For a long, breathless moment, none of them spoke.
The only sound was the hum of the old vault generator and the slow drip of water from the ceiling. Leonardo's shadow stretched across the steel floor, taller and sharper than before — as though he'd returned from the edge of something darker than death itself.
Amira stared at him, her voice trembling. "You're alive… you're actually—"
Her words broke. The tears she'd held back for days spilled over.
Leonardo caught her hand, his touch warm but trembling. "I told you not to come looking for me."
"You vanished into thin air," she shot back, shaking her head. "The building exploded, the media said you were—"
Her voice cracked. "What was I supposed to do? Pretend I wasn't losing my mind?"
For the first time since she'd met him, Leonardo's expression softened — the mask of the ruthless CEO cracking just enough for her to see the man beneath.
"I never wanted you in this," he said quietly. "This was my burden to carry."
Amira stepped closer. "Then why did you marry me, Leonardo? Why make me your paper bride if you were only going to shut me out of everything?"
He looked at her then — really looked — and something broke inside his gaze.
"Because I needed you," he admitted, his voice low. "And I didn't know how to need anyone without destroying them."
Marcus's voice cut through the air like a blade. "Enough of the drama."
He moved closer, tension radiating from every step. "The police are already tracking us. We don't have time for this reunion."
Leonardo's tone turned ice-cold. "You've said enough."
Marcus frowned. "You think you can order me around after faking your own death? You don't even know what you're up against."
"I know exactly what I'm up against," Leonardo snapped, stepping between him and Amira. "And I know you leaked the security codes."
Marcus flinched — just barely, but enough for the truth to show in his eyes.
"You think I wanted this?" Marcus hissed. "I did what I had to do to keep her alive. You would've sacrificed her for your revenge."
"Revenge?" Amira echoed, looking from one man to the other. "Revenge for what?"
Leonardo turned toward her slowly. The silence stretched, heavy and sharp.
"For your father," he said finally. "Because he was the man who ruined my family."
Amira froze.
"What did you say?" she whispered.
Leonardo's jaw clenched. "Years ago, your father worked for my father's company. He betrayed us — sold trade secrets to competitors. My father lost everything. He died trying to rebuild what was stolen."
"That's not true," she whispered, shaking her head. "My father was loyal. He died in an accident—"
"An accident staged to hide the truth," Leonardo said bitterly. "I was sixteen when I swore I'd destroy the man who took everything from us. I built my empire on that promise."
Her heart felt like it was splintering apart. "And you married me to finish your revenge."
Leonardo looked away. "At first."
"At first," she repeated in disbelief. "So all of this — the wedding, the mansion, your promises — it was all a game to you?"
His silence was her answer.
She took a trembling step back, her voice breaking. "I should've known. I was nothing but a signature to you."
Leonardo's eyes darkened. "No," he said hoarsely. "Not anymore. Somewhere along the way… I started wanting to protect you instead of punish you."
The words hung between them — raw, painful, real.
Marcus scoffed. "And now look where that got us. A company in flames, enemies watching, and a woman who knows too much."
Amira turned to him sharply. "Who's behind all this, Marcus? If you're not with Leonardo, then who are you working for?"
He hesitated. Then, quietly: "The board. Half of them, at least. They wanted Leonardo gone before he could expose what they'd been doing. Illegal funds, offshore accounts, hidden mergers. They feared he'd clean house."
Leonardo's voice dropped to a dangerous calm. "And you helped them."
"I kept you alive," Marcus replied coldly. "They wanted you dead. I made them settle for a disappearance."
The air in the vault grew heavier.
Leonardo reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, cracked drive — one Amira hadn't noticed before.
"This contains every piece of evidence against them," he said. "Everything they buried. But I can't expose them alone. They control the media, the board, the banks—"
"Then we expose them together," Amira interrupted, fire blazing behind her tears. "You're not alone anymore."
Leonardo stared at her. "You don't know what you're saying. Once we start this, there's no turning back."
"I don't care," she said fiercely. "They destroyed your family. They used me. They deserve everything coming to them."
For the first time that night, Leonardo smiled — not his usual controlled smirk, but something softer. Something that hurt.
"Then let's finish this."
Marcus sighed, lowering his gun. "You two really are a perfect pair of fools."
He tossed the weapon onto the table and turned away. "You'll need someone who knows the board's inside patterns. I'll get you in."
Amira blinked. "You're helping us?"
He shrugged. "Let's just say I'm tired of being someone else's pawn."
Leonardo watched him warily. "If you betray me again—"
Marcus glanced back. "You'll have to catch me first."
Hours later, as dawn broke over the mansion, Amira sat in Leonardo's study, staring at the drive glowing faintly in her palm. Her entire life had changed in one night.
Leonardo entered quietly, his sleeves rolled up, his face lined with exhaustion. Yet when he looked at her, his expression softened again.
"You should rest," he said gently.
"I can't." She looked up at him. "Every time I close my eyes, I see my father's face… and I wonder what was real."
Leonardo walked closer, then crouched beside her chair. "We'll find the truth. I promise."
Her voice trembled. "Can I still believe you?"
He took her hand, pressing it to his chest. "Then let me earn it."
For a moment, their world went still — the chaos outside fading into quiet. The hum of the city, the weight of betrayal, the storm inside both of them… everything softened in that fragile silence.
Then, somewhere deep in the garden, the old security alarm began to wail.
Leonardo's head snapped toward the window. "They've found us."
Amira's pulse spiked. "Who?"
He turned to her — eyes sharp, voice low.
"The board's men. And they're not coming to talk."