A Kiss Before Collapse

Bangkok Skyline – 4:12 a.m.

The wind howled across the rooftop like a scream trapped between steel and concrete. The kiss still burned on Rayen’s lips, but it wasn't soft. It was searing. A warning. A test.

Aria pulled away, her dark eyes unreadable in the flickering light of the burning warehouse behind them.

"That doesn't mean I trust you," she said.

"I don't want your trust," Rayen replied, his voice low. "I want to stop them. The ones who took you down. The ones who used me."

She stared at him, calculating. "You were part of them."

"I was their weapon," he said. "Now I want to be yours."

---

Underground Bunker – 6:00 a.m.

The bunker was beneath an abandoned nightclub, secured with biometric locks and armed guards Aria had personally trained. Inside, monitors covered the walls, tracking conversations, traffic, phone calls—and faces.

Faces of those on her list.

"We're not just going to expose them," Aria said to her inner circle. "We're going to break them."

Alina handed her a black folder marked: Subject 7: Pravit Thanom. The police commissioner.

"He's laundering bribes through an orphanage fund," Alina said. "Photos, ledgers, witness. All verified."

Aria ran her finger over the photos. Children. Money. Lies.

She closed the folder.

"Burn it. Burn him."

---

Police HQ – 10:17 a.m.

Rayen returned to work with bloodshot eyes and a signed report blaming the warehouse fire on gang warfare. His captain didn’t question it. They never questioned anything anymore.

But Officer Lila did.

She cornered him by the elevator. "That warehouse wasn't random. You know it."

Rayen didn't answer.

"You're protecting someone," she pressed. "Or helping them. Which is it?"

He met her gaze. "The system is corrupt. I'm not going to let it keep winning."

Lila’s lips parted, shocked. Then, quietly: "You're with her, aren't you?"

Rayen stepped into the elevator.

"I'm with justice," he said. "Even if it wears a crown of vengeance."

---

Abandoned Church – Midnight

Aria knelt at the altar, lighting a candle for every name she was going to destroy.

Pravit. Teerachai. The judge. The attorney. The reporter.

Each flame danced like a soul about to be damned.

Behind her, Alina waited with a phone.

"It’s done. Tomorrow morning, every media outlet will get the files."

Aria whispered something.

Alina stepped closer. "What did you say?"

"I said let the world see how saints are born from blood," Aria whispered, then blew out the last candle.

---

Next Morning – Chaos

The city exploded.

News anchors stuttered.

"The commissioner is under investigation for embezzlement..."

"Anonymous leaks expose decades of corruption in the justice department..."

"Whistleblowers claim evidence was destroyed to imprison Aria Veylan..."

Phones rang off the hook. Protests surged.

And from the top of her skyscraper, Aria watched it all with a calm smile.

---

Meanwhile – Rayen's Apartment

Rayen stood at his window, unable to sleep. His badge felt heavy. His gun, heavier.

He had helped her start a war. Now he wondered if he had the strength to survive it.

Then his phone buzzed.

A single message:

"Come home. I’m not done with you."

It was from Aria.

And he knew this wasn’t love.

It was possession.

And he would let her own him.

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