6

She thought she was alone, but I was always watching.

When she returned, I could see the tightness in her jaw, the stiffness in her posture.

There was a part of her that had cracked.

She entered the house without a word, her eyes locked straight ahead.

She knew what was expected of her.

But I knew better.

She wasn’t as cold as she thought.

No one could be.

I could see it in her eyes—the subtle flicker of something darker.

Something buried.

I leaned back in my chair, a slow smile curling at the edges of my lips.

She thought she was invulnerable.

But everyone had a breaking point.

And I was going to find hers.

When she came to report to me, I was ready.

She stood before me, her expression guarded but not quite hiding the storm brewing behind her eyes.

“How did it go?” I asked, keeping my tone casual.

“Mission complete,” she replied, her voice steady. “No complications.”

I knew better.

“And the family?” I pressed.

Her eyes flickered, just for a moment, but it was enough.

“The wife will be dealt with,” she said, her words cold.

“Good.”

I leaned forward, my gaze intense.

“But you’ve crossed a line now, Sabrina. You did what I asked, but I can see it in you. You felt something. You’re not as untouchable as you think.”

She didn’t respond immediately, but I could see her clenching her fists at her sides.

She was trying to control it, trying to shut down the emotion that threatened to surface.

“You need to learn how to bury it, Sabrina,” I said, my voice low, almost a warning. “The moment you let that softness slip, you’re dead. Understand?”

She nodded slowly, her jaw tightening.

But I wasn’t sure if she truly understood.

She would, in time.

I had no doubt she’d prove herself.

I’d make sure of it.

For now, though, I let her believe she had control.

Because in the end, she wouldn’t.

Not over me.

Not over herself.

15

SABRINA

The next few days were nothing but a blur of missions, assignments, and more bloodshed.

I thought I had done my job—finished it without a hitch—but Viktor’s words haunted me.

I knew I couldn’t afford to be weak.

I had seen enough pain to know that weakness wasn’t just a flaw—it was a death sentence.

But the guilt gnawed at me.

It didn’t matter how hard I tried to bury it, to push it down.

The images of the wife’s face, of her child’s cries, were always there, just beneath the surface.

But I had a job to do.

I couldn’t afford to think about it.

Viktor’s games were far from over.

And I would have to be ready for whatever came next.

16

SABRINA

The next day, I was summoned into his office.

I could feel him watching me, like a predator studying its prey, and I hated how my skin crawled at his gaze.

He didn’t even need to say a word to make me feel exposed.

His presence alone made the room feel smaller, suffocating.

And yet, I couldn't look away.

I reminded myself, over and over, that I wasn’t here to feel anything.

Not for him.

Not for anyone.

I wasn’t here to get attached.

My job—my mission—was all that mattered.

But the longer I stood there, the more his eyes seemed to strip me bare.

“Is that really all you’re here for, then? Just the job?”

Viktor’s voice sliced through the tension, smooth and dangerous, like velvet laced with steel.

He was too close, too deliberate.

The heat between us intensified, even though the air between us had remained still.

It was the pull—the strange magnetism he exuded, something I couldn’t ignore.

His smile was predatory, knowing exactly how to unsettle me.

I swallowed hard, refusing to let him see how I felt.

“I’m here for the job,” I said, trying to sound confident, but I knew my voice lacked its usual edge.

He was toying with me.

And the worst part was—I hated that I was letting him.

But there was something in the way he moved, the calm dominance he wore like a second skin, that made it hard to resist.