The emergency lights danced across the office, casting long, sinister shadows across the marble floors. Lia's heart pounded in her chest, matching the rapid steps echoing in the hallway. Vanessa had disappeared into the shadows, but her presence seemed to hang on like a promise of threat.
"Leo…" Lia whispered, tugging on his arm. "What do we do?"
Leon's eyes scanned the room, piercing and in command; his jaw was set like steel. "We find out who else is in here. Stay close, and do exactly as I say."
Lia nodded, but the fear that had been building inside her wouldn't seem to ease up. Every single nerve in her body was on high alert. Sure, she was used to chaos at work, but this. this was different. This was dangerous. Personal.
Leo guided her down the darkened corridors to where the secure files were kept. Every step weighed, every noise sounded magnified: the hum of the air conditioner, the creak of the ceiling tiles, a soft scuff as someone moved unseen.
They had reached the door when, before Leo could turn the knob, a shadow darted across the wall. Lia froze.
"Behind us," Leo growled, snatching up her hand to pull her behind a pillar.
A form materialized—masked, garbed in black, with movements of silent precision. They were close enough for Lia to realize that there was a flash of a knife in their hand.
Her breath caught. She'd seen danger in the movies, in stories… but never this close, never this real.
Leo's eyes locked on hers, steady. "Stay calm. Do not panic. I've got you."
But before he could react, the intruder lunged. Lia instinctively stepped forward to block, forgetting danger, forgetting everything but the need to protect the man she… cared about more than she should.
Leo's hand shot out, catching her shoulder. Their bodies collided, and in that instance, Lia's face brushed against his. A sharp intake of breath, the charged moment neither could ignore.
The intruder started, frozen by the sudden motion—and within that fraction of a second, Lia and Leo's eyes met. Time stood still.
Then a loud crash echoed through the office.
The intruder had disappeared into the night, leaving behind overturned chairs, scattered papers, and a single ominous message scrawled across the whiteboard in red:
"This is only the beginning."
Lia's hands were trembling. Leo's jaw was set. The peril was far from over. And now, it had become personal.