The clock struck 11:57 PM.
Ariana stood in front of the mirror, staring at her own reflection.
Pale face.
Cold eyes.
No trace of the fragile woman she once was.
Tonight… she wasn't going as a victim.
She was going for answers.
Her phone vibrated again.
Unknown Number:
👉 "Don't be late. Come alone."
Ariana tightened her grip on the phone.
Alone?
A bitter smile touched her lips.
"Let's see about that…"
Outside the mansion—
A black car waited in the shadows.
Adrian leaned against it, arms crossed, his expression dark.
"You really think I'll let you go alone?" he said as Ariana approached.
Ariana stopped walking.
"I told you not to follow me."
"And I told you," Adrian stepped closer, his voice low and firm,
"I'm not losing you again."
For a moment, their eyes locked.
Something unspoken passed between them—
Fear.
Possession.
Something dangerously close to love.
But Ariana looked away first.
"This is my fight," she said.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"And it's my war."
Silence.
Then—
Ariana sighed.
"Fine. But you stay hidden."
A faint smirk appeared on Adrian's lips.
"Always."
12:00 AM
The location was an abandoned hospital on the outskirts of the city.
Dark. Silent. Broken.
Perfect for secrets.
Ariana stepped inside.
The air smelled of dust and decay.
Her footsteps echoed through the empty corridor.
"Hello?" she called out.
No answer.
Her heart started beating faster.
Then—
A voice.
"You came."
Ariana froze.
That voice…
It was familiar.
Too familiar.
Slowly, she turned around.
And her world shattered.
"Dr. Rahman…?" she whispered.
The man stepped out of the shadows.
Alive.
The same doctor who had declared her miscarriage.
The same man who—
"Died two years ago," Ariana finished, her voice trembling.
Dr. Rahman smiled.
A cold… unnatural smile.
"Death can be… arranged."
Ariana's hands clenched into fists.
"You lied to me," she said.
"You told me my baby was gone."
His smile widened.
"Because that's what I was paid to do."
Ariana's chest tightened.
"By Victoria?" she asked.
But the doctor shook his head slowly.
"No."
One word.
And everything changed.
Ariana's breath caught.
"No…?"
"If you think Victoria is the mastermind," he stepped closer, his eyes gleaming,
"then you've been looking at the wrong enemy all along."
Ariana's mind spun.
If not Victoria…
Then who?
"Tell me," she demanded, her voice shaking with anger.
The doctor leaned in slightly, lowering his voice—
"Your child…" he whispered,
"was never dead."
Time stopped.
Ariana's eyes widened in horror.
"What… did you say?"
Before the doctor could answer—
A loud sound echoed.
CLICK.
Ariana froze.
A gun.
From the darkness behind her—
A figure stepped forward.
Slow. Elegant. Deadly.
"Now that's enough talking," the woman said.
Ariana's blood turned ice.
Because this time—
There was no doubt.
"Victoria…"
Victoria smiled sweetly, a gun pointed directly at Ariana's heart.
"Did you really think I'd let the truth come out so easily?"
Ariana's breathing became uneven.
"You said—" she looked at the doctor, "—you said she's not the mastermind!"
The doctor stayed silent.
Victoria chuckled softly.
"He's right," she said.
Ariana's world tilted again.
Victoria stepped closer, her eyes dark with amusement.
"I'm not the mastermind…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"I'm just the one cleaning up the mess."
Ariana's heart dropped.
Because that meant—
There was someone else.
Someone even more powerful.
Even more dangerous.
Victoria raised the gun slightly.
"And unfortunately, Ariana…" she whispered,
"you've learned far too much."
From the shadows—
Adrian's eyes turned deadly.
His finger slowly tightened on his trigger.
One move…
One second…
Could change everything.
Cliffhanger:
👉 Just as Victoria pulls the trigger—
Ariana screams a name…
A name that makes both Victoria and Adrian freeze in shock.