Morning came, but it didn't feel like morning.
It felt like something waiting.
I barely slept. My mind kept replaying the same image over and over of the man in the crowd.
The one who didn't speak. Didn't move. Just watched from afar.
Like he already knew how everything would end.
I sat up slowly on the bed, my body heavy with exhaustion.
Before I could even think straight, there was a knock.
Not soft.
Not hesitant.
Liam. I watch him stroll in majestically
My eyes went straight to his mid thighs!
He didn't wait for permission before stepping in.
He was already dressed, dark shirt, sleeves rolled slightly, expression sharper than usual. Like he hadn't slept either.
"You're up," he said.
"I didn't really sleep," I replied.
His eyes flicked to my bare chest, then to the phone still clutched in my hand.
"Still thinking about it?"
I hesitated.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then he said, "Good."
That wasn't comforting.
That sounded like preparation.
He stepped further into the room and closed the door behind him. Sat at the edge of the bed and brought me closer to his broad shoulder.
"We're not letting this sit anymore," he said.
I stiffed, trying to lift up my head from his shoulder with a raised brow.
"So what now?".
Liam looked at me with a soft gaze for a long moment before answering.
"Now we go back."
"Back where?"
His eyes darkened slightly with pleasure.
"To the beginning. Where it all started".
An hour later, I found myself in a short, lacy, low neck black gown. Sitting in a black car again.
But this time, the silence between us felt different. A silence of understanding
Not tense.
Focused.
Dangerous.
"Why do I feel like I'm walking into something I'm not ready for?"
I asked quietly. Like
Liam didn't look at me.
"You're not ready," he said simply.
I turned toward him sharply.
"That's not reassuring."
"It's honest."
That shut me up.
The car slowed.
Not at the mansion.
At a private building I didn't recognize.
Tall.
Glass heavy.
Cold looking desert place.
"What is this place?" I asked.
Liam finally looked at me.
"This is where my world actually operates."
My stomach dropped.
Before I could respond, he added,
"And where that man likely came from."
Inside, everything felt too clean.
Too controlled.
People moved quickly but silently. No wasted words. No wasted glances.
Like everyone knew something I didn't.
Liam walked ahead of me without hesitation.
I struggled to keep up.
"Liam," I whispered, grabbing his sleeve slightly.
"Slow down. I don't even know where we're heading."
He stopped and held onto me softly but firmly, caressing my palm with his nails.
Looked at me keenly.
And for a second… something softer flickered in his eyes.
Just briefly.
Then it was gone.
"You stay close," he said, assuring me.
That was all.
We entered a room lined with monitors.
Screens everywhere.
Security feeds. Faces. Names. Data I couldn't understand fast enough.
A man stood up immediately when Liam entered.
"Sir."
Liam nodded once.
"Pull up the night of the event."
My breath caught.
The screens shifted.
And there it was.
The night.
The crowd.
The lights.
The moment I had been trying to forget.
My heart started beating faster while scanning the screen.
"Stop," I said suddenly.
They paused.
I stepped closer to the screen.
Scanning.
Searching.
Then I saw him.
The man in the dark suit.
Sunglasses.
Still.
Watching.
Even on camera… he didn't look like he belonged there.
My voice dropped.
"That's him."
The room went quiet.
Liam stepped beside me.
"Zoom in."
The image sharpened.
And for the first time,
I saw his face clearly. The strange man.
My breath stopped.
Because I recognized him.
Not from that night.
But from somewhere else.
Somewhere I couldn't place yet.
"No" I whispered.
Liam turned slightly toward me.
"You know him."
It wasn't a question.
My throat went dry.
"I've seen him before," I said slowly. "But I don't remember where."
Silence stretched.
Then Liam said something that made my blood run cold.
"Then he wasn't watching you randomly."
He paused.
"He was assigned to you."
My hands went cold.
"Assigned…how? why?"
Liam's jaw tightened.
"Which means this goes deeper than I thought."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Right there:
A new file opened on the screen.
Unknown access.
Unknown trigger.
And a single line appeared.
TARGET CONFIRMED: ZARA WILLIAMS
My heart dropped.
I stepped back instantly.
"No… no, this is not possible. It can't be " I trembled with fear.
Liam didn't move.
But I saw it.
The shift in his expression.
Not a shock.
Not surprising.
Confirmation.
"You knew," I whispered.
His silence answered before he did.
My voice cracked.
"You already knew my name was in this."
Liam finally looked at me.
And what he said next changed everything.
"I didn't know it started before I met you."
My breath caught.
"Before…? Before that night?"
He nodded slightly.
"This didn't begin with me. It didn't begin because of me."
Stillness.
"It began with you."
The room felt like it was closing in.
My pulse roared in my ears.
"If I was the target from the beginning," I said slowly, "then who the hell am I to them?"
Liam's eyes stayed on mine. His voice softened just slightly.
"That's what we're going to find out."
A warning tone entered the room behind us.
A notification.
One of the monitors blinked red.
UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED
Then another line appeared.
HE'S HERE.
My breath stopped.
Liam's entire body went still.
And slowly… he turned toward the door.
"Stay behind me,"
he said quietly while grabbing my wrist, pulling me to his back. My round firm blossom brushing him lightly.
My heart pounded.
"Liam, what's happening?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Just one line.
Cold.
Final.
"He found us first."
And then,
The lights went out.