The bang echoed again, louder this time, shaking the quiet of the private floor.
Mia froze. Her breath caught and refused to move. Adrian tightened his grip on her wrist, steady but urgent.
"Stay behind me," he said. "No matter what happens."
She nodded, unable to speak.
Another bang.
Then the sound of metal scraping against metal.
Someone was trying to force their way in.
Adrian crossed the room in seconds, pressing a sequence of buttons on the security panel. Heavy steel reinforcements slid across the main door with a deep mechanical thud.
Mia flinched at the sound.
Adrian glanced back.
"I'm securing the first barrier."
"Will it hold?" Mia asked softly.
"For now," he said. "But he's resourceful."
Mia wrapped her arms around herself. "What does he want with me?"
Adrian looked her in the eyes. "He wants to hurt me by hurting you."
Her heart twisted painfully. "But why me? I'm not—"
"You are," Adrian cut in. "You matter."
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Another violent slam shook the door.
Adrian moved quickly to another control console, activating internal surveillance. The hallway camera flickered to life on the large screen.
And there he was.
Adrian's brother.
Tall.
Disheveled.
Eyes wild but disturbingly clear.
His face twisted in a half-smile that made Mia's entire body go cold.
He leaned close to the camera, staring straight into it as if he could see them watching.
"Brother," he said, voice chilling. "Open the door."
Mia instinctively stepped back. Adrian immediately stood in front of the monitor, blocking her view.
"You're not getting in," Adrian said, raising his voice so it carried through the speaker.
His brother chuckled lightly. "You said that last time too."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Leave her out of this. This is between us."
A cold laugh. "Everything is about her now, isn't it?"
Mia felt her stomach drop.
His brother tilted his head. "You hide her. You protect her. You keep her all to yourself… You never did that for anyone else."
Adrian hit a button and muted the feed before he could continue.
He turned to Mia.
"Listen to me," he said. "We have two options."
Mia's heart pounded. "What options?"
"One: Stay here and wait for security reinforcement. They're on their way."
"What's the second option?"
Adrian hesitated for a moment.
He didn't usually hesitate.
"Option two," he said quietly, "we leave this floor through the emergency stairwell behind the office. He doesn't know about that exit."
Mia blinked. "There's… another way out?"
"Yes," Adrian said. "A private exit only I know about."
"Then why don't we take it?" she asked.
"Because it leads to the roof."
"The roof?" Mia's voice cracked. "Is that safer?"
"It's isolated," Adrian said. "He won't expect us to go upward. But it's exposed. Wind, open space… not ideal, especially with someone unstable."
She swallowed. "So either we stay cornered, or we run to a risky place."
Adrian nodded once.
Mia took a shallow breath. "Adrian… what do you think?"
He looked at her — really looked — and she saw it again.
That terrifying, protective fire in his eyes.
"I won't trap you here," he said. "If he breaks the first barrier, he'll reach us eventually. The roof gives us a chance to move."
She nodded, trembling.
Another bang hit the door.
The reinforcements shook.
Adrian grabbed her hand firmly. "We're going to the roof."
She didn't argue. She didn't hesitate.
She trusted him.
He guided her quickly across the room, behind a tall bookshelf. Adrian pressed a hidden panel. The shelf slid aside, revealing a narrow corridor.
Mia stared. "This was here all along?"
"It's a security exit," Adrian said. "Used only in emergencies."
"And this counts?" Mia whispered.
"For me," Adrian said, "any threat to you is an emergency."
Her heart twisted again.
He tightened his grip on her hand. "Stay close."
They moved down the narrow stairwell, the walls echoing the faint sounds of footsteps far behind them.
The building felt too silent, too tense — as if it was holding its breath with them.
Mia whispered, "Adrian… what if security can't reach us in time?"
"They will," Adrian said. "And I'll keep you safe until then."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm not letting anything happen to you."
As they climbed higher, Mia's legs trembled — partly fear, partly exhaustion.
Adrian noticed and slowed his pace.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm trying," she whispered.
He released her hand just long enough to place it on her back, steadying her. "One step at a time. I'm right here."
She nodded and kept climbing.
Finally, they reached a heavy steel door.
Adrian pushed it open with effort, and a rush of cold morning air hit them both.
The rooftop stretched out before them — high, empty, silent, the city stretching endlessly below.
Mia shivered from the cold wind.
Adrian stepped out first, scanning the surroundings. Then he turned and helped her through the doorway.
He closed the door behind them.
"No one will find this exit easily," Adrian said. "We have a few minutes."
Mia hugged her arms. "What if he already knows?"
"He doesn't," Adrian said softly. "This place isn't on any building blueprint."
A gust of wind blew Mia's hair across her face. Adrian reached out instinctively and tucked it behind her ear, his touch gentle despite the chaos around them.
"Mia," he said, voice lower, "look at me."
She lifted her eyes to his.
"You're safe," he said. "I promise you."
Before she could respond, a sharp metallic sound echoed behind the door.
Mia froze.
Adrian's expression hardened.
"He found the stairwell."
Mia stepped closer to him without thinking.
Adrian shifted, placing an arm protectively around her.
The metal door rattled.
Adrian pulled her even closer.
"It's okay," he murmured. "I've got you."
The door bent inward slightly.
Mia pressed her forehead against his chest, her hands gripping his shirt tightly.
"Adrian…" she whispered, voice shaking.
He lowered his head, his breath warm against her hair.
"I'm right here," he whispered back. "I won't let him near you."
The metal screeched again.
This time louder.
They were seconds away from being found.