The Billionaire and Secret Vow

Dante gritted his teeth in frustration. "They won't let us go that easily." 

Meanwhile, Hunter kept cursing under his breath while pulling the control lever. "I'll maneuver to avoid their range, but we need a safe place to land! We can't stay in the air for too long." 

Dominic let out a long sigh. "Take us to a safe location outside the city. We need to regroup and plan our next move before they find us again." 

Rebecca quickly nodded, her eyes still focused on the laptop on her lap. "Alright, then. I'll try to erase our tracks as much as possible." 

Suddenly, a mysterious message appeared on her screen: 

*"You may have escaped today, but this is only the beginning."* 

Rebecca swallowed hard. "They're still watching us." 

--- 

Elsewhere, Alexander sat in his chair with a relaxed posture, a knowing smile playing on his lips. He occasionally sipped the red wine on his table while attentively watching the large screen displaying the last known coordinates of Dominic's helicopter. 

A man in a black uniform entered the room after knocking a few times. "Sir, they managed to escape our attack. But we've planted a tracker in their system." 

Alexander nodded slowly, satisfied with his subordinates' growing reliability. "Good work. Let them feel safe for now—hold our men back from attacking for the time being. When they think they've won this battle… we'll crush them harder than before." He took another sip of his wine, savoring the game that had just begun. 

*** 

Once they felt safe, they decided to return to their respective apartments and resume their daily activities. No further threats came through Rebecca, giving them a chance to recover and tend to their worsening injuries. 

This morning, Amelia stepped into her office at Clark Event for the first time after weeks of disappearing without a trace. The moment she set foot in the lobby, employees greeted her one after another, asking about her well-being. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see their boss return. 

As soon as she opened the door to her office, Caroline was already standing there, arms full of documents, her expression clearly showing long-held frustration. 

"So, you finally decided to show up. Care to explain where the hell you've been?" 

Amelia sighed, placing her bag on the desk. "Nice to see you too, Caroline," she replied sarcastically. 

Caroline shook her head in exasperation, hurriedly stepping forward and dropping the stack of documents onto Amelia's desk. Crossing her arms, she continued, "You disappeared without a word, Amelia! I had to run the company alone, answer to clients who were starting to doubt us, and face the board of directors constantly questioning your whereabouts! I was exhausted managing everything by myself." 

Amelia remained silent for a moment before speaking softly, realizing the heavy burden her friend had carried. "I know… I'm sorry. I can't explain everything right now. But one thing's for sure—I'm back," she said with a sincere smile. 

She sank into her chair, letting herself soak in the familiar atmosphere of her office, which now felt strangely foreign after all this time. Her fingers traced the polished wooden desk, remembering how long she had been away from all of this. It felt surreal to return to a normal life after enduring chaos that nearly cost her life. 

"Where exactly have you been?" Caroline asked, her gaze sharp and inquisitive. 

Amelia gave a small smile, understanding Caroline's concern. "I just… went away for a little while." 

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "A little while? Amelia, you vanished for weeks without a single word, and now you just waltz back in like nothing happened? The company nearly fell apart without you, you know?" 

Amelia let out a tired sigh, rubbing her temples. "I'm sorry, Caroline. I know it wasn't easy for you. But I'm truly grateful that you held things together." 

Caroline studied her for a moment before asking, "And I know you're not going to tell me everything. But at least answer this… You left with Dominic, didn't you? And what about the rumors going around? Do they have anything to do with you and Dominic? Were you involved in all of this?" Caroline sounded desperate, overwhelmed by the thought of what Amelia and Dominic might have gone through. 

Amelia was slightly taken aback by Caroline's barrage of questions. But, of course, Caroline wasn't someone easily fooled by vague answers. 

"Yes," Amelia finally admitted. But it was just one word—one simple confirmation for the flood of questions Caroline had asked. 

Caroline's eyes gleamed with curiosity, her lips curling into a knowing smile. "So, how does it feel to disappear with the most dangerous man in this city while being in the middle of a deadly situation?" 

Amelia opened her mouth to deny it, but no words came out. Even she wasn't sure how to answer that. 

