The bus rolled through the city like a quiet confession.
Lina sat by the window, her suitcase tucked between her knees, her forehead resting against the cold glass. Streetlights blurred into streaks of gold and white as the city she had called home slowly slipped away.
She didn't look back.
She couldn't.
Every vibration of her phone felt like a phantom ache, even though she had turned it off hours ago. She needed silence. She needed distance. She needed to disappear before the Blackwood name swallowed what little was left of her life.
You made the right choice, she told herself.
So why did it feel like she was suffocating?
At dawn, the bus pulled into a small coastal town Lina had only heard about once—quiet, overlooked, forgettable.
Perfect.
She stepped off with her suitcase, breathing in the salty air. The sea stretched endlessly ahead, calm and indifferent. No cameras. No whispers. No headlines.
For the first time in days, her chest loosened slightly.
She found a cheap guesthouse near the shore. The owner, an elderly woman with tired eyes and kind hands, didn't ask questions.
"Staying long?" the woman asked.
"I don't know yet," Lina replied honestly.
The woman nodded as if that answer made perfect sense.
Three hours later, the world exploded.
Nathaniel stood in the Blackwood boardroom, hands braced against the glass table, his expression carved from ice.
The room was packed.
Board members. Legal counsel. Advisors. His father.
Every single one of them stared at him like he had lost his mind.
"This is reckless," one board member snapped. "You can't just walk away!"
"Yes, I can," Nathaniel replied calmly. "I own thirty-seven percent of the shares."
The chairman's face was dark with fury. "You will destroy this company."
"No," Nathaniel said. "I'll expose it."
A stunned silence followed.
He straightened, his voice cold and steady.
"I'm resigning as acting CEO. Effective immediately. My shares will be transferred to an independent trust."
Gasps echoed around the room.
"You're handing over control?" someone demanded.
"I'm removing leverage," Nathaniel replied.
The chairman rose slowly. "This is about her."
"Yes," Nathaniel said without hesitation.
The word landed like a bomb.
The chairman's voice trembled with rage. "You would burn everything I built for a woman who ran away?"
Nathaniel met his gaze.
"She didn't run," he said quietly. "She was chased."
The room fell silent.
"And I won't forgive you for that."
The news broke within minutes.
Markets trembled. Analysts panicked. Headlines screamed.
BLACKWOOD HEIR STEPS DOWN — INTERNAL WAR ERUPTS
But Nathaniel didn't look at any of it.
He was standing alone in his penthouse, holding a phone that refused to ring.
"She's gone," his security chief said carefully from behind him. "No digital trace. No banking activity. She planned this."
Nathaniel closed his eyes.
That was Lina.
Quietly strong. Thoroughly prepared.
"She knew," he murmured. "She knew they'd come after her."
The security chief hesitated. "Do you want us to find her?"
Nathaniel's jaw tightened.
"Yes.
No.
He exhaled slowly.
"Not yet," he said. "If we find her now, they'll follow."
He turned, eyes hardening.
"But prepare everything. When she's ready… I'll be there."
Lina's days fell into a simple rhythm.
She woke early. Walked by the sea. Took a temporary job at a small bookstore café that smelled of paper and cinnamon. The owner paid little, but she paid fairly.
No one asked about her past.
No one knew her name beyond "Lina."
At night, she lay in bed listening to the waves and forced herself not to think of him.
Some nights, she failed.
On the seventh day, she finally turned her phone on.
Hundreds of missed calls flooded in.
She didn't open them.
Instead, she deleted her social media accounts.
Changed her number.
Cut the last thread tying her to that world.
When she finished, she stared at the blank screen.
And cried until her chest ached.
Back in the city, Chairman Blackwood watched the damage spread with cold eyes.
Nathaniel's resignation had destabilized alliances. Investors were nervous. Rivals were circling.
And worst of all—
Nathaniel was no longer controllable.
"She's the key," the chairman said calmly to the woman seated across from him.
Evelyn Moore smiled faintly. "I assumed as much."
"She vanished," the chairman continued. "But people like her always resurface."
Evelyn tilted her head. "And when she does?"
The chairman's gaze hardened.
"We remind her what she gave up."
The bookstore café was busy when it happened.
Lina was restocking shelves when a man stepped inside.
Tall. Expensive coat. Shoes that didn't belong in a coastal town.
Her stomach dropped.
He smiled politely. "Miss Hart."
Her blood ran cold.
"I think you have the wrong person," she said quickly.
He chuckled softly. "You can run from names, but not from interest."
Her hands shook as she set the books down.
"What do you want?"
"To offer you an opportunity," he replied. "One that would make your life easier."
She met his eyes.
"I don't want anything from Blackwood International."
His smile widened slightly.
"This isn't from Blackwood," he said. "It's from Moore Holdings."
Her heart sank.
"I said no."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"You don't get to say no," he said calmly. "Not when your past can be rewritten… or erased."
Lina straightened.
"You're threatening me."
"I'm warning you," he replied. "Miss Moore would like a conversation."
The café door opened behind him.
Another man entered.
Then another.
Lina realized with sudden clarity—
She had been found.
That night, Lina stood on the beach alone.
The wind tugged at her hair as waves crashed violently against the shore. She clutched her jacket tightly, heart racing.
She had tried to disappear.
But power didn't forget.
Her phone buzzed.
A new number.
She hesitated.
Then answered.
"Lina," Nathaniel's voice said quietly.
Her breath caught.
"How did you—"
"They found you," he said. "Didn't they?"
Silence.
"That's not an answer," he continued gently.
"Yes," she whispered.
"I'm coming," he said immediately.
"No," she said sharply. "You can't."
"I already am."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"This is exactly what I was trying to avoid."
"I know," he replied. "But I won't let them corner you alone."
Tears filled her eyes.
"You gave up everything," she said. "Because of me."
"No," he said firmly. "Because of myself."
A pause.
"And because I love you."
Her heart shattered.
Before she could respond, headlights appeared in the distance.
Multiple cars.
Approaching fast.
"Nathaniel," she whispered. "They're here."
His voice hardened instantly.
"Go inside. Lock the door. Don't open it for anyone."
"And you?"
"I'll handle the rest."
The call cut off.
Lina stared at the approaching lights, fear and resolve twisting together in her chest.
She had tried to be small.
Tried to be invisible.
But the world wouldn't let her.
And maybe—
It was time she stopped running.
[End of Chapter 6]