MISTRESS OF THE GAME のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 44

MARIEI woke up before the sun.My body ached from the stiff mattress, and the back of my neck was damp with sweat. Outside, the early morning air was still, but heavy with the promise of heat. I didn’t need an alarm. The thought of what I had signed up for was enough to keep me half-awake all night.I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes, the silence around me was strangely loud.Henry hadn’t stirred. His door was shut, a thin sliver of yellow light cutting through the bottom of it. Maybe he was already up. Maybe he never slept deeply either.I dressed up quietly, jeans again, the same shirt. Nothing that would stand out. I braided my hair into a single, tight plait, then tucked it into a cap. I left my shoes by the door and walked barefoot into the kitchen.The food from last night was gone. The plates cleaned, dried, stacked neatly beside the sink. A covered plastic bowl sat on the counter with a note tucked under it:“Eat before you go. Don’t come back if you’re going to bring trouble.”

MARIEThe air was thick with tension as I stepped out into the open, my heart hammering inside my chest like a frantic drumbeat. Every instinct screamed at me to keep my head low, to avoid drawing any attention—especially from Garrick. If he spotted me, or anyone else who recognized me, everything would collapse. I had to stay invisible, a ghost in this tangled web.I scanned the driveway winding up the hill from my hiding spot, and my eyes locked on the convoy approaching. More vans, just like Eli’s—but these were different. They were all black, matte, and cold. Tinted windows that reflected the grim overcast sky like dark mirrors, and their frames looked military-grade, brutal and unwelcoming. Their presence screamed power, secrecy, and danger.The vans rolled in silently but purposefully, as if they owned the road. I felt my breath hitch. Maybe Victor was inside one of those vehicles. Maybe this was the real business—the hidden machinery behind the elaborate cover-up art business f