The Warm Algorithm

Chapter 46: Shadow Games

Nova's POV

Lucien wasn't answering her calls. Not a ring, not a single message read. She had tried everything, texts, voice notes, even waiting outside his condo. Nothing.

Until she saw it.

A photograph, a glimpse in the newsfeed, and her stomach sank. Another girl. Another target of his obsession. Nova's fingers tightened around her phone. The world had shifted. Lucien was busy. And now, someone else was in his focus.

She couldn't let it go. She needed to act.

The next day, she visited Rob during permitted hours. She remembered vividly the last time she had seen him, in the courtroom. Lucien had stood there, sharp and untouchable, while she was called as a witness. Rob had shouted at her from across the stand: "You drugged me!"

But she hadn't flinched. Calm, cold, she had countered: "You were already high. Aggressive. Unstable."

The fan's video had proved her right, showing Rob's aggression even before she got near him. If she wanted, she could have filed a case against him too. But she didn't. Loyalty bound her to Lucien, even when it burned.

---

That night, in the neon haze of the club, Calixta appeared. Sharp-eyed, curious, dangerous in her own way. Nova smirked, leaning in as the music throbbed. She whispered a warning, half-truth, half taunt, about Lucien. Enough to unsettle her, not enough to betray him.

The city was half-asleep when Nova stumbled out of the club, heels clicking unevenly against the pavement. Midnight air bit at her skin, cool and sharp, as she fumbled for her phone. Her head spun, laughter still lingering on her lips from a night that had long lost its warmth.

She squinted toward her condo building in the distance, its lights faint against the skyline. But her steps slowed.

There, parked just beyond the streetlight's reach, was a familiar car.

A tall figure leaned against it, half-shadowed, the faint glint of metal in his hand catching the light.

Lucien.

For a moment, Nova froze. The alcohol in her blood turned to ice. His face was calm, too calm, as he lifted the gun and aimed.

And then...

Crash!

Another car veered into his from the side, hard enough to send the weapon skidding across the pavement. Lucien hit the ground with a snarl, his gun clattering out of reach.

"Nova! Get in!"

It was Calix, hands shaking, eyes wide, leaning out from the driver's seat. Nova didn't think. She bolted, throwing herself into the passenger seat just as Calix slammed her foot on the accelerator.

The tires screamed against the asphalt. The city lights blurred into streaks of gold and blue as they sped off, hearts pounding in unison.

Nova laughed, half-hysterical, half-thrilled. "You really know how to make an entrance, Calixta."

But the laughter died in her throat when headlights flared behind them.

A sleek, black car. Lucien's.

Nova's breath hitched. "He's coming."

Calix's hands tightened on the wheel, knuckles pale. "Hold on."

The distance closed in seconds. The roar of Lucien's engine was a beast chasing them through the night.

Bang!

The sound tore through the air, sharp, deafening. The rear windshield exploded, glass splintering into cold rain. Nova screamed, ducking as shards grazed her shoulder.

Another shot.
The tire jerked but held.

"Lucien. what the hell is he doing?!" Calix cried, voice trembling.

Nova's heart pounded so hard it hurt. She didn't answer. She couldn't. She already knew the truth she'd tried to bury, the darkness behind his devotion, the thing she hadn't told Calix yet.

Lucien wasn't chasing them out of jealousy.
He was chasing them because they knew.

The streets twisted around them in a blur of neon and chaos. Each corner they turned, he followed, relentless, unstoppable.

And for a fleeting second, Nova understood, there was no outrunning a man who believed he was protecting love.

Not when that love had already turned into madness.