Ryan’s finger twitched on the trigger.
Then stopped.
The crossbow bolt was aimed directly at Derek’s chest—an easy shot from fifteen feet away.
One squeeze and Derek Wang would be dead before he hit the ground.
But Ryan hesitated.
Once the apocalypse hit and society collapsed, killing Derek and Marcus wouldn’t matter.
Hell, it would be a public service.
But right now?
With less than 24 hours until the end?
Killing a billionaire’s son would bring down a shitstorm Ryan didn’t need.
Police investigations.
Legal complications.
Media attention.
All of it would interfere with his final preparations.
Better to let Marcus Wang walk into the apocalypse unprepared.
Let him watch his empire crumble.
Let him experience true desperation.
Then Ryan would kill him.
Slowly.
Personally.
Ryan lowered the crossbow slightly—no longer aimed at Derek’s heart, but at his kneecap.
Thwip.
The bolt flew.
Thunk.
Derek screamed—a high-pitched, agonized sound—and collapsed, clutching his shattered knee.
Blood poured between his fingers.
“AAAHHH!
MY LEG!
YOU SHOT MY FUCKING LEG!” Ryan walked past the two frozen enforcers—both of whom were staring at their boss writhing on the ground—and scooped up Evelyn.
She was barely conscious, her body burning with fever from whatever drug they’d given her.
“You’re dead!” Derek shrieked from the ground.
“You hear me?!
DEAD!
My father will—” Ryan didn’t bother responding.
Just turned and walked toward his estate, carrying Evelyn in his arms.
Behind him, Derek’s screams faded into the night.
Ryan moved quickly through the gate and into Estate A01.
The heavy steel door slid shut behind him with a pneumatic hiss, sealing out the world.
The interior of the house was silent, dimly lit by emergency lighting.
Ryan carried Evelyn through the empty living room and gently laid her on the leather couch.
She was in bad shape.
Her dress was torn and dirty.
Her makeup was smeared.
Sweat plastered strands of hair to her forehead.
Her cheeks were flushed with unnatural heat, and she was making small, distressed sounds.
Ryan stood up to get water, but a soft hand grabbed his wrist.
He looked down.
Evelyn’s eyes were half-open, unfocused, pupils dilated.
The cold, untouchable beauty he’d seen from a distance was gone.
In her place was someone confused, vulnerable, desperate.
Her other hand began moving across his chest, fingers clutching at his shirt.
“Hot…” she murmured, her voice breaking.
“So hot…
please…
I need…” The words were fragmented, pleading.
Ryan felt his pulse spike.
Don’t.
She’s drugged.
She doesn’t know what she’s doing.
He was a normal man.
A man who’d just drunk an entire bottle of expensive wine.
A man who had Evelyn Hart—arguably the most beautiful woman in New York—clinging to him and begging.
But she was also the person who’d saved his life in another timeline.
He couldn’t take advantage.
Wouldn’t.
Ryan took a deep breath, forcibly pushing down the heat building in his chest.
He bent down, lifted Evelyn again, and carried her upstairs to the master bathroom.
Cold water.
That’s what they always did in movies, right?
The master bath was enormous—marble floors, a bathtub that could fit three people, a rainfall shower the size of a small car.
Ryan didn’t hesitate.
He placed Evelyn directly into the tub and turned on the shower.
WHOOSH.
Freezing water poured down from overhead.
Evelyn gasped, her body jerking from the shock of cold.
Her white dress—already ruined—became completely transparent as it soaked through, clinging to every curve.
Ryan’s throat went dry.
He looked away quickly, jaw clenched.
Hospital.
Should I take her to a hospital?
No.
Too risky.
Less than 24 hours until the apocalypse.
If something happened while they were there, if he got delayed…
This had to work.
The cold water had to bring down her fever, flush the drug from her system.
Ryan glanced back at Evelyn, still thrashing under the shower spray, and felt doubt creep in.
How strong was the dose they gave her?
What if this isn’t enough?
His head was starting to feel fuzzy.
The wine hitting harder now, mixing with the expensive perfume Evelyn was wearing and some other scent—something uniquely her.
The bathroom air felt thick, dangerous.
I need to leave.
Now.
Before I do something I’ll regret.
Any other woman, maybe he wouldn’t have fought it.
But Evelyn?
The person who’d saved him?
That would make me worse than Derek.
Ryan turned toward the door— Click.
The bathroom door burst open.
Ryan spun around.
Evelyn had climbed out of the tub somehow.
Water streamed off her body.
Her dress was torn half-off, hanging in tatters.
Underneath, she wore only black lace lingerie that left almost nothing to imagination.
Water droplets traced paths down her neck, over her collarbone, down her stomach…
Jesus Christ.
Ryan felt warmth at his nose and realized he was about to get a nosebleed.
“Why…
so long…” Evelyn mumbled, stumbling toward him.
She grabbed his arm with surprising strength and pulled, yanking him off-balance and back into the bathroom.
SLAM.
The door shut behind them.
And then her lips were on his—desperate, demanding, like someone drowning and searching for air.
Ryan’s brain short-circuited.
Every rational thought evaporated.
Blood roared in his ears, rushing south, his body responding with overwhelming intensity.
Fuck it.
I tried.
I really tried.
Ryan’s arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed back, all restraint abandoned.
Clothes started coming off—torn away more than removed, scattered across the bathroom floor.
Heavy breathing.
The sound of water still running.
Skin against skin.
The most primitive sounds echoed through the empty fortress as the last night before the apocalypse became something neither of them would forget…
The Next Morning August 20th, 2025 The Last Day “AAAAAHHHHH!” A scream jolted Ryan awake.
His eyes snapped open.
Evelyn was sitting up in bed, clutching the sheet to her chest, her face a mix of horror and mortification.
The messy bed.
The scattered clothes.
The soreness in her body.
All of it told her exactly what had happened.
Ryan sat up quickly, still groggy, his mind scrambling to catch up.
If you are interested can check it out.