Ethan:
Ethan's phone was still in his hand when Luca's words hung in the air between them.
The tension hadn't disappeared.
But something else had taken over now.
Urgency.
Ethan looked at Luca, his voice low but firm.
"This isn't the time to fight."
Luca didn't reply immediately.
Ethan continued,
"We can settle everything later. Right now—we find her."
A long silence followed.
Then Luca exhaled slowly.
"…Fine."
The anger didn't leave his eyes.
But he stepped back.
Because he knew—
Nothing mattered more than Yuna right now.
---
Just then—
Ethan's phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
Both of their eyes dropped to the screen at the same time.
Ethan opened it.
And the moment the video started—
Everything inside him went still.
---
The screen showed a dim, abandoned place.
A garage.
Broken light filtering through gaps.
And then—
Yuna.
Tied to a chair.
Her face pale.
Tears streaming down.
A thin line of blood visible on her neck.
Ethan's grip on the phone tightened instantly.
His jaw clenched so hard it almost hurt.
"Ethan…"
Her broken voice echoed through the video.
Something snapped inside him.
Then—
Adrian stepped into the frame.
Calm.
Smiling.
Threatening.
Ethan's eyes darkened dangerously.
Every word Adrian spoke—
Every second he touched her—
Every moment Yuna cried—
Burned into Ethan's mind.
The knife.
The blood.
Her fear.
Her voice breaking.
"Please…"
The video ended.
---
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Deadly.
Luca slowly looked at Ethan.
His expression had changed too.
From anger—
To something colder.
Something lethal.
"…I'm going to kill him," Luca said quietly.
Ethan didn't respond.
He was still staring at the phone.
His breathing slow.
Controlled.
Too controlled.
Another message came.
Ethan opened it.
A text.
"Come alone."
"Or she dies."
A pause.
Then—
"If you don't die… she will."
Ethan read it once.
Then again.
His expression didn't change.
But his eyes—
Were no longer human.
They were something else entirely.
Cold.
Sharp.
Filled with something dark.
Luca stepped closer.
"What does it say?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
He just handed him the phone.
Luca read the message.
His jaw tightened.
"…He wants you alone."
Silence.
Then Luca looked at Ethan.
"You're not going alone."
Ethan finally spoke.
"Yes. I am."
Luca's head snapped toward him.
"Are you insane?"
"If I don't, she dies."
"And if you do, you die," Luca shot back. "That's exactly what he wants!"
Ethan's voice remained calm.
"I know."
"Then why are you even considering it?!"
Ethan turned to face him fully.
"Because he has her."
Those three words were enough.
Luca clenched his fists.
"There are other ways. We can track the video, trace the signal—"
"It'll take time."
"And rushing in alone will get you killed!"
Ethan stepped closer.
"And doing nothing will get her killed."
The air froze.
Luca stared at him.
"You think I'll just let you walk into a trap?"
Ethan's gaze didn't waver.
"You don't have to let me."
"I won't."
"You can't stop me."
Luca's anger flared again.
"Don't test me, Ethan."
"Then don't waste time," Ethan replied coldly.
A heavy silence followed.
Then—
Ethan's tone shifted slightly.
Lower.
More controlled.
"You saw the video."
Luca didn't respond.
But his expression hardened.
"She's scared," Ethan continued. "She's hurt."
His voice dropped further.
"And she's waiting."
That hit harder than anything else.
Luca looked away for a second.
His jaw tight.
His mind racing.
Then he looked back at Ethan.
"…If you go alone, you're walking into his hands."
"I already am."
"He'll have men. Weapons. Backup."
"I know."
"He wants you dead."
Ethan didn't deny it.
Because it was obvious.
That was the whole point.
Luca stepped closer again.
"…Then we don't do this his way."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Luca lowered his voice.
"You go."
Ethan didn't react.
"But you won't be alone."
A pause.
Ethan studied him.
"What are you suggesting?"
Luca's expression turned sharp.
"We play along."
Ethan waited.
"You go where he tells you," Luca continued. "Act like you're alone."
"And?"
"And I'll be there."
Ethan's eyes darkened slightly.
"That's risky."
"So is dying," Luca replied bluntly.
Silence.
Ethan considered it.
Every angle.
Every risk.
Every outcome.
Then—
His phone buzzed again.
A location.
Sent by Adrian.
Ethan looked at it.
Then showed it to Luca.
Luca glanced at the screen.
"…Abandoned docks."
Ethan nodded slightly.
"That fits."
Luca exhaled slowly.
"Alright."
He looked at Ethan again.
His voice serious.
"We do this carefully."
Ethan didn't respond immediately.
Then—
He nodded.
Once.
That was enough.
Luca stepped back slightly.
"I'll gather men."
"No."
Luca froze.
"What?"
"No large group," Ethan said. "He'll expect that."
"Then what—two people against an army?"
Ethan's voice was calm.
"Precision."
Luca stared at him.
Then slowly—
A small, dangerous smile appeared.
"…Now you sound like yourself again."
Ethan didn't smile.
His eyes were still cold.
Focused.
Deadly.
"This ends tonight."
Luca nodded.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then he added,
"And Ethan…"
Ethan looked at him.
"If anything happens to her…"
His voice turned dark.
"…there won't be anything left of him."
Ethan's expression didn't change.
But his answer came without hesitation.
"He won't get the chance."
---
As Ethan picked up his coat—
His mind wasn't on the trap.
Not on Adrian.
Not even on the risk.
Only one thing repeated in his head—
Yuna.
Her voice.
Her tears.
Her fear.
And the blood on her neck.
His jaw tightened.
"Wait for me."
Because this time—
He wasn't just going to save her.
He was going to destroy anyone who touched her.