Silence fell over the room, heavier than the smoke. Elena let out a scream of pure rage as she watched the Lazarus Code turn to ash. The tactical team, seeing their objective destroyed, began to retreat as Xavier's security finally breached the room.
Elena looked at Aurora one last time, a look of pure hatred. "You have no idea what you've done. They will come for you now. Every shadow in this world will be looking for the woman who burned the key."
Before Xavier's men could grab her, Elena threw a flashbang and disappeared through the shattered window, diving into the darkness of the cliffs.
Xavier walked over to Aurora, his breathing heavy. He looked at the fireplace, then at her. He reached out, his hand shaking slightly as he touched her shoulder. "You destroyed it. Fifty million dollars... gone in seconds."
Aurora turned to him, her face tear-stained but her eyes shining with a new-found freedom. "It wasn't fifty million, Xavier. It was a curse. As long as that code existed, I would never be free. My father died for it, my mother became a monster for it, and you... you used me for it."
She stepped away from his touch. "The debt is gone, Xavier. The company you wanted to protect is safe from the code, but the Thorne legacy is dead. Are you going to kill me now?"
Xavier stared at her for a long time. The cold, calculating billionaire seemed to vanish, replaced by a man who looked utterly defeated yet strangely fascinated. He stepped closer, pinning her against the balcony railing, but this time his touch wasn't a threat.
"Kill you?" he whispered, his forehead resting against hers. "Aurora, I've spent my life surrounded by people who would kill for that code. You're the only person I've ever met who had the courage to burn it."
He leaned in, his lips brushing against hers in a kiss that tasted of smoke and fire. "The debt isn't gone. It's changed. You don't owe me money anymore. You owe me a life. Because from this moment on, you're the most dangerous woman in the world, and I'm the only one who can keep you alive."
Aurora felt her resolve crumbling. She should hate him, but in his arms, she felt a strange sense of belonging. The war for revenge was over, but the battle for survival had just become much more intimate.