Chapter 64

Shadows and Search Bars

Rhea didn't reply to Lex's message. Not yet.

Instead, she turned her attention to her laptop, a search bar glowing against the darkness of her room.

She typed:

Lex Kingsley. London. Consulting.

Nothing came up. Not on social media, not on business databases. No photos. No interviews. Not even a LinkedIn profile.

Strange.

She adjusted her search:

Kingsley Group.

There it was. A global consulting firm. Discreet. High-level clients. But Lex wasn't listed on the company's site. Not even in the "executive team" section.

Her eyes narrowed.

Who works for a company like that… and leaves no trace?

She opened a secure backdoor database—something she wasn't supposed to have access to, a leftover favor from someone in cybersecurity. She typed in his name again. Still nothing.

But when she entered the hotel's internal system and pulled up guest logs, something strange happened.

Lex's name was there.

But it had been changed—three times—in the past two weeks.

Different aliases. All tied to the same room number: 604.

Rhea leaned back, heart pounding.

Why would someone need that many names? Unless… they were hiding. Or watching someone.

She clicked on the camera feed from the hallway the night before. Her heart dropped.

There she was.

Walking toward his room.

Stumbling slightly. Her expression dazed, but determined.

Lex opened the door. Said something.

And then he pulled her inside.

Rhea stared at the frozen frame, her hands trembling.

She had gone to him. That much was clear.

But the look on his face as he closed the door—it wasn't surprise.

It was something else.

Like he'd been expecting her.

---

Elsewhere – Room 604

Lex stood at the window, phone in hand. Still no reply from Rhea.

He didn't blame her.

Last night had blurred a line—one he wasn't supposed to cross. But he hadn't planned it. Not really. Not like that.

And yet…

He knew she had been dreaming about him. Just as he had dreamed of her—long before they ever met.

Every time he closed his eyes, she was there.

Running through fire.

Calling his name.

Bleeding.

Lex hadn't told anyone—not even Siddharth, not even the Cartwright Group—about the dreams. About the strange pull he felt toward her.

Because this wasn't just a case anymore.

And Rhea wasn't just another name on a list.

She was part of it.

The missing piece.

The one they were all looking for—without even realizing it.

He locked his phone and muttered to the empty room, "You'll come to me eventually, Rhea. You have to."

Because if she didn't…

They'd both be hunted.

And the past neither of them remembered would destroy them first.