𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 - 𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚠

London

I arrived in London, and wow—it was gorgeous. The city was alive, full of history and energy. With a day off before I started work, I took the opportunity to explore.

Eventually, I made my way to the hotel my company had arranged for me. But as much as I wanted to enjoy my new surroundings, my focus was elsewhere. Someone had stolen my code, and I intended to get it back. I immediately started tracking it, determined to find out who had taken it and why.

At the same time, I decided to develop something new—something even more powerful. If they thought they could steal from me, I would create something they could never touch. The idea formed quickly: a program that could make someone disappear entirely. A way to erase digital footprints, identities—everything.

I worked through the night, pouring all my energy into the code. At the same time, I made sure Dom believed I was still with Vince. Mia knew the truth—it was all just a trick to fool him and anyone else who might come looking for me. She was impressed, and when she mentioned Letty had been around, I spoke to her too. To say Letty was furious with Dom would be an understatement. Apparently, he had left her behind.

Dom had a habit of walking away from people.

By morning, my program was coming together, and I forced myself to take a break. Despite everything, I knew deep down that I was a shy person. Making friends had never been easy for me—probably because of my childhood. I always stuck close to Mia, Letty, or Jakob.

I thought of my dad, the one who had introduced me to coding in the first place. He used to say that code could do anything if you knew how to shape it right. He had even used his skills to help him win races. I missed him. I missed my mom too.

A New Routine

The next morning, I went to work and threw myself into my job. Surprisingly, I made friends with a co-worker. It made me realize something—I had spent my whole life holding back, afraid to let people in. My childhood had been filled with my crew, my sister, and Letty. But actual friendships? I had never really experienced that.

I remembered being too scared to invite people over as a kid, too afraid of what Dom was doing, what might happen.

I needed to move on.

Little did I know, I was about to meet someone who would make me forget all about Dom—and change my life forever.

As I worked, I took breaks and talked with my co-workers. They were kind and understanding. One of them smiled at me and said, "Take your time to open up."

That simple sentence meant more to me than they could have known.

Later that evening, my boss asked me to stay late, and I agreed. Working overnight wasn't fun, but my co-worker surprised me with dinner—pasta with tomatoes and cheese. It was a small gesture, but it meant a lot.

I ate while I worked, keeping an eye on my stolen code. Then something alarming popped up on my screen—a trace. Someone was moving the data.

I didn't have time to think. I grabbed a flash drive and transferred my real work onto it, slipping it into my shoe. Meanwhile, I left the fake files on my work laptop—still dangerous, but nothing compared to the real thing.

Then—

SMASH.

The Attack

Glass shattered.

Two men stormed into the room. One had red hair, the other brown.

The red-haired man pointed a gun at me. "Hands up."

I obeyed, my heart pounding. The brown-haired man stepped forward. "Where is it?" He pressed the gun against my temple.

I swallowed hard and nodded toward my work laptop. He went for it immediately.

Then—another crash.

More men burst into the room, and suddenly, flames erupted. The fire spread fast, swallowing everything I had worked on.

Out of the smoke, a tall, sharp-eyed man appeared. He moved toward me with a controlled, lethal grace.

He leaned in and whispered, "I'm getting you out of here."

I nodded. The moment his hand closed around mine, I felt it—a spark. And from the way he held on, I knew he felt it too.

We ran.

As we reached another man waiting for us, my rescuer—Deckard—kept a firm grip on me.

"Owen, get her out of here," the other man ordered.

Owen. Deckard. The names stuck in my mind.

Owen pulled out his gun and fired, taking down the brown-haired man instantly.

Then, gunfire erupted from behind us.

A grenade flew through the air, landing dangerously close.

I barely had time to shout—"Run!"

Deckard and Owen exchanged a look before we all sprinted toward the window.

The explosion went off behind us.

I felt strong arms wrap around me as we crashed through the glass, falling toward the street below.

Aftermath

I hit the ground hard, my ears ringing. Everything was a blur.

I turned my head, spotting Deckard beside me. Owen wasn't far off.

The building was in flames, my work completely destroyed.

Through the smoke, I saw the red-haired man walking away. The other one—he was dead.

Darkness crept into my vision. My body felt heavy, exhausted.

The last thing I saw was Deckard's face before everything faded to black.