Chapter 117

AURORA'S POV

Once again, the elevator trembles, lurching just enough for me to hold onto the railing. Once, twice, the emergency light flickers before settling into a faint orange glow. Cassian remains in the corner, appearing eerily composed as if he orchestrated the whole affair.

I yell, "You had better start talking." "Now."

He speaks too evenly. "I wasn't the one. I shouldn't have been in here when it occurred.

"But here you are nonetheless."

"I came to give you a warning. VantageGen is the brainchild of Julian. It's a shell.

I cross my arms and look at him, trying to stop my heart from thumping. "He is, of course. And you just so managed to coincide a blackout with your spectacular elevator entrance? Easy to use.

Lucian departed, and I followed you inside. This is not what I expected.

With a quick sigh, I run a hand through my hair. The temperature is high. The ventilation has stopped working. It seems as if the walls are closing in.

"Is this more than just a power outage?"

"No."

I hold my breath.

When he loses the charm, his tone becomes somber, which bothers me. It makes maintaining my walls more difficult.

Cassian takes a step ahead. "The emergency grid supply to the building was switched off by someone. Backup signals, power, and the intercom are all unavailable. This goes beyond simple sabotage. It conveys a message.

I blinked. "You believe that this is about me?"

He doesn't respond right away.

That's a sufficient response.

Once again, I hit the emergency call button. Just static.

Cassian stoops to examine the wiring after running a hand down the side panel and prying it away. I'm sorry I notice, but the action strains his shirt over his back.

I turn my head away.

I firmly assert, "You shouldn't have come here." "You continue to show up as if we are unresolved."

He tilts his head slightly. "Aren't we?"

I give a glare. "Don't, Cassian."

The elevator is terribly little. The air is too thin. Our feelings for one another were too intense.

He gets back up and adds, "You left without saying anything." "And then ensured that I would never come across you."

"Because I couldn't allow you to locate me."

The steel walls reflect my voice.

Cassian closely observes me, as if he's waiting for me to snap. However, I'm already broken. He just didn't see the parts.

"Why now?" I inquire. "Why the sudden concern for warning me and safeguarding me? Is it possession or guilt?

He tightens his jaw. "It's regret."

"It's too late."

He takes a step forward. "That is not for you to decide."

"In fact," I respond icily, "I do."

Silence descends. The seconds pass. Minutes after that. The air becomes more dense. The temperature increases.

He throws off his suit jacket and tosses it onto the floor. "You're perspiring."

"I'm all right."

"You're flushed."

"Stop observing me."

It's difficult not to. You are still the same person.

"You're not allowed to say that." The abrupt snap of something deeper destroys my voice. "You no longer know who I am."

His brows furrow as he watches me. Perhaps not. However, I recall how you used to gaze at me.

I take a deep breath.

I reply, "You don't get to remember the good parts." "Not after you deleted the others."

CASSIAN'S POV

Although she speaks quietly, her words are powerful.

I respond, "I never meant to erase you."

"You performed worse. I had to delete myself because of you.

Anything that doesn't sound hollow is what I want to say in response. However, I am unable to. Not with her eyes like that. She's not upset. She is haunted.

I extend my legs out in front of me as I sit on the floor. She keeps upright, pacing like a trapped animal.

I reply, softening now, "I'm not here to hurt you."

She gives a snort. "That is also too late."

"Now let me assist you."

"Want to lend a hand? Get me out of here.

I slowly nod. "Working on it already."

She stops and gives me a suspicious look. "What if you are unable to?"

I look her in the eye. "I'll spend the entire night sitting here." beside you.

"Why?"

"Because you've never allowed me before."

She gives me a prolonged gaze. Then, far enough away that we are not in contact, he falls on the floor across from me. I'm close enough to notice the glimmer of fatigue in her eyes.

For a long, none of us says anything.

Then she whispers, "Leo has nightmares."

My heart twitches.

She is unaware. or acts as if they don't.

She goes on, "He wakes up screaming." On other evenings, I am unable to soothe him. He simply sobs while holding onto my clothing.

I look at her. "Aurora."

Don't. You have no idea how it feels to be powerless. to care for a kid and worry about if they will be angry at you for bringing them into the world.

I take a slow breath. "I would like to meet him."

She recoils. "Even his favorite color is unknown to you."

"I would learn."

Her gaze flickers off. It's green. similar to his eyes.

My throat tightens a muscle. "Like yours."

Silence for another beat.

"Don't make this harder than it is," she then murmurs.

I put my elbows on my knees and lean forward. "You believe I had this planned? That I want your loss?

She replies, "You didn't stop it." "It's worse than that."

Above us, there's a sudden, loud mechanical creak.

Aurora becomes rigid. In an instant, I'm standing up.

She exclaims, "What the hell was that?"

I pay close attention. One more creak. Then there was a little clink. similar to tools.

There's someone up there.

I go in the direction of the hatch. "The maintenance crew might be to blame."

Or, she adds, Julian. "You said it yourself. This was no coincidence.

I gaze down at her.

It's not simply the darkness that's causing the horror in her eyes. It comes from recollection. from treachery. No one arrived from all the periods.

I reach out—slow, careful—and give my hand.

She pauses.

She then accepts it.

AURORA'S POV

He has a warm hand.

steady.

I'm not sure whether I can trust him.

However, I'm sick of being by myself in the dark.

The hatch above us suddenly opens. A glimmer of light pierces the darkness.

There's a head.

I don't recognize the face.

Not safety.

Not Lucian.

Cassian tenses up. "That isn't the engineer for the building."

I step back instinctively.

The man's gaze is downward. Cold eyes. Making calculations.

Then he grinned.

"All right," he replies. "I didn't anticipate you two."

Cassian steps ahead of me.

He demands to know who you are.

However, I already know.

There was something about his voice. The arrogance. The eyes I've seen from a distance—through background checks, security briefings, and Lucian's subdued cautions.

The guy behind VantageGen's operations.

Julian West's repairman.

The one they never name.

His smile widens. “Let’s just say… I’m the man who delivers ultimatums.”

Then the hatch slams shut—

And the elevator drops.