Finding Light In Darkness
img img Finding Light In Darkness img Chapter 3 Whispered Warnings
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Chapter 6 Return to the Fire img
Chapter 7 Fire Beneath the Ashes img
Chapter 8 The Quiet Between Storms img
Chapter 9 Beneath the Surface img
Chapter 10 The Edge of Truth img
Chapter 11 The Enemy Among Us img
Chapter 12 The Devil You Know img
Chapter 13 A Future Rewritten img
Chapter 14 Underneath the Stars img
Chapter 15 The Quiet Beginning img
Chapter 16 Breath Between Waves img
Chapter 17 The Weight of Coming Home img
Chapter 18 Echoes in the Silence img
Chapter 19 Secret Beneath the Silence img
Chapter 20 Lucien's Gambit img
Chapter 21 The Failsafe Awakens img
Chapter 22 The Desert Reckoning img
Chapter 23 Tangled Minds and Tangled Hearts img
Chapter 24 The Ties That Bind img
Chapter 25 Echoes of Power img
Chapter 26 Fractures of Trust img
Chapter 27 The Shadow Returns img
Chapter 28 Shadows Beneath Shadows img
Chapter 29 The Gathering Storm img
Chapter 30 The Game of Shadows img
Chapter 31 Into the Abyss img
Chapter 32 The Final Threshold img
Chapter 33 The Dominion's Core img
Chapter 34 Shadows That Remain img
Chapter 35 Desert Phantoms img
Chapter 36 The Echoes of Betrayal img
Chapter 37 Blood Ties and Broken Light img
Chapter 38 Ashes and Awakening img
Chapter 39 The Calm Before img
Chapter 40 Into the Deep img
Chapter 41 The Heart of Shadows img
Chapter 42 The Light Remains img
Chapter 43 Echoes of Light img
Chapter 44 Into the Lion's Den img
Chapter 45 Convergence of Shadows img
Chapter 46 Whispers Beneath the Surface img
Chapter 47 Shadows of the Past img
Chapter 48 Moonlit Surrender img
Chapter 49 When Trust Breaks img
Chapter 50 In the Wake of Silence img
Chapter 51 Shattered Illusions img
Chapter 52 Bound by Flame img
Chapter 53 The Breaking Point img
Chapter 54 Shadows of Truth img
Chapter 55 The Fire Between Us img
Chapter 56 The Edge of Fire img
Chapter 57 Tides of Longing img
Chapter 58 Crossing the Line img
Chapter 59 The Web Unravels img
Chapter 60 When the Silence Breaks img
Chapter 61 The Silence Before the Storm img
Chapter 62 Shattered Vows img
Chapter 63 Through the Fire img
Chapter 64 Truth is a Blade img
Chapter 65 Fractured Lines img
Chapter 66 Glimmer in the Dark img
Chapter 67 Midnight Shadows img
Chapter 68 Whispers Before the Fall img
Chapter 69 Beneath the Crimson Moonlight img
Chapter 70 In the Stillness of Us img
Chapter 71 Whispers Beneath the Surface img
Chapter 72 Shadows Don't Sleep img
Chapter 73 Fractured Promises img
Chapter 74 Cracks Beneath the Surface img
Chapter 75 Shadows in Pursuit img
Chapter 76 The Weight of Unspoken Truths img
Chapter 77 Bound by Fire and Fate img
Chapter 78 Echoes in the Ashes img
Chapter 79 Beneath the Same Sky img
Chapter 80 Storm Beneath the Calm img
Chapter 81 Tangled Hearts and Unspoken Truths img
Chapter 82 The Silence Before the Storm img
Chapter 83 Echoes of the Past img
Chapter 84 Tides of Temptation img
Chapter 85 Whispers in the Dark img
Chapter 86 Shadows and Fire img
Chapter 87 The File That Vanished img
Chapter 88 Into the Shadows img
Chapter 89 Beneath the Ashes img
Chapter 90 Reckoning in the Shadows img
Chapter 91 Ghosts in the Flame img
Chapter 92 Through Fire and Ashes img
Chapter 93 Crossroads of the Heart img
Chapter 94 Surrender img
Chapter 95 Through His Eyes img
Chapter 96 Shadows Closing In img
Chapter 97 Nowhere is Safe img
Chapter 98 The Language of Touch img
Chapter 99 Shattered Certainty img
Chapter 100 The Pier img
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Chapter 3 Whispered Warnings

Ivy stared at her phone screen, the anonymous messages burning into her thoughts like acid.

> "You're in deep, Ivy. Walk away while you can."

"You don't know who you're protecting."

Her fingers hovered above the screen, debating whether to delete the texts or reply. But there was no sender. No ID. Just silence following the threat.

Behind her, Gabriel approached, casual, calm-holding two steaming mugs of coffee like nothing had happened.

"I thought you might need this," he said, handing one over.

She took it with a polite smile, masking the unease twisting in her stomach.

"Thanks."

He leaned on the balcony rail beside her, eyes tracing the curve of the sea. "You've been quiet this morning."

"Didn't sleep much."

"Same."

He turned to face her, studying her for a moment.

"There's something else, isn't there?"

Ivy forced herself to meet his gaze. "Just nerves. Public appearances still make me tense."

It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the truth, either.

Gabriel didn't press. "Today's light. Two strategy meetings and a lunch with the Roth firm's investors. I'd rather not go to that last one, but"

"Wait," Ivy cut in. "Did you say Roth?"

Gabriel's brow furrowed. "Yes. Julian Roth's hedge group has a stake in one of the subsidiaries KnightTech acquired last year. Why?"

Her throat dried.

Julian Roth. The same man who orchestrated the PR scandal that destroyed her. The same man who leaked false documents and let her take the fall.