Caroline sighed dramatically, shaking her head once again. "You're insane, Amelia. Disappearing with that man and returning without an explanation? Do you have any idea how badly this affected the company?" 

Amelia clenched her fingers together. "I'll fix everything," she said with determination. 

Caroline scoffed, disbelief written all over her face. "You'd better fix it quickly, Amelia. Some major clients are starting to doubt us, and one of our investors is considering pulling out. If that happens, we could go bankrupt." 

Amelia groaned. The consequences were worse than she had expected. "Fine, give me a full report on everything that happened while I was gone," she said finally. "I'll handle this from now on." 

Caroline still looked annoyed, but she knew Amelia wouldn't run from her responsibilities. "I've compiled everything and organized the reports by division," she said, nodding toward the documents on the desk. "Oh, and one more thing…" 

Amelia looked at her curiously. "What?" 

Caroline smirked. "It's a secret," she teased before striding out of Amelia's office. 

Amelia started skimming through the documents, reading quickly before moving on to the next. She massaged her temples as she reached the final report—the company's financial statement. Clark Event wasn't in ruins yet, but its condition was far from ideal. Several major projects had been delayed due to her absence, and rumors were swirling about the mystery behind her disappearance. 

A sudden knock on the door broke her focus. Caroline reappeared with a serious expression. "Dominic is in the lobby. He wants to see you," she said. 

Amelia took a deep breath before responding, "Send him in." 

A few seconds later, Dominic stepped inside, dressed in his signature black suit. His gaze was sharp, but a hint of exhaustion lingered beneath it. 

"You look busy," he noted, glancing at the stacks of documents on her desk. 

Amelia leaned back in her chair. "Not as busy as you, I assume. Why are you here? Doesn't your company still need its brilliant CEO?" 

Dominic smirked slightly, resting against the wall. "Can't I visit the brilliant CEO who just returned from exile?" 

Caroline raised both hands in surrender as she listened to their exchange. "Alright, I know when I'm not needed here." She walked out, whispering to Amelia, "Enjoy your time with him." 

Once the door closed, the room suddenly felt smaller, the air thinner, and a brief silence settled between them. 

Dominic observed her closely. "So, how does it feel to be back to a normal life?" 

Amelia offered a small smile, gazing at the clouds outside her window. "Strange. It doesn't even feel like my world anymore. It's like I'm still dreaming." 

Dominic studied her for a long moment, as if trying to understand her unspoken thoughts. "We've been through so much—danger, near-death experiences. It's not easy to pretend that everything is still the same." 

Amelia nodded slowly. "But we have to try, right?" 

Dominic's gaze softened, and he smiled faintly. "Yes. We have to be brave enough to try." 

In the comforting silence, Amelia realized just how much Dominic understood her—without even needing words. And somehow, that made her feel a little more at ease. 

Then, his expression turned serious again. "We have a serious problem." 

Amelia folded her hands on the desk, bracing herself. "Tell me—how bad is it?" 

"Since Victor's death, someone has taken over his network. I did some digging last night… It's Alexander." 

Amelia frowned. "Alexander?" 

Dominic nodded grimly. "He's not just watching us. He's seizing Victor's assets, recruiting his people, and now—he's starting to interfere with my business." 

Tension filled the air once again. 

"What's your plan?" Amelia asked. 

Dominic looked at her intently. "For now, I need as much information about him as possible. I'm sure Alexander has connections in the business world as well, so there's a high chance he'll try to sabotage your company. We need to act long before that happens," Dominic explained at length. 

Amelia glanced briefly at the documents on her desk before looking back at Dominic. She could feel the weight on her shoulders growing heavier, with so many responsibilities she had to handle all at once. "Alright then. I'll look into whether there have been any suspicious movements within my company recently." 

Dominic nodded. He stood up and gazed out at the vast sky before him, as if countless lives lay beneath it, hopes pinned on him, and prayers reaching far above. "We need to move faster than him. Otherwise, the war we thought was over may have only just begun—with an opponent far more powerful than Victor."