CHAPTER 12:THE BULLET MEANT FOR HER
915 Words
The gunshot shattered the warehouse.
Elara never saw the bullet coming.
One second Luca was pointing the gun at her—
The next—
Anik slammed into her hard enough to throw them both sideways across the concrete floor.
A deafening crack exploded through the air.
Pain flashed across Anik’s face instantly.
Elara’s heartbeat stopped.
No.
No no no—
“Anik!”
Chaos erupted around them.
Guards shouted.
More gunshots exploded through the warehouse.
Someone tackled Luca near the staircase while alarms screamed overhead again.
But Elara barely heard any of it.
Because Anik’s body was half-covering hers.
Protecting her.
Even now.
Blood spread slowly across the black fabric of his shirt near his ribs.
Fresh.
Dark.
Too much.
Fear ripped through her violently.
“Oh my God—”
Anik grabbed her wrist immediately before she could panic further.
“I’m fine.”
Lie.
Complete lie.
His breathing had changed.
Sharper now.
Controlled pain.
Elara’s chest tightened painfully.
“You got shot because of me.”
His jaw flexed hard.
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
“You stop saying that.”
The intensity in his voice stunned her.
Even bleeding—
Even injured—
He sounded more concerned about her than himself.
Another gunshot echoed nearby.
Anik’s expression turned lethal immediately as he looked toward the guards restraining Luca.
“Don’t kill him,” he ordered coldly.
Luca laughed darkly despite being pinned against the floor.
“There he is.”
His eyes shifted toward Elara.
“The real Anik Varren.”
“Shut him up,” Anik said quietly.
One of the guards slammed Luca harder against the ground instantly.
But Luca kept smiling.
And somehow that smile terrified Elara more than the gun itself.
Because her brother looked completely different now.
Not desperate.
Not emotional.
Calculated.
Like this had all been planned carefully.
Elara slowly stood, breathing unevenly.
“Why?”
The word broke out of her before she could stop it.
Luca looked at her calmly.
“You really want the truth?”
“Yes.”
His expression darkened slightly.
“Because the second you got close to him…”
His eyes shifted toward Anik with visible hatred.
“…you became useful.”
The words sliced through her chest.
Useful.
Not sister.
Not family.
Useful.
Pain twisted violently inside her.
“How long?” she whispered.
Luca said nothing.
That silence told her everything.
Anik slowly rose to his feet beside her despite the blood staining his side.
Immediately two guards stepped closer.
“Sir, you need medical attention.”
“I said I’m fine.”
The coldness in his voice silenced them instantly.
But Elara saw the truth.
He was pale.
Tense.
Fighting pain harder than he wanted anyone noticing.
And somehow—
The realization hurt.
A lot.
Anik’s eyes moved toward her immediately.
“Come here.”
She hesitated.
Not because she feared him.
Because everything felt shattered now.
Family.
Trust.
Reality itself.
Luca noticed the hesitation instantly.
And smiled.
Cruelly.
“You still don’t get it, Ellie.”
Anik’s expression darkened dangerously.
“Careful.”
But Luca ignored him.
“This man destroys everything he touches.”
The warehouse went silent again.
Elara looked at Anik slowly.
And for the first time since meeting him—
She saw exhaustion in his eyes.
Not physical exhaustion.
Emotional.
Like he was tired of fighting the world.
Tired of fighting himself.
But the second she looked hurt—
His entire focus shifted back to her again.
Always her.
God.
That realization made things worse.
Because even now—
Even after learning pieces of the truth—
She still couldn’t stop wanting him.
What was wrong with her?
Anik stepped closer carefully.
Blood continued spreading beneath his shirt.
“You need to stay away from Luca.”
Elara looked at her brother again.
“Why would he do this?”
Luca laughed softly.
“Because you were never supposed to survive this world.”
Cold fear crawled down her spine.
“What does that mean?”
But Luca’s expression changed suddenly.
Not fear.
Recognition.
He looked past them toward one of the security screens rebooting near the wall.
And instantly—
The color drained from his face.
Anik noticed immediately.
“What?”
One of the guards cursed under his breath.
“Sir…”
Everyone turned toward the monitor.
A live news broadcast flashed onto the screen.
Breaking headlines.
Emergency alerts.
Then—
A photograph appeared.
Elara stopped breathing.
It was her.
And Anik.
Leaving the penthouse together earlier tonight.
The headline beneath it sent terror crashing through the warehouse.
«BILLIONAIRE ANIK VARREN LINKED TO UNDERGROUND CRIMINAL NETWORK — WOMAN IDENTIFIED AS KEY CONNECTION»
Silence exploded through the room.
Elara stared at the screen in horror.
Her identity was public now.
Everything was public.
Someone leaked everything.
Anik’s expression became terrifyingly calm.
The dangerous kind of calm.
Then another image appeared.
This time—
A body covered near her apartment building.
The reporter’s voice echoed coldly through the warehouse:
«“Sources claim the victim was connected to Varren’s organization.”»
Elara’s knees nearly gave out.
The world was collapsing in real time.
And then—
Her phone started ringing.
Unknown number.
Everyone in the room froze.
Anik looked at the screen.
Then at her.
“Don’t answer it.”
But the ringing continued.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Finally—
A text appeared instead.
Only one sentence.
«“Now everyone knows who you belong to.”»
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