Her blood ran cold.

"I just... didn't expect him to be involved," she said quietly.

Gabriel noticed the shift in her tone. "You know him personally?"

"You could say that."

"Ivy"

She stood. "I need a moment. I'll meet you downstairs."

In the privacy of the marble-tiled bathroom, Ivy gripped the sink, staring into the mirror as the walls pressed in.

Julian Roth was here.

And someone was texting her warnings about Gabriel. But what if this had nothing to do with Gabriel... and everything to do with Julian?

Was he trying to rattle her? Or worse-was he planning something?

She couldn't think straight.

After splashing her face with cold water, Ivy took a deep breath and checked her phone again. No new messages. Just silence.

Later that morning, Gabriel's private car took them to the business summit at a luxury villa nestled into the cliffs. Ivy wore a tailored white pantsuit and minimalist heels-polished, powerful, untouchable. She had to be.

Inside the villa, champagne was flowing. Investors and executives mingled across multiple rooms, surrounded by modern art and soft Italian jazz.

Gabriel walked beside her like a fortress-tall, composed, unreadable.

As they moved through the crowd, Ivy's eyes scanned for Julian.

She spotted him near the back veranda, wearing his usual smug smirk, surrounded by three men in navy suits. He hadn't changed-still arrogantly handsome, still overconfident. But when he saw her, his smirk froze.

He blinked.

Then smiled like a snake.

"Well, well," he drawled, approaching. "If it isn't Ivy Carson. I thought you'd vanished after your spectacular little meltdown."

Gabriel stiffened, immediately stepping in front of Ivy.

Julian's eyes flicked to him. "Gabriel Knight. You've got quite the guest list this year."

"Watch your tone," Gabriel said quietly.

Julian grinned. "I'm just surprised to see Ms. Carson here. Last I heard, she was off the radar. Or was she hiding from-what was it? Leaked documents? Corporate theft?"

Ivy didn't flinch. "Funny how the man who leaked them has the nerve to bring them up."

Julian's smile faltered for a beat before he turned back toward the balcony. "You always were dramatic. Enjoy the party."

As he walked away, Gabriel turned to her. "What the hell was that?"

"You didn't know?" she asked, jaw tight. "Julian was the reason I lost my career."

"No. But I do now."

"Why didn't you tell me he was involved?"

Gabriel frowned. "Because I didn't think it mattered. I bought out one of his struggling holdings. That was the extent of our business. He's nothing to me."

Ivy wasn't sure whether to believe him. Her phone buzzed again.

> "Tread carefully. They're watching you both."

Her skin went cold.

She showed Gabriel the message.

He read it twice, eyes darkening. "Where did these come from?"

"No idea. No number. They started this morning."

"We'll trace it. I have someone on my cyber team who can backtrack pings-even from encrypted networks."

Ivy hesitated. "Gabriel... I don't know what this is, but something feels wrong."

He looked at her, and for the first time, she saw it-genuine fear. Not for himself.

For her.

That night, security was doubled.

Gabriel made a call in rapid Italian to a man named Luca, who arrived an hour later and swept the suite for bugs. Nothing.

Still, Ivy couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them. Every shadow felt closer. Every phone buzz made her flinch.

Gabriel stood by the window after midnight, his silhouette framed in starlight.

"I should've told you about Roth," he said. "I didn't realize how deep it went."

Ivy walked up beside him. "You didn't owe me that. This was supposed to be temporary, remember?"

His eyes didn't leave the sea. "It stopped being temporary the moment I kissed you."

She blinked. Her heart kicked in her chest.

"You scare me, Ivy," he said softly. "Not because you're dangerous. Because you make me want things I told myself I'd buried."

Ivy swallowed. "Like what?"

"Trust. Peace. Redemption."

A beat passed.

"Love?"

He turned to her fully, eyes vulnerable in a way she hadn't seen before. "Eventually... maybe even that."

Ivy leaned in without thinking. This time, the kiss was slower, deeper-not urgent like the first, but tethered in something real.

But just as their lips parted, her phone vibrated again.

Another message.

> "Stop digging, or she bleeds."

Ivy froze. "Gabriel"

He read the text over her shoulder. Then he reached for his phone. "I'm calling Luca. You're being targeted. This isn't random."

She grabbed his wrist. "Wait. If they're watching... they could be listening. Watching the room."

His jaw clenched. He pocketed the phone.

"We leave first thing in the morning."

They left Capri in silence.

Gabriel chartered a flight back to Marlowe Bay-no press, no digital trails. Ivy stared out the plane window, haunted by the message.

Who was "she"?

Was the warning about Ivy herself? Or someone else?

And why the sudden threats?

Back in Marlowe, the wind howled against the cliffs as they stepped into Gabriel's estate. His security team met them at the door, already briefed.

Inside, Ivy dropped her bag on the floor and turned to him. "Tell me the truth. All of it."

Gabriel didn't hesitate.

"There was a file. A confidential one. Someone accessed it last week. It held information about a hidden acquisition-one Roth tried to sabotage months ago."

Ivy's eyes narrowed. "And you think Roth is trying to finish the job?"

"I think he's working with someone inside KnightTech. And that they're trying to scare you off before you get close to uncovering them."

Her pulse pounded. "And the threats?"

"I don't know who 'she' is. But I intend to find out."

Ivy stepped closer. "You think I'm the target?"

"I think... whoever sent those messages knows you matter to me."

The silence stretched.

Then, the house lights flickered.

And everything went dark.

An alarm began blaring from the east wing.

Gabriel turned toward the door. "Stay here."

"Gabriel-"

But he was already gone.

Ivy grabbed her phone, fingers trembling. The screen lit up with one message:

> "Too late."

            
            

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