Iron City's calm finally broke.
Not with explosions.Not with open war.
But with something far more dangerous—
betrayal.
A Morning That Felt Too Normal
The sun rose bright that morning.
Corporate towers buzzed with activity again.Traffic flowed.Media praised the city's economic recovery.
Aleena sat at the head of her company's main boardroom.
All directors present.Reports looked clean.
Too clean.
"No security incidents for five consecutive days," one executive reported.
Aleena nodded slightly.
But her chest felt tight.
Arlo's words echoed in her mind.
'They'll break us from the inside.'
Her gaze scanned every face at the table.
Professional smiles everywhere.
But her instincts screamed—
something was wrong.
A Warning Signal
At the same time—
Deep underground, Raka stood before the intelligence screens.
His expression darkened.
"This doesn't make sense…"
One weapons supply route—one of Aleena's most secure channels—had been compromised.
Not hacked.
Opened from the inside.
Raka immediately contacted Arlo.
"Boss," he said grimly."Aleena's company has been infiltrated. And it's serious."
Arlo went silent for a split second.
Then his voice dropped—cold and lethal.
"Where is Aleena?"
"In a meeting at headquarters."
Arlo moved instantly.
"Mobilize the team. Now."
A Nearly Perfect Trap
Back in the boardroom—
A staff member rushed in.
"CEO Aleena, there's a change to the follow-up meeting location. City security request."
Aleena frowned.
"Why wasn't this mentioned earlier?"
The staff lowered his gaze.
"Last-minute order."
Aleena stood.
Her assistant—seated in the corner—rose immediately.
"I'm coming."
They entered the private elevator.
The doors closed.
Then—
Aleena felt it.
The elevator wasn't descending.
Lights flickered.
"Stop," her assistant whispered.
Too late.
The elevator halted on a decommissioned floor.
Doors slid open slowly.
A dark corridor.
Soft applause echoed.
"Impressive," a male voice said."You really are hard to reach."
Aleena stepped forward, calm.
"Who are you?"
The shadow moved closer.
"Let's say…""I represent Iron City's future."
Arlo Loses Control
At the same time—
Arlo stormed into Aleena's building.
No clearance.No full escort.
His eyes burned red.
His usual cold aura twisted into something darker.
"Location?" he snapped.
Raka pointed at the screen.
"Private elevator. Dead floor."
Arlo said nothing.
He took the emergency stairs.
Blood in the Dark Corridor
The hallway was silent.
Too silent.
Aleena's assistant shifted into a defensive stance.
The man smiled.
"You won't leave this place alive."
He raised his gun.
Then—
A gunshot echoed.
The bullet pierced his skull.
He collapsed without a sound.
Aleena froze.
Her assistant turned.
At the end of the corridor—
Arlo stood.
Gun still smoking.
His gaze was wild.
"Did anyone touch you?" he asked sharply.
Aleena shook her head.
Arlo exhaled harshly.
Then—for the first time—
He pulled Aleena into his arms.
Tight.Protective.Real.
"Never again," he said hoarsely."I almost lost you."
Aleena stayed silent.
Her hands slowly clenched his suit jacket.
Her heartbeat spiraled out of control.
Somewhere—
Someone watched everything through a screen.
A faint smile appeared.
"Good," he murmured."Now I know your weakness, Arlo."
The dark corridor still smelled of gunpowder.
The man's body lay lifeless on the concrete floor.Blood slowly spread, seeping into small cracks.
Aleena was still in Arlo's arms.
Tight.Rigid.As if he feared that loosening his grip even slightly would make her disappear.
For a few seconds…
No one spoke.
Only their breathing.
Heavy.Uneven.
"I'm fine," Aleena finally whispered.
Arlo didn't let go right away.
His hands still gripped her shoulders.
"He was too close," he said coldly."Too close to you."
Aleena looked up.
For the first time, she saw something she had never seen before—
fear in Arlo's eyes.
Not fear of death.Not fear of defeat.
But fear of loss.
Contained Rage
Raka and the team arrived moments later.
They moved fast.
Securing the area.Cleaning the scene.Erasing all traces.
Aleena's assistant stood nearby.
Her expression tight.
"He wasn't an amateur," she said."His movements were trained."
Arlo stared at the corpse.
"He wasn't a pawn," Arlo said quietly."He was bait."
Raka nodded.
"And it worked."
Arlo turned.
His gaze locked onto Raka's phone.
"Find out who sent him," Arlo ordered."I want answers tonight."
His voice never rose.
That was what terrified everyone.
Aleena Begins to Shake
Once everything was secured—
Aleena sat inside Arlo's armored vehicle.
Engine running.Bulletproof glass sealing off the outside world.
Her assistant sat in front.Raka's vehicle escorted them.
Silence.
Aleena stared at her hands.
Still trembling.
"I almost died," she murmured.
Arlo turned to her.
"No," he said firmly."I wouldn't let that happen."
Aleena let out a fragile laugh.
"You can't always be in front of me."
That sentence—
Stopped Arlo cold.
He knew it was true.
And that was exactly what he hated.
An Unplanned Confession
The car moved slowly.
City lights passed like shadows.
"Aleena," Arlo said suddenly."From now on… you're the primary target."
She looked at him.
"I know."
"Not just as a CEO," Arlo continued."But as… the way I think."
Aleena went silent.
"My weakness," Arlo admitted.
The word rarely left his mouth.
Aleena stared ahead.
"I don't want to be your weakness."
Arlo leaned slightly closer.
"You're not a weakness," he said low."You're the reason."
Aleena swallowed.
Her chest felt painfully full.
The Mysterious Figure Makes a New Move
Elsewhere—
The mysterious figure stood before a massive screen.
Footage of the dark corridor replayed.
The shot.The body falling.The embrace.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"Good," he murmured."Emotions are taking over."
He turned to his subordinates.
"We change strategy."
"No more attacking the city."
"We attack their hearts."
A Promise Without Words
The car stopped.
Aleena stepped out.
Before the door closed—
Her hand was caught.
Arlo held it.
"From tonight on," he said quietly,"you'll never be alone."
Aleena looked at him.
For the first time—
She didn't hesitate.
"Then," she replied softly,"don't disappear without saying goodbye again."
Arlo nodded once.
That was a promise.
Above Iron City—
Dark clouds began to gather.
The war hadn't exploded yet.
But now—
emotions had entered the battlefield.
And that made everything far more dangerous.