2025-10-20 06:30:23Leo was just as surprised to see Elena and Adrian in the Briggs Corp waiting area. His face turned cold. "You flatter yourself," he said to Elena. "I don't know what's giving you the notion that you're the reason I'm here but I'm not here for you. I was invited."
Adrian let out a mocking laugh. "Invited? By who? Did Briggs Corp's security department need a consultant? I suppose a rapist would know a thing or two about keeping the peace. Is that why you're so popular here?"
Leo ignored the insult and tried to walk past them toward the executive hallway. But Adrian moved quickly, grabbing Leo firmly by the arm. "Don't be in such a hurry, convict," Adrian sneered. "Think about it. The ex-husband of a CEO working as a security guard? If the media found out, it would hurt Elena's reputation. That's just pathetic." He pulled a bank card from his wallet and slapped it against Leo's cheek. "Here's a better idea. I'll give you a welfare allowance every month. A little charity. All you have to do is disappear and stop embarrassing everyone. Evwn your presence here is already a nuisance. Hide your face, will you?"
A hot wave of anger rushed through Leo. But he pushed it down. Causing a scene wasn't his goal. Instead of pulling away with force, he made a small, precise movement with his wrist, twisting it in a way that targeted a pressure point in Adrian's grip. Adrian gasped in sudden pain and his fingers sprang open, releasing Leo's arm.
Elena's eyes widened. "How dare you! Security!" she started to call out, but Adrian stopped her, clutching his sore hand.
"Quiet!" Adrian hissed. "This is Briggs Corp. Don't make a scene and ruin our chances." He turned his furious gaze back to Leo. "I'll remember this. You'll pay for this double. I never make threats but when I do, I make sure I keep them."
Leo ignored him completely. He looked directly at Elena, a final, cold question in his eyes. "Do you really have to be this heartless?"
Elena only sneered. "What are you going to do about it? Its up to me how I want to treat you and this is how I choose to treat you."
"Then it's over," Leo stated, his voice flat. "There's nothing left between us now. And I mean it Elena. There won't be a second chance."
The irritation was visible on her face as she spoke. "You have nothing! Absolutely nothing to offer me."
At that moment, a flustered secretary in a sharp suit hurried out of the executive offices. She rushed to the reception desk. "Where is he? The guest here to see Ms. Briggs? He's an extremely important VIP and cannot be kept waiting!"
The receptionist pointed toward the waiting area. The secretary's eyes followed the gesture.
Elena’s face lit up. She turned to Adrian, excited. "They're coming for you! The cooperation must be confirmed! I knew it!" she whispered.
Adrian was puzzled. Chloe Briggs had always looked down on his playboy reputation and considered his family's business inferior. Why the sudden respect? But he had checked her schedule himself. She had a charity gala tonight and no other daytime appointments. It certainly couldn't be for the ex-convict, Leo. He puffed out his chest, deciding she must have finally recognized his family's true influence. It was only a matter of time, he thought.
Emboldened by Adrian's confident silence, Elena stepped forward to greet the secretary. "Hello! We're so grateful for Ms. Briggs's regard. We also value this potential cooperation very highly," she said, her voice sickly sweet.
The secretary was startled to see Adrian and Elena. Her instructions were clear: the important person was highly capable and needed careful attention. She knew both of them, and Adrian had been repeatedly refused for partnerships due to his company's lack of strength. But besides them, the only other person in the waiting area was the very ordinary-looking man in simple clothes. The important guest Ms. Briggs described absolutely could not be him. Though it felt wrong, the secretary gestured toward the VIP room. "Right this way, please."
Just as they began to move, Leo spoke, his voice clear and firm, causing everyone to freeze.
"Secretary," he said, frowning slightly. "You've made a mistake. I am the invited guest."
