Chapter 17: Bound by the Same Flame
The gala had ended, but Elena couldn't sleep.
Even after she shed the sapphire gown and collapsed into the guest room's silk sheets, the pulse of the system still reverberated inside her chest—warm, heavy, terrifying. It was different than before, more invasive. Not just her emotions but something else… like a second heartbeat overlapping her own.
The system's voice finally intruded:
[ Milestone Complete: Target Affection reached 100%. ]
[ Upgrade Activated: Emotional Synchronization (Level 1). ]
[ New Rule: Emotional states of Host and Target are now partially shared. Strong emotions may transfer unintentionally. Proceed with caution. ]
Elena bolted upright. Shared?
And then it hit her—Adrian's sudden flash of anger that wasn't hers, vibrating faintly at the edge of her chest. She gasped. The man was in the next room, probably pacing as he dissected his uncle's betrayal, and his fury was bleeding into her like wildfire through cracks in stone.
She pressed a hand to her chest. "This isn't fair…"
But the system had never cared for fairness.
---
By morning, she was a wreck. Her eyes burned with lack of sleep, her body aching from the strange emotional turbulence. When she stepped into the dining room, Adrian was already there, immaculate in his black suit, sipping coffee with unreadable calm.
But beneath that calm, Elena felt it—tension humming in her veins that wasn't her own. Rage, iced over with discipline.
She stopped short. It's him. I can feel him.
Adrian's eyes flicked up, sharp. "You didn't sleep."
"You didn't either," she snapped back before thinking.
His brows arched. For a moment, silence. Then he set the cup down deliberately. "Interesting. You guessed correctly. How?"
Elena's stomach knotted. She couldn't tell him about the system—not yet. Not when it had bound them in ways that sounded insane. But the weight of his gaze pressed for an answer.
She forced a shrug. "You look tired. That's all."
His lips curved faintly, as if he didn't believe her, but chose not to press. "Eat something. We have a war to plan."
---
They drove in silence to the Blackwood Corporation tower, their convoy flanked by tinted SUVs. Adrian reviewed files on his tablet, but Elena couldn't stop watching him—the tension in his jaw, the steady grip of his hand on the armrest. Every spike of his emotions brushed against her like invisible waves, making her chest ache.
If this is Level 1, what happens at higher synchronization?
The system gave no answer.
---
In the office, chaos reigned.
Reports streamed in about the smear campaign. Stock fluctuations. Leaked documents hinting at corruption—documents Adrian knew were fabricated, planted by his uncle's faction.
His executives clustered like vultures, some nervous, some opportunistic.
One man muttered, "Sir, with respect, maybe distancing from Miss Hart—"
The words cut off as Adrian's voice lashed like a blade. "Say that again, and you'll be out of this building before lunch."
Silence fell. Elena's cheeks flamed, her body prickling with the echo of his anger—shared, amplified.
She wanted to scream, to tell him to calm down, but she bit her lip. Because part of her wanted to stand beside him, to carry that fury too.
---
At noon, the specialist returned with more intel.
"Your uncle has allied with Maxwell Holdings," he reported. "They're preparing to call for an emergency board vote. Their plan is to challenge your leadership on grounds of misconduct and—" He hesitated. "—compromise, through your personal relationship with Miss Hart."
The room froze.
Elena's blood went cold.
Adrian's hand tightened on the table's edge until his knuckles whitened. His fury surged into her chest, so strong she nearly staggered.
They're using me to destroy him.
Her throat ached. "Adrian, I—"
"Don't," he snapped, then caught himself, exhaling through clenched teeth. His gaze softened, but the storm was still there. "This isn't your fault. This is mine, for letting them think they could touch what's mine."
The word mine struck her like lightning.
[ Affection locked at 100%. ]
[ Emotional Synchronization deepening. Risk of destabilization rising. ]
Elena bit back panic. "What will you do?"
His voice was steel. "Fight. On their turf, with their weapons. But they've made one mistake."
She dared to ask. "Which one?"
Adrian's eyes burned into hers. "They underestimated what I'll do to protect the woman they call a weakness."
Her heart nearly broke from the intensity—because through the synchronization, she felt it wasn't just strategy. He meant it.
---
That night, the system dropped a bomb.
[ Main Mission Update: Emotional Synchronization Path Unlocked. ]
[ Requirement: Share a Vulnerability with Target within 72 hours. ]
[ Reward: Emotional Synchronization +15%. Penalty: System Instability (risk of collapse). ]
Elena sat frozen in her room, staring at the glowing words. Vulnerability. That meant she had to tell him something real, something raw. But what could she risk revealing?
Her painful childhood? The betrayal that had left her penniless before working at Blackwood Corp? The reason she never let herself trust anyone fully?
Her chest tightened. And if I don't, the system collapses? What happens then—to me? To him?
A knock startled her.
"Elena." Adrian's voice was low, rough. "May I come in?"
She swallowed, palms damp. "Y-yes."
He stepped inside, shoulders tense, tie loosened. For once, he didn't look invincible. He looked… tired. Human.
"I shouldn't burden you," he began, voice hoarse. "But somehow I think you'd rather hear it from me than the press."
Her heart pounded. Is this it? Is he about to reveal—
"My uncle…" His jaw clenched. "He wasn't just trying to ruin me financially. He was behind my father's accident."
The room tilted. Elena gasped. "What?"
Adrian's gaze was a storm. "I couldn't prove it then. I was twenty-one. I lost the company because I chased vengeance instead of facts. But now…" His hands fisted at his sides. "Now I'll end him."
The synchronization flared—his grief, his rage, his need for justice all slamming into her chest. Tears stung her eyes, unbidden.
"Adrian…" she whispered. "You don't have to carry that alone."
His eyes widened faintly, as if he felt the echo of her tears in his own chest. Slowly, his hand reached out, brushing the wetness from her cheek.
"Elena," he murmured, voice breaking. "Why do I feel your pain like it's mine?"
Her lips parted, but no words came.
Because the truth was impossible: Because a system tied us together, bound by the same flame.