The hidden room was silent.
Too silent.
Only the steady beeping of medical devices and labored breathing filled the air.
Aleena sat beside Arlo.
For hours.
Her hand gripped his cold, injured one, stitched clumsily by her trembling hands.
"Wake up," she whispered."If you die… I don't know how to live."
No response.
Naomi and Unspoken Fear
Across the room—
Naomi sat against the steel wall.
Raka lay barely breathing.
Bandages soaked red again.
"I'm a soldier," she muttered."I've seen blood."
She looked at him.
"But not yours."
She held his hand.
"If you wake up…""I'll tell you everything."
Tears fell.
Aleena's Realization
She brushed Arlo's face gently.
"You said I was your reason," she whispered."So don't leave me now."
A Fragile Awakening
Arlo's finger twitched.
"Aleena…"
"I'm here."
"Sorry…""I was late…"
"Idiot," she cried."Why are you always in front?"
"Because…""if not me… who?"
He faded again.
Still alive.
Barely.
Raka Wakes
Hours later—
"Naomi…?"
She laughed through tears.
"Yes."
"We won?"
"You almost died."
"Sorry… for worrying you."
A Confession
"I like you," Naomi said."I didn't want regrets."
Raka smiled weakly.
"I thought I was the only fool."
They held hands.
The Shadow Remains
Elsewhere—
The mysterious man watched.
"They survived," he murmured."Then we raise the stakes."
A Silent Promise
Aleena held Arlo's hand.
"If you wake up," she whispered,"I won't run anymore."
Two men lived.
Two women faced their hearts.
And the war—
was only beginning.
Time moved strangely inside the hidden room.
Not fast.Not slow.
As if the outside world had stopped,while inside the steel walls,four souls hovered between life and loss.
Aleena sat beside Arlo.
She hadn't moved for hours.
Her hand still held his—not tightly,but firmly enough to knowhe was still there.
Aleena and the Weight of Silence
She stared at Arlo's face.
Usually cold.Unreachable.Untouchable.
Now—
Pale.Still.Human.
"Strange," she whispered."You always looked invincible."
She swallowed.
"But now… you look so human."
Her chest ached.
She looked away.
If she cried again—
she might never stop.
Naomi Between Duty and Heart
Across the room—
Naomi checked medical supplies.
Precise.Controlled.
No one knew—
each movement felt heavy.
She glanced at Raka.
Still breathing.
Barely.
"I can't be weak," she muttered.
She straightened her shoulders.
She was an assistant.A guard.A soldier.
Not a woman falling apart.
Two Women, Two Secrets
Aleena approached Naomi.
"How are they?" she asked calmly.
"Stable. Still critical."
Silence.
"You were incredible today," Aleena added.
"So were you."
They avoided each other's eyes.
Because secrets live in gazes.
Aleena's Unspoken Fear
Aleena returned to Arlo.
"I can't fall in love," she whispered."I'm a leader. A target."
Feelings were weakness.
And she wasn't allowed to be weak.
Naomi's Inner War
Naomi wiped blood from her arm.
Not hers.
"Idiot," she whispered to herself."You knew the risk."
"Raka belongs to no one.""And I'm just a shadow."
She wiped harder.
As if erasing her heart.
A Fragile Response
Arlo's fingers twitched.
Aleena froze.
He squeezed back—weakly.
Real.
She said nothing.
Just held on tighter.
Raka Half-Awake
"Water…"
Naomi helped him drink.
"You're safe."
"Sorry… for the trouble."
"It's my job."
The safest lie.
A Long Night
No one slept.
They stayed awake.
Guarding.
Hiding.
Fearing.
A False Morning
Light shifted slightly.
Aleena spoke quietly.
"When they wake up… we stay focused."
Naomi nodded.
No feelings spoken.
Because war wasn't over.
And love—
was a luxury they couldn't afford.
Time moved again…slow, heavy, exhausting.
No clocks.No windows.Only white lights, antiseptic air, and fragile breathing.
Aleena shifted slightly.
"My back hurts," she muttered."And I better get compensation for this."
She brushed Arlo's temple.
"No CEO signs up to stitch people."
Naomi glanced over.
"You did fine."
"I almost stabbed myself."
Still—they smiled.
Just a little.
Raka Wakes… and Chaos Follows
"Cough—!"
Naomi spun.
"RAKA!"
"Am I dead?" he muttered.
Naomi slapped his shoulder.
"If you were dead, you wouldn't complain."
"Oh. Alive then."
Aleena covered her mouth, laughing.
Raka glanced at Arlo.
"Boss still asleep?"
Aleena nodded.
"Good," Raka sighed."He'd yell first."
Small, Human Moments
"You move, you bleed," Aleena warned.
"You're scary," Raka muttered.
"You want more wounds?"
Silence.
Naomi smirked.
Hidden Feelings Stay Hidden
Despite the humor—
no one confessed.
Aleena hid her fear.
Naomi hid her love.
Raka pretended not to notice.
Arlo pretended not to feel.
A Fragile Sound
"Too loud…"
Aleena froze.
Arlo stirred.
"He's awake," Raka whispered.
"Barely," Naomi replied.
