Chapter 15: The Unexpected Encounter

The city skyline glittered under the night sky as Aura perched on a rooftop, her sharp eyes trained on the penthouse where Logan resided. Her hood concealed her face, but her thoughts betrayed her stoic expression. She couldn't quite explain why she had returned, she came to check if he was safe, deep down, she know he was.

Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her dagger. As she observed his from afar, she couldn't help but wander why she cared at all. A part of her wanted to go back to her hideout and a part of her wanted to see him. To her , Logan Mason was just another target she had saved out of convenience. Or so she told herself.

Logan's arrogance had made him insufferable, her something about him lingered in her mind. She had saved countless lives before, but why did this one feel so different?

Aura shook her head, trying to focus on why she was here. Her plan was simple: confirm Logan's safety, ensure no loose ends remained, and vanish back to the shadows where she belonged.

Inside the penthouse, Logan stood by the window, Logan stood by the window, a glass of henessy in hand. The events of the past week replayed in his mind like a broken record. His body had recovered, but his thoughts remained restless.

The note Aura left had ignited a frustration he couldn't shake. "Don't forget I saved you." Those words mocked him every time he closed his eyes.

"Why did she save me?" he muttered to himself, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.

As the silence stretched, Logan's phone buzzed on the table. He grabbed it, expecting another flood of messages from Liam or nosy journalists, but the screen showed an unknown number.

The message read: Stop being curious, pretty boy."

Logan's brow furrowed. "What the hell?"

The sound of a faint thud pulled Logan from his thoughts. He turned sharply, scanning the room. It was subtle, almost audible, but Logan's instincts told him he wasn't alone.

"Aura, that's you, right?" He said almost quietly.

He stepped cautiously through the penthouse, his sharp gaze darting to every shadow.

Meanwhile, Aura slipped through the open balcony door, her movements as silent as the night. She didn't plan to reveal herself, but Logan's heightened awareness complicated her plans.

"Are you really that desperate to see me?" Logan's voice echoed from the darkness.

Aura frozen for a moment, then smirked. His arrogance remained as insufferable as ever.

"You are not as perceptive as you think," Aura replied, her voice calm and measured.

Logan turned, his eyes locking onto her shadowy figure. "Why are you here?"

"To ensure my work wasn't in vain,, she shot back. "You are alive and clearly still as annoying as ever."

Logan took a step closer, his expression unreadable. "Is that what you tell yourself? That this was just a routine check-in? Because it feels like something more. You fell for my charm? Hehe."

Aura rolled her eyes. "Quite dreaming. You really love to flatter yourself. I have dealt with far more important people than you."

"Then why are you here?" Logan pressed, his tone a mix of curiosity and frustration.

Aura didn't answer him immediately. Instead he tossed a small envelope onto the table.

"What's that? A lovely letter? That's cute.You really fancy me, don't you?" Logan asked, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Stop being so delusional, it's a warning," she said simply. "Stay out of trouble, Mason. You are not cut out for this kind of chaos."

Logan's frustration boiled over. "You think you can just waltz in here, throw cryptic notes at me, and disappear again? Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm Aura." She said with a smirk.

"Listen, there are some people in the underworld who are after you because of me. They think you are important to me because I saved and protected you. So they will surely come after you. That's why I'm telling you to try to stay safe." She said, with a very serious face.

Aura turned to leave, but Logan held her back.

"Let go," she said, her tone icy.

"Not until you give me a real answer," Logan demanded. "Why did you save me when you know I might later be a burden for you?"

Aura hesitated, her expression softening for the briefest moment. "Because someone had to. And if you become a burden, getting rid of you is the easiest thing to do"

"That's not an answer," Logan argued.

"It's the only one you are getting," Aura replied, pulling her wrist free.

"Double your bodyguards and the security around you." She said as she turned to leave.

Before Logan could respond, Aura stepped onto the balcony.

"You are insane if you think I will lett you leave like this," Logan called out.

Aura turned, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Good luck keeping up."

And with that, she leaped off the edge, disappearing into the night.

Logan rushed to the balcony, his heart pounding as he looked down. But Aura was gone, her departure as swift and silent as her arrival.

****

The next morning, Liam stormed into Logan's penthouse, his face pale and his hands clutching a stack of tabloids.

"Logan, we have a problem," he said, dropping the papers onto the table.

Logan glanced at the headlines:

"Logan Mason's Secret Visitor: Mystery Woman Spotted! Is It An Affair?!"

"Who Is This Mystery Woman?"

"What the hell is this? I can't even have my privacy?" Logan demanded.

"Someone caught her on camera," Liam explained. "Barely, but it's enough to fuel speculation."

Logan's jaw clenched. "No one can know about her. Take those articles down."

"You think I don't know that?" Liam snapped.

"But the press is already digging. You need to be careful."

As Liam ranted about damage control, Logan's phone buzzed again.

Another message from an unknown number: Hello, Aura's new baby. I'm coming for you. You are in a dangerous game."

Logan's eyes narrowed. He didn't know who sent the message, but one thing was clear, Aura wasn't the only threat lurking in the shadows.