********
Dante's POV
The message arrived exactly twelve minutes later.
No subject line.
No greeting.
Just coordinates and a single sentence:
'You're protecting your kingdom with Ghost. Impressive, now I'm wondering where you met him.'
I smiled slowly.
"Dominic," I murmured.
My phone rang.
I answered without hesitation.
"You always did hate subtlety," I said.
Dominic Veyron's voice was smooth, cultured—and sharp. "And you always underestimated how much I enjoy watching you react."
"You're trespassing," I replied calmly.
He chuckled. "Not yet. But your new consultant is clever. I'll give him that."
My jaw tightened. "Stay away from him."
A pause.
Then, amused curiosity. "Ah. So he matters."
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone, pulse steady but focused.
Game on.
********
Aria's POV
"They're in," I said softly.
The decoy system lit up exactly as predicted—false vulnerabilities blinking like open doors.
"They're mapping the architecture," I continued. "Careful. Curious. Confident."
Dante stood behind me in the dimmed operations room, arms folded, watching the data unfold on the screens.
"Can you trace them?" he asked.
"Already am."
My fingers moved fast—too fast for doubt. I followed the signal through mirrored servers, bounced nodes, false trails.
Then—
I froze.
"Aria?" Dante said.
"They're not just accessing," I said slowly. "They're adapting."
The signature shifted mid-trace. Smarter than before.
Dominic wasn't observing anymore.
He was playing.
"Can you lock them out?" Dante asked.
"Yes," I said. "But if I do, we lose the trail."
Silence.
Then, firmly: "Take the risk."
I exhaled once. "Okay."
I reversed the flow—turned the decoy into a funnel. The trace sharpened, narrowing.
"There," I whispered. "I've got the source."
A name surfaced.
A shell company.
A hidden director.
A financial loop leading straight back to Veyron Tech.
Proof.
Then the system shuddered.
"They triggered a failsafe," I said sharply. "Trying to wipe their tracks."
"Can you stop it?"
"Yes," I said, teeth clenched. "But it'll expose me."
Dante stepped closer. "I've got you."
I didn't ask what he meant.
I trusted him.
I pushed through.
The data locked. The trace finalized.
Victory.
For exactly three seconds.
Then a new message appeared on my screen—private, direct.
'DOMINIC VEYRON:
Well played, Ghost.'
My blood ran cold. How did he know it was me.
"He knows," I said quietly.
Dante's voice was calm, controlled. "So do we." "Aren't you going to ask me anything. Like how I'm Ghost." I said quietly.
He shook his head " it's fine, I've always had my suspicions, and it's just confirmed. "
He continued, " so you own Ciphershade Security?" I nodded.
" Then why did you agree to work for me?" He asked.
" I also don't know, just felt like having a change in my life, but I swear, I'm not here with any ulterior motives." I said, my heart pounding.
" I know " he said and I breathe a sigh of relief.
I leaned back slowly, heart pounding—not from fear, but from something sharper.
The war had officially begun.
And there was no going back.
********
Lina's POV
I didn't expect to see him again.
Not here.
Not now.
Not when I'd finally convinced myself I was over him.
"Lina?"
That voice.
I turned slowly—and there he was.
Julian Kane.
It's been five years. Nothing in him changed.
Same sharp suit. Same unreadable eyes. Just a little more tired. A little more real.
My heart didn't break.
It stopped.
I didn't plan to meet Julian again.
But somehow, we ended up sitting across from each other in a quiet bar, the noise of the city muted between us.
"You disappeared," I said finally.
He exhaled slowly. "You made it sound like I chose ambition over you."
"You did."
His jaw tightened. "I chose fear. Of failing. Of not being enough."
That landed harder than anger ever could.
"I waited," I whispered. " You left when I needed you the most. You never asked me to wait though, I accept Iwas foolish."
"I know," he said, voice low. "And that's on me. I'm sorry."
Silence stretched—heavy, honest.
"I never stopped caring," he admitted. "I just didn't think I deserved a second chance."
My heart ached. "You don't get forgiveness just because you regret things."
"I'm not asking for forgiveness," he said. "I'm asking for time."
I didn't say yes.
But I didn't say no either.
"You're—" I cleared my throat. "You're in Manchester now?"
"Trying to be," he said lightly. "Looks like you are too."
I laughed, too fast. "I follow good food and bad decisions."
His lips curved. "You always did."
That hurt more than I expected.
We stood there in the crowded bar, pretending this was casual—pretending he hadn't been the one person I never quite let go of.
"I thought you hated running into the past," he said gently.
"I do," I replied. "But some things don't stay buried."
Our eyes held for a beat too long.
And the terrifying part?
I hadn't moved on.
********
Julian's POV
Seeing Lina again wasn't part of my plan.
She was brighter than I remembered. Stronger. And somehow still, the girl who used to call me out when I was hiding behind ambition was no longer there, she's changed.
"You look good," I said.
She rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter me."
I smiled anyway. " We'll meet again. "
I'd walked away once because timing was wrong—careers, pride, distance.
But standing there now, I realized something uncomfortable.
I had lost her but I'll win her back.
I avoided her before now she'll be the center of my attention.
And fate, it seemed, had opinions about that.