"He kissed me like he wanted to silence the war he caused inside me" The kiss still lingered on her lips like a bruise. Liana sat at her desk the next morning, fingers shaking slightly as she typed, unable to concentrate. Every inch of her skin remembered Ares's hands, his mouth, the way his voice dropped when he said he'd ruin her - and the shameful way her body had let him. She told herself it meant nothing. But then why did her thighs clench every time she breathed? A message pinged. Ares: Lunch. Now. My floor. She stared at it for a full minute, then deleted it - as if ignoring him would make him disappear. It didn't. 🌘Dante&Nora Downstairs, Nora slammed a file shut in the archives room. Dante stood at the doorway, watching her like a man studying a wildfire. "You don't belong here," he said. She looked up, annoyed. "Neither do you." He stepped inside. "Liana's falling into something she won't crawl out of. And you know it." Nora clenched her jaw. "If you're so loyal to him, why are you warning me?" Dante leaned close. "Because when the wreckage comes... I'd rather you didn't get crushed in it. 🍂Rayan That night, Rayan sat in a café, headphones on, analyzing audio from the old encrypted drive. A man's voice crackled through the static. 'if I disappear, it wasn't Ares. It was someone inside." His blood ran cold. "Someone inside"? Who??———————————————————— Back in the penthouse, Ares lit a cigarette, shirt unbuttoned, chest rising and falling. Liana adjusted her skirt, legs still trembling. "I don't want your love," she said softly, unable to meet his eyes. He blew out smoke. "Good," he replied. "Because love is fragile." He walked toward her, brushing her hair behind her ear. "What I feel for you," he whispered, "is indestructible."-
