Chapter 5. Cyanide Coffee

The water pouring over my head couldn't wash that image away—something moving faintly beneath his skin.

An excuse? Please. Even sharing the same air with him makes me want to gag.

My hands tensed. "Stop acting and move aside."

I pushed him, trying to get a better look—

But the water was already flowing harder, blurring it.

Damn.

"What did you see, Vance?" he whispered softly.

I didn't answer.

For the first time… my instincts felt off.

Just then, the sound of a bell interrupted.

"I like seeing your aggressive side, Wifey. But the audience is here," Skyden whispered right into my ear before he walked away with a sickeningly casual stride.

I was gasping, not from passion, but from the urge to strangle him right then and there.

He just chuckled, grabbed a bathrobe, and threw it on carelessly, covering up what I'd almost uncovered. I covered my own wet body as well.

As soon as the suite's door opened, the corpse that had been lying in the hallway had completely vanished. No traces of blood, no smell of gunpowder. The marble floor shone again as if the slaughter from just a few minutes ago had never happened.

A female assistant in a clinical uniform stood at the door, accompanied by two men—one holding a scanner in his hand, the other a bespectacled man who looked cold.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe. There are instructions from management. The gate guard made a mistake by letting you in with just an access card without retinal verification. We need to ensure that both your and Mrs. Wolfe's biometric data are registered in the Echelon Nine central system now," said the man with the scanner; he was far too friendly for a place this ruthless.

"I'm Dr. Julian. We're here for sanitation procedures and routine checks on new residents," said the bespectacled man.

I could only stand stiffly beside Skyden, who suddenly wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulder. "Sure. Sorry we're a little… disheveled. We were just taking a break," Skyden lied, his voice deliberately made to sound a little hoarse, as if we'd just done something very intimate.

After changing into more appropriate clothes, I made coffee for the guests.

Coffee.

Enough to hide something… if I wanted to.

After finishing the coffee, I served it to the guests; they didn't drink it right away, while Skyden casually lifted his coffee cup.

His gaze flicked to me briefly—sharp.

Then he drank.

I clenched my hands. He knew I hadn't put anything in his coffee; his triumphant smile only made me more irritated.

After the retinal scan was completed, we were directed to a private clinic on the lower floor. There, the atmosphere was so sterile it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Echelon Nine must remain free of external pathogens. We'll only administer some vitamin supplements and a brief physical exam," the medical assistant explained while preparing the medical equipment.

Skyden flopped onto the patient's bed in the most dramatic manner I'd ever seen. He deliberately pulled my hand, forcing my fingers into his as the medical assistant checked his heart rate.

"It hurts, Linora…" he whined in a feigned, spoiled tone, even though the needle hadn't even touched his skin yet.

I looked at the medical assistant preparing the syringe. "Excuse me," I said flatly, ignoring Skyden's whining. "If someone is injected directly into a neck vein or the wrong area, could they die instantly?"

The assistant paused for a moment, then chuckled. "You have a unique curiosity, ma'am. Yes, technically it's possible. But don't worry, we're very professional."

I glanced at Skyden, who was still lying there with his eyes closed, pretending to be weak. "Could this person be injected in that spot?" I pointed at him without expression.

Skyden immediately opened one eye, gazing at me with an amused twinkle. "Forgive my wife. She is a bit… unique. Usually she's too shy to show her affection in public, so she takes it out in a slightly extreme way," he remarked, winking at the doctor's assistant.

"Ah, such a romantic couple," the medical assistant praised, unaware that I had just seriously asked how to kill my own husband.

After the injection drama was over, Dr. Julian gave a faint smile. "Here you go, this is a refreshing drink to neutralize the effects of the vitamins. Echelon Nine's signature coffee."

Two cups of coffee were placed on the small table. Exhausted and dehydrated from anger, I reflexively reached out to grab the nearest cup.

But Skyden's firm grip landed on my wrist. His strength made me flinch. In that instant, Skyden's usual spoiled and carefree expression vanished. His eyes turned as cold as ice, sharp, and full of menace—the same gaze I'd seen in the warehouse before I died.

He wasn't looking at me. He was staring straight at Dr. Julian, who was still smiling.

"A doctor's duty is to heal those on the brink of death." Skyden's voice was low, yet he put on his usual mask of a smile again. "Not serving cyanide-laced coffee to a guest who's just moved in."

My throat suddenly went dry.

Cyanide?

I stared at the cup, then at Dr. Julian. My heart was racing. Instead of panicking at being caught, Dr. Julian's smile actually widened—calm, hollow, and terrifying.

"You have an excellent sense of smell, Mr. Wolfe," the doctor replied in a voice that remained soft.

Dr. Julian's smile didn't waver in the slightest.

"Don't worry," he continued lightly, as if the word "cyanide" had just been a minor misunderstanding. "If you were truly an outsider with clean hands… you wouldn't be sitting here right now."

