Chapter 28
Ren Voss's POV
Watching Lyra's motorcycle disappear around the corner, I turned back toward the workbench. Then I picked up my phone and dialed an encrypted line—a contact method Orion had given me specifically, one reserved only for urgent or important situations.
The call connected quickly.
"Ren," Orion's voice came through the receiver, steady as always. "What's the situation?"
"Lyra just came to the garage," I reported concisely. "She said Kael had someone following her, so she came here to lay low. I tuned up her motorcycle, and she's left now."
There was a second of silence on the other end, then Orion's tone suddenly became urgent.
"How is she? Is she hurt? Did the person following her do anything to her?"
He fired off several questions in rapid succession, his voice carrying an urgency I'd never heard from him before. I couldn't help but freeze for a moment, shocked by his intense reaction.
"She seemed fine," I answered honestly. "The tail backed off once they saw she'd come to me. They didn't approach her. But..." I paused. "I noticed bruising on her neck—finger marks, fresh ones. They must have been left recently."
A suppressed breath came through the line. I could feel Orion struggling to control his emotions. Several seconds passed before he spoke again, his voice having regained its calm, though I could hear the fury simmering beneath that composure.
"If she comes to you again, provide her with whatever help she needs," he said. "I'll compensate you additionally."
"No additional compensation necessary," I said frankly. "This is already part of my work."
Orion said nothing more and hung up directly.
I stood there holding my phone, a smile tugging involuntarily at the corner of my mouth. Over all these years, I'd carried out countless tasks for Orion—purging rogue Alphas, tracking down corporate spies, even quietly eliminating several enemies who threatened the Northern Territory's security. I'd thought I knew him well enough, but only today did I discover that he too could have such a tense side, could lose that signature composure of his over one person's safety.
It seemed that girl named Lyra truly held a different place in his heart.
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Lyra's POV
The next afternoon, I was in the apartment studying the track data for the race against Vex when Kael suddenly pushed through the door. Instinctively, I flipped the materials face-down to hide the information on the back. Fortunately, Kael didn't notice my movement.
"Get ready," he said, his tone carrying a rare good mood. "Change into something more formal. You're coming with me to a business meeting."
I looked up at him, somewhat puzzled. "A business meeting?"
"Yes, a very important client," Kael said, adjusting his tie with a smile on his face. "This meeting is extremely important—we can't afford any missteps. You'll come with me. Behave yourself and don't embarrass me."
Over these three years, I'd occasionally played the role of Kael's secretary and accompanied him to meet certain clients, but those had been special circumstances. I understood almost instantly that Kael still didn't fully trust me—so much so that even when attending such an important business occasion, he wasn't comfortable leaving me alone in the apartment, preferring instead to keep me tethered to his side.
I suppressed the resistance rising in my chest and nodded obediently.
"Alright, I'll go change now."
With that, I walked into the bedroom and opened the closet. Apart from the two outfits I'd bought for Sera's wedding, everything else consisted of clothes Kael had made me purchase over these three years—modest, conservative pieces that fit his image of a "respectable companion."
I deliberately chose a black turtleneck to conceal the finger marks Kael had left on my neck, pairing it with a simple knee-length skirt. After changing, I followed Kael out the door.
We drove to an upscale club in downtown Chicago, one I'd heard of before—reportedly it only accepted extremely high-end clientele, completely inaccessible to ordinary businesspeople. I found myself quietly curious about what kind of client could make Kael treat this occasion with such gravity. After all, Kael had always held himself in high regard and rarely showed such deference to anyone.
The elevator stopped at the top floor. We walked down a corridor carpeted in thick plush and arrived at a private room door. Kael took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, then pushed the door open.
The room's décor was extraordinarily luxurious, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Chicago's skyline. The last rays of sunset streamed in, bathing the entire space in golden light. Kael quickly plastered on a smile and stepped forward, using a deferential tone I'd never heard from him before: "Mr. Blackwood, I've admired your reputation for so long. Today I finally have the honor..."
His body blocked my view, but in the next second, Kael shifted slightly to the side, and through that gap I saw the person in the room.
My breath stopped.
Orion stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to the setting sun, the contours of his profile especially striking in the golden halo. He looked past Kael toward me, those deep eyes settling on my face, his gaze carrying a complex emotion I couldn't quite name.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
The last time we'd met was at Saint Michael's Keep, when he'd gently intervened on my behalf and given me that exquisite crown. Back then I hadn't yet endured the torture of the dungeon, hadn't yet lain covered in wounds on Sera's bed. And now we were reunited under these circumstances—me as the secretary Kael brought to his business meeting, and him as the important client Kael was desperately trying to please.
I struggled to maintain the calm on my face, putting on an air of nonchalance, but my heart had already begun racing out of control. I saw Orion's gaze fall on the bruising around my wrist—the marks worn into my skin by silver chains in the dungeon.