Ivy lay awake long after Aiden had left, the echo of his words still burning through her.
"Are you in danger?"
She had said no. She had wanted to believe it.
But when she pressed her ear to the night, all she heard was silence that didn't feel safe anymore.
The man Aiden had mentioned—Vincent Raye. That name meant nothing to her.
But the way Aiden had said it...
Something was coming. She could feel it.
The Next Morning – Ivy's Apartment
"I'm taking Leo to school," Maddie said, slinging her tote over her shoulder. "You need rest."
"I can handle it," Ivy protested.
"You've handled everything for too long."
Ivy hesitated, then handed over Leo's backpack.
After they left, she sat at the kitchen table and pulled out the worn envelope from the drawer. Inside, old letters, a torn ultrasound photo, and a folded paper with a number she had sworn never to call.
It had been left behind by someone she once trusted someone she had run from.
Her hand hovered over her phone.
She didn't dial.
Not yet.
Meanwhile – Aiden's Penthouse
Aiden stood in front of a digital wall map, points marked around Ivy's building, Leo's school, the café, and now Vincent's last known location.
"Raye's smart," Richard said. "No digital trail. But we found this."
He handed Aiden a printed still from a CCTV camera: Vincent handing a package to someone in a black car. License plate blurred.
"What's in the package?" Aiden asked.
"No idea. But we traced the driver. Former employee of Xentek Corp. Suspiciously fired two months ago."
"Corporate espionage?"
"Or revenge."
Aiden clenched his jaw.
"I want someone on Ivy and Leo. Quiet. And armed."
Afternoon – Café Bloom
Ivy needed fresh air, even if it meant pretending everything was fine.
She wiped down the counter, watching people walk past the window.
Then she saw him.
Tall. Gray hoodie. Beard trimmed too neatly. Too familiar.
He didn't look at her. Just walked past.
Her hands went cold.
Was it Vincent?
She rushed outside.
But the man had disappeared into the crowd.
Aiden's Office – Later That Day
"I think Ivy just spotted Vincent again," Aiden said into the phone. "She called me but didn't leave a message. Just silence."
Richard exhaled. "That's a warning."
"She's scared."
"You're going to have to tell her everything."
"I know."
"And if she runs?"
"I won't let her."
That Evening – Ivy's Apartment
Ivy triple-locked the door and pulled down every blind.
Leo sat on the couch, frowning.
"Mama, is something wrong?"
"No, sweetheart," she said with a too-bright smile. "We're just playing secret agents tonight."
His face lit up. "Like spies?"
"Exactly."
He giggled, then ran off to grab a flashlight.
Ivy's smile faded as soon as he turned his back.
She picked up her phone and dialed.
The line rang once.
Twice.
Then—answered.
A voice like ice filled her ear.
"I was wondering when you'd call."
Warehouse District – Unknown Location
Vincent hung up the phone, a smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth.
"She's breaking."
Behind him, a wall of screens flickered—one showing Ivy's apartment hallway, grainy but unmistakable.
Another showing Leo at school.
And a third—
Aiden Thorne's face.
"Time to turn up the heat."
Back at Ivy's Apartment
Ivy stared at her phone, hands trembling.
She hadn't said a word.
But he knew.
She moved to the kitchen, grabbed the emergency box she kept under the sink—passport, cash, burner phone.
Then she called Maddie.
"We might have to leave."
"What happened?" Maddie asked, voice tense.
"I made contact. With him."
"You said you'd never—"
"I didn't have a choice."
Meanwhile – Aiden's Penthouse
Richard burst into the room.
"We just intercepted a message sent from Ivy's building. Encrypted. To a line we've flagged before—Xentek. But it wasn't her number."
Aiden turned, pulse spiking.
"Leo's tablet?"
"Possibly hijacked. Which means they're listening."
Aiden grabbed his coat.
"Get the car."
Final Scene – Ivy's Apartment, Moments Later
Ivy stood by the window, heart pounding.
Headlights flashed below.
A knock at the door.
Too soft to be Aiden.
Too late to be Maddie.
She didn't move.
Another knock.
Then a voice.
"Ivy. It's me."
Aiden.
She rushed to unlock the door, but before she could—
Glass shattered in the kitchen.
A scream tore from her throat.
Aiden slammed through the door a heartbeat later.
Gun drawn.
"Down!" he shouted, lunging toward her as another crash split the air.
The apartment exploded into chaos.
But as Aiden pulled her behind the couch and covered her body with his, Ivy realized one terrifying truth
This wasn't random anymore.
They weren't just being watched.
They were being hunted.