Layla froze.
She wasn't expecting anyone. And she wasn't ready. Not for explanations. Not for questions. Definitely not for him.
She had a feeling about it. Taking small, unsure steps, she reached the door and paused, placing her hand on the cool wood, almost wanting it to tell her what was behind it. Her heart was shaking. When she finally opened the door, there stood Adrian. The rain wet his hair and his eyes were terrible. He had ditched his suit jacket, and his sleeves were rolled up. For a moment, neither of them said a word.
Neither did she.
Then he held up the envelope in his hand.
"This came to my office."
Layla felt her mouth go dry. The envelope had no label, just like the ones before it.And she knew without seeing what was inside. Photos. Newspaper clippings. A list of dates and transfers, all tracing back to her father. To her.
She stepped aside silently.
Adrian walked in.
The door clicked shut behind him, and the sound felt final. Inevitable.
He stood there in her living room, looking a bit lost by everything happening around him. "Layla," he finally said, his voice trembling. "I need you to be straight with me."" She was just so tired of running away. Of hiding.
So she did.
She told him everything.
About Thomas Hart. The scandal. The years of living in the shadow of a name that had become a curse. The nights she listened to her mother cry behind closed doors. The friends who disappeared, the schools that turned cold. And how, eventually, she stopped trying to explain anything at all.
She told him about Hart to Heart. About trying to build something good from the ashes.Every dollar she made showed that she wasn't just her father's daughter, no matter what others thought. Once she wrapped up, Adrian plopped down on the couch, his head in his hands. 'Man, Layla.'
She didn't expect forgiveness. She didn't even want it.
"I never lied," she said quietly. "I just didn't tell you. Because I knew what it would mean to you. To your father. To this world." He looked at me differently, and it really made a point. He said my dad's opinion doesn't matter to him. Layla took a quick breath."Then what matters to you?" "You," he replied. The word hung in the air. But just as she was about to say something, his phone rang on the table.
He looked down.
And this time, the message didn't come with shadows.
It came with a name.
A meeting. A location.
And a threat: Come alone, or the truth goes public.
Layla's hands were shaking. "What the hell is this?" Adrian looked at the screen like it was something terrible. "I think someone's trying to trap us."
"And you're going?"
He looked at her storm and steel and everything that made her afraid. " "You can't just not go," Layla said, stepping in front of him to stop him from leaving. "Adrian, you need to hear me out." This is exactly what they want—whoever's behind this. They want you to walk into it blind, desperate. They want to break you." His jaw was tightened. "I'm not afraid of them."
Am not saying that! Her voice shook with fear.This isn't about fear. It's about control. They've been playing you from the start, Adrian. Can't you see that?"
"I do see it." His voice was low, deadly calm.And I'm going to end it. She grabbed his arm. Not by yourself. Please, don't shut me out now. He glanced at her hand, then locked eyes with her. There was a deep hurt there—maybe pain, or guilt. You don't get it, he said. If this leaks… if even some of what they have is true… my dad's company could go under fast.
People will lose their jobs. Their futures. I can't let that happen because of me. Because I trusted the wrong person."
Layla flinched. "Is that what you think? That I'm the wrong person?"
He closed his eyes, just for a moment. "No. But you have to understand, I built everything on loyalty. On trust. If that foundation cracks, the entire empire falls."
Layla's throat tightened. "And what about us?"
Adrian paused, and the silence felt heavy. I'm not sure, he admitted after a moment. But if I skip this meeting, I could lose my chance to get to the bottom of this." Her heart ached more intensely at that. "Then let me come with you."
"No."
"Adrian"
"No," he said more firmly this time. "If something happens to you—"
She stepped closer, her eyes shining with intensity. "You can't protect me by pushing me away. It doesn't works like that.That's not love."
His expression changed, like her words really got to him. Just as he was about to respond, the lights
went off. Then everything went dark.
Layla gasped. "What the?"
Adrian's phone buzzed again. Another message.
