They stormed my store to reclaim a 130-pound Cane Corso, but when his billionaire owner finally arrived, the dog ignored his command and sat on my foot—then suddenly froze at something behind him.

"Let her go, Silas," Roman demanded, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that echoed off the ruined bunker walls. "This is between you and me."

Silas chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. He stepped further into the room, his eyes flicking toward the massive server screen. The progress bar glowed stubbornly in the dark. 65%...

"Nothing is ever just between us, Roman," Silas said smoothly. "You took my empire. I take your future. Cancel the upload. Now."

The mercenary pressed the gun harder against my skull. I winced but forced myself to look directly at Roman. His eyes were tortured, torn between the mission that would save the world from The Onyx Ring and the woman he loved.

"Roman, do not do it!" I screamed, struggling against the mercenary’s iron grip. "If you stop it, he will kill us anyway!"

Silas sighed, shaking his head. "Elara, is it? You are brave. Foolish, but brave. Do you really know the man you are dying for?"

Silas pulled a small, sleek tablet from his coat pocket and tossed it onto the floor near Roman’s feet. A video began to play automatically. It was grainy security footage, showing Roman in a dark warehouse. He was younger, his face hardened by cruelty, mercilessly executing three men who were begging for their lives.

"He is a killer, Elara," Silas purred. "A monster I created. I gave him his wealth, his power, his ruthlessness. He does not know how to love. He only knows how to destroy."

I stared at the screen, a lump forming in my throat. I knew Roman had a dark past. He had never hidden that he was a dangerous man. But seeing it—the cold, calculating way he ended lives in that video—sent a shiver down my spine.

Roman looked at me, a profound sadness masking his fierce exterior. "I was a different man, Elara. Before I met you."

"A tiger does not change its stripes," Silas sneered. He raised a hand, signaling his men. "Kill the dog first. Make him watch."

Three mercenaries aimed their rifles at Titan.

My heart stopped. The progress bar hit 78%. We were so close, yet entirely out of time.

I remembered the pocketknife Roman had given me back when we were running from Elias in the woods. I had kept it hidden inside the sleeve of my tactical jacket ever since.

I did not think. I just acted.

With a sudden, violent twist, I dropped my weight, causing the mercenary holding me to stumble forward slightly. In a flash, I flicked the blade open and drove it hard into his thigh.

The man screamed, dropping his gun and clutching his leg.