The Heart System

Chapter 394: Chapter 394

I ended the call and set my phone down slowly. My eyes drifted toward Nala’s office across the floor. Through the glass, I could see her inside, seated behind her desk with a stack of files spread out in front of her. Jasmine and Kim were there too, the two of them having decided to come in today instead of staying cooped up at home. Cabin fever, I guessed. That, and Project Phoenix had pulled all of us in tighter than usual.

I pushed myself up from my chair and walked over, clearing my throat before opening the door.

Nala looked up from the papers immediately. Her expression softened when she saw me, and she smiled.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," I replied. "I, uh, I talked to Kayla just now. She was apparently at the penthouse. She knocked, but no one answered."

"Oh." Nala muttered, eyes still on me as I closed the door behind myself. "Minne wasn’t home?"

"She wasn’t," I said. "And she’s not answering my calls either. Do you know where she might’ve gone?"

Nala frowned and leaned back in her chair, thinking. "I have her mother’s phone number." She paused, then grimaced. "No. Crap. I changed my phone not long ago and forgot to save it again."

"You’ve got Emma’s number, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Alright. Call her and ask for Ms. Drag’s number."

"On it," she said, already reaching for her phone.

"I’m heading home," I added. "Ask Ms. Drag if she’s heard from Minne. If you find anything, let me know, okay?"

"Yeah," Nala said, and I caught the nervous edge creeping into her voice. "God, I hope she’s alright."

"She probably is," I said, exhaling slowly. "But I don’t want to take chances. I’ll go check the penthouse myself."

"Okay. Let me know if you find something."

"Mm. See you."

"Yeah... god, where is she..."

I left the office and headed straight for the elevator, my steps quicker than usual. I pressed the button and waited, arms crossed, foot tapping lightly against the floor. The doors slid open and Marcus Hale stepped out, immaculate as ever, suit crisp, expression unreadable.

He nodded at me.

I nodded back.

I stepped inside and pressed the button for the lobby. Just as the doors were about to close, Marcus placed a hand between them, stopping the elevator with practiced ease. He leaned in just enough for his voice to carry only to me.

"Good job finding the rat, Marlowe."

I blinked once, then gave a thin smile. "Thanks."

He nodded again, satisfied, and let the doors close.

The elevator descended smoothly. I checked my phone again, thumb hovering over Minne’s contact before pressing call one more time. It rang. No answer. I swore quietly under my breath and shoved the phone back into my pocket as the elevator chimed.

I walked through the hallway, passed the security checkpoint, and gave the guard a curt nod as I went by. He returned it without comment. Outside, the air felt colder than I expected. I descended the steps, crossed the parking lot, unlocked my car, and slid into the driver’s seat. I looked down to buckle my seatbelt, then lifted my head.

I froze.

I wasn’t outside anymore.

The car was parked in the penthouse garage, tucked neatly into a corner spot that I recognized instantly. The lighting was wrong for the time of day, too dim, too still, and the air felt heavy in a way I couldn’t quite place.

"What the hell..." I muttered.

My heart started beating faster as the confusion settled in. I hadn’t driven. I hadn’t even started the engine. I reluctantly unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the car, my movements slow and careful, like I was afraid the world might break if I moved too fast.

I walked toward the elevator and stepped inside. The doors slid shut, and before I could even reach for the panel, the elevator dinged and opened again. I was already at the top floor, standing right in front of the penthouse elevator doors. That made no sense. I should’ve been at the lobby first, then taken the private lift up.

I stared at the doors, my pulse pounding in my ears.

"What in the fuck is happening?" I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "What the hell..."

I walked to my door with slow, careful steps, my hand tightening around the keycard like it might ground me somehow. I swiped it once. The lock clicked. That familiar sound should have been comforting. It wasn’t.

I pushed the door open.

