Laura frowned, confusion flickering across her face.“What do you mean, Mr. Litch?”Marv Litch didn’t even hesitate. His words were too smooth, too deliberate—as if he had rehearsed this confrontation long before it happened.He smiled thinly.“Aren’t you working with that young man over there? Weren’t you both so desperate to have Mr. Douglas on your side, simply because he once dipped a toe into your little affairs?Mr. Douglas has made it clear—again and again—that he wants nothing to do with any of that anymore.So, tell me, why are you still here?”Laura’s throat tightened painfully.Once again, she found herself without a solid answer.She couldn’t reveal the truth—not here. Not when the investigation had been conducted in secret.If she admitted that Joey had been cooperating with her and Thenma, it would only put a bigger target on Joey’s back—and Laura didn’t even know where he was now.Swallowing hard, Laura forced herself to steer the conversation elsewhere.“Is Mr. Douglas

Katarina slipped into the exclusive suite, the soft click of the door behind her sealing her into a different world. Tonight was her first true test—her first appointment as a high-end lady of the Verona Lounge. After months of meticulous testing and rigorous training, she and May had been selected as candidates for the elite circle, a title that promised not only prestige but access to the Lounge’s most carefully guarded secrets. She wore her persona—Celeste—as easily as a second skin. Every sway of her hips, every measured strike of her heels against the marble floor was calculated to enthrall, to command the gaze of any man she chose. Katarina drifted across the room with languid grace, the sound of distant laughter and clinking glasses fading behind the thick pane of one-way glass. From here, the VIPs could observe the revelry of the main floor without fear of being seen. Her client sat on the grand velvet sofa, legs crossed in an easy display of authority. He gazed out at the

The sound of his boots thudding against the polished club floor faded behind him. Thenma pushed through the heavy door into the cold night, the buzz of the club dying at his back. The air outside was sharp, slicing against his face as he yanked his communicator from his jacket. The screen blinked aggressively. [Reve: Incoming priority message. Source: Anony Corporate Network.] Thenma swiped it open. The text was short, but the implications punched the breath from his chest. Accident Report: Alex - Critical Condition. Prosecutor Laura Finch - Contact Attempt Failed. Anony Medical Center. Immediate Response Recommended. For a split second, his mind tugged back toward Katarina—still inside, the mission still teetering between dangerous and catastrophic. Guilt gnawed at him. But there was no time to hesitate. [Reve: Processing nearest transportation options to Anony. Estimated departure window: 45 minutes. Flight reservation suggested: RapidJet 907.] “Book it,” Thenma muttered sha

As Katarina had previously guessed, apparently Collin's fever was not a fever that healed overnight. It had been three days, and Collin still didn't have enough stamina to return to his normal activities. So Katarina insisted on telling him to stay in the room, and let Katarina take care of the things she usually took care of.One of them is like what Katarina is doing right now; negotiate with one of the people Collin suspects—Joey, the former head mechanic of The Elites family.This afternoon Katarina decided to come directly to meet Joey and talk to him, perhaps the middle-aged man would talk to her because he and Collin certainly had a lot of pressure. Collin had said himself that maybe Joey was afraid to talk to him because Collin had a strong intimidating aura, so Katarina would try to speak softly at this opportunity.Katarina steeled herself and stepped into the house Collin had told her about earlier. One of the houses that was neither luxurious nor small, a simple house that

Katarina was stunned. No matter how many times she listened, she still wondered why Joey was trying to stay away from The Elites, even to the point of indoctrinating her family like this and making it seem like The Elites was a bad ex-employer who let her out while causing trouble.The more she thought about it, the more suspicious Katarina became. If she had experienced it firsthand like this, she could no longer think badly of Collin and his prejudice against others. What Collin suspected was real, and Katarina felt it."If Lady is really someone from The Elites, please don't follow me anymore. I will pay for her hospital fees, but please don't see me or my family again." While Katarina was busy pondering, Lily suddenly said something like that. Katarina wanted to quickly evade but she restrained herself when she saw the girl's face which was really pleading, as if she did not want to be bothered by anything related to The Elites anymore.Katarina sighed. It almost occurred to he