A moment of silence filled the room.

I furrowed my brow. What did he mean—

Skyden chuckled softly, his shoulders trembling slightly, but his hand still gripped my wrist tightly. "So this is some kind of… entrance exam?" he asked casually.

"More accurately, a verification," Julian replied. "Echelon Nine doesn't accept people who don't know the basic rules. Poison isn't always meant to kill. Sometimes… it's just a way to see who's smart enough not to drink it."

I looked at the cup again. Steam was still rising slowly, looking normal—almost inviting.

Damn.

If Skyden hadn't stopped me just now—

"Too bad," Skyden muttered, now sounding completely casual. He slowly let go of my hand, as if nothing had ever happened. "I was actually hoping this coffee was truly special."

Dr. Julian chuckled softly. "Oh, it's still special. Not everyone gets a welcome like this."

Their gazes met—calm, filled with unspoken meaning.

A game.

All of this… is just a game.

And we've just made it through the first round.

"In that case, welcome officially," Dr. Julian continued, rising from his chair. "As it happens, my unit is right next to yours. If there's anything you need—medical… or otherwise—don't hesitate to knock on the door."

Neighbors.

Great.

I replied with a forced, faint smile. "We'll keep that in mind, Doctor."

After we left the clinic, the door closed with a soft sound that felt unnaturally heavy for something that should have been simple.

Silence.

The hallway was empty again, leaving only a pale white light and a marble floor that was too clean for a place that had just nearly killed someone.

Only then did I realize we had truly left that examination room.

From a trap neatly packaged as a "medical procedure."

Too quiet.

Too clean.

And that was exactly what made my stomach churn.

Then my legs gave out without warning.

Damn it.

My head felt light—not from the poison, but from the realization that that one step… had nearly repeated my death.

A hand grabbed my arm before my body completely lost balance.

Out of reflex, I pushed him away.

"Don't touch me."

Firm. Too quick. Too defensive.

But my body wouldn't cooperate. My vision started to blur, the floor felt like it was slowly shifting to the side. Before I could even curse, the world had tilted completely.

Skyden didn't say a word.

He just pulled me closer—not roughly, but firmly enough to make sure I didn't fall to the floor.

"If I let go," he said softly over my head, his voice low, serious, "you'll fall."

I clenched my teeth. "I don't need—"

"Stop lying."

Brief.

Cold.

Right at the most unsettling point.

My hands unconsciously clenched against his shirt, gripping the fabric as if it were the only thing keeping me standing.

Disgusting.

I hated the fact that my body… chose him. As if my body… remembered having been in this position before.

And felt safe.

Damn it. I shouldn't remember that.

A few seconds passed in silence. Only the sound of our breathing filled the space, erratic—too close to be called safe, too quiet to be called normal.

"This is a crazy place," I muttered finally, almost a whisper.

Skyden snorted softly, almost like a stifled laugh. "Welcome to the lawless world, Vance."

I looked up, glaring at him. "Don't talk as if you're not part of it."

His gaze dropped to my face.

For a long time.

Too long.

As if he were reading something I didn't even want to see myself.

"I never said I was different," he replied finally, calmly.

My chest felt tight—not from fear.

But from something more frustrating.

Realization.

That in this place… the only person who truly understood how to survive… was him.

I immediately pulled away, gently pushing against his chest to create distance between us again. "Don't get the wrong idea. Just because I almost died doesn't mean I need you to save me."

"Mm." He nodded casually, too casually. "Don't die yet, Vance. I'm not done using you to get into The Raven's headquarters."

Those words stung harder than any poison.

I glared at him, my jaw clenched.

I hated the fact that he was right.

And more than that—I hated the fact that I owed him my life.

Skyden studied my expression, then gave a thin smile.

Not a loud, triumphant smile.

But something far more dangerous.

Calm.

As if all of this… had been calculated from the very beginning.

The vibration of my phone in my pocket interrupted me.

An incoming call.

Elliot.

My heart immediately tightened.

He'd found something about Black Lotus.

I was sure of it.

But this was Echelon Nine; this call could very well be tapped. I still remember they installed CCTV in the new residents' units.

If I answer, that single conversation could reveal who I am immediately.

A cop. An intruder.

Then… if I don't answer this call, Elliot will most likely send a text message.

I'm pretty sure they have people capable of intercepting that message. As new residents, we're still being watched—and we were almost killed just a moment ago.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Skyden's gaze fixed on my phone screen. He didn't ask who it was, but his expression darkened slightly—as if he knew exactly who was calling, or maybe… he just didn't like another man's name interrupting the tension between us.

I stared at the screen again for a long time.

Elliot's name was still flashing, patiently.

If I answered it, I could die.

If I didn't answer it, I could die too.

There was no right choice.

My hand moved slowly.

Toward the screen.