LOGINThe next day, Zara sat at the edge of the bed with her arms folded tightly across her chest, watching the doctor speak like the words were coming from underwater. Something about observation complete, something about rest, something about follow-up. She only caught fragments. “—stable now.” “—you can be discharged.” The door clicked before she even looked up properly. Sebastian was already inside, he didn’t rush but the tension in his shoulders moved faster than his feet. His eyes went straight to her first, not the doctor, not Chloe standing near the corner. “You’re leaving today,” he said flatly. Zara exhaled like she was already tired of the sentence. “I heard the doctor.” Chloe shifted slightly, watching both of them like she was standing too close to a fire she couldn’t fully predict. The doctor cleared his throat. “She can recover at home with proper supervision.” Zara’s head snapped slightly. “I don’t need supervision.” Sebastian didn’t even look at her when he repl
The moment they arrived at the hospital, everything became chaotic. Doctors and nurses rushed toward them immediately the second Sebastian stepped out of the car carrying Zara in his arms. Questions were flying around, stretchers were being pushed forward, footsteps echoed across the emergency entrance but Sebastian barely heard any of it. His attention was fixed on one person. “Sir, we need to examine her.” Sebastian finally loosened his grip carefully as they placed Zara on the stretcher. Even then his hand remained wrapped around hers like letting go would somehow make her disappear again. “Sebastian…” Her weak voice made him lean down immediately. “I’m here.” Zara looked exhausted, her lips dry, eyes barely staying open. “Your hand…” Sebastian glanced down briefly at the blood staining his sleeve before looking back at her. “I’m fine.” That was clearly a lie even the doctor noticed. “You need treatment too, sir.” “I said I’m fine.” The doctor looked like he wanted t
"Sebastian". Sebastian rushed toward the door immediately, grabbing the handle roughly and trying to force it open, but it refused to move. “Zara!” No response came this time, his chest tightened painfully. He slammed his shoulder against the metal door hard enough for the sound to echo through the hallway. The impact sent pain shooting through his already injured arm, blood staining more of his shirt, but Sebastian acted like he couldn’t feel it. “Move back,” one of the men shouted behind him. Sebastian ignored him completely and hit the door again with his full body weight. The metal shook violently. Nathan grabbed him roughly, “You’re injured!” “She’s in there!” Sebastian snapped, shoving him away immediately before slamming himself against the door again. The men exchanged glances before rushing forward to help. “Blow it.” Within seconds, one of them planted the charge while the others stepped back quickly. “Clear!” The explosion tore through the door instantly, smo
The atmosphere inside the warehouse changed instantly. One of the men rushed in hurriedly, breathing heavily as he looked toward the masked figure standing by the window. “We’ve been tracked.” “How far?” “Not far enough to stay.” The man cursed under his breath before running a hand through his hair aggressively. “Pack everything, now!.” The others immediately started moving around the building, grabbing bags, shutting systems down, clearing every trace they could. For the first time since Zara got there, she could hear uncertainty in their voices that meant Sebastian was close. The door to her room suddenly opened. Light flooded in sharply, making Zara squint immediately after being trapped in darkness for hours. Her breathing was uneven already, the lack of ventilation draining whatever strength she had left. “Move.” She didn’t, the knife remained hidden carefully beneath her sleeve. “I said move.” He grabbed her arm roughly, dragging her out before she could react pro
Sebastian had crossed the point of patience hours ago. The moment the files from the senator arrived, the entire atmosphere in the office changed completely. Men who were never supposed to exist had started moving quietly behind the scenes, calls were being made to people with too much power, and suddenly doors that should have stayed locked were opening for him without resistance. Nathan dropped another file on the table. “The hacker traced movement around the east industrial route. Three abandoned properties had signal interference around the same time as the call.” Sebastian grabbed the file immediately. “Which one.” “We still don’t know yet.” “That’s not good enough.” Nathan inhaled carefully. “We’re narrowing it down.” Sebastian looked up sharply. “While you narrow it down she’s trapped with some psychopath.” Sebastian turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window, his jaw tight as he stared at the city below him like it had personally offended him. “Release everyone.” Na
Chloe was already dialing before the line completely went dead. Her hands were trembling so badly she almost dropped the phone, her chest tightening with every second that passed. Zara’s voice kept replaying in her head over and over again. “Chloe...” Then nothing, no goodbye, no explanation. Just silence and the sound of struggle before the call disconnected. “Pick up… please pick up…” The second Sebastian answered, Chloe spoke immediately. “She’s alive.” “What happened,” he asked finally, his voice calm in a way that made her panic even more. “She called me,” Chloe rushed out. “I heard her voice, Sebastian. She sounded scared and then someone grabbed her, I heard it.” Sebastian stood up so fast the chair behind him crashed against the floor. Nathan looked up immediately. “When was this?” Sebastian asked sharply. “Just now, a few seconds ago.” Sebastian was already moving, “Nathan.” Nathan grabbed the laptop immediately. “What happened?” “She called.” Nathan’s finger







