《A HEART REBORN IN RUIN》全部章節：第 41 章 - 第 46 章

Mateo's Pov "What... are you trying to say?" I lowered my voicemail gently locking the car door, as the clunk echoed in the sterile quiet of the underground garage. And supporting the limping Silas over my shoulders, we began the slow, painful walk towards the private elevator. "I'm saying that I want to help you," Lance's smooth voice continued, "and in return, you will need to help me.""That's not the issue," I forced my mind to work through the fog of pain and adrenaline, then eased Silas to lean against the elevator wall as I pressed the button for the 19th floor. The doors slid shut with a whisper, sealing us in a mirrored, brightly lit box before I leaned my tired back against the cool metal wall, feeling the subtle gravitational tug as we began to ascend. I then rolled my eyes toward the harsh fluorescent lights on the ceiling. "Aren't you forgetting something... Sir Lance?"There was a deliberate pause on the other end. "What?" his tone remained pleasant, but a thread of

Riya's pov “No.” She tapped a monitor displaying a wireframe map of the surrounding area, and a single, blinking red dot pulsed at the edge of the property line. “Anyone who enters the perimeter of this space that isn’t holding the access card, or isn’t with someone who holds it, is tagged as an intruder. The system doesn’t make mistakes.” She finally turned to look at me, and the hard certainty in her eyes extinguished my last bit of hope. “And besides… It’s still too early for any of them to return. Way too early.”Now the sterile, safe space suddenly felt like a glass box in a shooting gallery. “So…” I blinked, darting my eyes to the dark, reinforced windows, then back to her as I clutched my hands tightly against my chest. “So… what do we do?”“We have to lock the whole place down.” She was already typing, executing commands, and before long, a series of heavy, mechanical clunks echoed through the building as external blast doors engaged.“But we don’t know who they are yet,” I

Riya's pov The air around the entrance corridor went from tense to brittle and the hum of hidden machinery seemed to grow louder.“Are you…” Mateo’s voice came out low, without hiding the edge beneath, and his tired but sharply focused eyes slid past me and locked onto Nova. “…holding her against her will?”Nova didn’t flinch. If anything, a spark of challenge lit in her cool gaze, and she leaned forward, just in a fraction. “And what if I am?”I felt my stomach drop. Oh, please, Nova, I screamed internally, clenching my teeth so hard my jaw ached. Don’t make things more difficult than they already are.I saw Mateo’s chest rise and fall with a deep, steadying breath as he returned his gaze towards me, before shifting his weight, preparing to step forward—into the space, forcing me to act on pure instinct.“Wait.” I shot my arm out, facing my palm flat toward him. He stopped, widening his eyes slightly in surprise and the sight of my own hand, trembling just a little, suspended in th