Chapter 243: Chapter 243 Fear & Flight

“What is it?” Liam asked, his voice calm but firm, his eyes focused entirely on her.

Kelly hesitated. Her lips parted slightly as if unsure where to begin, then slowly, she leaned in closer. Her perfume floated between them—light, sweet, almost like jasmine—and her expression darkened.

“I’m in more trouble than you think,” she said quietly.

Liam’s brow furrowed. “What kind of trouble?”

She looked around, as if checking for anyone close enough to overhear, then her voice dropped even lower. “ZK… started developing interest in me after I signed under his label.”

Liam felt a cold shift run down his spine. Her tone wasn’t suggestive—it was hollow. Tired.

She kept going, eyes avoiding his. “Lately, he’s been threatening me. Saying what he’ll do if I ever give my body to another man.”

Liam sat back, stunned. The air between them felt heavier now.

He blinked slowly, trying to absorb it. “Wait… so you’ve never been with any man… apart from ZK?”

Kelly shook her head instantly. “No. I’ve never been with anyone.” She paused. “Not even ZK.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed. “He threatens you about it, but he hasn’t even touched you?”

“He’s too busy,” she muttered. “Always on tour, always recording, always building his little empire. He barely gives me the time of day.”

“Then why stay?” Liam asked, though he already knew part of the answer.

“I’m afraid what he’ll do to people close to me”. She looked straight at him now, her eyes finally meeting his. They were beautiful, but tonight they held a bitterness that cut deeper than anything else she’d said. “And I’d rather die than let him touch me.”

Liam blinked again. A part of him wanted to laugh—not out of amusement, but because the rawness in her voice came so suddenly, so fierce, it shook him.

“You hate him that much?” he asked, almost surprised by her intensity.

If they’d been outside, in an alley or on a street, she would have spat right there.

“He disgusts me.”

Liam’s face shifted slightly. Disgust was a strong word—and she meant every syllable. In that moment, everything clicked.

She wasn’t scared of ZK. She wasn’t even weak. She was someone who had been cornered, boxed in, manipulated by her own blood. A rising star used like a bargaining chip. A young woman pushed into a cage by the very people who were supposed to protect her.

Her own damn father.

Liam let out a sigh and looked around. The booth, the glowing lights, the lingering eyes that still tracked him. All of it suddenly felt suffocating.

“Wanna get out of here?” he asked.

Kelly blinked at him. “What?”

“Here,” he said, motioning to the booth, the club, the heat of ZK’s eyes even in his absence. “This place. Let’s go.”

She looked confused, nervous even. “There’s no exit that ZK’s men aren’t watching.”

“What about the rooftop?” Liam asked.

She tilted her head slightly. “There’s nothing on the rooftop…. it’s pointless.”

“Are his men stationed there?”

She shook her head. “No. Why would they be? It’s just an empty space.”

A small grin began forming on Liam’s lips. “Then trust me.”

Kelly stared at him a second longer. “What do you want me to do?”

Liam straightened up slightly, resting his hands on the edge of the table. “After five minutes, go to the toilet. Don’t rush. Just walk normally.”

Her eyebrows knit. “Then what?”

He smiled again—this time more playfully—and rose from the booth. “I’ll see you soon.”

She watched as Liam waved casually, as if saying goodbye, like he was heading off for a smoke break or to chat with someone across the room. Smooth. Easy. Like nothing was wrong.

But under that calm exterior, his mind was already racing.

He stepped out of the VIP section, past the velvet ropes, and into the main floor of the club. The beat of the music hit harder out here, but it all faded to white noise in his ears.

He glanced around once more—security posted at the exits, one by the bar, two by the staircase leading to the lower lounge. But no one guarding the corridor to the rooftop. Just a plain emergency door with a rusted “EXIT” sign above it.

Perfect.

He stopped by the hallway wall and leaned against it as if checking his phone.

Then, under his breath:

“Show me a 3D blueprint of this building… and how to get to the VIP toilet without being seen.”

DING!

A soft, familiar chime echoed in his ear. The system’s interface flared to life in his vision, translucent blue wireframes unfolding in real time before his eyes.

The party lights blurred away as his focus locked on the glowing virtual map now spinning in front of him.

—

Kelly sat there in the VIP booth, phone in hand, pretending like nothing was going on. Her heart was thumping faster than the bass from the speakers, but she kept her expression neutral. Cool. Composed. Her screen was just a blur to her now as she scrolled through old messages, checking notifications that didn’t matter.

Five minutes had never felt so long.

