The footsteps continued echoing through the tower.
Slow.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Nobody moved.
The emergency red lights kept flickering across the hallway while cold air flowed through the open security gates nearby.
Ryan slowly closed his laptop halfway.
"…Someone is coming."
Maya instinctively moved closer toward Ethan this time.
Even Ethan stopped joking for once.
That alone made the situation feel worse.
Lila kept staring at the darkness ahead while her thoughts spun uncontrollably.
Victor Hale was alive.
Adrian tried to save them.
And somehow—
Everything connected to the fire was much bigger than she imagined.
Then suddenly—
A figure appeared at the end of the hallway.
Tall.
Wearing a black suit.
But unlike the masked men earlier—
This person walked calmly.
Confidently.
As if the tower belonged to him.
Adrian's expression darkened immediately.
"…Why are you here?"
The man stopped walking.
Then slowly smiled.
"Is that how you greet an old friend?"
Ryan narrowed his eyes.
"…Another one?"
Ethan looked genuinely exhausted.
"How many secret villains do rich people have?!"
The stranger laughed softly before finally stepping closer into the red light.
Silver hair.
Sharp eyes.
Perfectly calm expression.
And somehow—
He looked even more dangerous than Victor.
Lila immediately noticed Adrian subtly stepping in front of everyone again.
Protecting them without thinking.
The stranger noticed it too.
"Interesting," he said quietly.
"You're still doing that."
Adrian's voice turned colder.
"Leave."
But the man ignored him completely.
Instead, his eyes slowly moved toward Lila.
And for a moment—
His expression changed slightly.
Almost surprised.
"…So this is Evelyn's daughter."
The moment he mentioned her mother—
Lila's chest tightened again.
"Who are you?" she asked immediately.
The man smiled faintly.
"My name is Sebastian Vale."
Ryan's expression changed instantly.
"…Vale Industries?"
Sebastian gave a slow nod.
"The same one."
Maya looked confused.
"Wait… the biggest company connected to Noir Group?"
Ryan answered quietly without taking his eyes off Sebastian.
"They were business partners years ago."
Sebastian calmly adjusted his gloves.
"Business partners."
"What a harmless way to describe war."
Silence filled the hallway again.
Lila could already feel another headache forming.
Too many names.
Too many lies.
Too many secrets connected to her family.
Meanwhile Ethan slowly whispered toward Maya—
"At this point I think rich people need therapy more than money."
Maya accidentally laughed quietly again.
Even Ryan looked like he wanted to smile.
For one tiny moment—
The tension weakened.
But Sebastian immediately destroyed that feeling.
"You should not have brought them here, Adrian."
Adrian stepped forward slightly.
"They are leaving."
Sebastian's eyes sharpened.
"No."
That single word instantly changed the atmosphere.
Cold fear spread silently across the hallway.
Because unlike Victor—
Sebastian didn't sound dramatic.
He sounded serious.
Dangerously serious.
Lila noticed Adrian's hand slowly tightening into a fist.
And somehow—
That scared her more than anything else tonight.
Because Adrian looked genuinely worried now.
Sebastian calmly walked closer.
His footsteps echoed through the empty tower.
Then he stopped directly in front of Lila.
For several seconds—
He simply looked at her.
Studying her face carefully.
Then quietly said—
"You really do look like Evelyn."
Lila forced herself not to step backward.
"What do you want from me?"
Sebastian's faint smile returned.
"The truth."
Ryan immediately stepped between them.
"She doesn't owe you anything."
Sebastian looked amused.
"And yet all of you are already standing inside the center of this story."
His eyes shifted slowly toward Adrian.
"You should have told them years ago."
Adrian stayed silent.
Sebastian sighed softly.
"That silence of yours is exactly why everything became worse."
Suddenly—
The tower lights flickered violently again.
Then the security system voice echoed across the floor.
"PURGE SEQUENCE ACTIVATED."
"Ten minutes remaining."
Maya's face immediately paled.
"…Ten minutes until what?"
Ryan looked back at his laptop screen.
And for the first time that night—
He looked genuinely alarmed.
"…This building is going to erase everything."
Silence.
Then Ethan blinked slowly.
"…Define everything."
Ryan swallowed hard.
"Files."
"Security records."
"The system."
Then he looked toward the tower windows.
"…Possibly this entire floor."
Maya's eyes widened.
"You mean explode?!"
"No," Ryan answered quickly.
"…I hope not."
"That is NOT comforting," Ethan whispered.
Meanwhile Sebastian remained perfectly calm.
Almost too calm.
Then suddenly—
He looked toward Adrian again.
"You still have time."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"To do what?"
Sebastian's expression slowly lost all warmth.
"Choose a side."
The hallway became silent once more.
Lila looked between the two men in confusion.
Then slowly—
Her eyes moved toward Adrian.
And for the first time—
She realized something terrifying.
Adrian wasn't trapped between enemies.
He was trapped between the past and the people he wanted to protect.
Then suddenly—
A loud metallic sound echoed somewhere below the tower again.
And this time—
The entire building shook harder than before.
Maya nearly lost balance.
Ethan grabbed the wall instantly.
"Nope. I officially hate this place."
Ryan looked at the security map again.
Then his expression changed immediately.
"…Guys."
Everyone turned toward him.
"The lower floors are collapsing."
Silence.
Then Adrian spoke immediately.
"We leave now."
But before anyone could move—
Sebastian quietly said one final thing.
"If you leave tonight…"
"…you may never learn what really happened to Evelyn Noir."
Lila froze instantly.
And Adrian closed his eyes for one painful second.
As if those words hurt more than anything else tonight.