LOGIN"Nick!"Ariana's scream echoed through the night. She fell to her knees, holding him tightly as his body became heavier in her arms. Blood covered her hands and stained her clothes, but she did not care. All she cared about was him. "Nick, open your eyes."He did not move. Tears streamed down her face. "No, no, no. You can't do this to me."Around them, chaos erupted. People were shouting. Someone tackled the gunman to the ground. Others were running in every direction. Ariana heard none of it. The world had narrowed to one person. Nick. Claire rushed toward them and knelt beside him. "Move your hand," she said urgently.Ariana looked up at her with wide, frightened eyes. "Help him.""I'm trying."Claire pressed her hands against Nick's wound. "He has lost a lot of blood."The words made Ariana's chest tighten. Victor was suddenly beside them. "We need to get him to a hospital.""Then do something!" Ariana cried.Victor looked around. "The ambulance is still too far away."Ariana look
The sound of the gun clicking echoed through the night. Everyone froze. The man in the shadows held the gun steadily, his eyes fixed on Nick. Ariana's heart nearly stopped. "Nick."She moved instinctively toward him, but Nick quickly grabbed her hand. "Stay back.""No."Her voice trembled. "I said stay back."The firmness in his tone made her stop, but only for a second. The stranger stepped out of the shadows. He was tall and dressed entirely in black. His face was hidden beneath a cap, making it impossible to recognize him. "You've caused enough trouble, Nick," the man said coldly.Nick's expression darkened. "So this is how it ends?""It should have ended a long time ago."Ariana looked between them. "You know him?"Nick did not take his eyes off the gunman. "Unfortunately."The man smiled. "You always were difficult to kill."A chill ran through Ariana. Kill? What was he talking about? She looked at Nick, waiting for an explanation, but his attention remained on the stranger. "You
The entire road fell silent. Nobody moved as the woman stepped out of the black car. She was dressed in a dark coat, and the soft light from the headlights made her face difficult to see. Yet the effect she had on everyone was impossible to ignore. Victor looked stunned. David's face had lost all color. Even Sofia, who had seemed fearless moments ago, took a step backward. Ariana's heart pounded. Who was this woman? Why did everyone look terrified? The woman closed the car door and slowly walked forward. She stopped a few feet away from the group. Her eyes swept over everyone before finally settling on Ariana. A strange expression crossed her face. Sadness. Longing. Regret. Then she smiled faintly. "Hello, Ariana."The sound of her voice made something twist inside Ariana's chest. There was something familiar about it. Something she could not explain. Victor recovered first. "You shouldn't be here."The woman looked at him calmly. "You of all people should know that I never do what I
The sirens grew louder with every passing second. The sound snapped everyone out of their shock. Victor folded the document in his hand and looked toward the road. Several people in dark uniforms were already getting back into their vehicles. "We need to leave," one of them said."No," Victor replied firmly. "Not without the file."Ariana barely heard them. Her mind was still stuck on Nathan's words. It wasn't Sofia. If Sofia had not leaked her information, then who had? She slowly looked around. David stood a few feet away, his face pale. Vanessa looked nervous, and Claire remained beside Nathan, trying to stop the bleeding. Any one of them could be lying. Any one of them could still be hiding something. "Ariana."Nathan's weak voice pulled her back. She immediately knelt beside him. "I'm here."His breathing was uneven, and there was pain in his eyes, but he still looked at her as though she was the only person there. "You have to listen carefully.""You need a hospital."He shook h
Ariana's ears rang after the gunshot. For a moment, nobody moved. The paper slipped from her trembling fingers and floated to the ground. Her eyes searched the darkness, trying to find where the shot had come from, but all she could see were shadows. Then she heard a groan. Nathan. Her heart nearly stopped. Without thinking, she ran toward him. "Nathan!"Claire was already beside him, pressing both hands against his wound. Blood stained her fingers. Nathan's face had become pale, but his eyes immediately found Ariana as she dropped to her knees beside him. "You shouldn't be here," he said weakly.Ariana felt tears filling her eyes. "Stop talking."A faint smile touched his lips. "You always tell me what to do.""This is not the time."His smile widened slightly before pain crossed his face. Around them, chaos erupted. Some people were searching for the shooter. Others were gathering the scattered documents. Voices echoed through the road, but Ariana barely heard any of it.All she car
Ariana could not move. The words echoed inside her head. "Hello, daughter."The stranger stood beneath the headlights, watching her calmly. Everything around her faded into the background. The vehicles. The armed men. Nathan bleeding on the ground. None of it mattered. Only those two words remained. Daughter. Ariana stared at him. Her chest felt tight. "No."The man smiled faintly. "I expected that reaction.""You are not my father."The smile disappeared. Around them, nobody spoke. Not David. Not Claire. Not Vanessa. Not even Sofia. The silence itself frightened Ariana. Because nobody was denying it. Nobody was laughing at the idea. Nobody was calling the man crazy.The stranger slowly walked forward. He appeared to be in his late fifties. His dark hair was touched with gray. His face looked familiar in a strange way. Ariana could not explain it. The more she looked at him, the more she noticed small similarities. The shape of his eyes. The curve of his smile. Things she had never se







