Chapter 14: A Familiar Voice

Chapter 14: A Familiar Voice Seraphina’s POV I screamed the moment I got the chance and thrashed with everything I had. This was it! This was my turn. I didn’t care how risky it was. I had to get out of this goddamn place. I just prayed someone would see me, hear me, and help me. How bold did they have to be to bring me here? At first glance, it looked like a fancy hotel. But inside, it was nothing more than a rotting dumpster. It was a trap. "She’s awake!" one of them shouted and started toward me. Too late. My hand was already free. I shoved my fingers into his eyes before he could grab me, and I drove my knee into the stomach of the bastard who was still holding me up on his shoulder. He grunted and staggered. I didn’t wait and slipped out of this grip. I ran. My heart was pounding so loudly I could barely hear anything else. All I needed was a little luck—just someone, anyone, who could help me get the hell out of here. That’s all I wanted. Just enough to escape. I didn’t look back. I just couldn’t. The hallway was like a damn maze. I didn’t know which place would be safe for me, and the floors felt too smooth under my bare feet. My lungs burned, my throat raw from screaming, but I kept going. I didn’t care where I ended up... as long as it was away from them. "Get her!" a voice echoed behind me, and several footsteps followed behind. Panic was surging all over my gut. No, no, no—keep moving! I turned a corner blindly and nearly slipped on the tiled floor. I caught myself against the wall. My shoulder throbbed, but I pushed off it and kept running. One more turn, another corridor. Then, finally, I saw a place which looked different from the other rooms here. A door. It was big, seemed to be made of metal, and probably locked. But I had to try. I threw myself at it, palms flat against the cold steel, shoving with everything I had. There was no response. I didn’t lose hope and kept screaming and pounding, hoping someone—anyone—might hear me from the other side. "Please!" I gasped. "Help! I’m in here! Please!" Fortunately, I heard something from the other side. Some movement. A brief pause. Then—a click. The door opened just a little, and light spilled in, brighter than anything I’d seen in hours."A man stood there. He froze when he saw me. My hair was a mess and had blood at the corner of my mouth, shaking like I’d just crawled out of hell. "I—They’re after me—" I rasped, grabbing his shirt. "Don’t let them take me back." He didn’t even ask questions. He pulled me in. And shut the door. I collapsed against the floor, shaking, my heart still thundering in my chest. I didn’t even know who he was, where I was, or if I was safe. My vision was already blurring from exhaustion—I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer to see who that person was. But for the first time in hours—maybe longer— I wasn’t alone. "It’s alright. I’m here." A soothing voice came from behind me. Who...? I knew that voice. Familiar. Safe. But it wasn’t the man who had opened the door. "I leave you alone for one damn day..." the man muttered as he stepped closer, kneeling in front of me. His fingers gently lifted my chin, forcing my tired eyes to meet his. "And you’re already in this much of a mess?" My breath caught in my throat. The room, the pain, the panic—all of it fell away for a second. My lips trembled. "Lu... Lucien?" Lucein’s POV I was only there on business. It was some shady, nameless corner of the city I’d never stepped foot in before. A place that didn’t even show up on the official map—because it wasn’t meant to be found. I wouldn’t have bothered with it either if certain people hadn’t decided to get clever and throw obstacles in my way and obstruct my construction business, asking for ransom! That was their first mistake. But the second I arrived, I knew something was off. This was not just some shady thing but it was dark, filthy, and rotting from the inside out. I’d seen corruption before. Hell, I’d danced with it. But this? This was different. I was ready to report it. Shut it down clean. But then I saw the uniforms. The so-called "officials"... standing there, smiling, pretending they weren’t soaked in blood and filth like the rest of the culprits here. That’s when I snapped. A cold fury bled into my veins. My hands itched to burn everything down. I wanted to rip them apart, every single one of them... leave nothing but ashes of those bastards all around. But fortunately, Adrian barely stopped me, saying I needed to think long-term. Fine. I listened. But I didn’t forget. Instead, I came back. Again and again, quietly watching them. They collected every piece of filth and tried to sweep it under the rug. I needed to destroy them, not because I had to, but because they made it personal. They thought they could mess with my work and walk away? They have no idea what kind of monster they just invited in. I’m not going to just take them down. I’m going to ruin them—so thoroughly, so violently that they won’t even remember how to stand by the time I’m done. Let them crawl and beg. I’ll still crush them. However, an unexpected knock on the VVIP door shattered the silence and pissed me off. Today was supposed to be the day. Everything was lined up; the last thing I needed was some fool testing my patience. "Ignore it," I told my men in an icy tone. But then I heard a cry. Not just any cry but a desperate, shaky, and familiar plea. Too familiar.