Thelma paced her room, a smug smile dancing on her lips as she stared at the phone in her hand, Nathan’s phone. The device was still damp from the juice she had spilled on it earlier, the screen dark and lifeless. She checked her wristwatch again.Twenty minutes. Just enough time to stall him.Perfect.Her men should have finished the job by now. She only hoped Natalia wouldn’t get curious and come barging into the room.Acting quickly, she plugged in her hand dryer and switched it on, pointing it at the phone. The sound of hot air filled the room, and she positioned herself so that if anyone walked in, they’d see her trying to "save" the phone.Her phone beeped.She grabbed it with a glint in her eyes and opened the message.Paul: "It’s done, ma'am. The package is secure. Taylor is with us."Thelma's lips stretched into a smile. She dropped her phone on the bed and exhaled in satisfaction."Both plans were successful," she murmured to herself. "Beautiful."She switched off the hand d

Amelia stood in her suite, barefoot, a glass of red wine dangling from her fingers. The room was dark, lit only by the pale glow of the city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass wall. She stared out at the corners of the High Lake Hotel below and the glittering sprawl of the city stretching into the horizon. The world looked so calm from up here, so distant from the storm brewing inside her.She raised her phone, thumb hovering over Nathan's contact name before she pressed it. The dial tone rang in her ear once. Twice. Three times. No answer. She tried again. Nothing.Her grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles whitening. She lifted it slightly, fury flaring in her chest, ready to smash it against the marble wall, then stopped herself.She muttered through clenched teeth, "Dammit, Nathan."She lowered her hand slowly, breathing out in frustration. "I hate this. I hate that you're not picking my calls."She sipped the wine and leaned her forehead against the cool glass. "The laun

Thelma had managed to slip out of the house unnoticed that night. It was not hard, not when her Natalia had always underestimated her ability to sneak out. After all, what respectable woman left the house alone after dark, much less toward the industrial side of town? But Thelma wasn’t respectable, not tonight. Not when so much was on the line.She ducked through the shadows outside the warehouse, stepping lightly on the gravel, her dark coat sweeping behind her. She opened the steel door with a practiced motion. Inside, dim yellow lights buzzed overhead, flickering now and then like they might die any moment. Paul stood near the center, waiting. So did the prize.Taylor.Unconscious, bound tightly to a wooden chair in the middle of the room, her head slumped forward like a marionette whose strings had been cut.Thelma stepped beside Paul, a broad grin stretching across her face as she looked at Taylor."She looks so peaceful, doesn’t she?" Thelma said, hands on her hips.Paul chuckle

The night inside the Fields Estate was unnervingly quiet, yet one room at the far end of the east wing remained lit.Master Fields sat in his massive rocking chair, its polished mahogany creaking softly under his weight. The faint ticking of the antique clock above the fireplace blended with the sound of his breathing. His bedside lamp flicked on… then off… then on again, his restless fingers toying with the switch.Sleep had long abandoned him. His gray eyes, sharp and calculating despite his age, stared at the dark carpet as his mind replayed decades of grudges, regrets, and unfinished wars.Suddenly, a firm knock echoed at his door.“Come in,” his deep voice rumbled.The door opened quietly, and Koret stepped inside. He bowed respectfully, his dark suit pressed to perfection despite the late hour.“Sir,” Koret said quietly, his tone carrying urgency. “I thought you should know… Thelma has moved into the south basement with her group.”Master Fields leaned back slightly, his brows k

The scorching sun hung low in the sky, dipping into streaks of orange and gold as the day dragged toward evening. Nathan had been on the move since morning, weaving through the city’s bustling streets like a shadow no one noticed.All day, he had been driving from one part of the city to another with Amelia in the passenger seat, slipping into exclusive neighborhoods where the homes of the wealthy stood behind high walls and steel gates. His jaw was tight, his expression carved from stone, every muscle in his body radiating the quiet desperation of a man on edge.Amelia sat quietly beside him, clutching her phone but barely using it, stealing glances at him every now and then. She had seen Nathan angry, but this was different. He was calculated. Focused. Terrifyingly so.Nathan hadn’t told Taylor’s grandfather about her disappearance. Instead, he’d fed him a controlled lie over the phone early that morning.“She went for an unplanned event,” he had said smoothly. “I’m joining her ther