The Billionaire’s Dangerous Secret
But an old, quiet operational room—half-light, half-shadow, filled with dormant terminals and unfinished code structures that looked like they had been abandoned mid-thought.
Nikolai Varel was already there.
Waiting.
Not surprised.
Not even standing defensively.
Just… present.
Like he had already calculated this moment long before she arrived.
“You came,” he said simply.
Lena stopped a few meters away from him.
“No more calls,” she said. “No more messages. No more games.”
A faint expression crossed his face—not amusement, not surprise.
Recognition.
“You’re louder in person,” Nikolai said.
Lena’s voice sharpened. “Tell me the truth about Project VESPER.”