Water traced jagged lines down the glass.

A dark SUV picked up speed fast, riding their tail.

Her fingers pressed hard against the edge of the chair. Aria stayed still, knuckles whitening. The moment stretched without sound. Only her breath broke the silence. Stillness held the room tight.

Aria: “Kael… they’re getting closer.”

Again, Kael glanced at the rearview mirror.

Quiet settled across his face instead of change.

Too calm.

Kael: “I see them.”

A sudden wobble came over the SUV, closing the gap fast - just meters away. It jerked sideways again, gaining ground without warning.

Aria’s voice rose.

Aria: “You’re way too relaxed about this!”

Kael eased into the gas.

Forward it went, the car jumping ahead.

Kael: “I’m thinking.”

Aria: “Think faster!”

Right behind came the SUV.

Every turn Kael took

They copied.

Aria turned her head once more.

Aria: “They’re definitely following us.”

Kael sighed.

Kael: “Unfortunately, yes.”

Aria: “So what’s the plan?”

Kael jerked the steering wheel hard.

A sharp turn sent it down an unmarked path.

Kael: “The plan is not letting them reach your house.”

Aria blinked.

Aria: “Wait… what?”

Kael: “If they know where you live, this won’t stop.”

Aria swallowed.

He was right.

Yet fear still clung thick despite knowing better.

Footprints in the gravel showed where it had passed before. The SUV moved forward on tires heavy with mud.

Still following.

Aria: “They’re really committed to this kidnapping vibe.”

Kael smirked faintly.

Kael: “They’re not kidnappers.”

Aria: “That’s not comforting!”

Faster now, Kael twisted between cars like smoke caught in wind.

Puddles spread across the pavement, leaving surfaces slick beneath passing feet.

Aria’s heart pounded.

Aria: “Are you good at this?”

Kael looked her way.

Kael: “You mean driving?”

Aria: “Yes!”

Kael shrugged.

Kael: “I’ve had practice.”

Aria stared.

Aria: “Why would a CEO need practice escaping people in cars?”

Kael didn’t answer.

Stillness crept in like it had something to hide.

Very suspicious.

Aria groaned.

Aria: “Why do I feel like your life is secretly an action movie?”

Kael pivoted hard around the next bend.

A sudden lurch backward, then the SUV pulled up close - only to steady itself just as fast.

Still there.

Still chasing.

Kael: “Hold on.”

Aria: “I already am!”

A sharp turn led him into a tight passageway without warning.

The SUV hesitated.

Then followed.

Aria looked around.

Aria: “Where are we going?”

Kael smiled slightly.

Kael: “Somewhere they won’t expect.”

________________________________________

Ten Minutes Later

Slowing came over the car like a breath held too long.

Fog curled around the rooftops where they stepped into the riverside streets. Silence hung thick between the houses close to the water's edge.

Old warehouses.

Dim streetlights.

Empty roads.

Aria looked confused.

Aria: “This place looks like the setting of a crime documentary.”

Kael slowed the vehicle to a stop.

Aria: “…Why are we stopping?”

Kael shut down the machine.

His eyes met hers without delay.

Kael: “Because we lost them.”

Spinning fast, Aria faced the opposite way.

Footprints led away from where the vehicle had been parked.

Completely.

She exhaled heavily.

Aria: “Oh thank god.”

Her eyes turned toward him once more.

Aria: “Wait.”

Her eyes narrowed.

Aria: “You lost them on purpose.”

Kael eased into the chair, arms loose at his sides.

Kael: “Maybe.”

Aria fixed her gaze upon him.

Aria: “You’ve done this before.”

Kael said nothing.

A clear sign, really.

Aria moved her head from side to side.

Aria: “You’re a very suspicious CEO.”

Kael smiled slightly.

Kael: “I’ve been called worse.”

Back she slumped into the chair.

Energy trickled away like water through fingers.

Briefly, a thought snapped into her mind.

Aria: “My brother.”

Kael nodded.

Kael: “We’ll go there soon.”

Aria: “Soon?”

Out came Kael, pushing the car door wide.

Kael: “First, I need to show you something.”

Aria frowned.

Aria: “Why do I feel like every time you say that my life gets more complicated?”

Foot hitting pavement first, Kael left the car behind.

Kael: “Because it usually does.”

She moved after him, slow and unsure. A quiet step behind, her feet dragging on the path he took.