Aleena stepped back, flustered.
Raka chuckled.
"Even half-dead, he's cold."
A Pause Before the Storm
They stayed.
They joked softly.
They survived the night.
But the war—
waited.
The secret room fell into silence again.
Not the peaceful kind.But the kind that pressed down on the chest—heavy, suffocating, impossible to ignore.
Aleena was still sitting beside Arlo.Her hands rested on her knees, fingers unconsciously gripping each other.
She was exhausted.Not physically—but mentally.
Every time Arlo's breathing grew too slow, her heart skipped.Every time his chest rose a little too weakly, her throat tightened.
"I hate this," she whispered.
Naomi, leaning against the wall, glanced over without fully turning."Hate what?"
"Waiting."
Naomi didn't reply.
Because she hated it too.
Raka and His Half-Conscious Reality
Raka stirred again, slower this time.His eyes opened halfway, then closed—like he wasn't sure the world was real yet.
"Naom…" his voice was hoarse.
Naomi was on her feet instantly."What?"
"My head… feels heavy."
"That's normal," she said quickly."You lost a lot of blood."
Raka let out a weak breath.
"Oh… figures."
Aleena turned toward him.
"You sound way too calm."
Raka smiled faintly."If I panic, it hurts more."
Naomi pressed the back of her hand to his forehead.
"Your fever's down."
Raka's gaze drifted to Naomi's face—too close now.
For a second, he forgot the pain.
"You smell like antiseptic," he said suddenly.
Naomi froze.
"…And?"
"For some reason," Raka murmured,"I like it."
Aleena choked on air.
Naomi grabbed a pillow and smacked it into Raka's face.
"Shut up. Focus on staying alive first."
Raka laughed—soft, but real.
Aleena and the Memories That Crashed In
Aleena stood, walked to the corner, grabbed a bottle of water, and drank deeply.
Her hands were still shaking.
Her mind drifted back—to days before all of this.
Arlo, cold and unreadable.Arlo, always on time.Arlo, who rarely spoke—but always stood in front of her.
She remembered his voice when the first threat appeared.
"If they want to touch you,they go through me first."
Aleena closed her eyes.
"Why are you always like this…" she whispered."Like your life doesn't matter."
Behind the bandages—
Arlo groaned softly.
Aleena spun around.
Arlo, Half-Awake and Half-Honest
"Water…"
His voice was barely there.
Aleena rushed over.She took a small glass, helping him drink slowly, carefully.
"Easy," she said."Don't rush."
Arlo's eyes opened wider this time.
Still blurry—but they found her face.
"You shouldn't be here."
Aleena froze.
"This is my house," she replied flatly."I'll be wherever I want."
A faint smile tugged at Arlo's lips.
"Stubborn."
Aleena swallowed.
"You almost died."
Arlo stared at the ceiling.
"Not yet."
His tone was calm.Too calm.
Raka lifted his hand weakly.
"Boss… next time… can we send someone else first?"
Arlo glanced at him.
"You're still alive?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
Naomi sighed in irritation.
Small Humor That Loosened the Tension
Aleena crossed her arms.
"You're all insane."
Raka grinned weakly.
"We're professionals."
"Professionals who almost died?"
"Minor detail."
Naomi rolled her eyes.
"I'm not paid enough for this."
Aleena shot her a look.
"You're paid."
Naomi paused.
"…Okay. I'm paid enough."
A small laugh escaped them.
Not a happy one.But a survival laugh.
The Second Night in the Secret Room
Time slipped by unnoticed.
The lights stayed the same.The air remained cold.
Raka drifted back to sleep, Naomi sitting beside him, fingers still wrapped around his wrist, monitoring his pulse.
Aleena returned to Arlo's side.
Arlo wasn't sleeping.He stared blankly ahead.
"What are you thinking about?" Aleena asked quietly.
"That if I messed up even a little earlier," Arlo said,"you'd all be dead."
Aleena stiffened.
"But you didn't."
"Not yet."
Aleena stared at him.
"You always think like that?"
Arlo was silent.
"It's my job."
Aleena shook her head.
"That's a burden."
Arlo turned to look at her.
For the first time—his gaze wasn't cold.
"It's the only thing I know how to do."
Something slammed into Aleena's chest.
Not fear.
But fear of losing him.
Naomi and the War Inside Her Heart
Naomi watched Raka sleep.
His face was pale.His lips dry.His body wrapped in bandages.
Naomi clenched her fists.
"I hate you," she whispered."For making me care."
She stood slowly and walked toward Aleena.
"You realize," Naomi said,"this isn't over."
Aleena nodded.
"I know."
Naomi looked at Arlo.
"And him…"
"He'll move again," Aleena finished softly."Even half-dead."
Naomi snorted.
"Stupid men."
Aleena smiled faintly.
"We're stupid too."
Naomi went quiet.
"…Yeah."
Somewhere Outside — Danger Still Breathing
Far from Aleena's house—
The mysterious man stood behind dark glass.
"Still alive," he said coldly."Interesting."
He turned to his assistant.
"Let them heal."
A thin smile curved his lips.
"That sense of safety…is temporary."