Ryan sat alone in the dimly lit control room, his thoughts clouded with the subtle unease that had been creeping up ever since the Black Phoenix Syndicate's destruction. The flicker of past shadows tugged at the edges of his mind, but Ryan, ever the strategist, suppressed the sensation. He had won a decisive victory, yet the calm that followed carried an unfamiliar tension.
Suddenly, the doors to the room slid open with a quiet hiss, breaking his concentration. His personal doctor, Dr. Elara Quinn, hurried inside, her usually composed face marred with urgency. Elara was more than just a doctor—she was the leader of Ryan's elite medical team, the one trusted with the most sensitive and dangerous tasks. But today, her expression showed something far graver than Ryan had ever seen before.
"My lord," she said, her voice trembling slightly, "her vitals… they're dropping fast. We've tried everything, but we can't stabilize her. You need to come now."
Ryan's breath caught for a brief moment, something flickering behind his usually cold eyes. A sadness. A strain of emotion that he rarely allowed himself to show. His chest tightened, and for the first time in years, he felt a pang of something he hadn't let surface in a long time—fear.
Seraphine, standing in the shadows at the edge of the room, stepped forward. Her sharp, unflappable demeanor shifted as she caught the sudden tension in Ryan's body language. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with concern.
Ryan didn't answer immediately. His gaze locked with Elara's, trying to absorb what had just been said. The weight of it pressed down on him, and finally, with a nod, he moved swiftly toward the exit, his normally composed stride turning into a hurried pace.
Seraphine followed quickly, her own unease growing. She had seen Ryan in countless battles, faced deadly adversaries and impossible odds, but this… this reaction was different. She didn't know who this mysterious "she" was, but whoever she was, it mattered deeply to Ryan.
Helena, who had entered the hallway moments before, watched the scene unfold with curiosity. Ryan, normally composed and unshaken by anything, was visibly tense. It made her stomach twist with unease.
"Ryan!" Helena called, stepping forward. "What's happening? Who are you talking about?"
Ryan's gaze flickered toward her briefly, but his expression remained closed off. He didn't have time to explain. "Not now, Helena," he muttered, his tone firm as he moved past her.
Helena exchanged a quick glance with Seraphine, who offered no explanation either, just a look that told her to follow if she wanted to understand.
The corridor they walked through was darker than the others, the air thick with tension. Helena quickened her pace to catch up, but her mind raced with questions. Who was this woman Ryan and his team were so desperate to save? Why had Helena never heard of her before? And why was she so important that Ryan, who had just taken down an entire syndicate without flinching, now seemed… worried?
Approaching the Room
As they neared the heavily guarded section of the compound, Helena's breath hitched. Ahead of them stood over 50 guards, each armed with the latest high-powered weapons, their expressions tense but focused. The level of security was unprecedented. Helena had seen tight security before, but never like this.
Above them, at least 20 cameras scanned every inch of the hallway, their red lights flickering in a silent vigil. It was as if this part of the compound held something far more valuable than any treasure or secret.
Helena's eyes widened. Who could be worth this level of protection?
As they approached the door, two guards stepped aside, allowing Ryan, Seraphine, Helena, and Dr. Elara to enter. Helena noticed the small, but distinct insignia on their uniforms—Queens. Ryan's most elite, deadly female assassins. Inside the room, the tension was palpable, and the scene that greeted them was nothing short of extraordinary.
Inside the Chamber
The moment they entered, Helena felt a wave of cold air wash over her. The room was large, its walls lined with advanced medical equipment and monitors that hummed with life. But it wasn't the technology that drew her attention.
Twenty Queens stood in formation around the room, their eyes cold and vigilant, each one ready to strike at a moment's notice. They weren't just guarding the room—they were guarding someone.
At the far end of the room stood the leader of the Queens, a woman known for her ruthlessness and unwavering loyalty to Ryan. She caught Ryan's eye and gave a sharp nod of acknowledgment, but even she looked tense, as if the situation was precarious. Near her, Helena noticed something even more unnerving—a member of the Ghosts, a female operative with her face partially obscured by shadows, stood in silence. The Ghost rarely left their hidden quarters, and their presence here only heightened the mystery.
