Rain tapped gently against the tall windows of Alina's penthouse. She stood in silence, wrapped in a silk robe, her eyes drifting over the city lights below. The boardroom war was over—for now—but peace was always temporary in her world.
Just as she turned to pour herself a glass of red wine, the doorbell rang.
Her brows knitted slightly. It was nearly midnight.
She didn't expect visitors.
Alina walked over to the security monitor. The screen revealed a man soaked by rain, standing quietly at her doorstep. The camera's night vision flickered, and then his face came into full view.
Julian.
She stared at the screen for a full five seconds before she pressed the button to unlock the door.
The elevator chimed. The door slid open.
Julian stood there, drenched but composed. His usual cocky smirk was gone, replaced with a look she hadn't seen in years—uncertainty.
Alina said nothing. She turned and walked back into the living room, leaving the door open. He followed, quietly.
She handed him a towel. "Speak."
Julian dried his face and sat down slowly. "I just came from the hospital."
Alina turned sharply. "Hospital?"
He nodded. "Your stepmother… she collapsed during the press conference. Heart condition. But that's not the point."
He pulled something from his coat pocket and placed it on the coffee table between them.
A letter. Aged. Sealed with wax.
Julian's voice dropped. "It's from your father. It was supposed to be delivered only if… she died under suspicious circumstances."
Alina's eyes darkened.
"He suspected she was trying to kill him."
Silence.
The rain outside grew heavier, as if echoing the storm inside her mind.
She picked up the letter with trembling hands, but didn't open it.
Not yet.
Julian's gaze softened. "Alina, you think you've uncovered everything… but your father's enemies ran deeper than just Liam. And you're not safe. Not even now."
She looked up at him, her voice calm but cold. "Why are you telling me this? After all these years?"
He hesitated.
"Because," he said finally, "you're the only one who ever made me want to be a better man. And I'm not going to lose you… again."
Alina's heart skipped a beat—but she quickly masked it behind a blank stare.
"You already lost me, Julian."
She stood.
And turned her back to him.