2025-10-09 22:59:34The massive conference room was silent with rows of officials standing at attention while the holographic projection of the President filled the space.
“Adrian Kane.”
The President’s voice carried authority “For years you’ve bled for this country. You’ve done missions no other man would dare. Today, we salute you.”
Every official saluted at once “General Kane, thank you for your service!”
The sound echoed like thunder while Adrian stood tall with his expression steady. His prison uniform was gone, replaced with a military one freshly pressed. On his chest, the badges shone under the light.
The President lifted a hand “By the authority vested in me, I now bestow upon you the title of Five-Star General; the highest rank in the military.”
Applause broke out, but Adrian didn’t move instead he only gave a slight nod as a guard stepped forward and handed him the golden insignia which he clipped it to his chest without a word.
For a moment, his chest tightened; years of sacrifice, betrayal, and bloodshed finally meant something. Maybe he could disappear now, retire with honor, and rest.
But the President’s hand went up again, and the clapping stopped instantly.
“Everyone else, step outside” the President ordered.
Chairs scraped as the room emptied, and soon only Adrian and the President’s hologram remained.
“Adrian,” the President’s voice dropped low “I know you’re tired. I know what you’ve given. But there is one last mission. Only you can handle it.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed “…One last mission?”
A black file slid across the table.
“This is highly classified,” the President said with his tone grim. “It involves a certain individual. The details are inside. From this moment, you have the highest clearance. Mobilize any resources. No one will deny you.”
Adrian rested his hand on the file but the weight of it made his palm feel heavy.
The President softened slightly “I know you want retirement. You’ve earned it. But just this one last time… the nation needs you.”
Adrian closed his eyes with his breathing slow but when he opened them again, his gaze was hard “Yes, sir.”
The hologram blinked out and Adrian tucked the file under his arm and walked out.
The corridor was empty while Adrian’s echoing footsteps were steady until a sudden yell cracked the silence.
“Adrian!”
Before he could react, a blur of auburn hair and fiery curves slammed into him while slim arms locked and squeezed around his waist.
“Adrian Kane! You’re finally out! I knew the day would come!”
Guards sprinted down the hallway with panic etched on their faces “General, forgive us! We tried to stop her, but she…”
Adrian lifted one hand, silencing them. “Enough. Stand down.”
Adrian sighed, prying her arms loose “You still act like a child, Seraphina.”
Seraphina Doyle; daughter of his former subordinate and current CEO of Starlight Group, a woman feared in the business world but notorious for her boldness.
“Child? Hmph! Don’t call me that!” she huffed, though her arms refused to let go. “I’m a full-grown woman now, thank you very much. And I’ve been waiting for this day.”
Adrian sighed, prying her arms off gently “Waiting to ambush me in a government building?”
Her grin widened “If that’s what it takes!”
Adrain fixed her with a steady look “Seraphina, what are you doing here?”
“What do you think?” she shot back, hands on her hips. “I heard about your divorce. Everyone’s talking about it. The great Elena Hart finally threw away her useless husband. Tsk, tsk. The gossip is everywhere. But me? I rushed straight here to welcome you back. And guess what I found out? You were being released today!”
Adrian’s gaze darkened “Enough with the gossip.”
Seraphina leaned closer, lowering her voice “I only brought it up because it pissed me off. She divorced you like you meant nothing. And you… you just let her walk away? Really, Adrian? That’s not the man I know.”
His jaw flexed “What do you expect me to do? Chase after someone who already decided I’m a burden?”
“Anyway!” She clapped her hands, tone bright again. “I came to celebrate. You’re out. Finally. So tonight, dinner’s on me.”
Adrian already feeling the headache brewing “Seraphina…”
She leaned in closer while lowering her voice “Don’t worry, I am not here to cause trouble. I just want to spend some time with you because you have been locked away for so long, or don’t you think you deserve a little… freedom?”
Adrian’s headache grew “I don’t have time.”
“You always say that.” She pouted dramatically. “Work, work, work. What are you even planning? Go home and stare at your walls? Come on, Adrian. You deserve at least one night of fun.”
He exhaled slowly “Look, Seraphina… I appreciate your concern, but I have work to do. A dangerous work that you shouldn’t get involved...”
She cut him off, stepping close enough that her perfume wrapped around him “Adrian, I’m not taking no for an answer, and if you don’t agree, I’ll follow you everywhere today until you give in. Do you really want that headache? One dinner. That’s all I’m asking.””
He pinched the bridge of his nose “You haven’t changed.”
“Exactly,” she said cheerfully. “So stop fighting me and say yes.”
Adrian exhaled slowly seeing the determination blazing in her eyes that she wasn’t going anywhere.
Finally, he muttered, “One dinner. Nothing more.”
Her grin was instant, bright as fire. She looped her arm through his “Deal! And don’t worry… I’ll make sure it’s a night you won’t forget.”
Adrian shook his head with his lips tightening; trouble, that’s what Seraphina Doyle had always been. Trouble wrapped in beauty and charm.