Everything looked normal. Too normal. The lights were the same, the furniture untouched, the faint scent of cleaning products still lingering in the air. My body refused to move forward anyway. Fear rooted me in place, my foot hovering just past the threshold like stepping inside might trigger something unseen.

I forced myself to take a step in.

Then another.

I reached back and closed the door behind me, the click echoing louder than it should have.

"Minne!" I called out. "Hey, Minne!"

No answer.

My chest tightened as my eyes swept the living room, the kitchen, the hallway. Nothing was out of place, but nothing felt right either. My thoughts kept looping back to the same impossible question. How did I go from the company parking lot to here without driving? Without time passing?

Something was wrong. Deeply wrong. And worse, it felt familiar, like a half-remembered nightmare I had already lived through once.

I stepped toward the balcony and looked outside.

The sky was crimson, heavy and unmoving, like a painted ceiling instead of the real thing. Cars were frozen mid-traffic, headlights glowing but lifeless. Birds perched along the railing, wings half-spread, locked in place as if time itself had forgotten them.

My stomach dropped.

"Dierella?" I called, turning back toward the apartment. "Dierella you there?"

"You got me instead."

I flinched hard and spun around.

She was sitting on the double couch like she owned the place. Mana. Legs crossed, posture relaxed, dressed in a long black gown that clung to her body and shimmered faintly under the lights. Her hair fell dark and glossy over her shoulders, matching the dress, matching the calm confidence in her expression. She looked older than most of the others, mature in a way that had nothing to do with age and everything to do with power. Her chest sagged naturally, just slightly, beneath the fabric, the material stretched thin enough that it failed to hide much at all, especially her... big areolas. Her skin glowed softly, flawless, unreal.

I coughed as my throat seized up, half from fear, half from the sudden dryness in my mouth. When our eyes met, her gaze was gentle. Too gentle. I had heard her voice before, heard what she was capable of. Was she here to kill me?

"You," I muttered, my voice rough.

"I know you were there," she said easily. "Listening in on us. I imagine that was frightening."

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. "I was at TechForge and now I’m here. How?"

"Evan Henrik Marlowe," she said, cutting me off cleanly. "You are an interesting subject."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" I said. "You cannot just kill me like that. Not like Ondilin’s subject."

Her lips curved into a small smile. "So you understand. That you are, at the end of the day, a subject. A toy."

My jaw tightened. "Then why are you here?"

"As a Goddess, the rules are clear," she replied, her eyes never leaving mine. "We do not interfere with another’s subject unless that subject willingly changes allegiance."

"And?"

"But that rule is irrelevant right now," she said, leaning back slightly. "I am here for a different reason."

I swallowed. "Which is?"

She stood and walked toward me, stopping just short of arm’s reach. I backed away until my hand brushed the edge of the dining table, the wood cold beneath my palm. Mana turned her head and looked toward the dining window, unhurried, composed, as if this were a casual visit.

My gaze flicked to the hallway.

Where was Minne?

Panic coiled tight in my chest as the thought took shape. If Mana was here, if time itself was frozen, then Minne was not just missing. She was involved.

"Where’s Minne?" I asked.

"Who?" Mana replied.

"Minne," I said sharply. "She was supposed to be here. Where is she?"

"I did not hurt her," Mana said, finally meeting my eyes again. "If that is what you are thinking. But she is with me."

The words hit like a punch to the gut. My blood went cold. I dropped my gaze to the floor and exhaled slowly, trying to keep my breathing steady. She had Minne. A Goddess had my maid, my friend, dragged into whatever this was.

"I expended a considerable amount of power to come here," Mana continued calmly. "And to take her. If Dierella finds out, or if you tell anyone about this, you already know the consequences."

"Don’t hurt Minne," I said immediately.

Her smile widened just a fraction. "Then you are free to become my subject. We can—"

A sharp metallic sound rang out from the hallway.

I snapped my head toward it just as another metallic clink echoed, heavier this time.

Then she stepped into view.