Evelyn stared at the message on her private line.
"You really think you can control everything? You've forgotten what happened back then."
—Unknown
Her chest tightened.
There were only three people alive who knew what happened back then. And two of them were supposedly dead.
She deleted the message. But the unease lingered like a shadow.
⸻
Flashback – Ten Years Ago
The rain poured over the military compound on the outskirts of Zurich. Evelyn, in a torn lab coat, stood under a flickering light, clutching a blood-stained file marked: Project Siren.
"Run," a voice behind her said.
"Noah, I can't leave without the others!"
"They're already gone," he said quietly. "You have to disappear. If this gets out, you're not just a target—you're a threat to every empire in the world."
⸻
Present Day – Evelyn's Study
She opened a locked drawer and pulled out the same file, now old and faded.
Her fingers traced the red stamp: TOP SECRET – DO NOT UNSEAL.
She whispered to herself, "I buried this. I burned every copy."
Clearly, someone hadn't forgotten.
Just then, a familiar voice broke her thoughts.
"You never really erased your past, Evelyn."
—Noah
She turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, in black-on-black, looking far too comfortable in her private space.
"Do you break into all your ex-wives' houses?" she asked coolly.
He gave a tired smile. "Only the dangerous ones."
⸻
Across the city.
Adrian sat in a leather chair, watching a dark web livestream.
A masked figure appeared onscreen.
"Project Siren resurfaced. The Hart woman is the key."
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Then we protect her. Or we own her."
⸻
In the shadows.
A man lit a cigarette in a dimly-lit alley. He had a faded photograph in his pocket—Evelyn, smiling, much younger. A scar ran across the bottom of the photo, slashed by a knife.
He muttered: "You left me behind, Eve. Now it's your turn."
⸻
Back at Evelyn's penthouse.
Noah placed the file gently on her desk. "It's time we talk. Not as enemies. Not as lovers. But as survivors."
Evelyn looked up, her eyes cold but tired.
"Then let's start," she said.
"But know this—if you lie to me, I'll finish what Zurich started."