She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the gesture nervous. “You didn’t respond to my voicemail. I thought… I thought something was wrong, so I came over to check.”“I’m fine,” he responded briskly, stopping a few feet from her.“I can see that,” she said, her smile faltering. “So… why didn’t you respond?”He unlocked his door but didn’t open it, turning to face her fully. “I just listened to it. And…”“Well, aren’t I just your lucky charm?” she cut in, trying to recapture the bright tone. “I’m going to help you get the remaining herbs you’re looking for. Isn’t that good news?” She smiled brightly, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.He just looked at her, his gaze intense and probing. “How?” he asked, his voice flat. “How did you find a way to get them?”“Um, through… someone,” she said, her words suddenly evasive.“Who is it?” he pressed, not letting her off the hook.Natalia looked away, her eyes scanning the quiet street as she quickly pondered her answer. She couldn’t tell h

Nathan didn’t need to turn around to know who owned that voice, dripping with outrage and a false sense of authority. It was Paulo. He finished securing the cloth-wrapped documents in his grip before he slowly turned to face the doorway.Paulo stood there, his face a mask of fury, his chest heaving. He looked from Nathan’s face down to the bundle in his hand, his eyes widening in recognition.A slow, deliberate smirk touched Nathan’s lips. “A thief,” he said, his voice calm and even, “accusing me of stealing? That’s quite bold.”Paulo took a step further into the room, the floorboard creaking under his weight. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “You. I didn’t expect to see your face again so soon.”“Well,” Nathan replied with a slight shrug, “fate had a different plan.”“I’ll spare you,” Paulo said, the words sounding forced, as if he were trying to convince himself of his own generosity. He pointed a trembling finger at the documents. “Only because you were… generous to me yeste

Paulo was shaking. It wasn’t just from the pain or the exhaustion; it was a full-body tremor of pure, undiluted terror. The hot morning sun beat down, reflecting off the sweat beading on his forehead and making the dust on his skin cling in muddy streaks. His life, he knew with a certainty that turned his stomach to water, was balanced on the very tip of the sword Nathan held. He was scared to death, a feeling so foreign it was like being suffocated from the inside. But admitting it, showing that weakness to this man, was unthinkable. His pride, tattered and bloody as it was, was all he had left.His eyes darted, not at Nathan’s face, but to the ground beside him. The dirt was dry and loose, full of fine, blinding sand. A desperate, stupid plan flickered in his panicked mind. Play smart. Play dirty. He could feign a collapse, scoop a handful, and fling it into Nathan’s eyes. Just a second of blindness was all he’d need.But Nathan was watching him with the calm intensity of a hawk. He

Nathan started the bike again, the decision made. He needed Amelia. She was the only one who could help with this, the only one he could trust. He drove straight to the sleek, modern building that housed her company. As he walked toward the main entrance, he saw a familiar, unwelcome figure stepping out for a smoke. Leo.Leo spotted him immediately, his posture stiffening. He dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his heel, blocking Nathan’s path to the door. “She’s not here,” Leo said, his voice flat and dismissive.“I need to see her,” Nathan replied, stopping a few feet away.“I said she’s not here. And you should let her be,” Leo snapped, his patience visibly thin. “I’m sick of seeing you lurking around her, bringing your chaos with you.”Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “Why?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm. “Are you jealous? You are. And it’s beneath you, man.”Leo took a step forward, his face darkening. “What did you just say to me?”Nathan didn’t back up. He met Leo’s glare

Amelia trailed off, just looking at him, her expression unreadable in the dim light.He sighed, misinterpreting her silence as defeat. “It’s okay if you can’t do it,” he said, his voice gentle. “I still appreciate your help and…”Ding dong!The sound was a soft, melodious chime from the computer speakers. Amelia’s face transformed. She shot a triumphant fist into the air, a wide, brilliant grin breaking across her features. “I did it!” she exclaimed, her voice full of glee. “The wall just crumbled! I’ve broken the encryption!”Nathan was on his feet in an instant. “Really?” He moved quickly to stand behind her chair, leaning over to see the screen.She gestured at the open file window like a magician revealing a trick. “Tada.”He reached past her, his hand hesitating for a second before he clicked. The digital seal on the document vanished. He could now open the hard drive folder. He quickly located the main file, a secure digital case, and opened it. Inside were scans of the original