A MEETING THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING...
The air inside the facility was colder than outside, thick with the weight of something unspoken, something that hung in the atmosphere, waiting for the inevitable confrontation.
Velena's pulse pounded in her ears, her heart quickening as she watched Alexander Vasiliev lean against the metal table, his posture casual yet commanding. He looked at them like they were mere pieces in a game he had already won, the type of game that involved more than just strategy—it involved control.
Ceil Blackthorn stood still beside her, his fingers curled loosely around the USB drive Alexander had just handed him. The faintest flicker of emotion crossed Ceil's usually composed face, but his focus remained sharp, calculating.
Lucian, ever the skeptic, kept a hand near his concealed weapon. He didn't trust this man, didn't trust the situation. And Velena knew better than anyone that Lucian's instincts were rarely wrong.
Neither did Velena.
But Ceil wasn't the kind of man to turn away from a challenge, no matter how dangerous.
Lucian broke the silence first, his voice rough with suspicion. "Why now? Why show yourself after all these years?"
Alexander's smile was cold, calculating, like he had been waiting for this moment longer than anyone in the room could understand. "Because she's remembering," he said, his gaze flicking to Velena with a hint of something darker—something he expected her to fear.
A chill ran down her spine at the weight of those words.
She wasn't ready for this.
She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she stepped forward. "You erased me," she whispered, the accusation heavy in the air.
Alexander didn't deny it. He simply nodded, the gesture cold and final.
Ceil's jaw tightened, his voice dangerously calm. "Why?"
Alexander exhaled, his gaze never leaving Velena's. "Because you were never meant to wake up."
The room fell into an eerie silence, the weight of his words settling on Velena like a suffocating blanket.
Velena's breath hitched in her chest, her heart pounding as the walls seemed to close in around her. Her entire existence—everything she had known—felt like it had just been torn apart by that single revelation.
What the hell did that mean?
A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS...
The weight of Alexander's words crashed into Velena like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her. She had spent years running, hiding in plain sight, trying to build a life that made sense—trying to convince herself that the past could remain buried.
But what if her entire existence was never meant to happen?
Her head felt light, as if the floor beneath her might collapse. The walls of the facility suddenly seemed closer, like they were pressing in on her, suffocating her thoughts. She stepped back, her breath uneven, trying to find some semblance of control in the chaos of her mind.
Before she could steady herself, a firm hand gripped her wrist.
Ceil.
His hold was steady, grounding. It was the only thing that kept her from completely losing herself in the overwhelming flood of questions and confusion.
"Breathe," his voice was low, controlled, cutting through the fog in her mind, pulling her back to reality.
Velena blinked up at him, her gaze meeting his. His grip wasn't forceful—just enough to keep her from slipping away completely. For a second, just a second, she let herself hold onto him. Let herself believe that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't as alone as she had felt for so long.
Lucian's sharp voice cut through the moment. "Ceil. We need to leave. Now."
Ceil's fingers lingered on her wrist for just a heartbeat longer before he let go, stepping away with that familiar, calm detachment. Velena wasn't sure why, but she missed the warmth.
ALEXANDER'S LAST WORDS...
As they turned to leave, the cold voice of Alexander stopped them.
"You can run, Ceil. But sooner or later, you'll realize…" His smirk deepened. "We're on the same side."
Ceil didn't even glance back, his voice unwavering. "You really think that?"
Alexander chuckled, his laugh low and mocking. "You'll see."
Velena didn't understand what Alexander meant, the meaning of his words slipping through her grasp like sand.
But Ceil did.
She could feel it in the way his shoulders tensed, the subtle shift in his posture, and the way his fingers twitched slightly at his side. She didn't need to ask. He knew something they didn't. And whatever it was, it was dangerous.
This wasn't over.
ON THE WAY BACK...
The car ride back to the penthouse was eerily quiet, the hum of the engine the only sound that filled the space. Velena sat in the backseat, her gaze locked on the USB in Ceil's hand. The device that had been handed to him by the very man who had erased her, a man whose presence still lingered in the air, suffocating her thoughts.
Lucian finally broke the silence, his voice rough with frustration. "You're not seriously going to open that, are you?"
Ceil smirked, his gaze flicking toward the rearview mirror, meeting Velena's eyes for a brief moment. "Of course, I am."
Velena exhaled slowly, her thoughts still in turmoil. "What if it's a trap?"
Ceil's eyes met hers through the rearview mirror, his expression unreadable. "Everything is a trap, Velena. You just have to know which ones are worth walking into."
She hated that his logic made sense. It was dangerous, reckless even, but it made sense.
Lucian let out an exasperated sigh, his hand running over his face in frustration. "I swear, one day your arrogance is going to get us all killed."
Ceil chuckled darkly, his voice laced with confidence. "But not today."
Velena wasn't so sure.
A MOMENT ALONE...
Back at the penthouse, Velena stepped onto the balcony, letting the cold night air fill her lungs. She needed to clear her head, but the thoughts swirling in her mind were like a storm, refusing to be silenced.
She was exhausted—physically and mentally. Every part of her screamed for rest, but her mind kept racing with too many questions, too many half-formed memories, and too many things she couldn't yet understand.
Ceil joined her on the balcony, leaning against the railing beside her. "You're thinking too loudly."
Velena sighed, her breath visible in the cold night air. "What if we're playing right into his hands?" she asked, her voice filled with doubt.
Ceil didn't answer immediately, the silence stretching between them.
Then, after a long pause, he spoke, his voice steady. "Would it matter?"
Velena turned to him, confused. "What?"
Ceil's gaze was steady, unwavering. "You can't avoid the past forever. It catches up. And when it does, you either run, or you face it head-on."
Velena looked away, her heart heavy. She had spent her entire life running from the truth—running from who she really was, from what had happened before. But now, faced with the undeniable reality of Alexander's words, Velena wondered if she had run far enough.
Maybe it was time to stop.