Chapter 5 Chapitre 5

The furtive whisper, barely noticeable, escaped from the neighboring room, but Jade grabs it instantly, as if the words had been whispered just for it. The conversation was tinged with danger, conspiracies and threats. And in the shadow of the voices, only one certainty struck his mind: Liam was in danger.

She had never believed in signs, omens. Not before now. Before that moment when, without having looked for it, she found herself in front of a dilemma that would tip her life. She had always considered herself a spectator, trapped in this world of machinations and betrayals. But this moment ... this one changed the situation. She had heard enough to understand that a threat much greater than the rivalries of power threatened Liam, and by extension, all that she knew.

His feet split in silence through the dark corridor of the manor, as if the weather had suspended his breath. She should have been satisfied with her thoughts and turn away, ignore the threat that hovered over him, but something prevented her. Was it a question of loyalty? No, she was not loyal to Liam. Or even his own destiny. It was the truth that pushed her forward, a truth that she had refused to see so far. Because suddenly, the idea that Liam can fall, that someone dares to attack him, destabilized his world. He was not just a man of power, he was the one who held the key to his own sequence, the one who decided on his fate.

Jade stopped net, her hands hugging her dress as if it could give him strength. Prevent Liam, or let him be trapped? He had not hesitated to silence it, to lock it in his own universe. So why should she save him? Perhaps because basically, she knew that her own survival depended on the balance of this power. She did not have the freedom to choose to stay behind.

The words she had heard resonated in her head, unalterable and nagging. They talked about betrayal, trap, the imminent attack that was targeting Liam. An attack he would not see coming, they said. He was going to be trapped in his own traps, in his own mistakes. And she ... She knew what it meant for her.

If she stayed in the shadows, if she looked away, Liam would fall. He would succumb, just like those who had opposed him before. But if she warned him? If she broke the silence, risking her own position, her own security to reach out to her? The very idea made her tremble. Suddenly, loyalty was no longer a question of duty, but a question of strategy, of survival. Only one movement, one word could change everything.

His thoughts were jostling themselves, colliding with each other. She knew what could happen to her if she failed. His mind hung up on a thread of hope, fragile but persistent. If she saved him, what would happen next? He would not grant him any recognition, of course. He would only use it more, push her to sink deeper into his golden trap. But wasn't that what he expected from her? May she be his shadow, let him be what he wanted. That she complies with her game.

The smell of betrayal still floated around it, like an insidious mist, but it had no choice but to face it. For a moment, she felt like this prey, ready to get caught up in the canvas he woven around her, except that this time, she was much more than that. She was aware of the trap. Aware of the consequences. And she knew that if he fell, she would fall with him. This power takeover, however minimal, was the only option for it.

The noises from one conversation to the other end of the room brutally brought her back to reality. Time was counted. His decision was to be made. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. She had no room for hesitation, not this time. The choice to save or let it be done was not a simple question of honor. It was a question of calculation.

She walked by a step, the beats of her heart like a deaf drum. The look she met, approaching Liam's door was no longer the same. Fear and the desire to flee had disappeared, replaced by something sharper, more precise. She understood what to do.

When she entered the room, Liam looked at her without surprise. But behind his impenetrable mask, a glow of curiosity was felt. Jade approached him, his gaze destabilized by the intensity of the situation, but his voice remained firm.

- I heard ... things, she said, her throat tight. There is a danger, Liam. Someone betrays you.

He stared at her for a moment, then, in an imperceptible movement, her body stretched. His gaze, first indifferent, darkens in a fraction of a second.

- I know, he replied slowly. But I don't think it looks at you.

The tone of his voice was nothing threatening, but there was something dangerous in the indifference he displayed. Liam was not afraid. He was never frightened. But Jade ... She realized that she had taken an enormous risk by breaking her silence.

- Maybe. But if you fall, everything is over, whispered Jade, without being able to prevent a point of challenge in his voice. I will only be a fallen piece, a vestige of your power.

He stared at her for a moment, his piercing gaze seeming to read in the depths of his soul. Then, without saying a word, he turned away and headed for the window. His fingers cleared the curtains of an almost absent gesture, as if he thought about something bigger than the simple threat.

- It is too late to retreat, Jade, he said finally. And it's too late to blame you.

