Night had already taken over the city by the time Lucien arrived at the President’s office.
The dark sky outside only made the atmosphere feel heavier.
The moment he stepped inside the private first-class suite, exhaustion was written all over his face.
Sweat covered his skin as if he had been running from something far more terrifying than people could imagine.
His breathing was uneven.
The upper two buttons of his shirt were already open, revealing the tension in his chest as he tried to calm himself down.
Without saying a single word to anyone, he slammed the door shut behind him and walked straight toward the washroom.
His footsteps were rushed.
Almost desperate.
The cold white lights flickered softly as he gripped the sink tightly, breathing hard.
Water poured from the tap while drops of sweat rolled down his jaw.
But then-
His eyes slowly lifted toward the mirror.
He stared at his own reflection in the mirror.
For a few seconds, he couldn’t move.
Then suddenly, Lucien splashed cold water onto his face again and again, trying to wash away the fear suffocating him from inside.
His breathing was still heavy.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
Water droplets slid down his wet hair, tracing over his sharp features…
from his forehead, to his lips, then down his neck before disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt.
His soaked shirt clung slightly to his skin.
Lucien folded his sleeves with trembling hands, gripping the edge of the sink tightly.
The veins on his hands had turned visible because of the pressure building inside him.
But something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The mirror-
No matter how much water he splashed on himself…
His reflection looked wetter than reality.
As if someone else inside the mirror had just stepped out of the rain.
Lucien placed both of his hands on the sides of the sink, lowering his head for a moment before slowly looking back into the mirror.
His eyes locked deeply with his own reflection.
For a second, the entire world around him felt silent.
“No matter what happens… calm yourself,” he whispered under his breath, trying to steady his shaking breathing.
“That’s the only thing that can help you right now.”
His jaw tightened.
“And no matter what… you have to find that woman.”
The memory of her flashed inside his mind like a haunting shadow.
“You’re meant to protect her.”
He said it to himself again…
as if repeating those words was the only thing keeping him sane.
After calming himself down, Lucien changed into a simple black T-shirt and loose night pants.
The formal image of the powerful president disappeared for a moment, leaving behind only a tired man carrying too many thoughts in his mind.
He walked back into the room quietly.
The city lights outside flickered through the glass windows while silence filled the dark space around him.
Lucien slowly lay down on the bed and closed his eyes for a moment.
But even in silence…
His mind kept searching for her.
Where did she go…?
That single question refused to leave him alone.
Her face, her voice, even the feeling of her presence kept appearing inside his thoughts like a memory he couldn’t escape from.
And strangely-
The more he tried to rest…
The more it felt like something terrible was about to happen.
After a couple of minutes, Lucien suddenly opened his eyes.
The uneasy feeling inside his chest still hadn’t disappeared.
He sat up slowly, running a hand through his messy hair before reaching for his phone from the bedside table.
The screen light reflected against his tired eyes as he quickly dialed a number.
The call connected within seconds.
“Sir?” the driver answered immediately.
Lucien’s expression turned serious again.
“Bring the car around,” he said in a low, cold voice.
“We’re going out.”
Even at this hour of the night…
He couldn’t stay still anymore.
A few minutes later, the driver arrived outside the building.
The moment Lucien stepped out, the driver quickly opened the back door for him with respect.
Lucien quietly sat inside while loosening the sleeves he had folded earlier.
The car engine started softly.
Soon, the black car disappeared into the dark streets of the city.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence inside the car felt heavy until the driver slowly turned on some warm, calming music produced by Enzo.
The soft melody filled the air gently, creating a strange comfort in the middle of the cold night.
Lucien leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes for a second.
The music was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Because deep inside…
His instincts were still warning him that tonight was far from over.
“Sir… relax,” the driver said softly while keeping his eyes on the empty road ahead.
Lucien only hummed in response, his gaze fixed outside the window where the city lights blurred against the darkness.
A few seconds passed before he finally spoke.
“Have you seen her?”
The driver tightened his grip on the steering wheel slightly.
“No… sir,” he answered carefully.
“But… I felt like she was there.”
Lucien’s eyes slowly shifted toward him.
“What makes you think that?”
The driver hesitated for a moment.
“The weather,” he whispered.
“It suddenly felt too strange.”
As if agreeing with his words-
The warm night air outside abruptly turned cold.
The music inside the car glitched for a second.
And somewhere far away…
Thunder echoed through the dark sky.
______________________________________
The basement was nothing like she remembered.
