Midnight came cloaked in fog.
The harbor lights blinked weakly through the mist as Lydia's taxi rolled to a stop in front of the abandoned Cassian warehouse. Every instinct screamed that this was a mistake, but curiosity had already won the war.
She stepped out, heels clicking against the damp concrete, her breath forming small ghosts in the cold air. The building loomed over her—silent, hollow, but alive with secrets.
Inside, faint light leaked through the cracks of the old steel doors.
She pushed one open.
"Lydia," a voice called from the shadows.
Adrian Vale emerged, hands tucked in his coat pockets, eyes sharp and calculating.
"You came alone," he said approvingly. "Braver than I expected."
"Where's Jaden?" she asked, scanning the room.
He gave a crooked smile. "Always about Jaden, isn't it? You think you know him, but you don't. He's not who he pretends to be."
"What are you talking about?"
Adrian pulled out a folder and slid it across a dusty table. "These are records from the Cassian-Vale Syndicate—back when Jaden worked with Cassandra. You'll see his signature on every document. The transactions, the offshore accounts, the cover-ups."
Lydia's fingers trembled as she flipped through the papers—each page painting Jaden as a man wrapped in deception and money. But something didn't add up.
"Why show me this?" she asked quietly.
"Because," Adrian said, leaning closer, "you're his weakness. And Cassandra knows it."
Before she could respond, a loud thud echoed through the warehouse.
Adrian's expression shifted from smug to alarmed. "We're out of time."
The door burst open.
Men in black suits stormed in, faces hidden behind masks.
Adrian hissed, "Run!"
Lydia froze for half a second before bolting toward the back exit. Bullets clanged against steel beams, ricocheting through the dark. She could hear Adrian shouting behind her—then silence.
Her heart pounded as she ducked behind a stack of crates, gasping for air. Her phone buzzed—an unknown number.
She answered without thinking.
"Lydia."
Jaden's voice—calm, cold, dangerous.
"What—what's happening?!" she whispered.
"Don't move," he said. "I told you not to get involved. I'm on my way."
The line cut.
Outside, black SUVs screeched to a halt. Headlights sliced through the mist like blades. Lydia peeked through the cracks and saw him—Jaden—stepping out, dressed in all black, eyes glinting with fury and fear.
She didn't know whether to run to him… or from him.