Smoke curled in the air as the echo of the gunshot faded. For a moment, everything stood still.
Adrian's bullet had missed Scarlett by an inch, slamming into the wall behind her. She yanked Lily closer, the blade now nicking her skin. "One more step and I slit her throat," she hissed.
Adrian's finger hovered near the trigger, his entire body coiled like a predator ready to pounce. "You hurt her, and you'll beg for death."
Behind him, Nathaniel moved like a shadow, silently taking position along the side wall. Elena was waiting outside in a getaway vehicle, against her will—but Adrian had insisted. Not because she wasn't capable, but because Scarlett would use her as leverage, too.
Scarlett laughed bitterly. "Always the hero, aren't you, Adrian? Tell me—do you even remember why this all started?"
Adrian's eyes flickered, his mind briefly flashing back to the past—a betrayal, a fire, and Scarlett's screams.
"I remember everything," he said coldly.
Scarlett's grip on Lily faltered—just for a second. That's all Adrian needed.
Bang.
The second shot rang out, this one more precise. Scarlett screamed, dropping the knife as her shoulder exploded in pain. Lily ducked and ran.
Nathaniel moved in instantly, taking down two of Scarlett's guards before they could react. Chaos erupted. Bullets flew, screams echoed, and Adrian charged toward Scarlett.
She stumbled, holding her wounded arm, but her smile was twisted with rage. "You think this ends with me?" she spat. "You have no idea who you've pissed off."
Adrian grabbed her by the collar, slamming her against the wall. "Then let them come. But you're done."
Her laugh was bloodied and mad. "I was never the endgame, Adrian. I was the beginning."
Sirens wailed in the distance. Nathaniel pulled Lily into cover, checking her for injuries. "She's safe!" he called out.
Adrian tightened his grip, but Scarlett had already lost consciousness from blood loss.
He stared at her for a long moment before finally releasing her.
—
Later That Night
Elena ran to Lily the moment they returned. Tears filled her eyes as she hugged her tightly. "You're safe. Thank God."
Adrian stood at a distance, blood on his hands, a storm in his eyes.
Nathaniel approached him slowly. "It's over."
Adrian shook his head. "No. It's just begun. If Scarlett was just the beginning... we need to find out who's pulling the strings."
Elena overheard, her voice calm but fierce. "Then let's find them. Together."
Adrian looked at her, truly looked—and for the first time in years, let someone stand beside him in the darkness.
—
The hospital corridor was eerily quiet. Scarlett lay unconscious under heavy sedation, handcuffed to the bed, two guards stationed at her door. Adrian watched her through the glass, his expression unreadable.
"She's not talking anytime soon," Nathaniel said, arms crossed. "And even if she does… I don't think she's the one we really need to worry about anymore."
Adrian's gaze remained locked on Scarlett's battered form. "She said she was just the beginning."
Nathaniel nodded. "And I believe her. We tapped her communication lines. There's a name that keeps surfacing."
Adrian turned. "Who?"
Nathaniel hesitated. "Lucien Vale."
Adrian's jaw clenched. That name hadn't been spoken in years. "He's dead."
"Apparently not."
—
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit penthouse across the city…
A man stood in front of a massive glass window, his silhouette tall, commanding, and cold. His back was to the room, but his presence alone made the air feel heavier.
Lucien Vale. The name that once sent chills through the underworld. The man believed to be long gone.
He watched the city below, sipping from a crystal glass. "So… Adrian survived. And Scarlett failed."
A figure behind him shifted nervously. "Yes, sir. But she bought us time."
Lucien turned slowly, his face striking, but his eyes void of humanity. "Time is a luxury we no longer have."
He walked over to a table and picked up a black chess piece—a knight—and placed it on the board. "Prepare the next move. Tell our contact inside Knight Enterprises… it's time."
—
Back at Adrian's estate…
Elena sat with Lily, brushing her hair gently. "You were so brave," she whispered, trying to mask the tremor in her voice.
Lily leaned against her. "Will Scarlett come back?"
Elena smiled faintly. "No. But someone worse might."
Adrian entered the room, his voice low. "We need to talk."
Elena looked up. "What is it?"
He hesitated, then handed her a file. Inside was a photo of Lucien Vale.
Elena's breath caught. "He's alive?"
"Yes," Adrian said. "And if he's making a move... this was never just about us."
She closed the file, meeting his gaze. "Then we go to war."
Adrian nodded slowly. "We prepare. And this time, we don't wait for them to strike first."
---
Rain tapped against the grand windows of Knight Enterprises' high-rise office as Adrian sat alone in the strategy room. Maps, files, and digital grids covered the massive table before him—each one a piece of the puzzle Lucien Vale had left behind.
Nathaniel stepped in, phone in hand, face grim. "We have a breach."
Adrian looked up sharply. "Where?"
"Internal. Someone from our side gave Lucien's men the blueprints of the private vault. The one only a handful of us know about."
Adrian stood, eyes darkening. "You're sure?"
Nathaniel nodded. "We traced the signal. The leak came from inside this building."
A heavy silence fell between them.
Elena entered then, her presence grounding, but her eyes equally sharp. "So we have a mole."
Adrian's gaze narrowed. "We need to flush them out—quietly. If Lucien's using one of our own, we're already playing catch-up."
Nathaniel dropped a file on the table. "These are the only people with access to the vault's intel. One of them is dirty."
Elena flipped through the names. Her hand stilled. "No... it can't be."
Adrian stepped closer. "Who?"
She looked up, pain flickering in her eyes. "Julia Monroe. My mentor. She trained me. She helped me when I had nothing."
Nathaniel muttered, "She also disappeared for three weeks last year and claimed it was a family emergency. But her trail went cold in Prague—Lucien's old stronghold."
Adrian's voice was like ice. "Then it's her. We bring her in."
—
Elsewhere…
Julia Monroe adjusted her gloves as she entered an unmarked room lit by a single bulb. Across the table sat a man with cruel eyes and a knowing smile—Lucien Vale.
"She'll know it's me," Julia said quietly.
Lucien smirked. "Let her. That's what makes it fun."
He slid a black envelope across the table. "This is your next task. Deliver it to Knight Enterprises. Personally. And make sure Elena opens it."
Julia swallowed hard. "This will break her."
"That's the point."
—
Back at Knight Enterprises…
The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. Julia stepped out, dressed in black, an envelope in hand. She walked past the guards with the same grace she always carried—but her eyes were different now.
Elena spotted her across the lobby. Their eyes locked. A second too long. A second too cold.
And Elena knew.
The betrayal was real.
The war had just become personal.
---
See you in next chapter.....