Cold wind rushed past Rhea as Lucian drove through the deserted highway at a speed that made the world blur.
He hadn't spoken a word since they left the mansion.
His jaw was clenched.
His grip on the steering wheel was tight enough to split the leather.
Rhea stared at him.
This wasn't the Lucian she had met before—calm, distant, unreadable.
This Lucian looked scared.
"Lucian…" she whispered.
"Is Adrian really… in danger?"
Lucian's eyes remained forward.
"The convoy was hit by professional assassins. Not amateurs. Whoever planned this… knew the Knight family too well."
Rhea swallowed.
"What if he's hurt? Or—"
"Don't say it."
His voice cut sharply, like a blade.
Rhea went silent.
A few minutes later, the car turned into an abandoned industrial area. Police cars and black SUVs filled the place. Men in tactical uniforms moved around like shadows.
A nightmare scene.
Lucian parked and stepped out. Rhea followed, her legs shaking.
A Knight security officer ran toward Lucian.
"Sir—we found him."
Rhea's heart stopped.
Lucian tensed. "Alive?"
The officer hesitated.
"Barely."
Rhea felt the ground tilt beneath her, but she forced herself to run behind Lucian as he moved forward.
They reached a small garage-like structure. Inside, harsh lights illuminated a grim sight.
Blood.
Broken crates.
Shattered glass.
And in the middle—
Adrian.
He sat slumped against a wall, one arm hanging limp, clothes soaked in blood. A medic tried to clean a deep wound on his side.
Rhea's heart cracked.
"Adrian!" she cried, rushing toward him.
His eyes opened slowly.
Cold.
Pain-filled.
Yet still holding that dangerous intensity.
"Rhea…" he whispered, voice hoarse.
She knelt beside him, tears spilling.
"What happened to you? Why didn't you call me? Why—"
He raised a trembling hand to her cheek.
"I told you… to stay away… when things get dark," he murmured.
Lucian folded his arms.
"She wouldn't have listened. She's already involved."
Adrian's eyes turned deadly.
"You brought her here?"
"She insisted," Lucian replied. "And you should be grateful. She was almost killed back at the mansion."
Adrian's body went rigid.
"What?"
Rhea explained everything—the intruder, the USB, the photos, and the phone call.
Adrian's expression changed instantly.
From pain…
To fury.
To something darker.
He grabbed Lucian's shirt, pulling him close despite his injuries.
"You were supposed to guard her."
Lucian didn't flinch.
"I arrived before the intruder could harm her. That's the only reason she's alive."
Adrian released him with a shove, breathing hard.
Rhea touched his arm.
"Adrian, stop. Please. We need answers, not a fight."
Both brothers turned to her at the same time—one with burning concern, the other with cold calculation.
Lucian cleared his throat.
"We found something on the attacker."
He handed Adrian a folded note.
Adrian opened it.
Rhea leaned closer.
Two words were written in blood-red ink:
"THE CURSE BEGINS."
Rhea's skin turned icy.
"Curse?" she whispered. "What curse?"
Adrian shut his eyes for a moment.
And then…
He told her.
"Every Knight male…"
His voice was low and heavy.
"…is destined to lose the woman he loves."
Rhea felt the world freeze.
"What do you mean?"
Lucian continued, his tone blunt.
"Three generations. Three deaths. Every woman a Knight man fell in love with… died mysteriously."
Rhea staggered back.
"And now," Adrian said quietly, meeting her eyes,
"The curse… has come for you."
Her heart stopped.
A curse.
A pattern of deaths.
A hitman in her house.
"Adrian… you don't seriously believe—"
"I didn't."
His gaze darkened.
"Until today."
Rhea's breath trembled.
Fear washed over her.
But behind that fear… something else rose.
Anger.
"So what?" she whispered fiercely.
"I should leave you? Run away because of a curse?"
Adrian stared at her, silence stretching between them.
Lucian stepped aside, giving them space.
Rhea leaned closer, gripping Adrian's cold hand tightly.
"I won't leave you. Not now. Not ever."
Adrian's eyes softened—just for a second.
Then—
Lights flickered.
Gunshots exploded outside.
Lucian immediately drew his gun.
"They followed us," he hissed.
"Everyone, move!"
Adrian forced himself up despite his injury.
Rhea's heart pounded.
The curse… the assassins… the secrets…
Everything was crashing toward them at once.
And Chapter 40 ended with the garage doors shaking under the force of another explosion.