The elevator doors slid open by themselves.
No one touched the panel.
No command was given.
It simply obeyed a will that wasn't in the room.
Marcel's eyes narrowed. "No one boards that elevator."
I was already moving.
Because somewhere inside that steel box, I could feel it.
Lucien.
The doors began to close.
"ELENA!" Marcel grabbed my wrist, spinning me back toward him. "That's exactly what he wants."
"And Marcus is exactly where it's going," I said, my voice shaking but steady. "You said he's testing me. Then let him see the answer."
Marcel stared at me like he was trying to memorize my face.
"You don't understand what you're choosing," he said quietly.
"I understand I'm done letting men decide my fate."
The elevator doors started to seal.
Marcel cursed under his breath and stepped in with me, pulling two guards inside before the doors closed completely.
The descent began.
Down.
Deeper than the command level.
Deeper than the armory.
Deeper than any floor I'd ever seen on the mansion's schematics.
The numbers vanished from the panel.
The elevator no longer showed a destination.
Only darkness behind glass.
My stomach tightened. "Where is this taking us?"
Marcel's voice was low. "To the old level."
"Old level?"
"The first underground foundation," he said. "Built before I owned this place. Before I rebuilt everything."
"Lucien built it," I whispered.
"Yes."
The elevator slowed.
Then stopped.
The doors opened into a corridor that felt wrong.
Not cold like steel.
Not warm like stone.
But… alive.
The walls were dark, polished, almost reflective. Dim lights pulsed faintly along the ceiling like a slow heartbeat. Cameras followed us silently as we stepped out.
The doors closed behind us.
Locking.
Marcel immediately raised his weapon. "He's here."
A voice echoed softly through the corridor.
"I've always loved how dramatic you make everything, Marcel."
Lucien stepped out from the shadows.
No mask.
No hiding.
Just him.
Julian Hale.
Lucien Valen.
The man who had once handed me a glass of water and told me I was too curious for my own safety.
My heart pounded painfully in my chest.
"You're standing in my house," Marcel said coldly.
Lucien smiled. "No. You're standing in my memory."
His eyes met mine.
"Elena."
I hated how gentle he said my name.
Marcus appeared behind him, held by two men. He was alive. Bruised. Terrified.
"Marcus," I whispered.
He looked at me, relief flooding his face. "Elena—don't—don't trust him—"
Lucien lifted a hand.
Silence fell instantly.
"See?" Lucien said softly. "Still so loyal. Even when he's broken."
Marcel moved forward.
Lucien didn't flinch.
"Let him go," Marcel said.
Lucien laughed quietly. "You still think this is about him."
He stepped closer to me.
One step.
Then another.
I didn't move.
"You remember our conversation years ago?" he asked gently. "You told me you hated cages."
I swallowed. "You said some cages were necessary."
"And you said," he continued, "that anything built to protect can also be built to trap."
I felt sick.
"You remembered," he whispered.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "Why all of this? The games. The fear. The manipulation."
Lucien's smile faded.
"Because Marcel took my future," he said calmly. "And I decided to take his."
Marcel's voice was ice. "You lost your empire because you were careless."
Lucien's eyes darkened. "I lost it because I trusted the wrong man."
Silence burned between them.
Then Lucien looked back at me.
"But you," he said softly, "are not part of that revenge. You are the correction."
I shook my head. "I don't want to be part of either of you."
Lucien studied me. "You already are."
He snapped his fingers.
The lights shifted.
Screens activated along the walls.
Images appeared.
My life.
My school.
My friendships.
My family.
My weakest moments.
Times I thought I was alone.
"You watched me," I whispered.
"I protected you," he corrected.
"You controlled me."
"I prepared you."
Marcel moved between us. "You're insane."
Lucien smiled faintly. "No. I'm precise."
He turned back to me.
"Elena, Marcel built his empire on power. I built mine on people. On understanding them. On knowing when they break… and when they rise."
He gestured to Marcus.
"I took him so you would come."
He gestured to Marcel.
"I challenged him so he would follow."
He gestured to me.
"And now you're standing exactly where you were always meant to stand."
My chest felt tight. "Where?"
"Between us."
Marcel's voice dropped dangerously low. "You will never have her."
Lucien didn't argue.
He simply said, "Then let her choose."
My breath caught.
"Choose what?" I whispered.
Lucien stepped back, giving me space.
"Which man you trust with your brother's life."
My heart slammed violently.
Marcel turned to me. "Elena, look at me."
Lucien spoke softly. "He will use Marcus as leverage forever. I will set him free."
Marcel snapped, "He will use Marcus to control you. I will protect him."
Lucien smiled faintly. "Protection is just ownership with better branding."
Marcel's jaw clenched. "And your freedom is just abandonment with prettier words."
They stared at each other.
Then at me.
I looked at Marcus.
Then at Marcel.
Then at Lucien.
And in that moment, I realized the truth.
Neither of them was offering me freedom.
They were offering me versions of control.
My voice shook—but it didn't break.
"I choose myself."
Both men froze.
Lucien blinked slowly.
Marcel stiffened.
"I don't trust either of you with his life," I continued. "So I will decide."
I stepped forward.
Straight toward Lucien.
Marcel grabbed my arm. "Elena—"
I pulled free.
Lucien watched me approach, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"You said I was exceptional," I whispered to him. "Prove it."
I stopped inches from him.
"You want to test me?" I said. "Then let Marcus walk out of here. Right now."
Lucien's gaze searched my face.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you admit this was never about power," I said quietly. "It was about losing me before you ever had me."
Lucien's jaw tightened.
For the first time…
He hesitated.
He turned his head slightly.
"Release him," he said softly.
The guards loosened their grip.
Marcus stumbled forward.
I ran to him, holding him tightly.
He was shaking.
Alive.
Lucien exhaled slowly.
"Well played, Elena."
Marcel stared at me in disbelief.
Lucien looked at Marcel.
"You see?" he said calmly. "She's not yours. And she was never mine."
He turned back to me.
"But this is not over," he said softly. "Because now… you've truly entered the game."
The floor beneath us vibrated.
A low mechanical sound echoed through the corridor.
Marcel cursed. "He's activating the separation protocol."
Walls began to shift.
Doors slid closed.
Corridors rearranged.
Lucien stepped backward into the shadows.
"Next time," he said, eyes locked on mine, "you won't be choosing between men."
"You'll be choosing between worlds."
Then he was gone.
The corridor sealed.
Silence returned.
Marcus clutched my arm. "Elena… what just happened?"
I stared into the darkness Lucien had vanished into.
"I think," I whispered, "the cage just opened."
And for the first time…
I wasn't sure which side I wanted to escape from.