Dust covered every corner of the dark space while broken equipment, old benches, tables, scattered boards, and piles of useless files filled the entire area. Read the latest chapters at g.com.
It looked abandoned…
forgotten by everyone.
Her eyes searched desperately around the room.
But there was nothing.
No secret path.
No answers.
Only silence.
A shaky sigh escaped from her lips as disappointment slowly filled her chest.
“Why…?” she whispered painfully.
“Why…?”
The frustration inside her suddenly exploded.
She kicked the door hard before sliding down against the wall and sitting on the cold floor.
Her tired eyes stared blankly ahead while the dim basement lights flickered above her.
For the first time since returning here…
She felt completely lost.
After sitting there for a while, she quietly stood up and walked back toward the basement entrance.
The hallway felt colder than before.
When she finally reached the main entrance, she noticed the watchman sleeping peacefully on his chair near the gate, completely unaware of her presence.
His cap had slipped slightly over his eyes while the small lamp beside him flickered weakly.
She stayed silent.
Carefully…
slowly…
She walked toward the gate, trying not to make even the smallest sound.
The night air brushed against her face as her trembling fingers reached for the gate handle.
And for some reason-
The moment she touched it…
A strange chill ran through her entire body.
She finally stepped onto the main road.
Everything looked strangely normal.
The road was calm and peaceful, with only a few cars passing quietly through the night.
There was no traffic, no chaos, no loud noise disturbing the silence.
The entire city felt alive in a gentle way.
Under the dark sky, the greenery along the streets seemed to glow softly beneath the warm lights.
The cool air carried the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers, making the night feel almost unreal.
Feeling tired, she slowly sat down in front of a small shoe shop.
The little shop looked simple yet beautiful, decorated with hanging flowers and green creepers wrapping around the wooden walls.
Old slippers, sandals, and shoes were neatly placed around the entrance while repair tools rested beside a tiny stool.
An old man sat there quietly on a small chair, taking tiny sips from a bottle of Coke while admiring the peaceful city around him.
“The kingdom of the great King Lucien…” he murmured with a faint smile.
His eyes reflected pride.
“The change he brought after becoming president… no one expected it.”
He chuckled softly to himself.
“He never made big promises.”
The old man looked at the glowing streets around him before continuing quietly-
“But somehow… he did everything.”
Elise quietly listened to the old man’s words.
Then she slowly turned toward him.
“Have you seen your president before?” she asked softly.
The shopkeeper hummed in response and nodded his head.
“Yes. Many times.”
Elise looked slightly surprised.
“How?” she asked curiously.
“I mean… he’s a noble man. Is he really connected with ordinary people like this?”
The old man smiled warmly.
“Yes.
A lot.” He took another small sip of Coke before continuing, “Because he is one of us.”
Elise frowned slightly.
“He was poor before becoming president?”
“No, no-” the man laughed softly, shaking his head.
“He was born a king,” he said proudly.
“And he still lives like a king.”
The old man’s eyes slowly lifted toward the glowing city lights.
“But the difference is…”
His smile faded into something deeper.
“He never made people feel small in front of him.”
“What’s his name?” Elise asked quietly, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of the flower pot beside her.
The old man smiled proudly.
“Lucien Richard.”
The moment those words reached her ears-
Something inside Elise froze.
Her heartbeat suddenly felt strange.
Heavy.
As if that name had been buried somewhere deep inside her soul for years.
Lucien Richard.
The name echoed repeatedly inside her mind, unfamiliar…
yet painfully familiar at the same time.
She slowly lowered her gaze, trying to understand why hearing it made her chest tighten so much.
As if-
Somewhere, in another life…
She had already known him.
After a while, the shopkeeper quietly offered her a piece of bread.
Elise hesitated for a second before taking it gently.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
The bread was still warm.
But the moment she took the first bite…
For some reason, Enzo suddenly crossed her mind.
That familiar warmth.
That calm feeling.
The memory hit her unexpectedly, making her chest ache a little.
Her expression dimmed for a moment before she quickly hid it.
Then, almost naturally, her journalist instincts started waking up again.
After finishing the bread, she dusted off her hands neatly, drank some water, and wiped the corner of her mouth before looking back at the old man.
“Does your memory ever… glow?” she suddenly asked.
The shopkeeper blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean by that?”
Elise shook her head lightly.
“Nothing. Just asking.”
“Yeah… a little sometimes,” he replied calmly.
“But old age steals away the power of memory.”
