chapter nine

The night wind blew heavy, the trees swaying as if trying to hold on to their roots their last lifeline to the earth.

Each gust roared like an angry spirit, and yet, they stood firm, gripping the soil as thunder cracked across the sky.

"Wrecking Ball" played faintly in the background its echo carried by the wind through the thick forest as Riven's car sliced the darkness like a shadow on a mission.

The music blended with the storm, a strange melody of heartbreak and violence.

It was the kind of night when strangers were never meant to cross paths.

A night when the universe revealed its cruel truths when secrets spilled from their cages, breaking hearts, loyalty, and trust.

A night for forbidden lovers, torn apart by destiny a tragic night where heroes die before their heroines, where the one girl who pulls a man from his darkness exhales her final breath in his arms.

Two souls bound by fate… saying goodbye before they ever truly began.

Riven's eyes flickered toward Bella, sleeping silently beside him.

Her breathing was soft, her face pale against the moonlight that filtered through the windshield.

His heart beat faster, like a rhythm he didn't recognize, like something he thought he had long buried.

She was beautiful , no, beyond beautiful.

There was something angelic about her even in her helplessness.

And that… scared him more than any gun ever could.

Finally, he reached the turn leading to his private home.

Far away from the city. Far away from the noise, the chaos, the men who called him boss.

Here, there was only silence , and the ghosts of the past that refused to die.

He turned the wheel, and the tires crunched softly against the gravel road that led to his property.

The rain had slowed, leaving the forest wet and glistening, the scent of pine heavy in the air.

As the car rolled forward, two massive iron gates appeared ahead, tall and gleaming with silver streaks from the rain.

Riven pressed a small button on his dashboard.

A quiet hum filled the air — the sound of electricity running through the fence lines — and the gates began to open slowly, smoothly, revealing what lay beyond.

Behind those gates stood his secret the place no one knew about.

A mansion built from glass and dark wood, hidden deep in the wilderness.

The outer walls were tall, laced with ivy and faint lights that glowed like fireflies in the mist.

Every inch of the design spoke of isolation — a masterpiece meant to keep the world out and his demons in.

The long driveway curved upward, lined with pine trees and small garden lights that flickered with each step of thunder's echo.

The house itself shimmered faintly beneath the stormlight a giant glass structure framed by rich oak beams, reflecting the night sky like a mirror.

It looked both alive and lonely like a heart still beating in the middle of nowhere.

Riven slowed the car to a crawl, taking in the familiar silence that greeted him every time he came home.

It was beautiful, yes. But beauty couldn't hide emptiness.

And this house this secret sanctuary was the loneliest place on earth.

He parked inside his underground garage, surrounded by rows of untouched luxury cars gleaming beasts of metal and silence.

Machines for show.

Symbols of power.

And yet, he hadn't touched most of them in years.

The engine clicked off.

For a moment, only the rain outside could be heard.

Then he turned his head.

Bella.

Still asleep, fragile and small against the dark leather seat.

Something flickered in his chest again guilt, or maybe something worse.

He didn't like it.

"What's happening to me?" he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his damp hair.

He stepped out of the car, opened her door, and carefully lifted her into his arms.

Her body was light, her head falling softly against his chest.

He could feel her heartbeat faint, steady, alive.

As he walked toward the house, the rain washed over him.

The path lights glowed warmly, guiding his way to the grand wooden steps of his home.

The moment he stepped inside, the doors opened automatically a deep mechanical hum filling the quiet as the security system recognized him.

The entrance stretched wide glass walls revealing the glimmer of the rain outside, golden chandeliers casting soft halos of light across the polished marble floors.

The air smelled faintly of cedar and something nostalgic a reminder of a home he never really had.

He walked slowly through the hall, Bella still in his arms, her breathing calm and even.

Every step echoed against the white-tiled floor, blending with the faint sound of water trickling from an indoor fountain built into one of the glass walls.

Golden light danced across the space, reflecting from the glass and the wooden panels that curved into the ceiling like branches.

Fish swam lazily inside transparent wall tanks ,gliding in silence, free yet trapped in their beautiful prison.

The house was breathtaking.

