All Chapters of TIME TO FALL IN LOVE: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

[The Ash of Empires]The boardroom of the Lu Corporation was no longer a temple of commerce; it had become a suffocating chamber of judgment. As the fire suppression gas hissed from the vents, a heavy, white fog settled over the obsidian table, turning the screaming directors into ghostly silhouettes.Annie was on her knees, her fingers clawing at the mahogany surface. Her eyes were bloodshot, fixed on the leather-bound ledger that sat just inches away. To her, that book wasn't just paper and ink; it was her shield, her leverage, and her ticket back to a life of luxury."Mine!" she shrieked, her voice cracking as the oxygen in the room began to thin. "Jinyan, come back! You can't leave me with her!"She tur

The golden pen felt like a lead weight in Panni’s hand. She stared at the signature line on the document—a legal death warrant for her soul. If she signed, she wasn't just acknowledging herself as a Lu heir; she was becoming a permanent fixture in Madam Lu’s human collection.Madam Lu sat across from her, a predator draped in silk and pearls, her eyes fixed on the pen’s nib. To her left, Sissy was humming that haunting lullaby again, her vacant eyes fixed on a moth fluttering against the artificial sunlight of the window. To her right, Minny stood like a cold, obsidian statue."Seven minutes until the backup servers reboot," Minny’s whisper echoed in Panni’s mind like a lifeline. "Make them count."

The red laser dot on the hood of the SUV flickered like a malevolent eye, steady and unblinking despite the lashing rain. Inside the cramped cabin, the tinny, mechanical melody of the music box seemed to grow louder, filling the space with a childhood lullaby that had been twisted into a death knell.Panni stared at the screen of the phone, her breath hitching in her throat. The voice on the other end hadn't been human; it was a composite, a chilling harmony of tones that suggested her identity was no longer her own—it was property."Jinyan," she whispered, her hands trembling as she reached for the music box. "The dot... it’s a target."Jinyan didn't hesitate. The man who had been a broken shell in the "re-education" room seconds ago was gone, replaced by the cold, tactical survivor who had built an empire in a nest of vipers. He slammed the car into gear, the tires screaming as he pulled a violent U-turn on the narrow mountain overlook."Hold on!" he roared.The SUV surged forward,

Ang ambon ay naging isang malamig na kumot na bumabalot sa bawat sulok ng baybayin. Ang bangkang sinasakyan nina Panni at Jinyan ay dumaong sa isang tagong pantalan sa gilid ng Safe House 44—isang lumang mansyon na gawa sa bato at kahoy, nakatago sa gitna ng mga naglalakihang puno ng pino. Malayo ito sa ningning ng lungsod, malayo sa mga camera, at malayo sa ingay ng Lu Corporation. Ngunit habang papalapit sila, hindi kaligtasan ang naramdaman ni Panni, kundi isang pamilyar na bigat sa kanyang dibdib.Ang susi sa kanyang bulsa ay tila nag-iinit. Ang maliit na piraso ng metal na iniwan ni Annie ay ang tanging gabay niya sa dilim."Sigurado ka ba rito?" tanong ni Jinyan. Ang kanyang boses ay paos, bakas ang pagod ng isang lalaking nawalan ng korona ngunit nakahanap ng kaluluwa. Ang kanyang mukha ay may mga galos pa mula sa pagsabog, ngunit ang kanyang mga mata ay nananatiling nakapako kay Panni."Wala na tayong ibang mapupuntahan, Jinyan," sagot ni Panni. "Ang susi na ito... ito ang hul

Ang ulan ay tila naging karayom na tumutusok sa balat nina Panni at Jinyan habang nakatitig sila sa lumang litrato. Ang pangalang "Jinyan" na nakasulat sa pulang tinta sa tabi ng kanilang mga pangalan ay tila isang sumpa na bumura sa lahat ng kanilang pinaglaban. Kung ang liham na ito ay totoo, ang pag-ibig na nagligtas sa kanila mula sa apoy ay isang malaking pagkakamali—isang trahedya ng kalikasan."Hindi... hindi ito maaari," bulong ni Jinyan. Binitawan niya ang kamay ni Panni na tila ba napaso siya. Ang kanyang mga mata, na kanina lang ay puno ng pagsinta, ay napalitan ng kilabot. "Panni, kung magkadugo tayo... ang lahat ng ito... ang lahat ng naramdaman ko... ito ba ay isang kasalanan?""Jinyan, makinig ka!" pilit na hinahawakan ni Panni ang kanyang braso, ang kanyang boses ay nanginginig sa desperasyon. "Tumingin ka sa akin. Hu