Chapter 3

The clock on the dashboard struck midnight.

Zaira sat in silence, her hands resting stiffly on the steering wheel. The lot around her was deserted—an expanse of cracked pavement and rusted streetlamps at the edge of the city’s industrial spine. The soft glow of her car’s dashboard was the only light, casting pale green shadows across her sharp cheekbones and clenched jaw.

She stared out into the darkness, heart ticking like a metronome inside her ribs.

This is insane, she thought.

Her voice came out in a whisper. “What am I doing here?”

A knock.

Sharp and sudden against the glass.

She jolted, breath catching as she turned to the window. Zephyrus Valtieri stood on the other side—unfazed, leaning against the car like he belonged there. He wore black from throat to heel, his silhouette a blade against the night. Midnight eyes met hers with lazy amusement.

He smirked through the glass. “Second thoughts?”

Zaira rolled the window down a few inches, her tone clipped. “I didn’t invite you.”

Zephyrus shrugged, unconcerned. “And yet, here I am.”

Her scowl deepened, but she opened the door and stepped into the cold. The air bit at her skin, but she didn’t flinch. She stood tall, arms crossed, her expression like steel.

“You’ve been following me.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Hardly. You’re just predictable.”

She glared. “If you have something to say, say it. I don’t have time for your games.”

His smirk vanished.

“You don’t even understand what you’re playing with, do you?” His voice dropped, stripped of its earlier charm.

“I understand that you’re hiding something,” she shot back. “Something that could ruin you if it got out.”

He stepped closer, his tone now a thread of ice. “You think this is about me? This isn’t a game of corporate espionage, Zaira. It’s bigger than that. Bigger than you. Bigger than your empire. Bigger than anything you can imagine.”

She didn’t move. “Then stop talking in riddles. Tell me the truth. For once.”

For a moment, he said nothing. His gaze held hers, unreadable.

Finally, he spoke. “The truth is... you’ve already set things in motion that you can’t undo. And if you don’t back off now, there won’t be anything left to save. Not your company. Not your life.”

She laughed, bitter and sharp. “Save me? That’s rich, coming from you. What are you really after, Zephyrus? What’s this device, and why does it feel like I’ve seen it before?”

His jaw tightened.

“Because you have.”

Her breath caught. “What does that mean?”

He leaned in, and his voice was barely more than a whisper. “It means your perfect little life—your carefully built empire? None of it is real. You’ve lived this before, Zaira. Again and again. And each time, it ends the same way—with you and me.”

She stepped back, eyes narrowing. “You’re insane.”

“Am I?” His gaze bore into her. “You saw it, didn’t you? In the vault. The flashes. The memories that aren’t yours. Tell me I’m lying.”

She opened her mouth to retort—then hesitated. She had seen it. Her and Zephyrus. Together. Always together. Always ending in chaos. Blood. Fire. She could still feel the ache of those lives that weren’t hers.

But she wouldn’t let him see her fear.

“You’re trying to manipulate me.”

He smiled faintly. No joy in it. “I don’t need to manipulate you. The truth will destroy you on its own.”

Silence stretched between them, dense and brittle.

She hated how calm he was. How certain. It infuriated her.

She stepped forward, voice tight with venom. “You don’t scare me, Zephyrus. Whatever game you’re playing, I’ll beat you at it.”

His lips curved, but there was no warmth in the expression. “I don’t want to scare you, Zaira. I want to save you. But you’ve always been too stubborn to listen.”

“Save me from what?”

His gaze dropped, just for a second. When it returned, it was harder.

“From yourself.”

The air shifted—thicker, heavier. Zaira’s pulse quickened. She took another step back, heart pounding, though she willed herself not to show it.

“I don’t need saving,” she snapped. “Especially not from you.”

“You always say that,” he murmured.

She frowned. “Always?”

He nodded. “Every time.”

A distant engine growled in the dark.

Zaira turned instinctively toward the sound—and when she looked back, he was gone. The lot was empty again. Like he’d never been there.

Her pulse jumped. She spun in place, searching the shadows. Nothing.

“Coward,” she muttered.

She got back into the car and slammed the door. Her hands gripped the wheel, her knuckles white. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this off balance. She hated it.

The phone buzzed beside her.

Her heart leapt, expecting another cryptic message. But it was a call—from Vespera.

She answered. “What is it?”

“Zaira—” Vespera’s voice was frantic. “You need to get back to the office. Now.”

“Why?”

“Because someone broke in. They were looking for the file you pulled from Valtieri’s system. And… they’re still here.”

Her stomach dropped. “Did you call security?”

“I tried, but the cameras went dark.” Vespera’s voice trembled. “Zaira, whoever it is… they’re not ordinary thieves.”

Zaira’s jaw clenched. “Stay put. I’m on my way.”

She hung up and threw the car into gear.

The city blurred around her as she raced back toward the heart of her empire. Her mind churned. She didn’t believe in fate—but lately, fate seemed determined to prove her wrong.

The elevator climbed in uneasy silence.

When the doors opened to the executive floor, the lights were dim. Too dim.

Zaira stepped out slowly, her heels clicking softly on the marble floor. She moved like a predator—alert, silent, tense.

The door to her office was ajar.

A faint glow leaked from within.

She advanced, pulse hammering in her ears. Her hand hovered near the concealed weapon at her belt as she nudged the door open.

Inside, a figure stood at her desk, back to her. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Unmistakable.

“I don’t recall inviting you here,” she said coldly.

Zephyrus turned slowly. His face was serious now—no smirk, no games.

“This wasn’t my doing.”

She scoffed. “Of course it wasn’t. You just happen to show up wherever chaos follows.”

He stepped closer. “You’re in over your head, Zaira. You think you can handle this, but you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”