ARSHILA POV
The gates open.
The sound fades as the car slips out into the night.
I stand there, staring into the darkness of the house.
Where is he going at this hour?
My body moves before my mind catches up.
I turn sharply and rush down the stairs, my steps quick, almost reckless as I head straight toward the foyer.
The silence presses in around me, thick and suffocating, but something sharper cuts through it now, something restless, something that refuses to let me stay still.
A stupid idea forms.
I don't stop it.
I run toward the garage.
Not his.
Mine.
The lights flicker on as I push the door open, revealing the car sitting there like it has been waiting for me. Black. Completely black.
The memory of his voice slides into my head without permission, calm and deliberate, telling me exactly what it is, what it can do, what it hides.
Blacked out.
Invisible.
Perfect.
My fingers tighten around the handle as I pull the door open and slide inside, the leather cold against my skin as I start the engine.
The car comes alive under me, low and dangerous, like it understands exactly what I am about to do.
I don't hesitate.
I hit the gas.
The car shoots out of the garage, smooth but fast, and I don't slow down as I head straight for the gate. "Open it!" I shout, my voice cutting through the air before the guards even react.
They do.
Immediately.
The gates slide open, and I drive out without looking back.
The road is almost empty at this hour, the city quieter than usual, the lights stretching ahead of me in long, broken lines. My grip tightens on the steering wheel as I push the car faster, the engine responding instantly, powerful, controlled.
And then—
I see it.
His car.
Far ahead.
Moving.
I don't know why I'm doing this.
I don't know why I'm following him like he is doing something he shouldn't, like he is hiding something from me when he is a man who owns half the world and answers to no one.
But something inside me doesn't care about logic.
It just pulls.
I press the gas harder, keeping my distance but not letting him out of sight, my eyes locked on the taillights ahead.
The car beneath me feels different now.
Predatory.
Silent.
Like it was built for this exact moment.
Like he knew.
A thought flickers through my mind, sharp and unsettling, but I push it away as my focus stays on him.
Something else shifts.
Slowly.
Subtly.
He slows down.
My brows pull together as I adjust my speed, confusion tightening in my chest. Zayan never drives like this. Never slow. Never controlled in a way that feels cautious instead of dominant.
But now—
He is.
His car turns suddenly, slipping into a side road that looks darker, narrower, almost forgotten.
I don't follow immediately.
I pass it.
Keep going.
Then slow down, my pulse climbing as I glance in the rearview mirror before turning back, taking the same road after a few seconds, careful, calculated.
The darkness swallows everything.
There are no streetlights here.
No movement.
Just silence and the faint hum of my engine as I move forward slowly, my eyes scanning, searching.
But his car—
It's gone.
My chest tightens as I slow down further, my gaze sweeping the empty road, the shadows, the nothingness surrounding me.
Where did he—
Then it hits me.
The road.
It leads to the port.
I stop the car.
The engine quiets as I turn off the lights, plunging myself into complete darkness. My hands rest on the wheel, my breathing steady but heavier than it should be as I look ahead, trying to catch any sign of him.
Nothing.
Not a single trace.
The silence stretches.
Thick.
Unnatural.
Then—
A snap.
Light explodes in the distance.
Two sharp beams cut through the darkness, sudden and blinding, like eyes opening in the dark, locked directly onto me.
I flinch hard, my body tensing instantly as my heart slams against my ribs.
The headlights don't just glow.
They stare.
Predatory.
Alive.
The car moves.
Fast.
A smooth, controlled drift that feels too precise, too intentional, like it has been waiting there the entire time.
My breath catches.
Was he waiting?
No.
He couldn't have known.
He didn't know I followed him.
He couldn't—
The car turns again, slipping deeper toward the side of the port, disappearing partially into the shadows.
I sit there for a second longer, my pulse loud in my ears, my grip tightening on the wheel.
Then I move.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
I follow him.
The road opens slightly as I go deeper, the air heavier here, the distant sound of water faint but present. My heart pounds harder with every second, something sharp and electric running through me.
I don't know what I'm about to see.
I don't know what he's hiding.
But whatever it is—
I don't stop.
I keep going.
The road opens wider as I push further in, the air shifting with the faint, raw scent of salt and metal until the outline of a house appears ahead, sitting too close to the edge of the sea like it was built for secrets instead of comfort.
It doesn't look abandoned, and it doesn't look lived in either, but it carries a kind of quiet luxury that feels deliberate, expensive without needing to show off, like the kind of place that exists for one purpose only.
His car slows and comes to a smooth stop right in front of it.
I stay back, my engine barely making a sound as I watch from a distance, my eyes fixed on the figure stepping out of the car.
He is dressed in black, completely, the hood pulled up over his head in a way that shadows his face, but it does nothing to hide him from me.
If anything, it makes him look worse, more dangerous, like he chose this, like tonight is something planned and not accidental.
He doesn't look around.
He doesn't hesitate.
He walks straight toward the house like he owns it, like the darkness itself moves out of his way.
The door opens.
He disappears inside.
I sit there for a second, my grip tightening on the wheel before I finally cut the engine and step out.
The wind hits me instantly, strong and cold, carrying the sound of the waves crashing somewhere too close, too loud, like a warning I ignore anyway.
My clothes cling wrong against my skin, soft cotton instead of something meant for this kind of place, and only then do I realize I am still in my pajamas.
A quiet, annoyed breath leaves me, but I don't turn back.
I move forward.
Fast at first, then slower as I get closer, my steps quieter, more careful as the house looms in front of me.
There are no bright lights, no voices, nothing that suggests anyone else is here, but that silence feels staged, too clean, like it is hiding something underneath.
The front door is slightly open.
Not wide.
Just enough.
I pause for half a second before pushing it gently and stepping inside.
The air changes immediately.
Cooler.
Heavier.
The interior is dim, shadows stretching across polished floors and expensive furniture that looks untouched, placed perfectly but without life.
My eyes move across the space quickly, taking in the structure, the layout, the stillness that sits wrong in my chest.
No movement.
No sound.
No one.
That's when I understand.
This place isn't empty by accident.
It's meant to be empty.
A soft sound cuts through the silence.
Footsteps.
Above me.
My head snaps up, my gaze locking onto the staircase without hesitation as my body moves before I think it through.
I step forward, slower now, each movement controlled as I climb, my hand brushing lightly against the railing, my breathing steady but sharper than it should be.
The sound comes again.
Closer.
Measured.
Like whoever is upstairs knows exactly where they are going.
I reach the top, my eyes adjusting to the low light as a faint glow spills from a room ahead. The door is open, just enough for the light to cut through the darkness of the hallway, pulling me toward it without effort.
I step closer.
Careful.
Silent.
And then—
I stop.
Zayan sits in a chair, his posture relaxed in a way that feels wrong in this place, one arm resting loosely as if he has all the time in the world, his head slightly tilted like he has been waiting.
And in front of him—
Ares Vance.
AUTHOR NOTE
Hey everyone,
I'm really sorry I didn't upload anything for the past week — I had to deal with some personal issues. But now I'm back!
I've just started a new project called "Bound to the Man I Must Kill". It's currently ongoing, and you can find it on my profile.
I truly hope you'll check it out, support it, add it to your collection, and share your thoughts in the comments. Your support means a lot to me!
Thank you for sticking with me ❤️