She froze. He did not threaten her. He pushed her back. But something in her gaze, an imperceptible approval of approval, made her understand that, in a way, she had won. Maybe not the battle, but at least this moment. And in this silent war, it was already one more step towards his freedom.

She turned her heels, decided not to go back.

The sudden crash of a broken window tore the silence, followed by a strident cry that made Jade skin shiver. She did not have time to react, no second to analyze what was going on, before shadows rushed into the room, dark and threatening silhouettes. Adrenaline broke out in her like a flash, her instincts screaming at her to flee. But it was already too late.

Liam did not even have to lift a finger before grabbing it suddenly, pulling it behind him with a fierce gesture. A cry of rage escaped from his throat, and in the flickering light, Jade saw the burning fury in his eyes. Liam's body was a weapon itself, each muscle stretched like an arc ready to launch an arrow. She didn't quite understand what was going on, but she knew something with an frozen certainty: she was in danger. More than ever.

- Stay behind me, ordered Liam in a low voice, threatening. No matter what you see, don't move.

She did not have time to protest, because at this precise moment, one of the attackers rushed towards them, brandishing a knife. But Liam did not intend to let it go. A radiance of light, a movement so rapid that the eye does not understand it entirely, and man collapsed on the ground, lifeless. The others, far from being intimidated, rushed over him again.

Jade felt an icy chill run along the spine. It was not the first time that she saw violence, but it was the first time that she was as close to it, that she lived it in such a brutal way. And still stranger, Liam seemed to have a disturbing pleasure. His gestures were fluid, implacable, as if this violence was part of him, an extension of his power. She did not know if it was fear, admiration or something much more dangerous that went up in her with each movement of Liam, but one thing was certain: she was swept away in a whirlwind that she did not understand.

He pushed another man with violence such that the assailant crushed against the wall, before setting off to meet the third silhouette. Jade felt the breath of the battle graze her, as if the very air became heavier under tension. But there was also another, more insidious weight. The weight of his own existence, of his helplessness in the face of this scene.

She had to flee. She had to leave. But Liam's gaze, when he turned to her after slaughtering his last enemy, froze her on the spot. His eyes were frozen, burning with anger and a threat that devoured everything in his path. But under this rage, a strange glow passed. A glow that she would not have been able to define, a brief spark of humanity in an otherwise relentless look. He was not just a killing machine, not just a predator.

- It was for you that they came, Jade, he said between his teeth, his tense voice like a wire ready to break.

The words, heavy with meaning, struck Jade with full whip. She understood. She was herself the target. Not just a spectator of this ruthless war. She was one of them. It was like a glass of glass that broke in his mind. She was attached to him. To his world. She had not chosen, but her destiny was now linked to hers, in an irrevocable way.

The short breath, she straightened up, her spirit plagued by contradictory thoughts. How could she be a target? How could she have been trained in this infernal spiral without even wanting it? But everything was confirmed when she saw, in the distance, the shadows which hid, observing the scene, waiting for everything to end. They had come for him, for them. And she ... she was part of this equation.

Liam turned suddenly to her, and there was an intention in her gaze that she had not previously perceived. He was not only angry with her for having involved her. He was furious against those who dared to attack his position, and even more, against those who were trying to put her in danger. But through this anger, a form of protection emerged. Protect her. He had no choice. He would protect her. It was there, in each fiber of his being, an implacable certainty.

- You are linked to me now, Jade, he whispered, almost for himself. They will not leave us in peace. And you can't escape.

He didn't need to say more. She knew. She knew everything he said was true. His eyes burned with an intensity that cut her breath. He would not let her get out unscathed. They were linked. By violence, by the choices they had made. There was a truth that was now in his mind. She was a target, both for his enemies and for him.

Liam left nothing to chance, not even her attention to her. She was both a burden and protection for him, part of his power and a point of vulnerability. He had written it in this cruel world, and he knew that this decision would both mark them forever.

He turned to the door with almost supernatural speed, a fluid and controlled movement, as if he had always known that a threat would hover over them. But at this precise moment, Jade felt vulnerable. All of this was just a facade, a game of power and survival. And she, despite everything she had done to resist, was now an integral part of this game.

She followed him without a word, the steps resonating in the void. The doors closed behind them, sealing their fate in a silence of consequences. She was linked to him, and this link was going to mark the end of an era, the end of what she thought was her freedom.