Each second dragged like an hour. And yet, she didn’t flinch. She didn’t twitch. She just sat, legs crossed, posture steady, breathing even.

Finally, her phone’s screen lit up with the time she’d been waiting for.

She stood up slowly. Not too fast. Not too slow. Just like someone heading to the toilet. The way she’d done a hundred times before in this very club.

As soon as she moved, ZK’s men across the booths snapped to attention. Their eyes locked on her, their bodies tensed—but when they saw she was headed toward the bathroom, they relaxed. Some even looked away, bored again.

They let her go without a word.

She walked down the narrow hallway and then pushed the bathroom door open.

The second she stepped in, her eyes darted around.

Empty.

She was alone.

Her heart skipped. Her brows furrowed. “Where is he?” she muttered under her breath.

She rubbed her temple gently, the tension starting to rise. Did something happen? Did he ditch the plan?

Then—

A small, low whistle pierced the quiet. Barely audible, but enough.

She turned instantly, her eyes scanning the corners of the restroom—and then she saw him.

Liam.

Leaning against the far wall, arms folded casually, his gaze cool and steady.

“Ready to go?” he said, like this was just a walk in the park.

Kelly blinked. “Go where?”

He pushed himself off the wall and smiled. “To the top.”

She gave him a look. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“I already told you, there’s nothing up there,” she said. “Just—”

But her words trailed off.

Before she could even make sense of it, her body was already moving. Her feet carried her after him, as if his presence alone rewired her instincts. Something about the way he walked—confident, certain, like he knew the outcome already—pulled her along.

Liam didn’t go back toward the VIP section. Instead, he took a sharp turn toward the far end of the hallway, where a plain gray door stood shut. Kelly had seen that door so many times before. She always assumed it was a staff closet or maybe just storage.

But Liam walked up to it like he owned it.

Without hesitation, he placed his hand on the handle. It didn’t creak. It didn’t resist. It just opened.

Behind it: stairs.

“What the hell…” she whispered. “I’ve been here more times than I can count… and I didn’t even know this was here.”

Liam glanced back at her with a small grin. “Most people don’t bother to check the locked parts of a cage.”

Then he turned and began climbing.

Kelly followed, boots clicking softly against the concrete steps, her mind racing to catch up. Her curiosity and confusion outweighed the fear now.

They reached the top a minute later. He pushed open another heavy door—and there it was.

The rooftop.

Cold night air slapped against their faces. The muffled hum of music below vanished into the distance. The stars above blinked faintly in the smoggy city sky.

She stepped out beside him.

And then she saw it.

The edge.

Liam walked toward it without hesitation, his hands in his pockets like they weren’t ten stories up on a steel-and-concrete platform.

She followed slowly, stopping just a few feet from him. She looked down over the ledge—and her stomach dropped.

“Oh my god…” she whispered. “Liam, what the hell are you trying to do?”

The fall was brutal. It wasn’t just a height—it was a death sentence. Her legs trembled. Her chest tightened. The wind brushed through her dark hair, cold and sharp.

But Liam turned to her, completely unfazed, and stretched his hand out.

“Let’s jump.”

She stepped back immediately. “You’re crazy! This isn’t a game—”

She didn’t finish.

Because in a blur, Liam’s arm wrapped around her waist, strong and unyielding. The other hand moved to her upper thigh, grazing the bare skin just above her boot where her dress had shifted slightly. His grip was precise. Deliberate.

Her breath caught in her throat. “Liam—wait—”

Too late.

He jumped.

They plunged together into the night.

Kelly screamed. Loud. Raw. A terrified sound that ripped through the air as gravity yanked them down.

Her arms flailed for a second before instinct made her latch onto him—her face buried in his chest, eyes squeezed shut. Wind screamed past her ears. The sensation of freefall stole her breath and sent her stomach into a panic.

And then—

THUD.

Silence.

The air stopped moving.

The world went still.

Her eyes cracked open slowly.

She was… safe?

Liam stood tall, solid, as if he had just stepped off a sidewalk. Not a scratch. Not a bruise.

His feet were planted firmly on the ground, and she was cradled in his arms like a princess.

Her face still hidden behind her hands.

Her breathing uneven.

He looked down at her and smiled, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

“Welcome back.”

She peeked out between her fingers, her whole body still tense, and saw the club building towering above them now. They had actually fallen all that distance… and survived.

He’d landed clean.

She was still alive.

The panic began to fade from her face, replaced by stunned disbelief.

And Liam?

Liam looked like he could do it all again.

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