Rhea felt the blood drain from her face.
"From… my past?" she whispered.
Lucian nodded once, grim.
"The print matches someone in an old private registry. Not Knight. Not security."
Adrian stepped closer to Lucian.
"Say the name."
Lucian hesitated.
Then spoke.
"Aarav Malhotra."
The name hit Rhea like a physical blow.
Her knees weakened.
"No…" she breathed. "That's impossible."
Adrian turned to her sharply.
"You know him."
Rhea's fingers curled into fists. Memories she had buried deep began clawing their way back.
"He was my first love," she said quietly.
"My first mistake."
Adrian's jaw tightened dangerously.
Lucian watched her closely.
"What happened between you?"
Rhea swallowed hard.
"He was brilliant. Kind. Obsessive."
Her voice trembled.
"He said he'd protect me from everything… even myself."
She laughed bitterly.
"I thought it was love."
Adrian's hands clenched at his sides.
"When did it end?" he asked.
"When I found out he was watching me," she replied.
"Tracking my calls. My movements. My friends."
Her eyes burned.
"I left him. Disappeared. Changed cities."
Lucian exhaled slowly.
"And he followed you into the Knight world."
Rhea shook her head.
"I never told him about Adrian. About this life."
Adrian's voice was low and lethal.
"He didn't need you to."
He turned to Lucian.
"How long has Aarav been connected to our enemies?"
Lucian checked his tablet.
"At least three years. He finances off-grid operations. Psychological warfare. Specialized infiltration."
Rhea's heart pounded.
"He doesn't want power," she whispered.
"He wants control."
Adrian looked at her, something dark flickering in his eyes.
"And you're the center of it."
Silence settled heavy.
Then Adrian moved.
In one swift motion, he grabbed Rhea's wrists and pulled her into him—not harsh, not gentle—raw emotion breaking through his control.
"You should've told me," he said, voice tight.
Her eyes filled.
"I didn't know he was alive. I didn't know he'd become this."
His grip loosened instantly.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Lucian turned away, giving them space.
Rhea looked up at Adrian, voice trembling.
"He used to say something… over and over."
Adrian leaned closer.
"What?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"If I couldn't belong to him… no one would."
Adrian's expression hardened into something terrifying.
"He's not taking you," he said.
"Not from me. Not from yourself."
Rhea placed a hand on his chest, feeling his racing heart.
"But if he knows me this well," she whispered,
"Then he knows exactly how to hurt you."
Adrian's eyes met hers, intense.
"Then we stop waiting."
He turned sharply to Lucian.
"Trace every financial route. I want Aarav exposed within forty-eight hours."
Lucian nodded.
"And if he comes first?"
Adrian's voice was ice.
"Then he dies."
Rhea flinched.
Adrian softened immediately, cupping her face.
"I won't let him touch you," he promised.
"And I won't lose you to a ghost from your past."
Rhea leaned into his touch, heart torn between fear and something deeper.
Behind the one-way glass, a monitor flickered.
A new message appeared.
HELLO, RHEA.
DID YOU MISS ME?
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Unknown number.
She didn't need to answer.
She already knew.
Aarav had entered the game.
And he was closer than any of them realized.