He didn’t look offended by her strange question at all.
Instead, he remained relaxed and oddly peaceful, as if he had already accepted every mystery life carried with it.
“By any chance… do you remember the Shelly murder case?” Elise asked carefully.
“The teacher who was found dead inside the classroom?”
The old man’s expression slowly changed.
“Ohhh… that case…” he murmured quietly, leaning back against his chair.
“But why do you want to know about that now? It’s been… four years, I think.”
“Yeah,” Elise replied softly, lowering her eyes for a moment.
“It’s been four years.”
A strange sadness wrapped around her voice.
As if those four years had never truly passed for her.
The night breeze moved gently through the flower creepers above them while silence settled between the two for a few seconds.
Then the old man spoke again.
“People stopped talking about it after some time,” he said quietly.
“But back then… everyone in the city was terrified.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, trying to remember.
“They said the classroom door was locked from inside.”
He looked toward Elise.
“But when they opened it…”
The old man’s voice lowered.
“The teacher was already dead.”
“Oh… so you do remember,” Elise said softly, finally relaxing a little after realizing someone still knew about the case.
For the first time that night, she didn’t feel completely alone with those memories.
“Yes, I remember,” the old man replied calmly.
Elise tilted her head slightly.
“How?”
The man suddenly laughed.
“Because my memory is still sharp,” he said proudly.
For a moment, both of them laughed together quietly under the peaceful night sky.
The tension around Elise eased just a little.
It almost felt normal.
Almost.
Elise felt sleepy, but she couldn’t afford to sleep.
The shopkeeper had already left.
“Where should I go?” she whispered, yawning as she looked around.
People were still moving along the road-some crossing, some returning home, some heading out for dinner, and some just…
walking like they were tired of everything.
“Enzo… please come and take me,” she murmured under her breath.
The night was freezing.
Her body trembled in the cold, not just from the temperature but from exhaustion and fear.
She wanted to cry so badly, but she held it in.
Even her thoughts felt heavy, like they were turning into stone inside her mind.
Everything around her felt locked away-like every door in this world had closed on her at once.
She couldn’t trust anyone anymore…
not after what she had heard from Joe.
After some time, she found herself walking without direction, her mind too tired to think properly.
With no idea where she was going, she ended up in a narrow, dark alley.
The walls were cracked and damp, the silence heavy and uncomfortable.
A flickering streetlight barely lit the path, casting broken shadows that made everything feel even more unsettling.
Her instincts were screaming at her to turn back-but she kept moving, as if her body had stopped listening to her mind.
When she reached the middle of the alley, she suddenly stopped.
A man stood there.
He was near an old woman…
and in his hand was a sharp knife.
Elise’s breath caught in her throat.
The darkness hid his face completely-she couldn’t recognize him, not even a hint of who he was.
Only his silhouette was clear, and the cold glint of the blade.
Her whole body froze.
Elise’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.
The man moved violently, stabbing the woman again and again.
His laughter echoed through the narrow alley, cold and unhinged.
Blood splattered across the ground, the walls, and even his face, painting the darkness in horror.
When it was over, he bent down and made a deep cut near her neck-the same signature detail from the Shelly murder case.
“A-!” Elise screamed.
She ran toward him without thinking, panic taking over her senses.
But the moment she got closer, the culprit stood up and ran.
Her footsteps echoed behind him as she chased him into the darkness…
but then, just like air, he vanished.
Gone.
Elise stopped, breathing heavily.
She turned back slowly.
The woman lay motionless.
“No… no, wake up…” Elise dropped to her knees, shaking her gently.
“Please… wake up!”
But there was no response.
Tears blurred her vision as she realized she was completely alone.
No one had seen it.
No one had heard her scream.
Her voice broke as she cried for help again and again, but the empty streets gave her nothing back.
With trembling hands, she tried to lift the woman.
Her body felt heavy, lifeless, impossible to carry-but somehow, she forced herself.
Step by painful step, she dragged her toward the main road.
A taxi finally stopped in front of her.
The driver rushed out, helping her immediately after seeing her condition.
Elise sat inside, shaking uncontrollably, still unable to process what had just happened.
At the hospital, everything felt distant and unreal.
Doctors rushed in, checked the woman…
then slowly stepped back.
And then the words came.
“Time of death… confirmed.”
________________________________
A name can feel unfamiliar…
yet still touch a forgotten corner of the heart.
Maybe some connections are written before we even meet.
@shayarasehar11