushed under my father’s thumb or bought off with his money. We’re alone in this… and he knows it.”

Ethan’s eyes widened as he scanned the ledger, his face growing even more troubled. “This is worse than I imagined. If he’s got everyone in his grasp, it’ll be almost impossible to find allies willing to stand against him.”

Ethan closed the ledger, his jaw set with determination. “But we can’t just give up. There has to be a way to fight back.We must find someone that is wolling to help us..."

Arizona shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t see how. He’s a god in this town. I can’t live with the knowledge that we’re powerless against him."
She sighs and then describe me her inner torment

"That's why he doesn't guve a damn about my rebellion about the fact that I protected you those tomes..."
"He knows that I can't bring him down no matter what."

Ethan closed the ledger, his jaw clenched with steely resolve. “We can’t just give up, Arizona. There has to be a way to fight back. We have to find someone who’s willing to help us…”

Arizona shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “I don’t see how, Ethan. He’s a god in this town. Everyone either fears him or is in his pocket. The thought of us being powerless against him… it’s unbearable.”

She looked down, her hands trembling as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. The weight of her father’s power pressed down on her like a suffocating shroud, each breath she took feeling like a battle against the despair threatening to consume her. The knowledge that her every move was anticipated, every rebellion dismissed as inconsequential, gnawed at her soul.

“That’s why he doesn’t care about my defiance… why he hasn’t retaliated for me protecting you and Diana,” she continued, her voice thick with anguish. “He knows I can’t bring him down. He’s playing a game I can’t win, and he’s enjoying every second of it.”

Ethan was silent, the weight of the moment pressing down on him as her trembling hands. The room seemed to hold its breath, the silence heavy and oppressive.

Finally, he looked up, his eyes meeting Arizona’s with a steady resolve. “There is a way,” he said slowly, his voice measured, as if he were carefully choosing each word. “But it would require something drastic… something that would change everything for both of us.”

Her brow furrowed with anticipation. “What do you mean?” she asked, stepping closer to Ethan.

Ethan took a steadying breath before speaking. “Your father controls this town with fear and money. We can’t directly challenge his power, but we can target his financial empire. If we disrupt his access to money, we can weaken his grip on the city.”

Arizona’s eyes widened as she processed his words. “How do we do that?”

Arizona’s eyes were clouded with worry, her mind racing through the potential consequences. “I understand the need to act, but this could have severe ramifications. We’re talking about destroying entire livelihoods. It’s not just about hitting him where it hurts financially; it’s about the fallout.”

“It’s the only way,” Ethan insisted. “We can’t bring him down if everyone is under his thumb.”

“This isn’t just about us anymore, Ethan,” Arizona replied, her voice trembling with concern. “I can’t risk those people’s lives. What if we fail? You don’t understand the consequences. My father will retaliate with even more aggression and dominance.”

“We won’t fail,” Ethan said firmly.

“How can you be so sure?” Arizona challenged, leaning in and pressing her shoulder against Ethan’s. “What makes you think that once I close those accounts, someone will step in to help before my father finds out he’s been cut off? How do we guarantee that this won’t make things worse?”

"Why are you so full of fear?Don't you want justice?Isn't this the reason we even started this?"

Ethan’s expression hardened, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “Why are you so full of fear, Arizona?” he snapped, his voice rising. “Don’t you want justice? Isn’t that why we started this in the first place?”

Arizona flinched at his tone, her eyes narrowing. “Of course I want justice,” she shot back, her voice steady despite the anger in her eyes. “But a reckless plan without solid ground is doomed to fail. My father is no fool—he’s smart, methodical. We can’t afford to underestimate him.”

Ethan took a step closer, his temper flaring. “And what do you suggest we do, then? Wait around until he crushes us completely? You’re being too careful, Arizona. We don’t have time for hesitation.”

Arizona stood her ground, her voice firm. “Caution isn’t hesitation, Ethan. It’s survival. We need to be smart, not just bold. If we rush into this without thinking, we’ll lose everything.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched, his anger simmering just below the surface. “You’re letting fear control you,” he accused, his tone sharp. “We have to act, and we have to act now. Every day we wait is another day he tightens his grip.”

Arizona’s breath hitched, her anxiety creeping into her voice despite her best efforts to stay composed and mentain her calm. “I’m not letting fear control me, Ethan. I’m trying to keep us alive. This isn’t just about charging in with a half-baked plan because you’re angry. We need to think this through!”

Ethan shook his head, frustration in his eyes. “You’re always overthinking, Arizona, always stuck on what could go wrong. But what if, for once, you focused on what might go right? You want to bring him down too—don’t forget that. We can beat him.”

Arizona felt a pang in her chest, his words cutting deep. “And you’re so blinded by your need for revenge that you’re willing to risk everything,” she shot back, her voice trembling. “You talk about justice, but this is more about your pride, isn’t it? You want to prove something—to yourself, to my father.”

Ethan’s anger flared, but he couldn’t deny it. Silence fell, heavy and charged, their eyes locked in a standoff, each silently accusing the other as tension built like a gathering storm.

Arizona’s mind churned with doubt. Was Ethan right? Was her anxiety clouding her judgment? And why, despite everything, did she still care about her father? The thought disturbed her, bringing buried fears to the surface.

Ethan’s anger slowly ebbed, replaced by a gnawing regret. He hated how easily his temper flared, how quickly he lashed out without thinking. Arizona wasn’t just being cautious—she was trying to protect them both. And he knew, deep down, that his recklessness had gotten them into trouble more than once. He couldn’t let that happen again, especially not now when so much was at stake.

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