Adrian stood by the restaurant''s entrance, beaming as he extended his hand toward ire. The entire ce was empty-well, aside from the two of them. Adrian had booked the whole outdoor dining area just for their special night. His eyes sparkled as he asked,


    "Ready?"


    ire looked up at him, momentarily stunned by the gesture. "You did all this?" she asked, taking his hand and nodding as her smile widened.


    Adrian led her to the table by theke, the soft glow of fairy lights dancing on the water''s surface. ire felt her heart skip a beat. It was the stuff of romance novels-the kind she never expected to experience in real life. The breeze was gentle, the night sky clear, and the setting was beyond perfect.


    "Wow," she murmured, taking it all in. "No one''s ever done something like this for me."


    Adrian chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I came up with the idea, but I did need a little help setting it up," he admitted shyly, eyes flickering toward the lights as if to emphasize how much work went into this.


    ire grinned at him. "Adrian, this is amazing. It''s like something out of a book!" Her eyes wandered over the scene: the candlelit dinner table, the soft glow of fairy lights strung above them, the peacefulke shimmering in the distance. Everything was so... romantic. Adrian smiled and gestured to the table. "Please, have a seat, mdy," he said, pulling out her chair with an exaggerated flourish.


    ire let out a yful chuckle. "Why, thank you, kind sir," she teased, taking the seat with a grin. They bothughed at their own silliness, the tension of the world outside melting away as they settled into the moment.


    Meanwhile, far from the dreamykeside scene, in a hidden room lit only by the cold glow ofputer monitors, Eligos sat hunched over his desk, his fingers tapping away at the keys with growing frustration. His gaze flickered from one screen to the next, eyes narrowing as he muttered under his breath.


    "ire... you''ve been busy," he said to himself, smirking slightly.


    Eligos had been trying to hack into Metacortex and Cryptonic again, just like old times. But something was different. He couldn''t get through. ire upgraded the firewalls and the encryptions. And she had done it fast. Eligos couldn''t help but feel a grudging admiration. "Damn it! She changed the whole damn firewall in 24 hours," he muttered, impressed but annoyed. It wasn''t just Metacortex-Cryptonic, too. He cracked his neck and flexed his fingers. "Time to get to work."


    For hours, he toiled, trying every trick in his ybook to get into Cryptonic''s database, hoping to corrupt some of ire''s secret files, or maybe uncover something useful to exploit.


    Impressed but irritated, Eligos cracked his neck and stretched his fingers. "Alright, ire," he muttered, "you''re good. But I''m better." But each time, he hit a digital wall. Frustration built, his patience slipping away.


    "Come on," he growled under his breath, trying again, only to be blocked yet again. He mmed his fist on the desk, ring at the screen as if his anger alone could break through the defenses. But ire had fortified the system well. Too well. Shifting his focus, Eligos turned his sights on Metacortex, but the result was the same-failure. He cursed under his breath, his eyes narrowing into slits.


    "She''s locked me outpletely. How the hell did she do this?" he snarled, cracking his knuckles in frustration. "Well, if I can''t get in quietly... it''s time to put on a show." His fingers danced across the keyboard again, this time with a new determination.


    He leaned forward, his eyes burning with renewed determination. He wasn''t about to let ire have the upper hand. If he couldn''t break through the firewalls, he''d find another way. Maybe it was time to stop ying around and up the ante. He wasn''t just some hacker. He was Eligos, and no one was going to shut him out forever.


    Back at theke, ire and Adrian were deep in conversation, the wine flowing and the night growing cozier. ire felt more rxed than she had in ages. Adrian was telling a story about a potential business partner he was avoiding meeting, and his animated expressions made her giggle. He was charming, in a slightly awkward but endearing way.


    "So, you''re just not going to meet him?" ire asked, raising an eyebrow as she sipped her wine.


    Adrian shrugged, shing a crooked smile. "I mean, he''s not really the kind of guy I want to get involved with. It''d be bad for business, you know?"


    ire nodded but then tilted her head slightly, her expression turning more serious. "How''s your cheek?" she asked, remembering the punch Alexander had thrown not too long ago.


    Adrian reached up to touch his face as if testing it. Then, with a grin, he shrugged. "Better now. Barely even feel it anymore."


    Without thinking, ire''s hand


    reached up to gently touch his cheek. She hadn''t nned it, but seeing him smile like that made her want tofort him in some way. Adrian leaned into her touch, his eyes softening as he reached up to hold her hand.


    Then, with a sweet smile, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.


    ire blushed, pulling her hand back, her heart suddenly racing. She hadn''t expected that, but it felt... nice. Adrian noticed her flustered expression and chuckled softly. "You''re cute when you get all shy," he teased, his eyes twinkling with amusement.


    ire rolled her eyes yfully, trying to hide the fact that her heart was still doing backflips. "Okay, Romeo."


    Adrian let out a light chuckle and he stared into ire''s eyes. "I really enjoy tonight''s dinner."


    A soft smile etched on ire''s lips. "Me too. I really enjoy it. But unfortunately, I still have a lot of work to do back in the office. Maybe we should get going," she said, her voice light, though her cheeks were stiffa little pink.


    Adrian nodded, getting up from the table. "Yeah, let''s head out."


    They bothughed, and for a moment, the world seemed to fade away. Theke, the lights, the quiet-it all felt magical. Adrian had done something no one else had ever done for ire. And that made the evening all the more special. They started walking toward the car, the night still holding onto its quiet magic. Just as they reached the car, ire paused, patting her pockets.


    "Wait, I forgot my phone," she said, turning back to the restaurant. "I''ll be right back. Just wait here, okay?"


    Adrian smiled and leaned against the car. "Sure, I''ll be here."


    ire hurried back to the table, scanning the area until she spotted her phone lying near the candlelit setting. She grabbed it and turned to head back when- BOOM.


    The sound was deafening, shaking


    the ground beneath her feet. Her heart froze. For a split second, everything felt surreal, like the world had tilted sideways. She dropped her phone in shock, her mind racing as she processed what had just happened.


    Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as she ran toward the sound, toward Adrian and the car. Her mind screamed, but her body moved automatically. What had just happened?