After Madeline hung up with Victoria, she turned to her husband, Alexander, who'd been listening in. "This is bad," she said, her expression grave.

Alexander's mind flashed back to the events that had led them here. After Drake was passed over for Binky's position, Binky had begun to eye Alexander as a potential replacement.

At first, Binky saw the rivalry between Alexander and Anton as healthy competition, driving the young men to excel. But everything changed when Alexander was ambushed and shot by unknown assailants. Though they couldn't prove it, Alexander and many others in the city believed Anton had ordered the hit, which left Alex paralyzed from the waist down. The memory still seethed with unspoken resentment. Alexander's voice was laced with frustration as he confessed, "If it didn't impact Valerie or her children, I'd say Anton and Grandfather can both go to hell. But Binky's recklessness has the potential to drag us all down, including the syndicate." Madeline's brow furrowed in concern as she asked, "Should we just wait and see how things turn out?

“No,” Alexander sighed, “because if Grandfather has spoken with Drake, it means he's seriously considering this. As much as I hate it, Anton has to inherit Grandfather’s ring.” “What will you do?”

"After church tomorrow, I'll call on Grandfather to get a feel for the situation. Then, we'll go from there.”