The darkness swallowed the mansion whole.
For a moment, there was only silence—deep, unnatural, suffocating.
Then—
Thud.
A slow, heavy footstep echoed from the far end of the hallway.
Rhea's heart jumped painfully. Adrian tightened his grip on her hand, pulling her slightly behind him. Even in the darkness, she could feel the sudden shift in him—the calm, sharp, dangerous version of Adrian Knight that the world whispered about.
"Don't move," he murmured.
Rhea swallowed hard. "Adrian, someone is inside—"
"I know."
He let go of her hand only to wrap his arm around her waist, keeping her close enough that she could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest. His body was tense, coiled like a predator ready to strike.
The footsteps came again.
This time… closer.
A faint metallic sound scraped against something—like a weapon dragging lightly against the wall.
Adrian's eyes adjusted faster to the darkness than hers. Rhea felt, rather than saw, the exact moment he decided what to do.
He leaned down, lips brushing her ear.
"When I say run, you run straight to the panic room. Don't look back."
She shook her head immediately. "I'm not leaving you."
"This is not a discussion." His voice dropped, deadly. "I can't protect you if you freeze."
Before she could protest again, the hallway door creaked open.
A beam of red laser light cut through the darkness—landing inches from Rhea's shoulder.
Her breath lodged in her throat.
"Move!" Adrian yanked her down just as something sharp sliced through the air where her head had been.
A throwing knife clattered against the wall.
Rhea gasped.
Someone had tried to kill her.
Adrian pushed her behind a marble pillar, covering her with his body. His hand reached into the drawer of the console table—and when he pulled back, there was a sleek, black pistol in his grip.
"Stay behind me," he said.
This time, she didn't argue.
A faint silhouette appeared at the end of the hallway—tall, hooded, moving like they knew the house inside out.
Adrian raised the gun.
The intruder spoke, voice distorted through a modulator.
"You should've stayed out of this, Knight."
Rhea felt Adrian's anger like fire radiating from him.
"You made the mistake the moment you stepped into my house."
The intruder laughed—low, amused, chilling.
And then they ran.
Not away.
But straight toward them.
Adrian shoved Rhea aside just as the intruder fired something. Glass shattered. A smoke canister rolled across the floor, spewing grey clouds that quickly filled the hall.
Rhea coughed, eyes burning.
"Adrian!" she called out, panicked.
His voice sliced through the smoke. "I'm here! Keep low!"
She dropped to her knees, crawling blindly until her hand brushed his leg.
He immediately grabbed her arm, pulling her into him.
A shadow dashed past them.
Adrian moved fast—too fast for a normal man. He swung his arm, catching the intruder's wrist mid-strike. Metal clashed. The intruder twisted away with a flexible, almost inhuman speed.
Rhea saw only glimpses—silhouettes clashing in smoke, the flash of a blade, the crack of Adrian's gun, and the intruder flipping backward with impossible agility.
Whoever this was… they were trained.
And they weren't here to scare her.
They were here to finish something.
Suddenly, the intruder leaped toward Rhea again.
Adrian's roar shook the hallway.
"Don't touch her!"
He tackled the intruder midair. Both bodies slammed into a wall. The intruder rolled away, hitting the ground hard. Adrian surged up, ready to strike again. —
But the intruder pressed a small device on their wrist.
A beeping sound filled the air.
Adrian froze.
Rhea's eyes widened. "Is that—?"
"Explosive," Adrian breathed. "Remote triggered."
But instead of detonating, the device projected a tiny holographic screen with a single message:
STOP DIGGING IF YOU WANT HER ALIVE.
The intruder looked right at Rhea.
Even behind the mask, she felt the weight of the threat.
Then—in one swift movement—they hurled a flash pellet to the floor.
A blinding white light exploded.
Rhea covered her eyes, crying out.
When the light faded—
The intruder was gone.
Adrian smashed his fist into the nearest wall, fury radiating off him like heat.
"Damn it!"
Rhea reached out, touching his arm gently. "Adrian… what does this mean?"
He turned to her, and for the first time in a long time… she saw fear in his eyes.
"They're not just trying to scare us," he whispered.
His hand cupped her cheek, thumb brushing her trembling skin.
"They're declaring war."