Riven walked up the wide marble staircase, his footsteps echoing softly through the empty house. The mansion was vast ,not loud or extravagant, but quietly powerful, built with precision and a cold sort of beauty.

Upstairs, his bedroom opened into a hallway with a glass-paneled door that led to his private shower and a sleek gaming room lit by the faint blue glow of LED strips.

Downstairs waited the rest of his empire — a kitchen lined with black marble, a dining hall large enough for twenty yet never used, and an office filled with files, secrets, and weapons locked behind glass. There was also the library — rows of untouched books that smelled faintly of dust and regret.

The seating room stretched wide, a white space of silence.

Couches as pale as snow surrounded a transparent coffee table, and the wall behind it shimmered with a massive screen his only window to the outside world. Blue lights pulsed along the floor, giving the room a calm, almost underwater glow.

But tonight, none of it mattered.

Riven pushed open the door to his bedroom. The rain still whispered outside, tapping gently against the window panes.

He looked down at Bella ,till unconscious, fragile and pale. Her damp hair clung to her cheeks, her eyelashes trembling ever so slightly. He hesitated, then carefully laid her on his bed, the black silk sheets folding around her like shadows.

"Maybe she's hungry," he murmured to himself.

The thought startled him. His own voice sounded foreign too soft, too human.

Then the darkness inside him stirred.

What's wrong with you, Riven?

The voice in his mind cut through his thoughts like a blade.

You're Riven cold-blooded, untouchable. You don't care. You never cared.

His jaw clenched.

She's Mr. White's daughter, the voice sneered. The same man who destroyed your family. The same man who left you with nothing. His blood runs through her veins.

His fists tightened until the veins on his arms burned.

He turned toward her again, and something inside him snapped anger crashing through the faint guilt that had begun to form.

Riven ripped the blanket from her body, tossing it aside with a cold, sharp motion.

"She can freeze for all I care," he muttered, his tone dripping with venom.

He picked up the remote and pressed a button. A soft hum filled the air as the AC dropped to its lowest temperature. The air turned sharp and icy within seconds.

Riven's eyes lingered on her one last time a war flickering silently in his gaze before he turned on his heel and walked away.

The sound of his boots echoed down the hallway.

Behind him, the wind rattled the windows.

And Bella, still trapped in unconsciousness, began to shiver.

Riven entered his office.

The room was lined with dark wood, illuminated only by the silver light of the moon bleeding through the blinds. Stacks of papers covered his desk contracts, maps, lists of names.

He pulled a file toward him, forcing his mind to focus.

Numbers. Signatures. Targets.

But all he could see was her face.

He rubbed his temples, frustration growing in his chest. The more he tried to bury himself in work, the louder her silence became haunting him, echoing between the cracks of his mind.

He got up abruptly and made himself a cup of coffee. The bitter steam rose into the air, filling the office with warmth, but even that didn't reach him.

"Get over it," he muttered. "She's nothing."

But guilt has a strange way of crawling under the skin.

By the time he reached for another file, his hands were shaking.

Finally, he pushed away from the desk and stormed back up the stairs.

The cold hit him before he even entered the room. The air was like ice biting, merciless.

Bella lay curled on the bed, her body trembling uncontrollably, her lips faintly blue.

The sight stopped him in his tracks.

Something twisted inside his chest not pity, not guilt, something else. Something he hadn't felt in years.

Riven sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.

"Damn it…"

He grabbed the remote and turned off the AC. Warm air began to drift through the room.

Then, slowly, he picked up the blanket he had thrown aside and placed it gently over her.

Her fingers twitched slightly at the touch, her breathing soft and shallow.

He didn't understand why he cared.

He didn't want to.

But he couldn't walk away again.

Riven sank into the couch beside the bed, his eyes fixed on her. The rise and fall of her chest steady, calm, alive drew him in like a rhythm he couldn't resist.

Her face was soft now, the tension gone. Her lips parted slightly as she breathed, and the flicker of moonlight resting on her cheek made her seem almost unreal.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and pressed his fingers to his lips, trying to hide the faintest curve forming there.

A smile.

Riven never smiled.

But tonight, as the rain sang softly against the glass and the storm faded into silence, the monster closed his eyes… and for the first time in years, he drifted into sleep.