The skyline of the city burns gold against the glass walls of Velmore Tower, but inside Lucian's office, the air is sharp, sterile, and quiet. He sits behind his desk, tie loosened, staring at the flickering cursor on an unread email. His assistant, Elias, knocks lightly before stepping in.
"Sir," Elias says cautiously, holding a brown envelope. "This just came for you. No return address."
Lucian glances at it, indifferent. "Put it there."
Elias hesitates, sensing the unease that clings to the envelope. "Sir, I think you should open it."
Lucian sighs and reaches for it, sliding his finger across the seal. Inside, a single photograph falls out. It hits the glass table with a soft snap.
His hand stops midair.
His breath stills.
In the photo, Caliste sits unconscious on a metal chair .. wrists bound, head slumped, a dark bruise blooming on her temple. The background is concrete and shadow, an old warehouse from the look of it. A faint dread coils inside him, but his face remains expressionless.
A paper slips out after it ... a note written in bold letters:
> "Meet her at the Old Warehouse. Tonight. 9 PM. Bring 50 million. Or you'll never see her again."
Lucian stares at the message. The silence stretches.
Elias shifts nervously. "Sir… should I alert security? Prepare the funds..?"
Lucian places the photograph face down on the desk. His jaw tightens, the muscle in it flickering once before he exhales slowly.
"No."
Elias blinks. "Sir?"
"I said no." Lucian's voice is steady, but there's an edge beneath it...a quiet, buried tremor. "I have nothing to do with Caliste anymore."
Elias steps closer, disbelief washing over him. "But...she's been abducted! They're threatening her life.."
Lucian cuts him off with a look.
His eyes ... those once full of fire ...are hollow now, lifeless, as if the man who once guarded her with his entire empire had finally died.
"She made her choice," Lucian says quietly, almost to himself. "She's with Caelum now. It's not my place to interfere."
Elias shakes his head. "Sir, I...this isn't right. You care...you always did..."
"I said it's over," Lucian repeats, this time sharper. He turns away, facing the city beyond the glass. The lights reflect against his face ...fractured, distant. "Do not send anyone. No reports. No surveillance. From now on, stop monitoring her entirely. She's no longer under Velmore protection."
Elias freezes. "You're canceling the security detail?"
"Yes." Lucian's tone drops lower. "Cut everything. No more eyes on her. No more guards. No more updates."
The assistant stares at him, stunned. "Sir, this could kill her."
Lucian doesn't respond. He stands, slipping his hands into his pockets, shoulders tense but posture calm ...the perfect image of control masking quiet ruin. "We all make choices, Elias," he murmurs. "And we live with the consequences."
Elias's voice cracks slightly. "Then you're just… letting her die?"
Lucian glances at him, expression unreadable. "I'm letting her go."
He walks past him, heading toward the door. The faint scent of his cologne lingers ...cool and dark, like the man himself. Before leaving, he pauses, voice low and almost tired.
"Prepare the report for tomorrow's board meeting. And don't mention this again."
The door closes behind him with a quiet click.
Elias stands frozen in place, staring at the envelope still lying on the table. The photograph peeks from beneath the papers ... Caliste's figure trapped in shadow. He swallows hard, torn between duty and conscience.
Outside the tall windows, the city lights continue to glitter .... beautiful, distant, and cruel.
And somewhere in that same city, Caliste waits, bound and unconscious, unaware that the man she once loved has chosen silence over salvation.
In his penthouse that night, Lucian pours himself a drink.
He doesn't check his phone.
He doesn't call Elias.
He doesn't move.
Only his reflection in the window betrays the truth ...a flicker of pain that tightens his chest, then fades beneath the weight of his pride.
He whispers into the quiet,
"Caelum will find you… not me."
Then he raises the glass to his lips, drinks deeply, and drowns the last piece of himself that still wanted to care.
-----
Caliste stirred weakly in the cold chair, wrists bound, head throbbing from the blow she'd received. Her vision blurred before it cleared just enough to see the outline of grimy walls and the shadow of two men standing near the door.
Then ... the sound of footsteps. Heavy. Controlled. Familiar.
Her heart froze.
Even before she could see him, she knew that stride ...the calm authority in each step that had once made her feel safe.
Lucian Velmore.
The door creaked open, and dim light poured in, revealing him in a dark coat, his face carved in cold detachment. He looked at the scene ... the ropes, the captors, the bruised woman ...with an unreadable calm.
One of the kidnappers smirked, stepping forward.
"You came. Smart man, Mr. Velmore. Now hand over the money, and you can take your woman home."
Lucian's expression didn't shift. His tone was smooth ... almost too calm.
"I didn't come here to negotiate."
Caliste blinked, confusion clouding her pain. Her lips trembled as she whispered weakly, "Lucian…"
He didn't look at her. Didn't move toward her.
Instead, his eyes stayed fixed on the man holding her captive.
"I came to tell you," he continued, his voice sharp as glass, "that she has nothing to do with me."
The words hit her like a blade.
Caliste's breath hitched ...a small, strangled sound escaping her throat.
The men laughed, half disbelieving. "You expect us to buy that? You walked in here alone for someone who's nothing to you?"
Lucian's jaw clenched, but his voice didn't waver.
"She's the fiancée of another man. She's not my concern. You can do whatever you want ...but dragging my name into it won't change anything."
Caliste's heart shattered. Each word echoed like gunfire inside her chest.
She wanted to scream, to tell him he was lying .. that he still cared, that she saw it in his eyes before, even if he tried to hide it. But her voice failed her. Only silent tears slid down her cheeks.
The kidnappers exchanged uncertain looks.
"Then why the hell are you here, huh?"
Lucian's gaze darkened. "To warn you," he said coldly. "I have no weakness."
He turned then his coat brushing the floor, his figure retreating toward the exit. He never looked back.
Not once.
Caliste stared at him through blurred vision, disbelief flooding her veins.
He really meant it.
He was leaving her there.
Lucian Velmore .. the man who once swore to protect her from the world ...was walking away.
"Lucian…" she whispered hoarsely, her voice breaking. "Please…"
He paused at the doorway for a second ...just long enough for hope to flare in her chest.
But he didn't turn around.
"Goodbye, Caliste," he said quietly, almost like a ghost of a memory.
And then he was gone.
The sound of the metal door slamming shut echoed through the warehouse, final and cruel.
Caliste bit back a sob, trembling uncontrollably. She bowed her head, her tears soaking the ropes around her wrists. Her mind screamed that there must be a reason ...that maybe he was planning something ...but her heart knew the truth.
He had let her go.
And this time, he wasn't coming back.