THE SILENT WAREHOUSE...
The warehouse was eerily silent, save for the distant hum of traffic that seemed far removed from the intensity of the moment.
The crimson red dot of the sniper's rifle remained fixed on Ceil's chest.
Velena's body was rigid, her muscles coiled with tension. There was no escape. No way out.
Andrew Steel had meticulously orchestrated every aspect of this encounter. Every step. Every detail.
Ceil stood motionless, his fingers inches away from the briefcase, his smirk unwavering. But Velena knew—beneath that calm exterior, his mind was calculating every possible move, every possible escape.
Lucian's eyes darted into the shadows, his weapon at the ready. "Show yourself," he commanded, his voice sharp.
A mocking laugh reverberated through the space. "You walked right into my trap. And now you expect me to make an appearance?"
Ceil let out a soft exhale, amusement coloring his tone. "If you wanted me dead, I'd be dead already."
Andrew's voice slipped from the shadows, smooth and composed. "Exactly. But dead men can't learn the truth."
Without hesitation, Ceil flicked open the briefcase.
Velena's heart pounded in her chest as he pulled out a manila folder.
Inside... the truth that had been hidden for far too.
THE TRUTH THAT SHATTERED EVERYTHING...
Ceil opened the file with deliberate calmness.
Velena leaned in, her stomach churning as the first image came into view.
It was a photograph of Ceil's father.
But the shock didn't end there. Beside him stood a familiar face—Andrew Steel.
Velena's blood ran cold.
Ceil's grip tightened on the paper, his face betraying nothing, yet Velena could see the storm swirling beneath his composed exterior.
He turned the page.
Another image.
A surveillance photo.
Of her.
A child, caught between Ceil's father and Andrew Steel.
Velena's breath hitched in her throat. This... this couldn't be real.
Andrew finally stepped forward, his features emerging from the shadows.
"I told you," he said softly, his voice laced with a quiet certainty. "Your father and I were never enemies."
THE LIES THAT BUILT THERE WORLD...
Ceil's voice cut through the tension, low and lethal. "You're lying."
Andrew's smirk remained, smug and unshaken. "Am I?"
Velena's heart thudded painfully in her chest as Ceil turned yet another page.
And there it was.
A contract.
Ceil's father's signature in bold ink at the bottom.
Right next to Andrew's.
Lucian muttered an expletive under his breath.
Velena forced herself to speak, her voice trembling. "Ceil... Your father didn't just know about Project Revenant. He was the mastermind behind it."
Ceil's jaw clenched, the muscles twitching with barely restrained fury. "No."
Andrew tilted his head, his smile cold. "Yes."
The room felt like it was closing in on them, suffocating them with the weight of the revelation.
Velena had spent years running from the past.
Ceil had spent years hunting his father's killer.
And now... the truth had come crashing down, destroying both of them.
Ceil let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "All this time... I was hunting the wrong enemy."
Andrew's smirk faded, but his gaze never wavered. "No, Kingston. You were chasing a ghost."
A Choice That Cannot Be Unmade
The weight of it all descended upon them like a crushing wave.
Velena saw the shift in Ceil's eyes. It wasn't just anger now. It was something deeper, more dangerous. He was unraveling.
A lifetime spent avenging a father who never deserved his loyalty.
A father who had built an empire on lies, manipulation, and betrayal.
Ceil looked up, his eyes locking onto Andrew's. "And now? What do you want from me?"
Andrew exhaled slowly. "That... depends."
"On what?" Ceil's voice was sharp.
Andrew took a step closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "On whether you want to destroy his legacy... or claim it as your own."
Velena's breath caught in her throat.
Lucian tensed, ready for anything.
Ceil... just smiled.
A cold, calculating smile.
And that was the most terrifying part.
Because Velena had no idea which path he would choose.