The city never slept.
It only watched.
Chloe pressed her back against the cold marble floor as Alexander's weight shielded her, his arm firm across her shoulders. The echo of the gunshot still rang in her ears, vibrating through the glass walls of the penthouse.
Alexander didn't move until he was sure.
Then he lifted his head.
His eyes were no longer calm. They were lethal.
"Stay down," he ordered quietly.
She nodded, her throat too tight to speak.
Alexander rose in one fluid motion, already pulling a gun from beneath his jacket. His men's voices crackled through the hidden speakers in the ceiling.
"Perimeter breach. Two shooters neutralized. One escaped."
Alexander's jaw tightened.
"Lock the elevators. Nobody leaves."
He turned back to Chloe. For a split second—just one—his gaze softened.
"Whatever you hear," he said, "don't move."
Then he was gone.
The Aftermath
Chloe curled inward, knees drawn to her chest. The penthouse felt different now—no longer sterile, no longer just cold. It felt dangerous.
She realized something then.
This wasn't a place where fear lived quietly.
It screamed.
She hugged herself tighter as muffled footsteps echoed, followed by short commands in Mandarin.
"处理干净."
Clean it up.
Her chest tightened.
This was real.
This was his world.
And somehow… she was already part of it.
An Unspoken Truth
Alexander returned fifteen minutes later. His shirt was immaculate. No blood. No visible trace of violence.
But his eyes told a different story.
He crouched in front of her, lowering himself to her level.
"Did you get hit?"
She shook her head.
He exhaled, slow and controlled.
"Good."
She looked up at him then, really looked.
"They were coming for you," she said quietly.
"No," he corrected. "They were coming for you."
Her breath hitched.
"Why?"
Alexander didn't answer right away. He stood, poured a glass of water, and handed it to her.
"Drink."
She did.
"Because Diego doesn't like losing things he thinks belong to him."
Her fingers tightened around the glass.
"I don't belong to him," she whispered.
Alexander's voice was calm. Absolute.
"No. You don't."
Walls Don't Keep People Safe
Later, when the penthouse was silent again, Chloe stood at the window, staring down at the city lights.
Alexander leaned against the doorframe, watching her—not as prey, not as property, but as something fragile standing too close to the edge.
"Why don't you run?" he asked.
She didn't turn.
"Because running never saved me."
He nodded slowly.
"Then stay," he said. "And learn how to survive."
She finally faced him.
"With you?"
His answer came in Japanese, low and steady.
"運命はもう決めた."
Fate already decided.
End of Chapter Four