Renault suddenly understood everything. 

"Finally! Owen, you pathetic fool. You thought you could outsmart me?" Renault laughed, his voice dripping with disdain. "No wonder you were always trailing behind your puppet-master, Wang Jian! You thought you could scheme against me? Think again!"

Wang Jian stood silently, his face darkening, unwilling to meet Renault’s gaze but too afraid to speak out.

"Enough!" Renault barked. "Stop wasting time. Go ahead, transmit the clearance codes to me. Don’t make me repeat myself. If you want to live through tonight, you’ll do exactly what I say, or I’ll blow Owen’s head off right now."

Wang Jian scrambled to comply. "Yes, yes! We’ll send them over right away! Owen, just do what he says."

The men around Wang Jian, hesitant but motivated by fear and greed, started processing the clearance. They wanted no part of Renault’s fury, especially not when their reward was a hefty sum of a hundred thousand dollars—more than enough for them to comply without hesitation.

Renault smiled coldly as the transfer of data to his control panel was completed. The codes were now his. He kicked Owen, sending him tumbling across the floor. "Get out of here! I don’t want to see your blood staining my villa."

Owen lay groaning, clutching his leg, but the look he gave Renault wasn’t one of submission. No, it was pure, unadulterated hatred. As he was dragged out by Wang Jian and his cronies, Renault watched with cool detachment, considering whether he should end it all right there. But no. He’d let them limp away for now—there were bigger things at play.

Once they were gone, Renault turned back to Grace, who had been watching the entire scene unfold with quiet intensity. Her eyes, still puffy from the earlier events, now showed a mixture of fear and respect for Renault’s ruthlessness.

Renault’s voice softened. "Grace, I’m sorry you got dragged into this. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen to you..."

Before he could finish, Grace suddenly burst into tears and flung herself into Renault’s arms. 

Renault was taken by surprise, feeling the warmth of her soft frame against him. The faint scent of jasmine clung to her, making the moment feel surreal. He awkwardly patted her back, trying to calm her.

As Grace cried against him, Renault realized how much she had been holding in. She had been so strong, so composed, even while under threat. But now that it was over, her defenses crumbled. 

"She’s been so brave," Renault thought, tightening his grip around her, offering her the safety and protection she desperately needed.

Gradually, Grace’s sobs slowed, and she pulled away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. Renault looked at her, seeing the mix of relief and vulnerability on her face. 

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I... I didn’t know what was going to happen tonight. I thought..." She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

Renault looked at her, his expression unreadable. "You don’t have to thank me. I got you into this mess. But it’s over now. You’re safe."

Grace blinked at him, her emotions still raw. "Safe? What about you? You just shot Owen. What happens now?"

Renault smirked, his expression hardening. "I don’t care about Owen. He got what he deserved. But you? You’re going to forget about him. He’s not worth your thoughts. You’re better than this."

For a moment, there was silence between them as Grace processed his words. Then, just as Renault was about to speak again, something on his left arm beeped. The countdown had finished.

Grace noticed the change in Renault’s demeanor as he looked down at the data flashing on his wrist device. She tilted her head in confusion. "What’s that?"

Renault straightened up, his voice measured. "It’s a timer. I had about thirty seconds left, but now... I’m in control."

He explained briefly to Grace about the system they had been fighting over—a resource allocation system critical for survival in the coming apocalypse. Grace’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"You knew all this time?" she asked, shocked. "You knew this was coming?"

Renault nodded. "I’ve been preparing for this for months. Everything Owen and Wang Jian did tonight was meaningless. This world is about to change, Grace. And you need to be ready."

Grace’s face was a mix of emotions—confusion, fear, disbelief. "But... what do we do now?"

Renault gave her a calm, reassuring smile. "Now? Now, we survive."

---

In the dimly lit hospital, Owen’s voice was filled with venom. "Wang Jian, we need to take Renault down. I’m not going to let him get away with this."

Wang Jian nodded, his expression grim. "I agree, but we need to be smart about this. Renault isn’t someone we can just take out. He’s prepared for all of this."

Owen seethed with rage. "Then what’s the plan? We can’t let him walk away from this!"

Wang Jian’s eyes narrowed. "We don’t have much time. Whatever plan we come up with, we need to act fast. The world is about to change, and Renault is ahead of us. If we’re not careful, he’ll have the upper hand in the new world order."

Owen winced in pain as the doctor bandaged his leg. "We have to make him suffer."

---

Back at the villa, Renault was already calculating his next move. The apocalypse had already begun—though most of the world was still blissfully unaware. The cold winds outside were a precursor to the chaos that would soon unfold. He knew it was coming. He had prepared for it, but now it was time to put his plan into action.

"Grace," Renault said, turning toward her, "we need to leave. This place won’t be safe for long."

Grace looked at him, her confusion deepening. "Where are we going?"

Renault’s eyes darkened. "There’s a shelter. A place I’ve been building for months. It’s fully stocked, and it’ll keep us safe."

Grace blinked, struggling to comprehend the enormity of what Renault was saying. "You really believe the world is ending?"

Renault didn’t hesitate. "Yes. It’s happening right now. And if we don’t act fast, we’ll be caught in the storm."

Grace nodded slowly, a sense of dread settling over her. "Then let’s go."

---

As the car sped toward their destination, the temperature continued to drop. Renault glanced at the dashboard, noting the plummeting numbers. The bitter cold was setting in faster than expected.

"Renault," Grace said softly from the passenger seat, her voice filled with uncertainty. "What if we don’t make it?"

Renault kept his eyes on the road, his grip tightening on the wheel. "We will."

Grace remained silent, but the fear in her eyes told him everything. She didn’t know what was coming, but she trusted Renault enough to follow him into the unknown.

And Renault, with his steely resolve, was determined to protect her. No matter what.

---

Owen, now bandaged and lying in the hospital bed, could feel the cold creeping in. His breath misted in the air as he spoke through clenched teeth. "Renault... I’ll make you pay for this. I swear it."

Wang Jian stood by the window, watching the frost creep up the glass. "You’d better hope we have enough time, Owen. Because Renault isn’t the only thing we have to worry about anymore."

Owen sneered, his anger boiling over. "I don’t care about the apocalypse. I care about revenge."

But even as Owen spoke, he couldn’t shake the growing dread in the pit of his stomach. The temperature continued to drop, and soon, even revenge would seem like a distant memory.

---

End of Chapter 13.