로그인Roselyn POV “…Stephen Vale just took control of the company.” The words echoed through the gallery like a gunshot. For one second— Everything stopped. The air. The tension. Even Dominic beside me through the earpiece went silent. Then— “How?” Dominic’s voice came low and deadly. Bryan answered immediately. “Emergency board session.” A pause. “Temporary executive override.” “That requires majority support,” Dominic snapped. “Yes.” Bryan hesitated. Then quietly: “…He got it.” The Shift Across the gallery, Victoria watched me carefully. Not smiling now. Observing. And suddenly— I understood something dangerous. Even she hadn’t expected it to happen this fast. “You look surprised,” I said coldly. Victoria tilted her head slightly. “Not surprised.” A pause. “…Interested.” That answer irritated me more than denial would have. Because it confirmed the truth. She had accelerated the chaos— But she wasn’t controlling all of it. Dominic Arrives The gallery do
Roselyn POV “No more screens.” The message glowed coldly against my phone. It’s time we meet properly. Silence filled the penthouse after that. Heavy. Sharp. Dangerous. Dominic took the phone from my hand immediately. His eyes scanned the message once before his expression darkened completely. “No.” One word. Absolute. I leaned back slightly against the desk. “She wants me there.” “She wants access,” he corrected instantly. “She wants control.” The security team continued moving through the penthouse behind us, searching every corner despite already knowing the truth. There had been no intruder. Not physically. Which somehow made Victoria even more terrifying. Bryan’s voice came through the restored comm system. “I’m tracing the message route now.” “You won’t find her,” I said quietly. A pause. Then Bryan sighed. “…Probably not.” Because Victoria never sent anything directly. Every move was layered. Every signal routed. Every action intentional. Dominic
Roselyn POV The lights died instantly. No warning. No flicker. Just darkness swallowing the entire penthouse in one violent breath. For half a second— Silence. Then everything moved at once. “Stay behind me.” Dominic’s hand closed around my wrist immediately, pulling me toward him. Not rough. Instinctive. Protective. Somewhere beyond the walls, alarms tried to activate— Then failed. “That’s impossible,” Bryan’s voice crackled through the dead communication line before cutting out completely. The emergency backup should have activated automatically. It didn’t. Which meant— This wasn’t just a breach. It was control. The Darkness The city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows glowed faintly against the night skyline, barely illuminating the room. Enough to see shapes. Movement. Shadows. Dominic’s posture shifted instantly. One arm around me. The other already reaching beneath the table drawer. A gun. Cold fury settled over his features as he checked it
Roselyn POV “Tell me she doesn’t know.” Dominic’s voice was quiet. Too quiet. Not calm. Controlled. Dangerously controlled. The hospital corridor felt colder now. The fluorescent lights above us hummed softly, but the sound only made the silence heavier. Bryan remained frozen on the other end of the call, waiting. Watching. Listening. For my answer. I looked at the screen one last time. The extracted file log remained there. Partial access. Incomplete retrieval. But enough. More than enough. Slowly, I lifted my gaze to Dominic. And for the first time since this began— I stopped calculating. Stopped strategizing. Stopped pretending this was still just another battle. “She knows enough,” I said quietly. The words landed harder than shouting ever could. Dominic’s jaw tightened instantly. Not surprise. Not disbelief. Acceptance. Cold and immediate. “Bryan,” he said without looking away from me. “Lock everything down.” His tone shifted. Not business. Not
Roselyn POV “…She’s going after you.” Bryan’s words didn’t echo. They settled. Heavy. Immediate. “Where?” Dominic asked. Already moving. Already shifting into action. Bryan’s fingers flew across the screen. Tracking. Tracing. “…It’s not direct,” he said. A pause. “…She’s rerouting through an external node.” “Location?” I asked. Bryan hesitated. Then— “…The hospital.” Impact The room went still. Not from shock. From recognition. “She’s not attacking you,” Dominic said quietly. “She’s targeting access to you.” Movement “Lock it down,” he ordered immediately. “Security override.” “No unauthorized personnel.” His tone left no room for delay. Bryan nodded. “Sending alerts now.” “Reinforcing system barriers.” “But if she already has someone inside—” “Then we find them,” Dominic cut in. Roselyn’s Mind This wasn’t random. Nothing she did ever was. “She’s testing proximity,” I said. Dominic’s gaze shifted to me. “Not just data.” “Access.” The Real Thre
Roselyn POV The system was quiet again. Too quiet. Bryan’s screens showed stability—no active breach, no visible intrusion. But I knew better. “She’s not done,” Bryan said. “No,” I replied. “She’s just waiting.” A Different Kind of Calm Dominic stood beside me, his presence steady. Protective. Watching me more than the screens. “You should rest,” he said quietly. I shook my head. “If I step back now, she steps in.” A pause. “And next time, she won’t just look.” The Decision Hiding wasn’t enough anymore. Containment wasn’t enough. Defense— Was over. I turned toward Bryan. “Pull everything we have on her.” He frowned. “We already did. There’s barely anything solid—” “Not public,” I cut in. “Hidden structures.” “Patterns.” “Anything that doesn’t belong.” His expression shifted. Understanding. “You’re going after her directly.” “Yes.” The Hunt Begins Victoria didn’t leave obvious traces. She erased. Rebuilt. Layered herself behind systems and people.







