The security room felt colder than the rest of the house.
Amara stood beside Ethan, arms folded tightly across her chest, trying to ignore the unease crawling through her.
Three large screens glowed in front of them.
Security footage from every corner of the estate.
A guard stepped forward.
"We found the problem sir."
Ethan didn't look away from the screen.
"Show me."
The footage started playing.
The hallway outside Amara's room.
Everything looked normal at first.
Just empty space.
Silence.
Stillness.
Minutes passed.
Amara frowned slightly.
"I don't see anything."
"Wait," the guard said.
He paused the video.
Zoomed in.
And that's when Amara noticed it.
A flicker.
Just for a second.
"What was that?" She whispered.
The guard replayed the clip.
There it was again.
The hallway camera glitched.
Just for a moment.
Then continued normally.
Ethan's expression darkened.
That wasn't a coincidence."
The guard nodded.
"The camera was temporarily disabled for about thirty seconds."
Amara felt her stomach tighten.
"Thirty seconds is enough time for someone to enter the room."
"Yes, ma'am."
Her pulse quickened.
"Can you rewind it again?"
The guard did.
This time, they watched even more carefully.
The glitch happened.
The screen froze.
And then,
Something appeared.
A shadow.
Barely visible.
Moving past the camera.
Amara's breath caught.
"Did you see that?"
Ethan stepped closer to the screen.
"Zoom in".
The guard enlarged the footage.
It was blurry.
Grainy.
But the shape was clear enough.
A man.
Dressed in dark clothing.
Moving quickly.
Her heart started pounding.
"He was inside the house," she whispered.
Ethan didn't answer.
He just stared at the screen, his jaw tightened.
"Can you see his face?" Amara asked.
The guard shook his head.
"No, ma'am. He stayed out of direct camera range."
"So he knew where the cameras were," Ethan said quietly.
"Yes, sir."
Silence filled the room.
That meant one thing.
The person wasn't guessing.
He knew the layout.
He knew the blind spots.
He knew exactly where to go.
Amara swallowed hard.
"Someone helped him."
Ethan didn't deny it this time.
The footage continued playing.
The man disappeared down the hallway.
And then nothing.
No one came out.
No one was seen leaving.
Amara frowned.
"That doesn't make sense."
"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.
"If he went in…how did he leave?"
The guard hesitated.
"That's the strange part."
He clicked on another camera.
The footage switched to the back entrance of the house.
The door opened slightly.
Only for a second.
No one appeared on screen.
Then the door closed again.
Amara felt a chill run through her.
"He came in through the back."
"And left the same way," Ethan said.
The guard nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Amara stared at the screen.
Her mind was racing.
"This wasn't random," she whispered.
"No," Ethan agreed. "It wasn't."
A few minutes later, another guard rushed into the room.
"Sir."
Ethan turned.
"What is it?"
"We found something else."
"What?"
The guard handed him a small plastic bag.
Inside it was a keycard.
Amara frowned.
"What is that?"
Ethan looked at it carefully.
"An access card."
"For the house?"
He shook his head.
"No."
"For the company."
Her heart skipped.
"What?"
The guard nodded.
"It was found near the back entrance."
Amara looked at Ethan slowly.
"That means whoever came in here…"
"Works for me," he finished.
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Dangerous.
Later, Amara stood alone in the hallway.
Her heart still hadn't settled.
Someone inside Ethan's company had entered the house.
Left that message.
And escaped without being caught.
She wrapped her arms around herself.
This wasn't just fear anymore.
This was something deeper.
Something darker.
The door behind her opened.
Ethan stepped out of the security room.
He looked exhausted.
Frustrated.
Angry.
"What happens now?" She asked quietly.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Now I find out who's betraying me."
The words sent a chill through her.
"And when you do?"
His eyes hardened.
"I would make them regret their actions."
Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten.
"Ethan…"
He stepped closer.
Closer than necessary.
"If someone in my company is behind this…"
His voice lowered.
"They're not just trying to destroy my project."
"They're trying to destroy me."
Her breath caught slightly.
"And now they are coming after you too."
The words hit harder than she expected.
Silence filled the space between them.
Then Amara said softly,
"Maybe I shouldn't stay here anymore."
Ethan's expression changed instantly.
"No."
"You said it yourself," She continued "I'm a target now."
"That's exactly why you're not leaving."
"What if something happens again?"
Ethan stepped even closer.
"Then I'll be there."
The intensity in his voice made her pulse quicken.
"You can't watch me every second."
"I don't need to," he said quietly.
"Why?"
His eyes held hers.
"Because I trust you to stay where I can protect you."
The words sounded possessive.
Protective.
Dangerous.
And somehow…
Reassuring.
Just then, Ethan's phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen.
And for the first time that night…
He looked genuinely surprised.
"What?" Amara asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he slowly turned the phone toward her.
Amara read the message.
And her heart dropped.
"We found the owner of the keycard."
She looked up slowly.
"Well?" She asked.
Ethan's voice was quiet.
"You've met him before."
Her stomach dropped.
"Who is it?"
Ethan's expression darkened.
"It's Daniel."