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The Reconciliation
The sunlight slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Adrian Hart’s home brushing against the dark polished floors and catching the faint dust motes that danced lazily in the quiet air and for the first time in weeks, Adrian felt the silence which was somehow almost gentle.He breathed slowly deliberately letting the cool breeze wash over him because it had been days since he left the hospital and since Elena had convinced him to take refuge in her home but his heart still carried the faint echo of a wound that refused to fully heal despite the calm because Seraphina’s name lingered in his mind like a ghost he could neither summon nor dismiss while the grief though tempered now by Elena’s unwavering care still throbbed under the surface.Adrian’s phone buzzed on the countertop and he glanced at it but didn’t answer because he didn’t need messages right now, not from associates; not from colleagues and not even from Elena but just wanted to move in silence, to think, and to brea
Renewed Promises
Adrian woke up long before dawn and before the sunlight had the chance to slip through the blinds and for a few seconds he simply lay there staring at the ceiling with a calmness that felt unfamiliar although it wasn’t fully peace but it was close enough that he exhaled and whispered into the early morning stillness “Whatever is meant to be… will be”He wasn’t sure if he was speaking to God, to fate or to the version of himself who still feared getting hurt but he needed to say it and claim it.The house was quiet while Elena was asleep beside him curled slightly with her breathing soft and steady and For months he had watched her tossing with guilt, with anxiety and with the fear that she would never be trusted again be trusted but this morning she looked different, calmer and lighter.Adrian sat up slowly being careful not to wake her, but she stirred anyway with her voice groggy “You’re up early.”“Couldn’t sleep” he replied softly.Elena blinked the haze from her eyes and studied
A Comfort Zone
Adrian woke to the soft glow of morning light slipping through Elena’s guest-room curtains not the sterile whiteness of the hospital, not the cold shadows of Cortez’s compound and not the suffocating darkness of grief where he’d been drowning for days but it was warm, quiet and soft.He blinked slowly easing back into the world and felt a strange heaviness, less from pain and more from exhaustion that still lived in his bones, but he was stronger than yesterday and his chest didn’t burn as much when he breathed but the bruises along his ribs didn’t stab as sharply as they had after Cortez’s men battered him.He exhaled, long and steady but he was alive.A faint movement from the corner of the room caught his attention as the door was slightly open, and footsteps padded closer, and a moment later, Elena stepped inside carrying a small tray with tea, fruit, and the medication his doctor had strictly instructed.Her hair was tied back in a loose knot and her clothes were simple and nothi
The Hospital's Flames
Adrian barely remembered the moment the flames rose because he was lying on the hospital bed one minute drifting between exhaustion and pain and the next minute, the hall was filled with smoke, alarms wailing violently, nurses shouting instructions and people running in panic. Everything happened too fast for his weakened body to process and he had tried to sit up but his ribs screamed while the heat crawled under the door like a living thing hunting him.He thought that was it and he also thought Seraphina’s death was going to be his death too.But then a nurse had burst in with her face blackened by smoke and eyes determined while dragging him out despite his weight, and despite the smoke thickening around them.Firefighters rushed in moments late flooding the corridor and shouting directions., while Adrian barely remained conscious long enough to be placed in an emergency van outside.As the flames swallowed more of the building, only one thought pulsed faintly under the haze in hi
The Hospital's Peace
The first thing Adrian felt was dragging and sinking weight pressing against his chest and limbs while pain followed next crawling slowly through every bone like something raw and sharp was being dragged under his skin.Adrian had felt pain before and he wasn’t a stranger to it but this felt different because it came with memory - Cortez, the blows, the helplessness and the rage.His eyelids twitched because the room around him too bright and at first everything blurred into white; a ceiling, a harsh light, faint smell of antiseptic and a steady beep somewhere near his ear.It was a hospital, and he blinked again harder this time as something moved beside him; A hand adjusting his blanket and he shifted painfully as his vision finally focused - Elena.Elena was right beside him with her hair tucked behind her ear and her jacket folded neatly on the nearby chair while her face marked was with exhaustion that didn’t belong to someone who had only stayed a few minutes. Her eyes were red
The Silent Attack
Adrian didn’t hear the rain when he slipped out of the house and didn’t hear the creak of the old gate or the distant hum of traffic, and not even the cold wind that slapped against his skin felt muted like the world had gone underwater. All he heard over and over was the news of Seraphina’s death replaying in his mind and the memory looped so violently he thought it would split his skull.He walked faster.He didn’t take his car, he didn’t tell Elena or Rhea and he didn’t even change out of the clothes he slept in but only carried a gun that he hadn’t cleaned and a heart that felt like it had been shattered with a hammer.He couldn’t sit still anymore, couldn’t breathe anymore and couldn’t think about anything except one truth ‘Cortez still lived but Seraphina didn’t.’So he kept walking toward Cortez’s safehouse because grief had stripped him of logic, strength, and self-preservation and all he had left was rage, and even that burned low and weak inside him.Adrian didn’t hesitate w
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