Elena had stopped counting how many nights she’d slept in Victor’s house.It was meant to be “temporary protection” at first just until things settled but somehow days stretched into weeks and she was still there living in his world by his rules.Victor was careful in the beginning, he brought her breakfast, checked on her constantly, and acted like the perfect gentleman but that perfection was cracking lately.He stood at the doorway that morning watching her as she poured coffee into a cup “You didn’t answer my call last night,” he said quietly.“I was asleep.”“You weren’t.”Elena looked up startled “Excuse me?”His eyes held hers calm and unblinking but there was something darker in them now “I called twice. You were online. Why didn’t you pick up?”She set the cup down “Victor, I don’t need to report every second of my life to you.”He stepped closer “You’re living under my roof, Elena. The least you can do is answer when I call.”There it was again; the control wrapped in concer

The night after the parking lot incident was too quiet and Seraphina sat on Adrian’s couch with her knees pulled up and a blanket around her shoulders but the silence between them was thick and heavier than the bruise-colored sky outside while Adrian stood by the window but he hadn’t said much since they got back, he only just watched guarded but she hated that silence because it made her thoughts louder.“Are you always this quiet after saving someone?” she finally asked with her voice breaking the still air.He turned slightly with one hand still in his pocket “I’m just making sure we weren’t followed.”“You’ve checked the windows twice already” she said softly, “You even disconnected the Wi-Fi. I think we’re safe.”Adrian didn’t move “Cortez’s men don’t stop when they fail once. They regroup.”Seraphina sighed, setting the blanket aside “So what now? You keep watch all night while I pretend not to be terrified?”“Something like that”The calm in his tone irritated her “You make it

Cortez stood in the center of the space surrounded by shadows and men who didn’t dare breathe too loudly while his coat was thrown over a chair beside him with his sleeves rolled up and his shirt flecked with blood that wasn’t his while he was unnervingly calm which made the few men kneeling before him even more terrified.Three people went missing and were never found again the last time Cortez was this quiet.One of the kneeling men with blood dripping from his nose tried to speak “Sir, we didn’t…”“Didn’t what?” Cortez interrupted with his voice low and almost gentle “Didn’t finish the job? Didn’t think before acting?” He crouched slowly with his eyes level with the man’s, “Didn’t expect Adrian Hart to show up?”The man swallowed hard trembling “He came out of nowhere. We… we didn’t have time to…”“Time” Cortez said softly standing upright, “That’s your excuse?” He walked a slow circle around them with the sound of his shoes sharp on the concrete “You had one assignment. One. Woman

The drive to the facility felt longer than it should have, maybe because every mile took Adrian further from her.The government complex stood like a scar in the middle of nowhere with steel, silence and security fences that even the air felt sterilized and void of warmth and as he stepped out of the car with his coat catching the wind and for a moment he just stared at the tall, faceless building.Adrian walked in with quiet precision as he always did, measured steps and emotion locked behind an expression that gave nothing away.The door at the end of the hall opened with a click.Three men were waiting inside with all in dark suits, all wearing that familiar brand of calm that came from too much control he same kind he’d been trained to wear.“Mr. Hart” one of them said while gesturing toward the seat across the table, “It’s been a while.”Adrian didn’t answer but took the seat with his hands folding neatly in front of him while a folder sat in the middle of the table with his name

The message had been playing in Elena’s head for hours.She had seen the report on the news and her world had started spinning again just like it always did when Adrian’s name appeared in the chaos.She sat in her living room with her lights off and hands trembling around a half-empty glass of water while her reflection in the dark TV screen looked foreign with tired eyes and a pale skin like a woman haunted by choices she could never undo.When her phone buzzed again but she hesitated before answering “Gaius?” Her voice cracked slightly.“Mrs. Hart” he said quietly with his tone controlled and professional as always but there was fatigue and maybe pity “I didn’t expect you to call.”“I didn’t expect to either.”There was a pause and that kind that stretched between guilt and pride.Elena took a breath “You’re Seraphina’s lawyer, right?”“Yes”“She’s still missing?”He hesitated “We have leads but nothing solid.”Elena closed her eyes. The guilt pressed harder. “And Adrian?”There was