Chapter 5
986 Words
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*Title: The Promise*
Pain.
That was the first thing Ava felt when she opened her eyes.
White ceiling. Beeping machines. The smell of antiseptic.
Hospital.
She tried to move and immediately regretted it. Her shoulder burned like fire.
“Don’t move,” a familiar voice said.
Lucas sat beside her bed, his eyes red, his suit wrinkled. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“Lucas?” Ava’s voice was hoarse.
“I’m here,” he said quickly, leaning forward. “Don’t talk. You lost a lot of blood.”
Ava frowned. “What happened?”
“Viktor shot you,” Lucas said, his jaw tightening. “My men got to you before he could take you. You’ve been out for two days.”
Two days.
Miguel.
“Is Miguel okay?” Ava asked, panic rising.
“He’s safe,” Lucas said. “I moved him to a secure location. No one can touch him now.”
Ava let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
“What about Viktor?” she asked.
“Gone. For now,” Lucas said. “But he has the folder. Project Eclipse is in his hands.”
Ava closed her eyes. Guilt hit her hard. If she hadn’t tried to negotiate, none of this would’ve happened.
“It’s my fault,” she whispered.
Lucas grabbed her hand.
“No,” he said firmly. “It’s mine. I dragged you into this. I should’ve protected you better.”
Ava looked at him. This was the first time she’d seen him like this. Vulnerable. Scared.
“Why do you care so much?” she asked quietly.
Lucas hesitated. Then he said, “Because you’re my wife.”
Ava blinked.
“That’s not an answer.”
Lucas sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Because I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you,” he admitted. “And that scares the hell out of me.”
Ava stared at him.
No feelings, huh?
“Lucas—”
Before she could say anything else, the door opened.
Elise walked in, looking calm like she hadn’t just caused half of their problems.
“Good, you’re awake,” Elise said, glancing at Ava. “I was worried.”
Ava sat up slightly, ignoring the pain. “You.”
Elise nodded. “Me.”
Lucas stood up, his expression dark. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to help,” Elise said simply. “Viktor has the folder, but it’s useless without the key.”
Ava frowned. “What key?”
“The key to the offshore accounts,” Elise explained. “Your grandfather hid it, Lucas. In a place only you would know.”
Lucas’s eyes narrowed. “And why should I trust you?”
“Because if you don’t, Viktor will use that money to start a war,” Elise said. “And this time, he won’t miss.”
The room went quiet.
Ava looked between them.
“Where’s the key?” she asked.
Lucas didn’t answer.
Elise smiled slightly. “In the locket your grandfather gave you on your 18th birthday. The one you never take off.”
Lucas’s hand went to his chest, where a silver locket hung under his shirt.
Ava’s eyes widened.
“You’ve had it this whole time?”
Lucas didn’t answer. He just stared at Elise.
“You want to help?” Lucas said finally. “Then tell me everything. Now.”
Elise nodded and pulled up a chair.
---
For the next hour, Elise explained everything.
Lucas’s grandfather hadn’t just been a criminal. He’d been trying to take down Viktor from the inside. Project Eclipse was a fake arms deal designed to expose Viktor’s network. The money in the offshore accounts was evidence. Proof that could put Viktor away for life.
But Viktor found out before it was over. He killed Lucas’s grandfather and tried to silence everyone involved.
“I was one of them,” Elise said quietly. “I worked for your father. When he died, I went underground. I’ve been watching you ever since.”
“Why didn’t you come to me sooner?” Lucas asked.
“Because I wasn’t sure you were ready,” Elise said. “And because Viktor has eyes everywhere. I couldn’t risk it until Ava came along.”
Ava frowned. “Why me?”
“Because you’re not afraid of him,” Elise said. “And because you make him care.”
Lucas looked at Ava, his expression unreadable.
Ava felt her cheeks heat up.
“So what now?” she asked.
“Now we get the folder back,” Lucas said. “And we end this.”
“How?” Elise asked.
Lucas stood up, his cold mask back in place.
“We set a trap.”
---
Two days later, Ava was discharged.
She was weak, but stubborn. She refused to stay in bed any longer.
Lucas drove her home, but not to the mansion.
To a safe house outside the city.
“We can’t stay at the mansion,” Lucas explained. “It’s compromised. Viktor knows everything about it.”
Ava nodded. She was too tired to argue.
The safe house was small but secure. High walls, security cameras, armed guards at every entrance.
“You’re not leaving me alone here, are you?” Ava asked as Lucas helped her inside.
“No,” Lucas said. “I’m staying too.”
Ava stopped walking.
“Why?”
“Because I’m not letting you out of my sight again,” Lucas said simply.
Ava stared at him.
He looked tired. Older.
“Lucas,” she said softly. “You don’t have to do this alone.”
Lucas looked down at her.
“I know,” he said. “That’s why I’m not.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Lucas reached out and brushed a strand o
- Writer
