All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRES DARK SIDE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Beneath The RuinThe first light of dawn crept through the cracks in the cabin’s wooden walls, slicing across the room in pale, golden beams. Natasha stirred awake to the smell of smoke and rain and the faint sound of movement.Lucas was already up.He stood near the table, wearing his half-buttoned shirt, his holster strapped tight against his shoulder. The morning light caught on his wristwatch, glinting with the same precision he carried in every movement. He hadn’t noticed she was awake, or maybe he had and just didn’t want to break the silence.For a moment, she simply watched him.The man who’d once seemed untouchable now looked… human. His hair was slightly tousled, his shirt stained from the night before, and his eyes, though focused, carried the weight of sleepless years.When their eyes met, something unspoken lingered between them, not awkwardness, but understanding. The kiss from last night hung in the air like a fragile secret neither dared to name.“You should rest a lit

The AftermathThe rain had stopped, but the world still felt drenched in ruin.Smoke drifted across the horizon like ghosts reluctant to leave, carrying with it the metallic tang of fire and blood. Natasha blinked against the harsh light of morning, the wind cold against her torn skin.They had made it out, barely.Lucas was slumped against a fallen tree a few feet away, his shirt torn and streaked with blood. His face was pale but alive. She crawled to him, voice breaking.“Lucas! Lucas…hey, stay with me”His eyes flickered open, clouded with pain but still sharp enough to find her face. “You okay?”She nodded, breath trembling. “I should be asking you that. You’re bleeding”“It’s nothing,” he rasped, wincing as he tried to sit up. “We need to move before…”A violent cough cut him off. She pressed her hand to his chest. “You’re not moving anywhere until I know you’re breathing right.”The forest was silent except for th

Echoes of ControlThe forest was colder now.Dawn broke like a wounded thing, pale light spilling through broken branches as if afraid to touch the ground.They had packed what little they could carry, weapons, the drive Derrick recovered, and silence. Too much silence.Lucas walked ahead, every movement slow but purposeful. His body was healing, but his mind was somewhere Natasha couldn’t reach, somewhere behind those haunted eyes that refused to rest.Derrick followed behind them, his gaze scanning the path. He’d barely spoken since they left the cabin. Maybe he was lost in his own ghosts, or maybe he was hiding something.Natasha’s thoughts drifted back to the flash drive Derrick found.Her genetic code, “activation protocol.”What did that even mean?She had been created for something she didn’t choose, tied to a system still pulsing underground.And Adrian… still alive.Still waiting.They reached an old communica

The Awakening ProtocolWhen Natasha opened her eyes, the world wasn’t the same.She wasn’t sure how long she’d been unconscious, only that the air smelled of smoke and salt. Waves crashed somewhere beyond the horizon. The sky above her shimmered between dawn and dusk, light and shadow bleeding into one another like they couldn’t decide which should win.She sat up slowly. The landscape around her was unrecognizable, a half-collapsed warehouse near the coastline, flames still licking at the ruins of what had once been the Salvador facility.Lucas was beside her, kneeling, blood on his temple.“Natasha. Can you hear me?”She blinked, trying to focus. “I… I saw her.”He froze. “Amara?”Natasha nodded. “Not out there. Inside. She’s not gone.”Lucas’s jaw tightened. “The integration’s active.”“What does that mean?” she asked, voice trembling.He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached into his jacket, pulling out a small black device, a neural scanner. “I need to check something.”H

RebootThe hospital lights were too white, too clean for what she remembered.Natasha blinked against the brightness, every breath feeling like it came from someone else’s lungs. A steady beeping followed her pulse, grounding her somewhere between sleep and waking.The ceiling wasn’t the cabin’s, nor the vault’s. This was a hospital.For a moment, she couldn’t move.Then came the voice, low, rough, familiar.“Easy… don’t push it.”She turned her head slowly. Lucas sat beside the bed, arm in a sling, exhaustion carved deep into his face. He still managed a small, crooked smile.“You look terrible,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.He huffed a soft laugh. “You should see the other guy.”Her lips twitched. “There was no other guy.”He leaned closer, eyes soft but sharp with relief. “Then you already know how much trouble you put me through.”She swallowed, throat aching. “How long…?”“Three days.” He brushed