جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 78

Rosa's Pov The thrashing woke me before the sound did.Daniel's arm hit my shoulder, hard enough to startle me fully awake. His body twisted against the sheets. His face contorted in the pale light filtering through the curtains. His breathing came fast and ragged, each exhale a desperate gasp."Daniel."He didn't respond. His head moved side to side on the pillow, his lips parting, a low sound building in his throat."Rosa." His voice broke through, choked and desperate. "Rosa, don't. Don't go please.”I shook his shoulder firmly. "Daniel, wake up. You're dreaming."His eyes snapped open. Wide and unfocused, darting around the room like he didn't recognize where he was. Several seconds passed before recognition settled in. His chest still heaved, sweat darkened his hair at the temples."You were dreaming," I said.He sat up abruptly, throwing the covers aside. He ran both hands through his hair, his fingers trembling. He wouldn't look at me."I'm fine.""You were screaming my name."

Rosa's Pov He took my phone from me. His eyes scanned the screen. His face went pale."I've never seen this woman before in my life," he said."Are you certain?""Completely." He zoomed in on the image. His finger traced the man's face. "Look at the jawline, look at the hair. It's me. It looks exactly like me.""But it's not you.""No." He zoomed in further. "Look at the ear, my left ear has a small scar from a childhood accident. I fell off a bike when I was eight, split the cartilage. This man doesn't have it.""A deepfake.""That's my assumption." He set the phone down. His hands pressed flat against the desk. "Someone went to a lot of trouble to create this. They didn't just find a lookalike. They generated an entire image from scratch.""Who has that kind of capability?""I don't know." His voice was tight. "But I intend to find out."I picked up my phone. I scrolled to Sophie's contact."I'm calling Sophie. She has contacts in tech. She'll know someone who can analyze this.""C

Rosa's Pov"I'm coming with you," I said, after a few minutes. I had to rethink it. "Alone was never actually an option."Daniel turned to me. His jaw tightened. "Rosa..""I mean it, Daniel." I stepped closer to him. "If this is dangerous enough that Elena wants you unprotected, that's exactly why you shouldn't be unprotected.""She specifically asked me to come alone.""She can ask. That doesn't mean I have to listen."He studied my face for a long moment. His eyes searched mine. Then he sighed."You're not going to let this go, are you?""No." I smiled. "I'm not.""Fine." He reached for my hand. "But if anything happens, if there's any sign of danger, you get out immediately. You don't wait for me. You don't try to be a hero. You run.""Daniel—""Promise me." His voice was firm. "Promise me you'll get out if things go wrong."I looked at him. The fear in his eyes was real. The protectiveness was genuine."I promise," I said. "But nothing's going to go wrong. We're just talking to El

Daniel’s PovMarcus's finger tightened on the trigger."Sign it," he said again. His voice was flat and cold. "Now."I stared at the papers. My pen was still uncapped in my hand. My fingers refused to move toward the signature line."You won't shoot me," I said. My voice came out steadier than I felt. "Dead, I'm worth nothing to your plan. You need my signature, not my corpse.""Don't test that theory."The door burst open behind him."Gosling International, security!" James's voice cut through the room like a whip. Three officers flooded in behind him, weapons drawn.Marcus spun. His arm swung wide. The gun fired once before anyone could reach him.Pain tore through my shoulder. Hot and sudden and blinding. I staggered back against the desk, my knees buckling."Daniel!"James was already moving. Two officers tackled Marcus to the ground. The gun skittered across the marble floor, spinning once before stopping against the wall.I pressed my hand against my shoulder. Blood soaked throu