The chair squeaked as Elena strained against the straps. Her breathing was shallow, ragged—her body still sluggish from the sedative.
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, eyes locked on Ivy. "What the hell is going on?"
Ivy stared at her, expression unreadable. Then, she sat on a nearby stool, crossed her legs, and spoke with unsettling calm.
"Because the truth has waited long enough, Elena."
"You betrayed me."
"No," Ivy said coolly, "I saved you."
"By kidnapping me? Drugging me? Strapping me to a damn chair?"
Ivy leaned forward. "If I hadn't pulled you out of that warehouse, you'd be dead. Or worse—forced into your father's war. You think Victor's the only danger in this? There are factions, Elena. Governments, mafias, private armies. Everyone wants a piece of you. Of what you inherit."
Elena blinked. "What I inherit?"
"Power," Ivy said. "Influence. A legacy built on corruption and blood. But what if I told you it could be repurposed? Redirected?"
Elena laughed bitterly. "Into what? A cleaner form of crime?"
Ivy stood. "Into control."
Before Elena could speak again, a door hissed open behind her. Heavy footsteps echoed, and a new figure entered.
Tall. Dressed in charcoal-gray. Broad-shouldered. His face was partially in shadow, but his voice sent a chill down Elena's spine.
"She's ready."
She froze.
That voice.
It was... familiar.
He stepped forward, and as the lights shifted, Elena's heart stopped.
She knew that face.
Not from childhood. Not from the present.
But from her wedding day.
Her real wedding day.
"You—" Her voice cracked. "You're the priest. The man who married us."
He smiled, slow and cold. "So you do remember. I suppose the disguise wasn't as clever as I thought."
Ivy looked between them. "Elena, meet Silas. Director of Virex Intelligence. He's been watching you longer than anyone."
Elena's stomach turned.
"Why? Why the wedding?"
Silas circled her like a wolf assessing prey. "Because we needed proximity to the Armand name. And what better way than through a union? Marriages merge bloodlines, but also legal power. You becoming a Duval wasn't just romantic."
"You're saying Herring knew?"
Silas smirked. "Not at first."
Elena's blood ran cold.
"But he—he loves me. He wouldn't—"
Ivy's expression faltered for just a second. Regret. Guilt.
"He didn't know the full plan," she said. "He was supposed to keep you close. Watch you. But something went wrong."
Elena's eyes narrowed. "He fell in love."
Silas chuckled. "A classic variable. Love ruins the cleanest operations. That's why I pulled him out."
"Pulled him out?"
"We staged his arrest," Ivy said quietly. "So he wouldn't interfere. But he's not in prison. Not anymore."
Elena's breath caught.
"Where is he?"
Silas turned to her fully now. "Closer than you think."
The door hissed again.
Another figure entered.
Tall. Slender. Clean-cut.
And for a moment—Elena forgot how to breathe.
"Herring?"
But the man didn't smile.
Didn't run to her.
His eyes were distant. Cold. Unrecognizable.
"What... what did they do to you?"
He stepped forward, his voice mechanical. "You shouldn't have followed the blood trail, Elena. Now you'll never get out."
"What are you saying?" she whispered.
Ivy looked away.
Silas answered instead.
"Project Tantalus was never about you. It was about him. We needed a new prototype—someone with emotional control, loyalty built from the ground up. Herring was perfect. All he needed was... motivation."
Elena's lips trembled.
"You reprogrammed him?"
Silas nodded once.
"Every man has a switch. We just found his and flipped it."
Herring stared at her with blank eyes.
"I don't believe you," she said, louder now. "He's stronger than that. He loved me—"
"He doesn't even remember you," Ivy whispered. "Not anymore."
But in that moment, Elena saw it.
The flicker.
A twitch at the corner of his eye. A tremble in his jaw.
Something human was still there.
"Herring," she whispered, locking eyes with him. "It's me. Elena. You used to call me trouble, remember? Trouble in heels."
His jaw twitched again.
Silas turned sharply. "Restrain her."
But Herring didn't move.
His eyes widened.
His lips parted.
And then—he blinked.
Twice.
"Elena...?"
Everything erupted at once.
Ivy drew a weapon.
Silas shouted orders.
Elena yanked her wrist upward—loose strap. She grabbed the scalpel off the side tray and slashed at the second strap.
Herring lunged—not for her, but at Silas.
The entire room burst into chaos.
Gunfire.
Screams.
Shattering glass.
Elena hit the ground and rolled. Herring was on Silas, pummeling him, rage in every blow.
"You took everything from me!"
Silas gurgled, blood pouring from his mouth. Ivy screamed for backup, but no one came.
Herring turned to Elena.
His eyes—his real eyes—met hers.
"Run."
She hesitated.
"Elena, run!"
And she did.
She burst through the hallway, barefoot, heart hammering.
Behind her, alarms wailed.
Lights flashed red.
Doors began sealing shut.
But she kept going.
She didn't look back.
Because she knew...
This wasn't the end.
It was just the beginning.