Chapter 4: Secrets in the Silence

The night was thick with tension. Rain beat down against the mansion's tall windows, each drop a drumbeat of doom. I stood by the curtain, barely breathing as the black SUVs idled outside. Men in dark suits moved like phantoms, spreading out across the front lawn with military precision.

Adrian shoved a pistol into the back waistband of his pants. "Upstairs. Now."

My legs moved before my brain caught up. I sprinted up the marble staircase, my heart racing, the sound of my footsteps drowned by the sudden roar of thunder. Behind me, Adrian keyed in a security code to a hidden panel. A wall slid open, revealing a narrow passage.

"This leads to the east tower," he whispered. "There's a hidden surveillance room there. You'll be safe."

I grabbed his arm. "I'm not leaving you."

His eyes flicked to the front door, which rattled under the weight of a heavy knock.

He didn’t argue. Just grabbed my hand, pulling me into the tunnel. The wall sealed behind us, and darkness enveloped us.

"Lights," Adrian muttered. Dim overheads flickered on.

We moved quickly through the tunnel, reaching the surveillance room. Dozens of screens lit up the wall, showing every angle of the estate. The front door burst open. Five men swept in, guns raised.

Adrian's jaw tensed. "Mercenaries. Not law enforcement. My father sent them."

On one screen, a man in a gray overcoat gave orders. I recognized him.

"That's Marcus Hale," I whispered. "He's Gregory's enforcer."

Adrian nodded grimly. "If he's here, they’re not looking to scare us. They’re here to erase us."

I turned to him. "What do we do?"

He took a breath, then started typing furiously on the main console. "We lock down the estate. Trap them inside."

Suddenly, another screen flashed red. The camera feed to the basement level cut off.

"They’ve found the main servers," Adrian said. "If they disable them—"

The lights flickered.

I grabbed his arm. "We need a backup plan."

He looked at me. And for the first time since this nightmare began, he looked unsure.

I stepped forward. "You built this fortress. There has to be a way out."

He swallowed. "There’s a tunnel under the wine cellar. It leads to the cliffs. But it’s a last resort. It’s not secure."

A screen showed the mercenaries splitting up.

“They’re searching room by room,” I said. “We don’t have time.”

Adrian pulled a flash drive from the console. "This has everything—every file we’ve collected. If I don’t make it—"

I shoved it back at him. "We both make it. Or we don’t go at all."

His jaw tightened. Then, he grabbed my hand. "Let’s move."

We slipped out of the surveillance room, back through the hidden corridor. The lights now flickered continuously—like the mansion itself knew it was under siege.

As we reached the wine cellar, I heard footsteps above us.

Adrian unlocked a grate and kicked it open. Cold air wafted from below. I climbed down first, my feet hitting damp stone. He followed, closing the grate above us.

We moved in silence through the tunnel. It was narrow, the air stale, the walls lined with old bricks.

Halfway through, we heard a noise behind us—boots on stone.

“They found the entrance,” Adrian said.

We ran. The tunnel opened up into a cavern. Ahead, moonlight shimmered through an opening that led to the cliffs.

Adrian turned, gun raised. I kept running, emerging into the night air.

The cliffside was wild, waves crashing below. A small speedboat bobbed in the water, tethered to a narrow dock.

Adrian joined me seconds later. We scrambled down the path, wind tearing at our clothes. He started the engine, and the boat roared to life.

Just as the mercenaries burst from the tunnel behind us.

Gunshots cracked the air.

Bullets whizzed past as we sped away, waves slapping the sides of the boat.

We didn’t speak until we were out of sight of the mansion.

Adrian finally exhaled. “That was too close.”

I turned to him. “Your father just declared open war.”

He nodded. “Then we fight back. But this time, we go where he can’t follow.”

By morning, we were at a safe house in the countryside. Adrian’s people met us there—a private doctor for a cut on his arm, two trusted security men, and a hacker named Wren, who looked like she lived on Red Bull and chaos.

She plugged in the flash drive and raised an eyebrow. “This is dynamite. If we leak this, Gregory goes down in flames.”

“Not yet,” Adrian said. “We need more. Something so damning it guarantees he never crawls back.”

Wren smirked. “Then we go digging.”

As they worked, I wandered outside. The world was quiet here. Peaceful. But I couldn’t shake the fear.

I didn’t realize Adrian had followed until he wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

“I thought I could handle this,” I whispered. “But this is bigger than I ever imagined.”

He looked at me. “You’re stronger than you think, Selina.”

I met his gaze. “We’re not just playing with fire anymore. We’re standing in the flames.”

Adrian leaned in, close enough to feel his breath on my skin.

“I’ll protect you,” he said. “Even if it kills me.”

I didn’t want him to die for me.

I wanted us both to live long enough to win.

To be free.

But then Wren called from inside.

“You’re going to want to see this!”

We rushed back in.

On the screen: a series of encrypted files.

One labeled BLACK ORCHID PROJECT – G. BELLINGTON.

Wren clicked it open.

Inside: lists of names, dates, offshore payments, and something else—coordinates.

Adrian paled.

“What is it?” I asked.

He stared at the screen. “It’s not just fraud. It’s human trafficking.”

My stomach dropped.

Gregory Bellington wasn’t just a corrupt billionaire.

He was a monster.

And now, we had the evidence to prove it.

But as the gravity of it settled in, Wren’s laptop beeped.

A tracking alert.

“They’ve found us,” she whispered.

Adrian cursed under his breath.

“Pack everything,” he ordered. “We move in five.”

I turned to the screen one last time, memorizing the horrors written there.

We weren’t just fighting for ourselves anymore.

We were fighting for every soul Gregory had crushed in his shadow empire.

The fire was rising.

And we had just become the match.