เข้าสู่ระบบVALERIE’S POV:For a moment, nobody moved.The door stood open behind Patryk, letting in the stale hallway air and something colder with it. Fear. It slipped into the apartment like smoke, curling around my throat.Marek stood between us, one hand still on the doorframe, his body half-turned away from me. His shirt was wrinkled from the couch, his hair slightly disordered from where my fingers had been tangled in it moments ago.Moments ago.Before the knock.Before Patryk’s pale face.Before those two words shattered whatever strange fragile thing had started to grow between us.‘They know.’Marek exhaled through his nose, almost amused.“Santiago knows?” he asked, voice lazy, casual. Too casual. “Good. Let him come.” He stepped aside, opening the door wider for his brother. “You look like you’re about to faint, brat. Want some cold pizza?”Patryk stare
Julián pulled the man to his feet by the back of his collar before Santiago changed his mind, then guided him forward with a politeness that looked almost civilized, if one ignored the threat in every step.The security room smelled of old coffee and dust. A guard sat inside, round-faced and nervous, already half-standing as they entered. Santiago did not waste words. Julián locked the door behind them.“Cameras,” Santiago said.The guard glanced at the manager. The manager, still wheezing, nodded once.With shaking hands, the guard pulled up the footage.Santiago turned toward the manager, making him flinch instantly.“Which floor?”The manager blinked at him, terrified. “What?”“You said you saw them in a corridor.” Santiago’s voice was silk wrapped around a knife. “Which floor?”The man swallowed, trembling now.“T-third,” he stuttered. &
SANTIAGO’S POV:Five o’clock came and went.Then five-oh-five.Then five-ten.Santiago stood across the street from Hotel Grand Ocean View, his intense stare fixed on the polished glass entrance. The black SUV waited at the curb behind him, Julián beside it with one hand folded over the other, patient as stone.Santiago was not patient.He had arrived before her shift ended. Earlier than necessary. Earlier than reasonable. He had told himself it was strategy. That he needed to see whether Marek was watching. Whether Wiktor’s men had dared circle the hotel.But that wasn’t the whole truth.His last shred of restraint was running thin, watching the front doors open and close for everyone except the one person he had come for.Valerie.His French rose.His runaway angel.He wanted to see her walk out alive.He wanted to see that stubborn little rose lift her chin, pretend she hadn’t been afraid, pretend she hadn’t run from him in the middle of the night and shattered his control into a t
The rain had turned to mist as the hours stretched and night slowly gave way to morning.Santiago sat behind the wheel of the black SUV, one hand resting on the steering wheel, the other against his jaw. Every lead led to another dead end. Valerie Rousseau – no social media, no tax filings under the city database, no family registered locally. It was like she didn’t exist.“You sure Javier said Rousseau?” Julián asked hesitantly.“Yes, Julián – positive.” Santiago was starting to sound agitated.“I’ll start looking for all the Valeries in the city. Maybe she’s using a false name.”“A false name…” Santiago looked out the window, the sky turning pink as dawn approached.“I’ll keep you posted, jefe. But it might take some time. Maybe you should go home –? ““What about her parents’ name? Maybe one of them was Rousseau?”Julián went silent for a moment. “I’ll look up all birth certificates from twenty to twenty-five years ago.”“Good. Call me when you have something.”He dropped the phone
SANTIAGO’S POV:It was quiet. Too quiet. That was the first thing he noticed before opening the tall double doors. No soft rustle of silk, no faint hum of the fire, no sign of life. Just silence. Heavy and wrong. He stepped inside. The fire was still burning – barely – but the room felt cold. Empty. “Valería?” His voice was calm. Silence answered him. His gaze moved to the bed – the sheets untouched. His jacket thrown carelessly on it, discarded. “Julián,” he called, voice low. Within seconds, his second-in-command appeared in the doorway, expression unreadable. “El León,” he answered the call. “She’s gone,” Santiago said quietly. Julián froze. “Gone?” Santiago’s gaze scanned the room, landing on the curtains softly blowing in the wind. “The window.” His tone sharpened, heavy with disbelief and fury. He crossed the room, boots silent against the tiles, and stopped by the tall window. The latch was open, the curtains trembling in the draft. He leaned forward, catching sigh
After three pieces, I was finally full. The TV was showing an old horror movie in black and white, and Marek seemed oddly content watching it. “Come closer,” he murmured after a while, his tone lighter. “I won’t bite… well, not yet.”He tugged at the duvet draped over him, and I hesitated before shifting slowly, following the pull until my shoulder brushed his. The warmth of him bled through the fabric.“You like movies?” he asked suddenly, catching me off guard.“Who doesn’t?” I replied, glancing at him.He chuckled, turning his face toward me. “I don’t care who doesn’t,” he said, voice soft but teasing. “I asked if you do.” I frowned slightly, unsure if it was a trick question. “Sure,” I said with a shrug.He grinned, eyes glinting with mischief. “You’re trying very hard to find the right answer, aren’t you? The one that keeps you here.”Was it that obvious? I pressed my lips together, shifting in my seat. “…Is there one?”His ice-blue eyes locked on mine, pinning me in place. “No.”
Tension burned between us, his warning still hanging in the air. I held my breath. But instead of lunging, instead of making good on his words, Marek leaned back and reached for his phone. His thumb flicked lazily across the screen, like nothing had happened. “Pizza. Pepperoni. Extra cheese. And o
I hesitated, my legs refusing to move. I wanted to beg, to plead with him to let me go. But before I could make a sound, Marek shoved me into the car. The leather seats were worn and cracked, smelling faintly of smoke and something metallic. He slid in after me, his arm heavy across the backrest, c
Marek dragged me out of the room and into the empty corridor. His grip was a shackle, unyielding. My pulse thundered as he led me farther away, not a soul in sight to save me. His stride was unhurried, casual - like he belonged here, like I was simply his date he was escorting out. But his hand o
My pulse thundered as I rushed down the staff corridor toward Victoria. Adrenaline throbbed behind my eyes, my mind racing.One moment he was there, the next he was gone. But I saw him. I was sure of it. I would recognize him anywhere.Marek.The morning light had caught his scar like an ominous wa







