Chapter 4: Trapped in the Vault

The heavy titanium vault doors slammed shut with a resounding, echoes-of-doom thud, sealing out the noise of the warehouse fire and the gunfire. Inside, the emergency red lights flickered on, bathing the cramped, steel-lined room in a deep, sultry crimson glow.

​Ren finally let go of Lily’s waist, stepping back a single pace. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving under his soaked white shirt. He ran a hand through his wet blonde hair, sending drops of rain flying into the dark.

​"Are you hurt?" he demanded, his voice rough and laced with residual adrenaline.

​"I’m fine," Lily said, though her breath was shallow.

​She looked around the vault. It wasn't filled with gold or cash. Instead, rows of server racks hummed softly, and on a central glass table lay a single, physical ledger bound in black leather—and an old, silver fountain pen.

​Ren noticed her looking at it. He stepped into her line of sight, blocking her view, but the space was too small. The heat radiating off his body was overwhelming in the enclosed room, and the scent of rain mixed with his expensive, woody cologne filled the air.

​"You shouldn't be looking at that," Ren murmured, stepping dangerously close to her again. He reached out, his long, gloved fingers gently catching a damp lock of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. His cold fingers brushed against her burning skin, making her shiver. "You’ve already seen too much tonight, Lily."

​"I told you, I'm not backing down," Lily whispered, her eyes locked onto his dark grey ones. The crimson light made his features look incredibly sharp, almost predatory. "My brother vanished five years ago. If his name is on your servers, your family knows where he is."

​Ren leaned down slowly, pinning her against the cold steel wall of the vault. He placed his hands on either side of her shoulders, trapping her completely. The contrast of the freezing metal behind her and his burning, muscular frame in front of her made her dizzy.

​"Five years ago, I wasn't the CEO, Lily," Ren whispered, his voice dropping to a low, raspy purr that vibrated straight through her. He leaned in until his lips were a mere breath away from hers, his gaze dropping to her mouth. "Five years ago, my father ran this empire. And he was a monster."

​Lily’s breath hitched. "Then... you didn't erase him?"

​"No," Ren murmured, his hand sliding down from the wall to cup her jaw, his thumb softly tracing her lower lip. His gaze was heavy, intense, and filled with a sudden, overwhelming hunger. "I’ve been hunting the people who did. But right now... you are making it very hard to think about anything else."

​The tension in the tiny vault boiled over. Ren’s eyes darkened, and he tilted her head up just a fraction more, his body pressing entirely against hers. Lily’s hands reached up instinctively, gripping the damp fabric of his shoulders, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. He leaned in, his lips brushing hers in a teasing, agonizingly slow promise—

​BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

​The central glass table flashed bright blue. The main server screen lit up, displaying a newly decrypted file from five years ago.

​Ren forced himself to pull away, exhaling a ragged, frustrated breath. He turned to the screen, his hand still lingering on Lily's waist for a lingering second before letting go.

​On the screen, a security video began to play. It showed a younger version of Ren's father sitting at the very desk Lily now worked at. And standing across from him, handing over a secret ledger, was Lily’s brother. He wasn't a victim. He was smiling, shaking hands with the old mafia boss.

​Lily stumbled back, her face going pale. "No... that's impossible. He wouldn't..."

​"He didn't disappear because he was killed, Lily," Ren said quietly, his voice turning dead serious as he read the data. He looked back at her, his eyes full of complex emotion. "He disappeared because he stole from my father. And right now... he's the one funding the rival gang trying to burn us down."

​Before Lily could process the shock, the vault's ventilation system suddenly hissed, and thick, sweet-smelling sleeping gas began to pour into the room.

​Ren’s eyes widened. "The rat on the board... they're locking us in."

​He lunged forward, grabbing Lily and pulling her tightly into his arms to shield her face against his chest. "Hold your breath," he commanded into her hair, his grip possessive and fierce as the darkness began to close in on them both.

​[TO BE CONTINUED]

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***