But the focus of the room wasn't the guards or the equipment. It was the figure lying on the medical bed at the center.
There, surrounded by machines and doctors, lay a woman. Her features were barely visible beneath the tubes and medical instruments attached to her body, but Helena could see enough to recognize that she was young, perhaps in her late twenties or early thirties. Her skin was pale, almost ghostly, and her breathing was shallow, barely detectable by the naked eye.
The medical team worked feverishly around her, their movements precise but hurried. Monitors beeped urgently, showing a rapid decline in her vitals.
Ryan's face hardened as he approached her bed, his eyes scanning the machines, the monitors, the doctors. His mind raced, but outwardly, he remained cold and composed. To everyone around him, he was still the invincible Lord who feared nothing.
But Seraphine, who had been with Ryan for years, saw the flicker of something else in his eyes—sadness.
Helena, too, caught the brief shift in Ryan's expression and felt her heart skip a beat. This was someone important to him—someone he had kept hidden, even from her and Sarah. The guards, the doctors, the elite security—everything was in place to protect this woman. But from what?
Helena moved to stand beside Seraphine, her voice barely a whisper. "Who is she?"
Seraphine's expression remained unreadable, but her voice carried a weight that told Helena she wouldn't get the full answer just yet. "Not now, Helena."
Helena bit her lip, frustration welling up inside her. She hated being kept in the dark, especially when it concerned her brother. But for now, she stayed silent, watching as Ryan addressed the doctors.
The Medical Crisis
Dr. Elara was already at the woman's bedside, her hands moving quickly as she adjusted the machinery, trying to stabilize the patient's vitals. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her usually calm demeanor was replaced with one of grim determination.
"She's fading," Dr. Elara muttered, not meeting Ryan's eyes as she worked. "Her heart rate is erratic, blood pressure unstable. If we don't intervene soon, we're going to lose her."
Ryan stepped closer to the bed, his jaw tight. "Do whatever it takes," he said, his voice low, dangerous. "She can't die."
Elara nodded, her eyes flicking to the rest of her team. The best surgeons and medical specialists Ryan had at his disposal were already working on the patient, their movements fast and synchronized. It was a battle against time, and every second counted.
Helena watched in stunned silence as the scene unfolded before her. She had never seen Ryan like this—so… tense. So vulnerable. It was unsettling, and it only deepened the mystery of who this woman was and why she was so important.
The leader of the Queens stepped forward, her voice quiet but firm. "We've secured the perimeter. No one gets in or out without your approval."
Ryan nodded but didn't take his eyes off the woman lying on the bed. "Good. I don't want any interruptions."
Seraphine stood beside him, her own confusion masked behind her usual steely demeanor. "Ryan… who is she?" she asked quietly.
Ryan's eyes flicked to Seraphine for a brief moment, and then back to the woman on the bed. He didn't answer immediately, as if the weight of the truth was too heavy to reveal right now. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke.
"She's someone… who has been with me since the beginning. Before any of this."
Helena's heart skipped a beat. Since the beginning? That meant before the power, before the empire. Before everything that had made Ryan into the man he was today.
But there was no time for questions. The woman on the bed gasped suddenly, her body seizing for a brief moment as the monitors around her began beeping erratically.
"She's crashing!" one of the surgeons shouted.
Dr. Elara cursed under her breath, moving quickly to administer a shot of adrenaline directly into the woman's chest. The monitors flickered, the alarms screeching as the team scrambled to stabilize her.
Ryan stood perfectly still, watching the scene unfold with a cold intensity. But beneath the surface, Helena saw the flicker of fear, the shadow of something deeper that he refused to show.
Seraphine, ever vigilant, placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder, her voice low. "We won't lose her."
Ryan said nothing, his eyes locked on the woman as the doctors worked furiously to save her.
And Helena, standing just a few feet away, could only watch in silence, her mind swirling with questions.
Who is she?
End of Chapter 36