Chapter 15:
POV: Lyra Vale
Pain.That's all I could register.
Every inch of my body ached like I had been smashed into jagged glass. My lips were cracked, my arms swollen. I wasn't even sure I was conscious. Maybe this was hell, and I'd finally made it.
They'd stopped hitting me. But the silence was worse. Because the moment one of them started walking toward me again, I knew this wasn't over.
I was still blindfolded, my hands tied. I felt cold fingers curl around my ankle. My heels were tugged off and tossed aside. Another pair of hands slid under the ribbon of my torn dress.
No.
I wanted to scream, to fight back, to claw them with the last breath in me—but my body was paralyzed, too broken to even flinch. One hand crawled up my thigh while another grazed the bare skin of my back. I whimpered.
My lips were pressed against, bruised by someone else's hunger. One hand held the back of my neck in place as another roamed lower.
And just when I thought I'd disappear entirely—SLAM.
A door crashed open. Panic exploded in the room.
"What the f***k do you think you're doing?!"His voice. Razor-sharp. Unforgiving.
It was Kieller.
Gunshots cracked. One. Two. A body dropped near me. A scream echoed. Then, silence again—dead and heavy.
I felt his presence before I saw him. Warm hands—real, safe hands—untied my blindfold. His eyes met mine. My face must've looked like a war zone.
He said nothing. Just took off his black blazer and wrapped it tightly around me. Then he scooped me into his arms as if I weighed nothing.
"Hold on," he muttered. "You're not dying here."And then we ran.
Inside his car, I collapsed onto the passenger seat, unable to sit straight.
"Oh, come on," he snapped, his tone laced with arrogant panic. "The woman who owns half the city can't even sit up?"He buckled my seatbelt himself and slammed the door shut.
The engine roared.
Everything blurred. Roads, lights, sky.
"Stay awake," he barked. "Here. Water."
It burned. Like swallowing fire. I choked, coughed, but it brought me back.
"…What about the US deal?" I whispered. My voice sounded like shattered glass.
He turned to me, disbelieving. "Are you out of your godda*n mind? You're talking about business after almost—"His jaw clenched. "Forget it. Just shut up and breathe."
"Ah—!"A fresh wave of pain shot through me. My body screamed, and this time I couldn't fight it—I fainted.
I woke in a hospital. Again.
White lights. Cold sheets. Bandages on my legs. His coat still draped over me.
When I moved, pain tore through my shoulder. "Aaa—"
"Don't. Move."He was there. Sitting beside my bed, arms crossed like a bodyguard from hell.
My lips trembled as I looked down. My dress—what was left of it—was barely held together by the blazer. My bruises were visible, deep and black-blue.
Memories crashed into me.
Those hands.The kiss.The crawling fingers.
I started crying. Silently. Bitterly.
"So you do cry," he said softly. Still arrogant. Still him. But with something else beneath the surface.
"Thanks…" I whispered, hiding my face. "Thank you for saving me. If you hadn't shown up, they would've—""Don't," he snapped. "Don't say it. I killed two of them. The others won't live long either.""But the one in the golden mask—?""Escaped. But not for long."He stood up. "No one gets to touch you. If anyone's going to annoy you to death—it'll be me."
That smug arrogance. Even now.
I let out a laugh-cry, shaking my head.
"…What about the deal?"
He stared at me, unblinking. "You still care about that? We missed the meeting. Deal's canceled. Happy now?"
"No. I'm not."I tried to sit up but collapsed. He rushed forward, catching me with one arm. His other hand gripped my waist, pulling me steady.
"Do you want to die from stupidity?" he hissed. "Just rest."
"I need to fix it—"
He ignored me and dialed a number on his phone. "Get the CEO of NexaTech on the line. Tell him it's Kieller Voss. No, I don't give a damn—put him on now."
[A tense call followed—Kieller convincing the CEO to give one last chance. Meeting rescheduled for tomorrow.]
He hung up. "We leave tomorrow. So stop acting like you're bulletproof and rest."
"Why… why do you care so much?" I asked, watching him. "We're rivals."
He looked at me for a long time, unreadable. Then, "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because no one else should get the privilege to destroy you except me."
Arrogant bastard. But my heart fluttered.
That night, I couldn't sleep. The weight of the assault pressed into my chest. I was afraid—of the dark, of silence, of closing my eyes.
"Please," I whispered. "Don't leave me alone tonight."
He paused. Then nodded.
He helped me lay back on the bed, then sat on the couch across from me. Silent. Guarding.
"…Why did you save me?"No answer.
"…How did you find me?"Still nothing.
"…Say something, you jerk."
Finally, he sighed. "Sleep. You need to heal. Not everything needs an answer right now."
And this time, I slept.
The next morning, I was woken by his voice.
"Wake up, warrior. We've got a flight to catch."
I groaned. Tried to sit up—failed.
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're not faking this to get carried again?""Shut up," I mumbled. "Help me."
He smirked, stepping forward. His arm wrapped around my waist. The touch was warm, firm. His face… closer than I remembered.
"Okay?" he asked, softly."Yes," I whispered. "Weirdly… yes."
I took a step, then another. Each one felt like lifting mountains. But I walked. I walked.
"Damn, you did it," he said with pride.
"You sound impressed."
"I'm always impressed by miracles."
He handed me clothes in a paper bag. "Change. I'll wait outside."
After dressing, I saw my reflection in the mirror.
My face was unrecognizable—blue bruises, cracked lips, blood. My hair a mess. My eyes hollow.
I broke. "Aaa—!"
He burst in. "What happened?!""My face… I look like a nightmare."
He came forward slowly… then did the most unexpected thing.
He hugged me.
Tight. Warm. Fierce.
"It's okay. I'll fix everything. I'll make sure every one of those bastards pays."
He handed me sunglasses and a mask. Held my hand all the way to the car.
At the airport, memories hit hard. That restroom. That ambush.
He must've felt me tense. His grip on my hand tightened.
"Don't look back. I've got you now."
Bodyguards surrounded us until we boarded his private jet.
We sat beside each other. Too close. Too quiet.
"Rest," he said. "The CEO's known to be colder than me."
I smirked. "Impossible."
"Want to test that?" he said, raising a brow.
We shared a laugh. Maybe the first real one since everything.
Rivals. Survivors. And something dangerously close to… something more.