LOGINMorning crept slowly into the hotel suite, still wrapped in silence. The heavy curtains had not been fully opened, leaving only pale lines of light stretched across the floor. In the guest room, Naomi woke with ragged breaths, her body drenched in cold sweat. Her hands clutched the sheets tightly, a
Morning arrived in Berlin beneath a pale sky, the air still carrying the last bite of the night’s cold. On the upper floor of Brandon’s modern office tower, the main conference room had been prepared an hour earlier. A long wooden table was lined with final documents, the presentation screen already
The office door opened slowly, and three men stepped inside with uneven, limping strides. Their faces were bruised, one of them with a split lip. Another held his ribs, struggling to hide the pain every time he breathed. None of them dared lift their heads too high.The spacious, dark-toned room sud
The car cut through the increasingly quiet streets of the night. City lights flashed past the windows, but Naomi didn’t see any of it. Curled up in the back seat, she wrapped both arms around herself, still trembling from head to toe. Every few breaths caught in her throat before breaking into stifl
Naomi stumbled back against the wall, gasping for breath, able only to stare with wide eyes.The man who had slapped her seized her again, yanking her close as a shield. “Don’t come any closer!”Liu looked at him without blinking. “Let her go.”“Or what?”Liu moved so fast Naomi barely saw it.In on
BANG! BANG! BANG!The pounding on the apartment door felt like a hammer striking directly against Naomi’s chest. Her fingers trembled as she held the phone to her ear, waiting for the call to connect. But before anyone could answer, she heard the sound of metal being forced from the outside. The doo
“I hope I didn’t make the wrong decision,” Eli murmured uneasily.She had checked the watch on her wrist countless times—the one Riana had given her. She truly loved it, had been hoping to show it off to the giver in person, to prove how perfectly it suited her, how right it felt.That morning at sc
“I don’t think so,” the guard replied, then stepped aside to let Cale in.The room was dim, lit only by a single hanging lamp that glowed weakly from the center of the rusted ceiling. Its yellow light spilled unevenly, casting long shadows across damp concrete walls. The stench of blood, sweat, and
“Oh God, what am I going to do?” Eli was in a full-blown panic. She kept jabbing the elevator buttons, as if pressing them again and again would make the doors close faster and carry her straight to her floor.She couldn’t imagine how furious her mother would be. All she could do was hope—desperatel
Silence settled over the family room after Althea’s last question hung in the air. No one spoke. Lydia stared at Althea in disbelief, while Althea kept her eyes on her husband, hoping—needing—an answer to the question that had been haunting her for days.Unfortunately, Daven chose to remain silent.







