The night had grown deeper, yet the rain outside the hospital still refused to stop. Water slid endlessly down the glass windows while the city lights blurred beneath the storm like fading memories.
Inside Room 306—
Everything felt strangely quiet.
Only the slow beeping of the machines filled the darkness.
Aria remained unconscious on the hospital bed, her breathing steadier than before but still weak enough to make the atmosphere feel unbearably fragile.
Maya had fallen asleep in the chair beside the bed, her head resting near Aria's arm after hours of refusing to leave her side.
Even Ethan, who normally couldn't stay serious for more than a few minutes, had gone unusually quiet tonight as he returned from the vending machines carrying snacks nobody was really hungry enough to eat.
And Ryan—
Ryan sat near the corner of the room with his laptop open, completely focused on the screen in front of him.
His eyes hadn't moved away from it for several minutes.
Meanwhile, Lila stood silently near the doorway, staring at the rain outside while Adrian's words continued echoing endlessly inside her mind.
"The game that started…"
"…isn't mine."
The more she thought about it—
The more terrifying everything became.
Nothing made sense anymore.
If Adrian truly wasn't behind the attacks—
Then who was?
Suddenly—
Ryan froze.
His fingers stopped moving on the keyboard.
Lila noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
Ryan didn't answer.
He simply kept staring at the screen, his expression slowly changing.
Confusion.
Then shock.
"…That's impossible."
Lila quickly walked toward him.
"Ryan?"
Without speaking, Ryan slowly turned the laptop toward her.
A black screen filled with silver letters appeared in front of them.
🜂 NOIR GROUP — PRIVATE SHAREHOLDER RECORDS 🜂
Lila's heartbeat instantly stumbled.
"Where did you get this?"
Ryan lowered his voice carefully.
"The database was heavily encrypted."
"…But someone accessed it recently."
He scrolled slowly through the files.
Then several names appeared on the screen.
• Adrian Noir — Active
• Lila Noir — Active
• Aria Noir — Active
The room instantly fell silent.
Lila stared at the screen without blinking.
Her breathing slowly became uneven.
"…No."
Maya suddenly woke up from the nearby chair.
"What happened?"
Ethan also stepped closer immediately.
Ryan looked at them quietly before speaking.
"Both of them still own shares in Noir Group."
Maya looked completely stunned.
"Wait… legally?"
Ryan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Then his expression darkened.
"And that's exactly why someone is targeting them."
Lila felt her thoughts spiral instantly.
So all of this—
The attacks.
The surveillance.
The warnings.
Everything connected back to Noir Group.
At that exact moment—
Aria suddenly twitched violently on the bed.
Everyone immediately turned toward her.
The machine beside her began beeping faster.
Maya stood up instantly.
"Aria?"
Aria's eyes remained closed.
But her lips slowly moved.
She was whispering something.
Very softly.
"…Don't…"
Lila carefully stepped closer toward the bed.
"Aria?"
Suddenly—
Aria's body tensed again.
"…Don't open the door…"
The room froze instantly.
Her voice trembled weakly.
"…He's watching…"
Ethan slowly stepped backward.
Fear was clearly visible on his face now.
"Who is she talking about…?"
Pain flashed across Aria's expression.
Then quietly—
Almost like a frightened child—
"…Uncle…"
Lila's chest tightened painfully.
A second later, Aria fell silent again.
The machines slowly returned to normal.
An uncomfortable silence spread through the room.
Maya looked toward Lila nervously.
"…Was she talking about Adrian?"
Nobody answered.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
Then suddenly—
Ethan looked toward the hospital window and froze.
His face lost color instantly.
"…Guys."
His voice sounded low.
Uneasy.
"That car is back."
Everyone quickly turned toward the window.
Across the street—
A black car sat motionless beneath the rain.
Completely still.
Almost blending into the darkness itself.
Lila immediately recognized it.
Her chest slowly turned cold.
Because she already knew who it belonged to.
At that moment, Ryan suddenly froze again while staring at his laptop screen.
"…Wait."
He quickly typed several things before turning pale.
Then slowly whispered—
"The main Noir Group building is still active."
Lila looked at him sharply.
"What do you mean?"
Ryan turned the screen toward everyone.
An address appeared.
NOIR GROUP CENTRAL TOWER
STATUS: RESTRICTED ACCESS
Ryan swallowed quietly.
"Someone is still using the building."
"…And there was activity detected there only two hours ago."
Silence filled the room once again.
Then slowly—
Lila spoke.
"We're going there."
Maya immediately looked shocked.
"Right now?!"
Lila's eyes darkened as thunder echoed outside the hospital.
"If we want answers…"
"…then we have to walk into the shadows."
Outside—
Lightning flashed across the night sky.
And down below—
The headlights of the black car slowly turned on.
As if someone had been waiting for them all along.