The silence that followed was deafening. Victor stood utterly still, the echo of Carl's shouted confession "Because of my sister!"ringing in his ears, scrambling every assumption he had built over the past hour, the past week. The strategic commander was gone. The furious protector was gone. All that was left was a man grappling with a fundamental rewrite of his entire world.
His voice, when it finally came, was low, dangerously calm, a stark contrast to the shouting that had preceded it. "Your sister?" He let the words hang, each one a piece of a puzzle he was desperately trying to reassemble.
"The same sister I asked you about, the one you assured me was safe and far away from all… this?"
He gestured vaguely around the room, a sweeping motion that encompassed the entire criminal empire. "How is your sister my business, Carl? How in God's name is that relevant to this operation?How is me risking my life affecting your sister ??"
