The wind howled through the shattered glass.
Cold. Sharp. Unforgiving.
Helena wrapped her arms around herself instinctively, but she barely felt it. Her mind was still stuck on one thing—
That face.That voice.
After all these years…
She had finally seen him.
Marcus stood near the broken window, completely still, his gaze fixed on the city below as if he could already see ten steps ahead. There was something different about him now.
Colder.
More dangerous.
"You know who he is," Helena said quietly.
It wasn't a question.
Marcus didn't turn around.
"Yes."
Her heart skipped. "Then say it."
A pause.
The silence stretched just long enough to make her chest tighten.
Then—
"Adrian Voss."
The name hit like a shockwave.
Helena's eyes widened.
"No…" she whispered.
But it made sense.
Too much sense.
Adrian Voss—Marcus's right hand. His most trusted executive. The man who had helped build the company from the ground up.
The man who had been there…
For everything.
"That's impossible," Helena said, shaking her head, even though she knew it wasn't. "He's been at your side for years."
"Exactly," Marcus replied.
Now he turned.
And the look in his eyes sent a chill through her.
"That's what made him invisible."
Helena's breath caught.
All this time…
While Marcus was hunting enemies outside his company—The real one had been standing beside him.
Watching.
Waiting.
Planning.
"Five years," Helena said slowly. "He's been doing this for five years?"
"At least," Marcus confirmed.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Helena stepped closer. "Marcus…"
But he was already thinking ahead.
"You said he knew everything about me," he continued. "My strategies. My weaknesses. My schedule."
Helena nodded. "Yes."
"Of course he did," Marcus said coldly. "I gave him access to all of it."
The weight of that realization settled heavily between them.
Trust.
Broken in the worst possible way.
Helena hesitated before speaking again.
"He hates you," she said.
Marcus's lips curved slightly—but there was no humor in it.
"No," he replied.
"He envies me."
Her brow furrowed.
"There's a difference?"
"A big one," Marcus said. "Hate is emotional. Unstable."
His eyes darkened.
"Envy is patient."
A chill ran through her.
That explained everything.
The planning.
The manipulation.
The years of silence before striking.
Adrian Voss hadn't acted out of impulse.
He had waited.
Built this.
Carefully.
Helena exhaled slowly. "So what now?"
Marcus stepped away from the window, his movements precise, controlled.
"Now we stop him."
She watched him carefully.
"You say that like it's simple."
"It's not," he replied.
A pause.
"But it's necessary."
Helena crossed her arms slightly. "He's not going to make it easy."
Marcus's gaze met hers.
"I don't expect him to."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The tension in the room had shifted again.
This wasn't uncertainty anymore.
This was clarity.
Dangerous clarity.
Helena broke the silence first.
"He targeted me again tonight," she said. "That message… the cameras… he wanted us to know."
"Yes," Marcus said.
"Why?"
A beat.
Then—
"Because he's escalating."
Her stomach tightened. "Meaning?"
Marcus stepped closer to her, his expression sharpening.
"Meaning he's done hiding."
The implication hit instantly.
Helena's pulse quickened.
"If he's done hiding…"
"He starts attacking," Marcus finished.
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
Helena swallowed. "Then I'm still a target."
Marcus didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The honesty didn't comfort her—but it grounded her.
"Good," she said quietly.
His brow lifted slightly. "Good?"
"If he wants me," she continued, lifting her chin slightly, "then we use that."
Marcus studied her carefully.
"You're not afraid?"
Helena let out a soft breath.
"I am," she admitted.
A pause.
"But I'm more tired of running."
Something shifted in his expression again.
Not just approval this time.
Something deeper.
Respect.
"Then you stay close to me," he said.
The words were simple.
But the meaning behind them wasn't.
Helena's heart skipped slightly.
"Is that an order?" she asked softly.
Marcus stepped closer.
Closer than necessary.
His voice dropped.
"It's a guarantee."
Her breath caught.
The space between them felt charged again—like before, but different now.
Stronger.
Because this time…
There was trust beginning to form beneath the tension.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
But real.
A sudden buzz broke the moment.
Marcus's phone.
He pulled it out, glancing at the screen.
His expression darkened instantly.
Helena noticed. "What is it?"
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he turned the phone toward her.
A message.
Unknown number.
Simple.
Cold.
"You figured it out faster than I expected."
Helena's breath caught.
Marcus's jaw tightened.
Another message came through immediately.
"But you're still too late."
Her heart started pounding.
"Too late for what?" she whispered.
Marcus didn't respond.
Because a third message appeared.
And this one—Changed everything.
"Check your security feed."
The air in the room went still.
Marcus moved instantly, grabbing the tablet and pulling up the live cameras.
Helena stepped beside him, her pulse racing.
The screen loaded—Then froze.
Because what they saw…
Was impossible.
Helena's blood ran cold.
"No…"
Marcus's expression turned deadly.
Because on the screen—Standing inside his building…
Surrounded by security—Smiling like he owned the place—Was Adrian Voss.