THE RUIN HE CHOSE

THE VAULT

ZAYN

I walked confidently to the elevator. Leonard was waiting outside Infront of the car by the time I got to the entrance. He opened the car door before the chauffeur could come over and I got him. He got in beside me and shut the door close.

“Cancel any recruitments for new bodyguards, I found one already… including the fake fiancee issue.” I said adjusting my tie.

“Including the fake fiancee?” He asked surprised.

“You heard me…”

“Just like that, you immediately discussed the contract with her, no background check, you don't know who that person is…”

“I told Jade to handle that, I found a once in a blue moon opportunity I wasn't going to let it slip between my fingers. I'll rather seize the opportunity now and bear whatever consequences it has than let it slip between my fingers?” Lorenzo looked confused.

“They're millions of girls out there that would readily agree to that contract, there's nothing rare about that,” he grumbled.

“They're millions of girls that would do that but I don't think anyone of them would agree to be my bodyguard,” I replied.

“Wait what? That's insane, you made your fake your bodyguard? Aren't you putting her at risk?” He asked in bewilderment.

“She's capable,” I replied curtly, remembering how she swiftly took Jade down in seconds, as much as I was so disappointed in Jade I was proud of a lady I never knew before. Lorenzo looked at me and didn't say more. We arrived at the cemetery in awhile.

The men digging the grave were already putting the bodies Inside. when I got there. I had an expressionless look on my face as I watched. I couldn't get rid of the image when they finally got their bodies after the building burnt down, they were burnt beyond recognize.

Despite how cold and calculative I can be at times I couldn't help but feel remorseful.

“They could have gone out of the warehouse when everyone was evacuating,” Lorenzo grumbled.

“We'll just see it as another sacrifice for our empire to thrive,” I replied after a while. The began to cover up the coffins and I turned to leave. We've paid our last respects it's time to get back to business.

The driver drove us away from the cemetery to our next destination. He drove along an untarred road until he pulled into the forest, branches scraping against the sides of the car like they were trying to push us back. The forest out here was dead quiet, just the low growl of the engine and the crunch of leaves and twigs under the tires. This was the kind of secluded spot nobody stumbled into by accident. That was the whole point.

We’d kept the building secret for years, because it wasn't fully completed but with the incident of the interpol almost finding out about the warehouse, I had to move down every supply here. Lorenzo and I called it “the Vault,” but only when we were sure no one else was listening. No one knew about it apart from me, Lorenzo and Jade, not even father knew about this.

It was hidden right under everyone’s noses, protected by layers of nothing but woods and old forgotten roads. It was kept a secret because one wrong turn, one loose mouth, and everything we’d built could come crashing down.

The slowed the car to a crawl, eyes scanning the familiar stretch of forest floor ahead. It looked like everywhere else, moss, fallen branches, a carpet of pine needles. I reached under the dash, fingers finding the small black panel I’d installed myself. Two buttons. One to wake the system, the second to open it. I pressed them in sequence, Lorenzo watched the scene unfold curiously.

For a second, nothing happened. Then came that low mechanical hum, vibrating up through the tires. The ground in front of me started to shift. Dirt and leaves parted smoothly as the camouflaged panels retracted with a soft hiss, folding back into hidden tracks. A wide, sloping tunnel appeared where solid earth had been moments before, its concrete walls lit by faint red strips of light.

A half-smile tugging at my lips despite the tension in my shoulders. The driver eased the car forward, headlights cutting through the sudden darkness as the panels closed up behind me with a heavy thud. The outside world disappeared. Now it was just us, the tunnel, and the secrets waiting below.

The descent was steep but smooth. After about thirty seconds, the tunnel leveled out and widened. Up ahead, the big reinforced metal door gleamed dully under the overhead light. The driver brought the car to a stop right in front of it, killed the engine, and let out a long breath.

The driver got down from the car and reached over to my side to push open the door. I got out and felt my hand close around the cold feel of the desert eagle pistol in my pocket. I swiftly brought it out and aimed it at the driver's head. He wasn't even aware he was dying as I pulled the trigger. He was dead before his body hit the ground. The sound of the bullet echoed through the tunnels seconds later, louder than usual.

Lorenzo scrabbled out of the car.

“Why would you do that? “ He asked. I ignored him, stepped over the body and walked towards the door. I pressed a button and opened a small rectangular box. Keypads appeared and I typed in the combination code

The driver had heard most of our conversations in the car and he knows this place, I can't take chances and just let him get out of here alive. The doors slid open and I walked in. I took a good look at the carefully stacked drugs and supplies that jade singlehandedly managed to move in here despite the tension of the interpol almost catching up on us.

I'd lost a lot with the supplies that were blown up in the warehouse together with the pharmacist but I was able to save most of my supplies. I sighed as I inspected everything trying to make sure I didn't miss anything. Satisfied with what I saw I glanced at my wristwatch.

It's almost time to introduce Celez to my dad. I glanced at Lorenzo and nudged my head.

“C'mon, let's go meet my new fiancee.”