Into the shadow of a massive warehouse they moved, step by slow step.

It looked abandoned.

Rusty metal doors.

Broken windows.

Aria folded her arms tight across her chest.

Aria: “This is definitely where people hide secrets.”

A sequence of numbers appeared under Kael's fingers, pressed one by one onto a small panel tucked next to the frame. The Vossies sat flush against the wall, unnoticed unless you knew where to look.

Aria’s eyes widened.

A loud click came from the thick door. It swung open slowly.

She blinked.

Aria: “Okay… that’s suspicious.”

A shove came from Kael against the door. It swung wide.

Kael: “Come inside.”

Aria hesitated.

Aria: “Just to be clear… this isn’t where you secretly eliminate employees, right?”

Kael turned his eyes toward her.

Dead serious.

Kael: “Only on Mondays.”

Aria gasped.

Kael held his expression flat - just long enough for silence to settle between heartbeats.

Then he laughed.

First met flesh when Aria struck. His arm bore the sudden impact without warning.

Aria: “That’s not funny!”

They stepped inside.

Bright glow filled the room by itself. The space lit up without anyone touching a switch.

Aria froze.

Filled from wall to wall, the warehouse held nothing but machines. Technology packed every corner, silent under dim lighting.

Screens.

Servers.

Security systems.

City maps.

It looked like a secret operations centre.

A quiet hush fell as her lips parted. Slowly, a gap appeared between them.

Aria: “…What is this place?”

Last thing Kael did was shut the door after stepping through.

Now his voice was softer.

Serious.

Kael: “This is where I’ve been fighting my uncle.”

Aria fixed her eyes on him.

Still sorting through it all.

Aria: “You’ve been running a secret operation?”

Kael nodded.

Kael: “For three years.”

Into the room Aria moved, step by slow step.

Looking at all the screens.

Financial reports.

Company data.

Surveillance feeds.

Fragments of thought began to link together inside her mind.

Only after a long pause did she face him again.

Aria: “Kael…”

His eyes stayed on her, slow and steady. Then a breath passed while he took it all in.

Aria: “Are you secretly running Orion from here?”

For a moment, Kael stayed silent. Then his voice came slow, like it had to climb up from somewhere deep.

He moved in the direction of a big screen instead.

Pressed a button.

A piece of paper showed up on the display.

Aria stepped closer.

Her eyes widened.

A shareholder report came out of nowhere. It arrived without warning.

Ownership percentages.

Out of nowhere, her voice dropped to a whisper. Then silence filled the space between words.

Aria: “…Kael.”

His eyes met hers.

Her finger moved toward the display. The image caught her eye. There it was, clear and still.

Aria: “You own 51% of Orion.”

Empty air settled between them. Stillness took hold where words had been.

Kael nodded slowly.

Kael: “Yes.”

Aria opened her eyes, then closed them again a few times.

Still catching my breath after that shocker dropped.

Aria: “So the board… doesn’t actually control the company?”

Kael moved his head from side to side, slow at first, then a little sharper.

Kael: “They think they do.”

Staring didn’t come easily, yet Aria fixed her eyes on him. Disbelief hung heavy in the way she stood there.

Aria: “You’ve been pretending to be just the CEO.”

Kael nodded again.

Kael: “Exactly.”

Fingers slid up into her hair, palms following close behind.

Aria: “This is insane.”

Her eyes turned to meet his once more.

Aria: “Why tell me?”

Kael hesitated.

Then answered honestly.

Kael: “Because now you’re involved.”

Aria sighed.

Aria: “Fantastic.”

Without warning - a monitor let out a sharp beep.

Kael turned quickly.

An alarm lit up the display without warning. The message appeared suddenly, sharp and clear. Bright letters spelled trouble in an instant. A notice showed itself fast, catching attention right away.

Aria walked closer.

Her stomach dropped.

A flicker on the display revealed moving images from a lens pointed at the room. It wasn’t recorded - happening right then, visible in real time.

Out on the sidewalk, she left from her apartment building.

A pair of guys stood by the door. Outside waited two fellows near the opening.

The guy from the parking garage turned up among them.

A figure from Kael's past stood there - his uncle. Not a stranger, yet not quite familiar either.

Aria whispered.

Aria: “They found my house.”

Frost settled into Kael's face, stilling every feature.

After a pause, his voice dropped to a whisper

Kael: “We’re too late.”