Between Love and Lies

Elena couldn't focus.

Even as her colleagues bustled around the station, her mind remained on one thing—Liam Cross.

She had combed through records all night, searching for any connection between Adrian and this mysterious name.

Nothing. No birth certificate. No official records. Just whispers in underground reports.

But if this "Liam Cross" didn't officially exist, why was he listed under The Phantom's known associates?

Her hands trembled as she picked up her phone.

Elena: Adrian, do you have a brother?

She stared at the message, her thumb hovering over the screen.

Then, she deleted it.

She couldn't ask him. Not yet.

She needed proof first.

That Night – Following the Trail

Elena wasn't the kind of officer who let emotions cloud her judgment.

But this was different.

This was Adrian.

Yet, instead of going home, she found herself sitting in an unmarked police car across from a high-end club rumored to be a hub for The Phantom's dealings.

A black car pulled up.

The back door opened, and a man stepped out.

Elena's breath caught.

Adrian.

Or at least, someone who looked exactly like him.

She grabbed her binoculars, heart pounding.

It was him. Same build. Same scar. Same piercing gaze.

But something was different. The way he moved—calculated, commanding. He wasn't just walking in.

He owned the place.

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel.

Was she wrong about him all along?

Or was there another explanation?

She needed to get closer.

Inside the Club

Elena stepped into the dimly lit club, her pulse hammering. The scent of whiskey and expensive cologne filled the air as she weaved through the crowd.

Then, she saw him.

Adrian—or whoever he was—was speaking with a group of men in the VIP section.

She moved closer, careful to keep her face hidden.

"…Shipment is delayed," one of the men said.

Adrian—or the man who looked like him—leaned back in his chair, swirling a glass of whiskey.

"If it doesn't arrive in three days, you know what to do." His voice was colder than she'd ever heard before.

Elena's stomach twisted.

That wasn't Adrian.

It couldn't be.

Because if it was…

She was falling in love with a ghost.