The house was hidden between cliffs and sea.
Chloe stood at the edge of the balcony, the wind tangling her hair as waves crashed violently below. Wherever they were, it felt like the end of the world — isolated, quiet, and terrifyingly beautiful.
Lucas had chosen this place for a reason.
Safety didn't come cheap.
"You shouldn't be out here alone."
His voice came from behind her.
Chloe didn't turn. "Neither should you."
Lucas joined her, resting his hands on the stone railing. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"She knows where we are," Chloe said.
Lucas didn't deny it. "She knows where I am."
Chloe finally looked at him. "Then this place isn't safe."
"No place is," Lucas replied. "Only controlled."
Chloe exhaled slowly. "I'm tired of being controlled."
Lucas studied her. "Then stop letting fear make your decisions."
She laughed softly. "That's easy for someone like you to say."
Lucas's jaw tightened. "Someone like me lives with consequences."
Chloe stepped closer. "Then tell me the truth."
Lucas met her gaze.
"All of it."
He hesitated.
Then he spoke.
"Elise and I built an empire together," he said. "Power. Influence. Secrets. Paris was just the surface."
Chloe listened, her heart pounding.
"She believed love was weakness," Lucas continued. "I believed love was balance."
Chloe swallowed. "And now?"
"And now," he said quietly, "love is a liability."
Chloe reached for his hand.
"Then why are you holding onto me?" she asked.
Lucas's fingers tightened around hers.
"Because you remind me of who I was before everything broke," he said.
Her chest ached.
Before she could respond, footsteps echoed behind them.
A guard.
Lucas stiffened.
"She's here," the man said.
Chloe's blood ran cold. "Elise?"
Lucas nodded. "Not physically. But close enough."
The power cut.
Darkness swallowed the house.
Alarms screamed.
Lucas pulled Chloe against him instinctively.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
Gunfire shattered the silence.
Chloe screamed as glass exploded nearby.
Lucas moved fast — calculated, lethal.
They ran through dark corridors, footsteps echoing.
"She's testing you," Chloe shouted over the chaos.
Lucas didn't deny it.
They reached a safe room.
Lucas slammed the door shut and locked it.
The noise faded.
Silence returned — heavy and suffocating.
Chloe leaned against the wall, shaking.
Lucas turned to her, his breathing uneven.
"You're hurt," he said.
She shook her head. "Just scared."
Lucas stepped closer.
"This is my fault."
"No," Chloe said firmly. "This is my choice."
Their eyes locked.
Fear turned into something else.
Something dangerous.
Lucas reached out, brushing his thumb along her cheek.
"You don't know what she'll do next," he said.
Chloe placed her hand over his.
"Then don't face her alone."
Lucas's restraint shattered.
He kissed her — slow at first, then deeper, desperate.
It wasn't hunger.
It was fear.
It was survival.
When they pulled apart, Chloe rested her forehead against his.
"Promise me something," she whispered.
Lucas closed his eyes. "Anything."
"If this ends badly," she said, "don't erase me."
Lucas's voice broke. "I couldn't if I tried."
Chloe looked up at him. "Then promise."
"I promise," he said.
Outside, the alarms stopped.
But Chloe knew the truth.
The attack wasn't the end.
It was a warning.
And Elise had made her point clear:
Nothing Lucas loved would survive.