Elara didn’t realize she was shaking until Xander’s hands tightened gently on her shoulders. The news hit her like a physical blow—someone inside his company had accessed her restricted files. Files that should have been buried, sealed, forgotten.“Xander…” Her voice faltered. “Why would anyone want my information?”“That’s what I intend to find out,” he said, calm but deadly. “But whoever it is—they’re not afraid of crossing lines.”He released her and grabbed his phone, dialing Damon again. Elara watched him pace, muscles tense, voice clipped with commands she couldn’t fully hear. It was like seeing a dam crack—controlled, but on the verge of flooding.Minutes later, he hung up and faced her.“Get dressed,” he said softly. “You’re coming with me.”“To the company?”“To the security floor,” he clarified. “If someone is targeting you, I’m not leaving you unprotected for a second.”Elara nodded, though anxiety coiled in her stomach. She dressed quickly in a fitted blouse and dark jeans

For a heartbeat, the world felt impossibly still.Xander stood between Elara and the penthouse door—broad, unmoving, the quiet fury radiating from him like heat from a furnace.Elara’s pulse hammered so violently she could barely hear anything else.Kai.Here.At her door.She hadn’t seen him in two years. Hadn’t heard from him since she disappeared from the life she was trying so desperately to outrun. She had rehearsed a thousand times what she would say if they ever crossed paths again—but not like this.Not at her sanctuary.Not at Xander’s door.A soft exhale escaped her trembling lips.“Elara?” Kai’s voice came again, more urgent this time. “I know you’re in there. Please open up.”Xander’s jaw flexed.“Step away from the door,” he said, low and dangerous.Elara swallowed hard. “Xander, I—I need to know why he’s here.”“What you need,” he replied without turning, “is to stay behind me. Someone tailing you to my home is not an accident.”His fingers tightened around the metal bat

The tapping came again—soft, patient, almost polite.Elara’s breath hitched. Xander’s arm slid instinctively in front of her, pushing her subtly behind him as his other hand locked around the weapon hidden beneath his shirt. Kai edged sideways, angling toward the hallway corner where he could see the entrance without being seen.Tap.Tap.Tap.A slow, rhythmic knocking.Her sister’s signature.A calling card Elara had prayed she’d never hear again.“Step back,” Xander whispered without looking at her.Elara didn’t move. She couldn’t. Her muscles were taut, locked in place by a dread so old it felt carved into her bones.Kai mouthed a silent curse. “She knows we’re inside.”Another tap.But this one…the sound was different.Sharper. Closer.“She’s touching the lock,” Elara whispered.Xander shifted his grip on the weapon. “Then she dies the moment she walks in.”Elara grabbed his wrist. “No. You don’t understand. If you kill her—”The lock clicked.Silence swallowed the room.The penth

The penthouse had quieted, but the air was thick with tension that no words could dissipate. Elara’s chest heaved as she leaned against the window, the city below sprawling like a glittering labyrinth. Somewhere beyond the lights, danger waited—patient, unrelenting—but inside, a fragile calm had settled.Saria stood nearby, still alert, every muscle coiled, but her stance was different now. She was no longer the silent weapon of the Agency. She had chosen, if only for a moment, to align with them.Xander exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the room as if the walls themselves might spring to life with the handler’s return. “We can’t stay here,” he said, voice low but firm. “They’ll regroup. They’ll send more.”Kai ran a hand through his hair, pacing near the edge of the shattered living area. “The penthouse isn’t safe anymore. We’ve made a statement by surviving, but that only draws attention. They’ll send someone stronger. Someone they know will obey.”Elara’s gaze shifted to Saria, the wei

The campus felt different that afternoon—like someone had turned the volume of the world down just enough for Liam to hear himself think. After weeks of walking through the university grounds with his head lowered, shoulders tight, and eyes avoiding every gaze… today was the first time he walked with ease.Not boldly. Not arrogantly.Just… freely.Chike walked beside him, hands in his pockets, scanning the path ahead like a bodyguard, though his grin made it hard to take him seriously.“Guy, you know say you don turn celebrity,” Chike muttered. “Everybody dey look you.”Liam chuckled under his breath. “Let them look.”Some students whispered as they passed. Some offered nods—soft, apologetic, or awkward. A few looked away, embarrassed. News had spread fast. The leaked memo had already made its way into group chats, status updates, Telegram channels, hostel corridors. The same mouths that once carried rumors now carried the truth.For the first time, the air didn’t feel heavy.As they