The battle with Lanh Kinh Thien was swifter than Ha An Nhien had imagined. Lanh Thien Phong had prepared too meticulously. With undeniable evidence from the fire and Lanh Kinh Thien's illicit dealings, coupled with the brave testimony of his mother—who had appeared and spoken with courage—Lanh Kinh Thien had no escape. He was arrested, his conglomerate merged, and all his crimes laid bare to the public.
Ha An Nhien witnessed it all from afar, through the large screen in the secret room. She saw Lanh Thien Phong standing tall at the apex of his revenge, his eyes sharp but no longer holding the wild chaos they once did. He had achieved what he wanted. His family's name was cleared, and those who had harmed them had paid the price.
But the sense of triumph Ha An Nhien expected never came. Instead, a familiar emptiness settled in. She had walked this path with him, sharing secrets, tense moments, and even vague emotions she dared not name. Now, with everything concluded, she felt as if an invisible thread had just snapped.
That evening, the penthouse was enveloped in an unusual silence. Lanh Thien Phong didn't leave the secret room. Ha An Nhien went to him, finding him sitting motionless before the screen, his gaze distant.
"Are... are you alright?" Ha An Nhien asked softly, her voice filled with genuine concern.
Lanh Thien Phong didn't answer immediately. He raised a hand to rub his temple, looking utterly exhausted. "It's over," he murmured, his voice hoarse. "But... why do I feel nothing?"
Ha An Nhien stepped closer, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps hatred has been a part of you for too long. When it disappears, you feel empty."
Lanh Thien Phong abruptly turned, staring at her. His eyes were complex, holding the vulnerability he always concealed. "Will you... leave?" he asked, his voice tinged with a fragility she had never heard, devoid of his usual domineering tone.
Ha An Nhien flinched. "You promised," she reminded him of their covenant.
He clenched his fist. "I know." He stood, moving closer to her. His breath ghosted over her face, carrying the scent of weariness and something else, something Ha An Nhien couldn't name.
"If you go, I won't stop you," Lanh Thien Phong said, his voice resolute, yet his eyes held a hidden pain. "But... you can stay."
Ha An Nhien felt her heart clench. Stay? With him? The man who had imprisoned her, who had used her as a tool for revenge? But also the man who had saved her brother, who had given her a purpose, and who had, at times, revealed moments of vulnerability and loneliness that made it impossible for her to completely hate him.
"Why?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why should I stay?"
Lanh Thien Phong raised his hand to touch her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her soft skin. "Because... I need you, Ha An Nhien." This confession, uttered from the cold "Devil King's" lips, utterly stunned Ha An Nhien. He needed her? Not possess, not exploit, but "need."
"I don't know what this feeling is," he continued, his eyes fixed on her, filled with bewilderment and despair. "But since you've been here, my life is no longer a dark night. You are the only light in my hell."
He pulled her into a kiss. This time, there was no brutality, no mere possession. It was a deep kiss, overflowing with longing, vulnerability, and a touch of desperation. Lanh Thien Phong kissed her as if she were his last lifeline, as if he were seeking healing for the profound wounds in his soul.
Ha An Nhien didn't resist. She slowly responded to his kiss, tasting the salt of tears, unsure if they were hers or his. In that moment, all boundaries between hatred and love, between captor and captive, completely dissolved. She realized she, too, needed him, needed this complexity, needed the chaotic emotions only he could bring.
When Lanh Thien Phong released her, he rested his forehead against hers, his breathing heavy. "Stay, Ha An Nhien," he whispered, his voice pleading. "Stay with me."
Ha An Nhien looked directly into his eyes. She saw the fragility hidden deep within this powerful man. She saw a heart melting beneath a thick layer of ice.