CHAPTER 2 — LOCKDOWN PROTOCOL
A deep mechanical sound echoed through the building.
CLICK.
Then another.
CLICK.
Every exit door sealed at once.
Guests finally reacted—chairs scraping, panic rising—but still restrained, like no one wanted to be the first to fully break the illusion of control.
Emma stepped backward instinctively.
The baby in her arms remained completely silent.
Too silent.
Adrian stood slowly.
Not rushed.
Not panicked.
Controlled.
Like someone who had lived through this exact scenario before.
He looked at Emma.
For the first time, his voice broke the silence.
“Don’t move with him.”
Emma frowned.
“Who—?”
A sharp explosion cut her off.
Not inside the restaurant.
Outside.
The windows shook violently.
Dust fell from the chandeliers.
Screams finally erupted—but they were muffled, trapped inside marble walls.
Emma instinctively shielded the baby.
But Adrian wasn’t looking at the explosion.
He was looking at her.
“No one was supposed to touch him,” he said coldly.
Emma’s eyes narrowed.
“You set this up.”
A beat.
Then Adrian replied:
“No.”
May you like
He paused.
“…We both did.”
