• Being held hostage at gunpoint again while his ex-girlfriend was being escorted into another car just left him imagining the worst case scenario.  His brain very much stayed in overdrive;  he couldn't help it. But at least Veronica wasn't beside him right now, scared shitless and about to have her brain obliterated, just scattered all over expensive Bermuda grass. Théo kept his breathing steady despite the spine-chilling imagery stuck in his head.  Now his fingers were intertwined while he held his arms up, his sweaty palms touching the back of his head.  The prick was no longer pressing the mouth of his gun onto his face, casually threatening to shoot into his brain. But not knowing where Veronica would be taken only terrified him as much.  Despite his anger, Théo knew he shouldn't show absolute indignation.  He actually had to make the guy think t

•He was free to go? Just like that?The guy was probably just playing mind games with him again.  But when Raffaele simply left the study room without another word, Théo was convinced he now had a shot at freedom. He would escape this place alive no matter what dangers awaited him outside.  He still had a job to do, and he still needed to find Veronica.  Théo backed away from the door and ignored the aching muscles in his limbs. Now that he was completely alone in the room, Théo sat behind Hugo Valtieri's desk and subtly put his arm under the hardwood.  He extracted the listening device he stealthily installed a week ago after he tricked Ana.He sighed and got up from the swivel chair as he tried not to glance up at the CCTV camera.  He had to talk to her and apologize before he had to go back to France.  Hopefully he would be able to check up on her a

•"Just do what I say, Althéo.""You sayin' I just can't say no? Why not?" Théo let out a scornful chuckle, minding the flat but peremptory tone his own mother was using to persuade him.  It was almost too predictable and familiar. "You seriously need another explanation?""I'm staying.""Why?" His mother made a face. "Is it your job?" Claudia sighed.If she was indeed his boss' new boss, he ought to hear it straight from Gillaume.  He needed a lot of clarifications which his own mother clearly didn't have the time or patience to elaborate.  She couldn't even make a quick drive to visit him here in the hospital to actually see how he was doing. Nothing new, though.  He'd learnt long before that her job was always her priority.  Not her children.  Not her family.  Some people were just that se

• New York •"How was the procedure?""Fine." Veronica looked away from her bandmate and grabbed her lukewarm glass of water while Dan finished his turkey sandwich.  They were having a quick break, their lunch break, from the ongoing audition slash guitarist hunting going on in the next room.  It was the biggest conference room inside their label's main headquarters in a new building along 38th street.When Dan heard about her last appointment with her gynecologist, he had suggested that she take a week off work at least to recuperate, but being cooped up in her new house for days had already started to worsen her mental health. So she drove to work today to see how their schedules were holding up.  Plus she wanted to meet the top candidates who would stan

• Room 5108 •Early.  It was still too early.Théo blinked away the remnants of sleep keeping his eyes heavy, gradually snapping out of his long, painkiller-rich slumber.  He blinked a few more times to try to get the glue out of his eyes. The lights on the ceiling stayed unlit, keeping his private room dim enough.  He squinted at the door.  It was closed.  He hastily shifted to his right.  The sudden movement made his doziness ebb away.The pale blue hospital gown kept him clothed enough, like the past couple of days.   He shifted on the bed more.  His throat felt parched, and his entire body felt somewhat leaden.  He lifted his torso to sit up.  A grunt he tried to suppress slightly echoed throughout the room when he felt a bit of pain under his chest. Théo focused his dark, blurry vision on the small wall clock.  It