The private floor was silent except for the faint hum of the security system and the low city noise filtered through the darkened glass. Mia sat quietly on the sofa, her knees pulled close, trying to process everything that had happened.
Adrian's brother.
The break-in attempt.
The voice calling her name.
The way Adrian had stood in front of her like a shield.
It all replayed in her head in chaotic pieces.
Adrian had been pacing near the window for several minutes, phone in hand, checking updates from security every few seconds. He looked calm on the surface, but Mia could see the tension in his shoulders, the way he clenched his jaw when he thought she wasn't looking.
Finally, he turned to her.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked.
Mia nodded, though it wasn't entirely true. "A little."
Adrian moved toward her and stopped a few feet away, as if unsure how close he should go.
"You're safe here," he said. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Mia looked down at her hands. "I shouldn't be the reason you're dealing with this."
"You're not." His tone was firm. "My brother is the problem. Not you."
"But if he's targeting me because you care—"
She stopped, realizing what she had just said. Adrian's expression softened a little.
He sat in the chair across from her.
"Whether you were here or not," he said, "he would have found someone else to use against me. That's how he thinks. That's how he always has."
Mia swallowed, a knot forming in her throat. "Was it always this bad between you two?"
Adrian hesitated before answering.
"We weren't always enemies," he said quietly. "But when the company passed to me instead of him, something broke. He needed help. The kind my parents never believed in. By the time I stepped in, it was too late."
Mia listened silently. This was the most he had ever revealed about himself.
"He escaped once before," Adrian added. "Years ago. The person he targeted then… barely survived."
Mia's breath caught. "Adrian… I'm so sorry."
He shook his head. "I told myself I'd never let it happen again. And today, when he was outside that door… it felt like history repeating itself."
Mia's chest tightened. No wonder he had been so shaken.
She gathered the courage to ask, "What happens now?"
Adrian exhaled slowly. "Security will track him. But until they confirm his location, you're not leaving this floor."
Her heart skipped. "For how long?"
"As long as it takes."
He sounded final, leaving no room for argument. Mia didn't try to argue. Deep down, she felt safer here than anywhere else.
A long silence followed before Mia spoke again.
"You haven't eaten," she said.
He blinked, as if surprised she was the one worrying about him. "Neither have you."
Mia looked away. "That's not the point."
Adrian let out a quiet breath. He walked to a cabinet, pressed a button, and a hidden mini-kitchen slid out from behind the panel. He poured water into two glasses and handed one to her.
She took it with both hands, suddenly aware of how close he was. He sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of her, watching her face carefully.
"You look exhausted," he said.
"So do you," she replied.
He didn't deny it.
"Try to rest," he said. "You won't be able to focus tomorrow if you don't."
"Are you going to rest?" Mia asked.
Adrian shook his head. "I'll stay awake and monitor the security feed."
Her eyes widened. "All night? Adrian, you need sleep too."
"Not tonight," he said plainly.
"But—"
He cut her off gently. "Mia. I won't risk it. Not until I know where he is."
She stared at him for a moment. The weight in his voice wasn't anger—it was fear. Fear for her.
She stood up slowly.
"Then let me stay awake too."
"No," Adrian said immediately. "You've already been through enough. Sit."
Mia didn't move. "I don't want to sleep while you're awake. It feels wrong."
Adrian sighed. "You don't have to worry about me."
"I do," she said quietly.
The words hung heavy in the air.
Adrian's expression changed—softened, deepened, complicated. He looked away as if he needed a second to steady himself.
"You shouldn't," he said. "Caring about me isn't safe."
"Neither is caring about me," Mia whispered back.
Adrian froze.
A long moment passed in silence.
Finally, he rose and walked toward the far side of the room, stopping near a small control panel. Lights dimmed slightly.
"You can sleep on the sofa," he said. "I'll be right here."
Mia hesitated. "Adrian…"
"Yes?"
"Will he really come back?"
Adrian met her eyes.
"If he does," he said, "he'll have to get through me first."
There was nothing dramatic in his tone, no heroic exaggeration—just simple truth.
Mia sat back on the sofa, pulling her knees close, trying to calm the storm in her chest.
Adrian pulled a chair near the door, facing outward. He grabbed one of the monitors and pulled it up, displaying the building's security feeds. His posture was rigid, alert, prepared.
He wasn't leaving her unprotected even for a second.
"Adrian," she whispered softly.
He looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"
"Thank you."
He didn't smile, but something in his eyes shifted.
"Get some rest, Mia."
She lay down slowly, watching him from across the room.
The man who everyone feared.
The man who hid behind walls of power and ice.
The man who stayed awake all night just to make sure she was safe.
Her last conscious thought before drifting into sleep was simple and terrifying.
She trusted him more than she trusted herself.
Adrian watched her breathing settle, watched her body relax, watched her finally slip into sleep after the longest day she'd ever lived.
Only then did he allow himself to exhale.
He tightened his grip on the armrest.
No matter what happened next—
he wasn't letting anyone take her from him.
Not again.
Not ever.