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We found a way
The papers were spread all over the table. Leo’s head hurt. Chloe’s eyes were blurry from reading. They drank bad coffee to stay awake.“Okay,” Leo said, pointing at a typed page. “It says the focus is something personal. Something that belonged to the person… before.”“Before they became that thing,” Chloe finished. She felt sick saying it.“Right. So we need to figure out who that is. Or was.” Leo leaned back. “How do we find a person from a monster?”Chloe picked up the old drawing of ‘The Hollow One’. She looked at it closely. Then she looked at the notes about how it was made. “The notes say the spirit is ‘bound with regret and violence’. Maybe… maybe it’s someone who died bad. Recently. Darwin would need a fresh spirit, right? Not one from a hundred years ago.”Leo sat up. That made sense. “So we look for news. A recent death. A violent one. Maybe someone forgotten.”He went back to his laptop. He searched the local news from the last month. He typed in ‘unsolved murder’, ‘body
the hollow one
They got to Leo’s apartment. They were so tired. Their bodies ached from the crash. Their minds were fuzzy with fear. But they couldn’t sleep. They had to know what that thing was.Leo locked the door behind them. He put the chain on too. He went to the window and peeked through the blinds. The morning street looked normal. It felt like a lie.“We need to figure this out,” Leo said. His voice was hoarse.Chloe just nodded. She sat down at Leo’s small kitchen table. She was shaking.“Can you remember what it looked like?” Leo asked. “Exactly?”Chloe closed her eyes. She saw it in the headlights. The slick skin. The long arms. The shadow face. “I think so,” she whispered.She always carried a pen in her pocket. She found a napkin on the table. Her hand was shaky, but she started to draw. Lines at first. Then a shape. A terrible shape. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close. You could see it was wrong. Not human.Leo looked at the drawing. A cold feeling settled in his stomach. “Let’s see i
Strange killing
The car felt too quiet. Leo drove. Chloe stared out the window. The trees by the road were just black shapes.They got closer to the city. But something was wrong.Leo checked the clock on the dashboard. “It’s only nine,” he said. “Why are the streets so empty?”He was right. It was a Tuesday night. The streets should have had some cars. Some people. But it was like a ghost town. The traffic lights changed from green to yellow to red for no one.A few people were out. But they were almost running. Heads down. Hurrying.Leo pulled the car over near a woman who was practically power-walking. He rolled down the window. “Hey! Excuse me!”The woman jumped. She looked at them with wide, scared eyes. She didn’t come closer.“What’s going on?” Chloe called out. “Why is everyone hiding?”The woman’s voice was fast and shaky. “You don’t know? Where have you been? There’s a curfew. You shouldn’t be out!”“A curfew? Why?” Leo asked.“The killings!” the woman hissed. She looked over her shoulder a
The training is over
Victoria turned to the others. The time for talking was over."Rowan," she said, her voice all business. "I need you to go into town. I need specific things. Holy water from the church on Elm Street. Real sea salt. A new blade, made of pure silver. And sage. Lots of sage."Rowan nodded once. "On it." He turned and left, his footsteps fading quickly."Leo, Chloe," Victoria said. "You stay with me. I need you to help me prepare this room. We need to draw symbols on the floor. We need to make a circle of salt. We need to be ready.""What can we do?" Leo asked, his eyes wide.Victoria pointed to a corner where an old bucket and some white chalk sat. "Start by cleaning this floor. Sweep every corner. Then, I will show you the marks to draw. We have to work fast. Before it gets stronger."The thing in the chair laughed. Victoria knew she had to do something fast.She started with the first spell she knew. She held her hands up and said the old words for “leave this place.” Her voice was str
possessed by a demon
The small room in the old cabin was quiet. The only light came from one dusty window. It made everything look yellow and still.Liana was in a wooden chair in the middle of the room. Her arms were tied to the chair's arms with thick rope. Her head hung down, her chin touching her chest. She was still out cold.Victoria stood in front of her. She wasn't moving. She was just staring. Her eyes went over every part of Liana's face. Her closed eyes. Her mouth. The way she breathed. It was like Victoria was reading a book no one else could see.Rowan was leaning in the doorway. He had been quiet for a long time. Now, he spoke. His voice was low."You're thinking it, aren't you?" he asked. "The same thing I'm thinking."Victoria didn't look away from Liana. She just gave one slow, solid nod. "Yes," she said."What?" a new voice asked from the hallway.Victoria and Rowan turned their heads. Leo and Chloe were standing there. They must have walked in quietly. Leo's face was full of questions.
getting rid of the problem.
On one side of the clearing, Rowan picked up two wooden swords. They were practice swords. Heavy and blunt. He tossed one to Leo.Leo caught it. It was heavier than he thought. It almost pulled him over."First lesson," Rowan said. He wasn't smiling now. "Your feet. Where you put them. That is more important than your hands."He showed Leo a stance. Feet apart. Knees bent. "Like this. You are a tree. You are rooted. No one can push you over."Leo tried to copy him. He looked wobbly."Bend your knees more," Rowan said. He poked Leo's leg with his own sword. "You are not standing at a bus stop. You are waiting for a fight."Over on the other side, it was different.Liana walked to a clear spot. Chloe followed her, moving slowly."We will start simple," Liana said. Her voice was cool. Empty. "I will show you how to block a punch. Then you will try."She didn't wait. She got into a stance. "Watch my arms. Watch how I move."Chloe watched. She tried to copy the stance. She looked unsure."
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