The room was electric with tension. Screens flickered, feeds overlapping, shadows moving in sharp contrast. Every breath, every motion, every heartbeat counted. Lena stood in the center of the safehouse, hands still poised, eyes sharp. Her training was evident, every movement deliberate, every muscle coiled like a spring. But she hesitated. Just for a moment. And that was all Aria needed. From her dark cell, Aria leaned over the phone, eyes narrowing. The faint glow of the screen illuminated her face. Every flicker of doubt in Lena’s expression, every subtle twitch, every hesitation—it was all cataloged in Aria’s mind, like notes in a symphony of control. “Good,” Aria whispered, a small, deadly smile playing on her lips. “Now we begin.” ⸻ Lena’s gaze flicked to the camera. “Aria… you think you can manipulate me from a cell? You’re insane if you think this—” “Insane?” Aria interrupted, calm, icy. “I’ve been patient. Calculating. Waiting for the exact moment you would falter—and n
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