Safehouse – 9:07 AM
The morning sun filtered through gauzy curtains, touching everything with a deceptive sense of peace. But Ivy knew better. There was no peace in running—not when the enemy was always a step behind, or worse, a step ahead.
She sat on the edge of the bed, brushing Maddie's hair gently as she lay asleep. Every breath Maddie took felt like a borrowed miracle.
In the next room, Leo was watching cartoons on mute, munching on crackers like nothing had happened the night before. He had no idea what his mother had done to keep him safe.
But Ivy couldn't stop thinking about one thing—Aiden.
He hadn't slept. Not after the rescue, not after the explosion. He'd been making calls, gathering information, tracking Vincent's retaliation in real time. And now, she was going to confront him.
She found him standing by the fireplace downstairs, shirt unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up, eyes glued to a tablet screen.
"They froze three of your accounts," she said, her voice breaking the silence. "Your name's being dragged in the media. Are you going to tell me why?"
Aiden didn't look up. "Because Vincent doesn't just attack people. He dismantles their entire lives."
"Is that what he did to you?"
He finally met her eyes. There was something hollow in them.
"Worse."
Aiden's Past – 13 Years Ago
He was seventeen, the son of a housekeeper and a billionaire's bastard. His last name meant nothing because he wasn't acknowledged by it.
His father, Gregory Thorne, ran an empire that Aiden was never allowed to be part of. Not until he was old enough to be useful. Not until Aiden stopped asking questions and started following orders.
Then came the day he met Vincent Hale.
Vincent was young, charming, and already ruthless. He saw something in Aiden that others ignored. Something feral. Useful.
"You're smart," Vincent had told him. "You've got a killer's instinct. You just don't know it yet."
Aiden had followed him. Learned from him. Lied for him. And eventually, killed for him.
Until the day he realized the price was too high. That everything Vincent gave came with chains.
"I tried to leave," Aiden said, voice flat as he recalled it to Ivy. "He set up a hit. Not on me—on my mother. Said if I ever walked away again, he'd make me watch her die."
Ivy's hand went to her mouth. "Aiden…"
"I faked her death. Moved her out of the country under a new name. It cost me everything."
He turned toward the window. "That's the man we're up against. The one who trained me."
Back in the Present
The silence between them now carried weight.
"I can't imagine what that did to you," Ivy whispered.
"You shouldn't have to. But now you're in this too."
She stepped forward, eyes blazing. "You think I care about my pride when my son is in danger? When Maddie was tied to a chair in a warehouse? You're not the only one with scars, Aiden."
He looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time.
"I was pregnant, alone, and terrified. I gave birth on the floor of a stranger's apartment because I didn't have a choice. I had Leo and no one else. Not you. Not even my name."
The pain cracked her voice like glass under pressure.
"You left," she said, shaking her head. "And now I find out you were training under a killer? That your silence was part survival, part punishment?"
"I didn't know about Leo," Aiden said softly. "I would've come back. I swear to God, Ivy—"
"But you didn't," she cut in. "And now we have to live with that."
He reached for her, but she pulled back.
"I don't need you to protect me. I need you to fight with me."
A beat passed. Then another.
"I will," he said. "But you need to know… this isn't over."
Meanwhile – Vincent's Estate
Vincent scrolled through security footage of the safehouse perimeter. His drone surveillance had picked up Aiden's movements, but Ivy had stayed inside.
"She's not leaving," he muttered.
A woman beside him—slender, with cold eyes and a phone always in hand—nodded. "She's digging into your past. She found your sealed records."
He smirked. "Of course she did. She's always been stubborn."
"She'll find out about the fund transfers. About what you did to the foundation."
"Let her," Vincent said, sipping from a glass of dark scotch. "Let her learn who built the empire Aiden pretends to own."
"And if she comes for you?"
"She won't."
He paused, then added with a smile, "Because I'm about to offer her a deal she won't refuse."
Nightfall – Safehouse Living Room
Ivy tucked Leo into bed and kissed his forehead, brushing his hair gently. The fear hadn't left her. But now, she was angry.
She returned downstairs, where Aiden was drawing up contingency plans on a digital board.
"I'm going to the press," she said bluntly.
Aiden looked up. "No."
"I need to expose Vincent's ties to your company, to the foundations he's bleeding dry. I have documentation. Maddie helped me build it over the past few months."
"It'll paint a target on your back."
"It already is."
He crossed the room, towering over her, furious and afraid. "You think I've done nothing to protect you? I've taken lives, Ivy. Burned bridges. Turned my back on the only man who ever treated me like a son."
"And what did that get you?" she snapped. "A life in shadows? A son you never met until last week?"
Her words hit harder than gunfire.
She softened then, reaching for his wrist. "You want to protect us? Then let me fight with you."
For a moment, he just stared at her.
Then he cupped her cheek, hand trembling.
"I've never wanted anything more than you," he murmured. "But if you walk into the fire… I'm coming with you."