~Every war has a battlefield.
But the most dangerous ones… are chosen by the enemy.
Tonight—
Volkov chose the place where the next move would happen.
---
The Valentino estate finally became quiet again.
Security teams were still moving through the hallways.
The attackers from earlier had been taken away.
But the tension hadn't disappeared.
It had only changed.
Inside the strategy room, Ares stood in front of the large digital map.
Luca was typing rapidly on the keyboard.
"I'm tracing the vehicles they used," Luca said.
"Fake plates."
"Burner phones."
"Everything clean."
Marcus crossed his arms.
"That means Volkov planned this carefully."
Ares nodded once.
"He always does."
Elara stood near the window, watching the rain outside.
Her mind wasn't on the attack.
It was on the attacker's words.
Just to see if you're still alive.
That wasn't kidnapping.
That was confirmation.
She turned slowly.
"Ares."
His eyes moved toward her.
"Yes?"
"That wasn't the real attack."
"No."
Luca frowned.
"You agree with her?"
Ares answered calmly.
"Yes."
Marcus looked confused.
"Then what was that?"
Ares tapped the table lightly.
"A test."
"To measure response time."
"To study security."
"To confirm her location."
Elara's chest tightened.
"So he knows I'm here."
Ares met her gaze.
"He already knew."
Silence filled the room.
Luca suddenly leaned forward.
"Wait."
Ares looked at him.
"What."
"I just found something strange."
Marcus walked over.
"Another hacker?"
"No."
Luca zoomed into a map.
"One of the vehicles stopped somewhere before the attack."
Ares's attention sharpened.
"Where?"
Luca highlighted a small area outside the city.
An old industrial zone.
Abandoned factories.
Closed warehouses.
But one building stood out.
Ares's eyes narrowed.
"Zoom in."
The screen focused on the structure.
Old.
Isolated.
But recently active.
Marcus frowned.
"That place was shut down years ago."
Luca shook his head.
"Not anymore."
Elara stepped closer.
"What is it?"
Luca read the file.
"Property registered under a private company."
Ares already knew the answer.
"Volkov."
Luca nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Marcus looked at the map again.
"So that's his base?"
Ares shook his head.
"No."
"Then what?"
Ares studied the building carefully.
"It's a meeting point."
Elara felt something strange inside her chest.
A pull.
Like a memory trying to return.
"That place…"
Everyone looked at her.
"What about it?" Marcus asked.
Elara stared at the screen.
"I've seen it before."
Ares stepped closer.
"When?"
Her voice lowered.
"Years ago."
Luca frowned.
"You're sure?"
She nodded slowly.
"My father took me there once."
The room went completely silent.
Marcus whispered.
"Why would your father take you to a Volkov property?"
Elara's heart began racing again.
"I don't know."
But something about the building felt familiar.
Dangerously familiar.
Luca suddenly noticed something else.
"Wait."
He opened another file.
"This building wasn't always owned by Volkov."
Ares looked at him.
"Who owned it before?"
Luca read the name.
And the answer stunned everyone.
"Your father."
Elara froze.
"What?"
Luca turned the screen.
The old property record clearly showed it.
Owner: Daniel Hart (Elara's father)
The realization hit like lightning.
Ares spoke slowly.
"That's not Volkov's base."
Elara whispered.
"It was my father's."
Marcus looked confused.
"Why would your father sell it?"
Luca checked the date.
Then his eyes widened.
"He didn't sell it."
"Then what happened?"
Luca's voice dropped.
"The property transferred ownership…"
"The same night he died."
Silence filled the room again.
Elara's breathing became uneven.
"My father was protecting me…"
"And this place was part of it."
Ares looked at the building on the map.
Thinking fast.
If her father used that location—
Then something important was hidden there.
Something Volkov wanted.
And something he had waited years to retrieve.
Ares turned to Marcus.
"Prepare a team."
Marcus nodded immediately.
"You're going there tonight?"
"Yes."
Elara stepped forward.
"I'm coming too."
Ares looked at her.
"No."
She met his gaze without hesitation.
"That place is part of my past."
"And Volkov is waiting there."
Ares's eyes darkened slightly.
"That's exactly why you're not going."
Elara's voice became firm.
"I'm done running from the truth."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Ares sighed quietly.
"You're impossible."
"And you love that."
A faint smile appeared.
"Unfortunately."
Marcus looked between them.
"So we're doing this?"
Ares's voice turned calm again.
"Yes."
"Tonight we find out what Elara's father was hiding."
Elara looked at the map once more.
But deep inside—
She felt something far more dangerous.
A feeling she couldn't explain.
Because if that building belonged to her father…
Then the secret waiting inside it—
Was meant for her.
---
~The hidden building once belonged to Elara's father.
Volkov now controls it.
And tonight—
Ares and Elara are walking straight into the trap.