Semua Bab The Billionaire’s Erased Love: Bab 11 - Bab 20

The intercom went silent.No static.No crackle.Just a dead, humming quiet.Lila’s breath fogged the air as the chill in the penthouse deepened. Her heart thudded hard enough to hurt. Dominic didn’t move. He stood in front of her, shoulders tight, fists curled at his sides. The guards were already fanning through the room with weapons drawn, checking corners and shadows as if the walls themselves had teeth.“Trace that signal,” Dominic ordered.One guard rushed to the built-in console near the elevator. Another checked the vents. A third pointed a flashlight at the ceiling panels, scanning for hidden lenses.“It didn’t come from outside the tower,” a tech muttered from behind the kitchen counter. “Signal came from the executive floors.”“Impossible,” another guard whispered.“It wasn’t remote,” the tech insisted, voice trembling. “Someone tapped directly into the penthouse audio line.”Lila’s stomach twisted.“Meaning what?” she asked.The tech swallowed. “Meaning… whoever spoke just

The elevator doors finished sliding open with a soft hydraulic sigh.Empty.No attacker.No shadow.Not even a footprint on the polished floor.Just cold air spilling into the hallway like breath from something invisible.The guards advanced in formation, sweeping the corridor with weapons drawn. Dominic didn’t move, didn’t speak. His hand remained outstretched, a protective bar across Lila’s waist as she stood behind him, tense as wire.A guard stepped into the elevator, scanned it with a handheld device, and stiffened.“Sir…” His voice cracked. “The elevator arrived with… weight registered.”Lila’s pulse stuttered. “Weight?”The guard swallowed hard. “Yes. One occupant.”He lowered the device.“Then the elevator left with none.”Dominic’s face went bloodless.Invisible?No. Lila’s mind hissed, not invisible.Someone who slipped past the sensors.Someone trained for this.Dominic turned sharply. “Initiate full lockdown. Now.”Metal shutters crashed down over the penthouse windows.Se

Darkness swallowed the penthouse in a single blink.Not a flicker.Not a dimming.Just black.Lila gasped as the lights cut, plunging the hall into a suffocating void. Eli whimpered against her chest. Dominic grabbed both of them instantly, one arm around Lila’s shoulder, the other pulling Eli into his side.“Don’t move,” he breathed.Flashlights snapped on—sharp beams slashing across walls, floors, ceilings. Shadows jumped and jittered in the sudden light, making the hallway feel smaller, tighter, too alive.A guard’s voice crackled through the dark: “Sir, blackout confirmed. It was localized to the penthouse level only.”Only?Lila’s skin crawled as she whispered.Dominic cursed under his breath. “Someone wanted this place dark.”Emergency lights sputtered on, bathing the corridor in a dim red glow. It looked like the tower had begun to bleed.“Move,” Dominic ordered. “We’re taking the stairs.”Lila’s heart hammered as they hurried toward the private stairwell. Dominic didn’t let go

Night pressed against the glass of Hale Tower like a living thing.The storm was quiet, but the sky hadn’t cleared; instead it hung low and bruised over the skyline, smearing shadows across the penthouse floors. The emergency lights still hummed faintly along the walls, soft red glows marking doors and exits, as if the tower were still holding its breath.Lila finally coaxed Eli to sleep after the day’s terror had frayed his nerves. She tucked him under a blanket, smoothing his curls over his forehead, whispering to him the same calm promises she wished someone had whispered to her.“You’re safe. I’m here. No one is taking you.”Her voice didn’t waver, but that was her talent. Breaking quietly.When she stepped out of his room, she found Dominic standing at the far end of the penthouse, staring out at the storm-muted city. He didn’t turn when she approached, and she didn’t speak. Something in the rigid line of his back kept her silent.Then he walked away without a word, disappearing

For a moment, Lila couldn’t breathe.Dominic stood frozen beside her, the photograph still clutched in his hand; her in the hospital bed, Eli only hours old, and a stranger in Hale Enterprises clothing watching from the doorway like a ghost stitched into her past.She felt sick.Eli tugged at her shirt hem, oblivious. “Mommy, what’s wrong?”She knelt quickly, kissing the top of his head. “Nothing, sweetheart. Go get your crayons. I’ll be right there.”Eli ran down the hall.Only then did she whisper, “Dominic… why would someone from your company be watching me that day?”His throat worked as he stared at the photo. “I don’t know. I swear to you, I don’t know why this exists.” His pulse beat visibly at his jaw. “But this wasn’t accidental. Someone put this under my door tonight.”“And they were at the hospital six years ago,” Lila whispered.He lifted his gaze to hers.It wasn’t anger.It was fear.“We need to find him,” Dominic said. “Whoever he is.”Lila swallowed hard. “What if he f