Married to my enemy’s heir

Chapter4

Aurora

The lights went out like a switch, swallowing the penthouse in thick black. For a moment, I was paralyzed, the sudden void wrapping me in cold uncertainty. My heart pounded in my ears, the world shrinking to the sound of my own ragged breathing. The faint hum of the city below was gone, replaced by an eerie silence that pressed against my skin.

Cassian’s voice had barely faded when the threat sank in like a knife. Ten minutes. That was all the time we had before the entire building went up in flames.

I swallowed hard and blinked, trying to adjust to the dark. His presence beside me was a solid anchor, but the usual comfort it brought twisted into something sharper—like the edge of a blade pressed just beneath my ribs.

“Stay close,” Cassian said, his breath warm on my neck. His hand found my wrist and gripped it tightly, the kind of hold that didn’t ask for permission. I wanted to pull away, to scream, to run—but there was nowhere to go.

My voice caught when I finally spoke. “What’s happening? Who would do this?”

“Someone who wants to send a message.” His jaw clenched, and I could feel his muscles taut beneath his skin. “They know you’re here. They know this contract means something.”

My blood ran cold. The contract. The one that bound us together. The one that had thrown me into a world I barely understood, let alone trusted.

“We have to get out.” I swallowed hard, the air thick with fear. “Now.”

Cassian’s hand tightened on my wrist, and I flinched, but he didn’t loosen his grip. “No. We wait for my team.”

My heart stuttered. Wait? With a countdown ticking down? The thought was insane. But defying him was dangerous in itself.

He led me through the pitch-black apartment, his steps sure and measured. I stumbled after him, the slick marble beneath my feet threatening to betray me. The faint glow of his phone lit the path—an emergency flashlight. I noticed his face was tight, every line carved by years of battle, but his eyes were sharper than ever, scanning every shadow.

“You need to trust me,” he said softly, almost a whisper.

I wanted to scream. To yell that trust was the last thing I had. But something deep in his voice made me hesitate.

Suddenly, the building trembled. A low rumble shook the walls, and the faint smell of smoke crept under the door frames. Panic clawed up my throat. I grabbed Cassian’s jacket sleeve.

“We don’t have time for waiting!” I hissed.

His eyes met mine, dark and unreadable. “I’m not risking you out there yet. My security team is better equipped. They’ll get us out.”

I hated how much his confidence in his team unsettled me. It meant he wasn’t planning on saving me himself.

We moved carefully down the hallway, the faint glow from his phone leading us to the private elevator. When the doors slid open, the stale, smoke-tainted air hit us. Cassian glanced inside and then back at me.

“This way.” He grabbed my hand again, yanking me forward.

The elevator ride was agonizingly slow. Outside, the sirens began to wail, but inside we were trapped—two people linked by a contract and by something far darker.

I pressed myself against the wall, trying to steady my breathing. Cassian’s hand was still wrapped tightly around mine, and despite the danger, a heat spread through me that I couldn’t explain.

The elevator stopped with a jolt, the doors sliding open to a scene of chaos. Smoke curled through the hallways, red emergency lights flashing like ominous eyes.

Cassian stepped out first, scanning the corridor. “Stay close,” he ordered.

I followed, my heels clicking against the marble floor. The silence was broken by the distant crackling of fire and muffled shouting.

Suddenly, a figure appeared from the smoke—a security guard with a frantic look in his eyes.

“Sir, the other exits are compromised. The main stairwell is blocked. We have to use the private jet on the rooftop.”

Cassian’s gaze snapped to me. “You’re coming with me.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. A rooftop, a private jet. It sounded like a fantasy from a movie, but right now, it was our only chance.

We rushed through the smoke-filled corridors, the heat growing stronger with every step. The emergency alarms screamed in my ears, my chest tightening. I was suffocating in the thick air, but Cassian’s steady presence beside me was the only thing keeping me from losing it completely.

We reached the stairwell, where the guard nodded and disappeared ahead. Cassian pulled me into the shadows near the stairwell entrance.

“We’re close,” he said, voice low. “But the rooftop doors are locked down tight. I’m going to have to get you out myself.”

My breath caught. His tone was no longer the cold, distant businessman. It was raw. Personal.

Before I could ask what he meant, the building shook violently. Debris rained down the stairs, and a thick plume of smoke rushed toward us.

I coughed, grabbing at Cassian’s jacket. He pulled me close, covering my mouth and nose with his sleeve.

“We don’t have much time,” he said, voice urgent. “When I open those doors, run. Don’t stop.”

His eyes searched mine—commanding, fierce, almost desperate.

I nodded, barely able to speak.

With a swift movement, Cassian cracked the lock on the rooftop doors. The heavy metal creaked open, revealing the night sky and the city skyline shimmering beyond.

Fresh air rushed in, a sharp contrast to the suffocating smoke behind us.

We sprinted across the rooftop, every second a battle against the chaos closing in.

The private jet waited, sleek and silent, a promise of escape. Cassian helped me aboard, and I sank into the leather seat, chest heaving.

But just as he was about to follow, a sharp crack echoed behind us.

I turned to see a shadowy figure step into the moonlight, gun raised.

Cassian froze.

The figure’s voice was a cold whisper. “Game’s over, Rhys.”