The tension in the air was palpable as Ivy sat in Lu Cheng's sleek private helicopter, staring out the window at the darkening sky. The hum of the engines was the only sound, but her mind was far too loud to hear it. Everything that had happened in the last few hours had unraveled her world. She had been an assistant, focused on the everyday stress of her job, and now, in the blink of an eye, she was tangled in something far more dangerous.
Ivy couldn't stop replaying the events of the alleyway in her head, the gunfire, the blood, Lu Cheng standing there like an immovable force. And then his brother, Lu Feng, arriving like a storm. The brothers were lethal, commanding armies of men, and now she was caught up in their world of shadows. A world she never wanted to be part of but couldn't escape.
Lu Cheng sat across from her, his eyes fixed on a document, his face calm and composed as if the violence that had just unfolded was nothing more than a routine day. He was back in his pristine suit, mask firmly in place, but Ivy couldn't shake the image of him fighting without hesitation, protecting her without a second thought. It was a side of him she had never seen, dangerously calm, calculating, and ruthless.
The silence between them felt heavy, but Ivy was too drained to break it. She needed answers, but she wasn't sure she could handle the truth. Every time she thought she had figured out Lu Cheng, something else would surface, something darker. She didn't know how much more she could take.
Finally, Lu Cheng looked up from his papers, his piercing gaze locking onto her. "You're quiet," he said, his voice low and steady, as if the world outside hadn't been on fire just hours ago.
Ivy swallowed, her throat dry. "I don't know what to say," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "What happened back there… that wasn't normal. That's not something a business assistant should be involved in."
"You're right," Lu Cheng replied, leaning back in his chair. "But you're not just a business assistant anymore, Ivy. You're in this now, whether you like it or not."
Her heart skipped a beat. There it was. The moment of no return. "What is this, Lu Cheng?" she asked, finally summoning the courage to voice the question that had been clawing at her. "What are you really involved in?"
Lu Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly behind his mask. For a moment, Ivy thought he wasn't going to answer, but then he sighed, his fingers steepling in front of him as he considered her. "I run a corporation, Ivy. But that's only part of the truth. The other part… let's just say it involves control. Power. And sometimes, power attracts enemies. Dangerous ones."
"Like the men from tonight?" Ivy asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Lu Cheng nodded. "Yes. They're not the first, and they won't be the last."
Ivy shuddered. "So this is just… normal for you?"
His gaze hardened. "Normal? No. Necessary? Yes." He leaned forward slightly, his tone growing more serious. "What you witnessed today was just the surface. There are forces at play you don't understand. I didn't want you to get involved, but now that you're in this… I can't let you go."
Her chest tightened at his words. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Lu Cheng continued, his voice dangerously soft, "that you're under my protection now. You won't be able to leave this life easily. It's too late for that."
Ivy felt like the walls were closing in around her. She had never signed up for this, this world of violence, power struggles, and danger. But now, there was no way out. She was trapped, and Lu Cheng was the one holding the key.
"What if I don't want this?" Ivy asked, her voice barely steady.
Lu Cheng's eyes flashed with something dark, something possessive. "You don't have a choice. Not anymore. You saw too much tonight. If I let you go, you'll be a target. They'll come for you. And I can't allow that."
A shiver ran down Ivy's spine at his words. She was in too deep. There was no denying it. "So what happens now?" she asked, her voice small, defeated.
Lu Cheng stood up, his movements slow, deliberate, as he walked over to her. He crouched down to her level, his eyes boring into hers. "Now," he said quietly, "you follow my lead. I'll protect you, Ivy, but you need to trust me. Completely."
Ivy swallowed hard, the weight of his words crashing down on her. Could she trust him? The man who had kept so many secrets, who was involved in a world of violence and crime? But as much as she wanted to pull away, to fight against this, she knew there was no other option. If she didn't trust Lu Cheng, she was as good as dead.
"Okay," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I'll trust you."
Lu Cheng's lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. "Good."
But as he rose and returned to his seat, Ivy couldn't help but wonder, what had she just agreed to? What did trusting Lu Cheng really mean? And how far was she willing to go to survive in his world?
The helicopter hummed steadily as they flew into the night, but Ivy's mind was anything but calm. With every mile they traveled, she felt herself being pulled further into the darkness, into Lu Cheng's world, a world she was no longer sure she could escape.
And deep down, Ivy knew that whatever was coming next would be far worse than anything she had faced before.