HIS BIGGEST REGRET

Chapter 10: Shadows in the warehouse

CHAPTER TEN

Shadows in the Warehouse

The engine of Serena's car fell silent.

She switched off the headlights and lowered herself in the driver's seat.

Her heart pounded so violently she could hear it in her ears.

Across the deserted street stood an old warehouse, its rusted walls barely visible beneath the dim glow of a flickering streetlight.

Damien's car was parked outside.

He was inside.

Serena tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

"This is your chance," she whispered to herself.

"Find out the truth."

She stepped out of the car as quietly as possible and crossed the empty street.

The cold night wind sent a chill through her body.

Every instinct screamed at her to turn back.

But she couldn't.

Not anymore.

---

Unbeknownst to Serena...

A black SUV sat nearly two hundred yards away.

Inside, Ethan Blackwood watched the warehouse through a pair of military-grade binoculars.

Helen sat beside him with a tablet displaying the building's blueprint.

"Thermal cameras show five people inside," she said.

"Five?"

Ethan frowned.

"Damien."

"The woman."

"And three unidentified individuals."

Helen nodded.

"One of them appears to be armed."

Ethan lowered the binoculars.

"What about Serena?"

Helen typed rapidly.

"Her phone signal stopped moving."

Ethan's eyes hardened.

"Where?"

Helen's expression changed.

"...She's here."

"What?"

"Less than fifty yards from the warehouse."

For the first time in years...

Ethan cursed under his breath.

"She's going to get herself killed."

---

Serena reached a side entrance.

The steel door hadn't closed properly.

A narrow gap remained.

Voices drifted through.

"...She's becoming suspicious."

Damien.

Serena held her breath.

Another voice answered.

A woman.

"You should have expected that."

"I told you this would happen."

"I've handled it."

"Have you?"

Silence.

Then a third voice spoke.

Deep.

Powerful.

One Serena had never heard before.

"Enough."

Instantly...

The room fell silent.

Even Damien stopped talking.

Whoever that man was...

He was the one giving orders.

Serena slowly pushed the door open another inch.

Inside, the warehouse had been converted into a luxurious meeting room.

A long conference table stood in the center.

Damien sat on one side.

The elegant woman sat beside him.

Across from them...

Three figures dressed in dark suits.

Their faces hidden by the shadows.

The man at the head of the table leaned forward.

"I didn't spend five years cleaning up mistakes..."

His voice remained calm.

"...just for a grieving wife to ruin everything."

Serena's heart skipped.

Were they talking about her?

The man continued.

"Find out what Serena knows."

"If she knows nothing..."

He shrugged.

"Leave her alone."

"And if she knows too much?"

The warehouse became eerily quiet.

The man smiled.

"We'll deal with that problem."

Serena's pulse hammered.

This wasn't about an affair.

This wasn't even about Damien.

There was someone above him.

Someone far more dangerous.

---

Outside...

A loose piece of metal shifted beneath Serena's foot.

CLANG!

The sound echoed through the warehouse.

Every head snapped toward the side entrance.

"Who's there?" someone shouted.

Serena's eyes widened.

"No..."

Footsteps thundered toward the door.

She turned and ran.

Behind her, the warehouse doors burst open.

"Stop her!"

Three men sprinted into the darkness.

Serena ran as fast as she could, her lungs burning.

She risked one glance over her shoulder.

They were gaining on her.

Suddenly...

A pair of powerful headlights flooded the road.

A black luxury sedan screeched to a halt between Serena and the men chasing her.

The rear door flew open.

"Get in!"

It was Ethan.

Serena didn't hesitate.

She jumped into the car.

The driver slammed the accelerator.

The tires screamed against the asphalt as the sedan shot forward.

Behind them, the men stopped running.

One of them calmly raised a phone.

"They've got the woman."

A pause.

"No."

He listened carefully before nodding.

"We won't pursue."

He ended the call.

Back inside the warehouse...

Damien stood frozen.

His face had gone pale.

"She heard us."

The elegant woman folded her arms.

"Maybe."

Damien turned toward the man at the head of the table.

"We have to stop her."

The man chuckled.

"No."

Damien frowned.

"No?"

"Sometimes..."

The mysterious leader slowly stood.

"...the fastest way to reach the truth..."

He smiled coldly.

"...is to let the truth come looking for you."

---

Inside Ethan's speeding car, Serena struggled to catch her breath.

"What... was that?" she gasped.

Ethan didn't answer immediately.

His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.

Finally, he spoke.

"The beginning."

"The beginning of what?"

He looked at her with an expression she couldn't read.

"A war."

Before Serena could ask another question, Helen's phone rang.

She answered instantly.

Her face drained of color.

"Mr. Blackwood..."

"What is it?"

She swallowed.

"Our security team just searched your office."

"And?"

"They found someone waiting for you."

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

Helen looked at him in disbelief.

"A woman."

She hesitated.

"She claims..."

"...she's Isabella."

The world seemed to stop.

Five years.

No trace.

No body.

No answers.

And now...

The woman everyone believed was dead had suddenly returned.