This time, it was a video. No sound. Just a live feed.
Of a woman.
Layla's mother. Tied to a chair in a strange place, Layla's eyes were full of fear. Her knees gave out beneath her. "No....no, no, no" Adrian caught her before she fell. "Layla" Her heart was shaking, and she could barely hear over the rushing blood in her ears. "They have her. Oh my God—they have her!" Adrian looked like he'd just been hit hard. "They've been keeping an eye on you. The whole time." "Why her?" Layla cried, panic increasing in her throat. "She's have nothing to do with this!"
"They want leverage." His voice was flat. Dangerous. "And they just got it."
He stood, pulling her with him. "We're leaving. Now."
"But where? How do we even know where she is?"
Adrian was already dialing a number. "I know someone who can trace the video feed. "If we hurry, we might catch them before they take her anywhere else." Layla fought back tears. "Adrian—what if we miss her?" His gaze met hers, strong and determined. "We won't." He grabbed his jacket and pulled out an unregistered phone and a flash drive from a concealed spot in the table. "What's that?" she asked, surprised. "Just some insurance," he said quietly. "Everything I've found so far about the Blackwell accounts. If anything happens to me, it goes public."
Layla looked at him with a cold look, sizing him up like he was a total stranger. You did this on purpose, she said, her words sharp. He just battled, acting like it didn't matter. "I think ahead." That didn't ease her mind one bit. As they hurried to the elevator, Layla felt her stomach drop. She couldn't stop thinking about her mom afraid and alone. The idea that her past was finally catching up to the last person she had left was too much to bear. The elevator doors shut, but not before Layla noticed something moving at the end of the hallway.A shadow.
Watching.
Waiting.
She turned to Adrian, her voice a whisper.We're being followed. Adrian didn't waste any time. Let them follow. It's ending tonight. He drove like he was on a mission. The city zipped by in flashes of neon and metal, with rain hitting the windshield in sharp sheets. Inside the car, it was quiet except for the occasional beep from Adrian's encrypted phone and Layla's anxious breaths. She held the flash drive tightly, like it was her only hope. She looked so scared, Layla murmured, her voice wavering. "Whoever they are… they know everything. They knew exactly how to hurt me."
"They know how to hurt me, too," Adrian said without looking at her. "By hurting you."
The way he said it , it wasn't ordinary.The way he said it was different. Layla slowly looked at him, her heart shaking in her ears. Just when she was about to say something, his phone began to ring.A single, sharp tone. He answered instantly, putting it on speaker.
A distorted voice filled the car. "Mr. Blackwell. You're running out of time."
Adrian's asked "Where is she?"
"You'll know soon enough. But first… a little demonstration."
Layla's blood went cold.
The call cut off—and her phone buzzed at the same time.
A link.
She clicked it. Another video. Her mother again—but this time, she wasn't alone.
Behind her, a man stepped into frame.Wearing a mask.
"Hello, Layla," he said. His voice was calm. Smooth. Chilling. "Adrian didn't tell you everything, did he?"
Adrian swore under his breath. "Mute it. Now."
But Layla was frozen.
The masked man continued, "Did he tell you about the first time we met? How he left someone behind to die, just to protect his secrets?"
Layla's voice was barely above a whisper. "What… is this?" Adrian just stayed quiet. The silence felt heavy, almost like a shout. He closed the brakes in front of a nondescript building—no signs, dark windows, and no lights. He got out of the car, breathing very fast.
"Stay here," he ordered, heading toward the side entrance.
Layla opened her door. "No. I'm coming."
"I said stay."
"Adrian," he said, worry in his eyes."If that video backs up what I think, everything we know is about to change." She started to say something, but the metal door suddenly swung open like it was already waiting for them. They exchanged sight filled with worry, determination, and a hint of care. Together, they stepped inside. When they moved inside, the door closed behind them, putting off the light a
nd leaving them in total darkness. Then, a voice from somewhere deep in the shadows said, Welcome to the edge of nothing.