Emily stared at Elias for a moment, her expression caught in a narrow space between disbelief and irritation, as though she were trying to decide which emotion best matched the situation in front of her. The brief warmth that had surfaced earlier—fragile and unsteady, born from old memories, forgotten familiarity, and a flicker of nostalgia she had not expected to feel again—was now completely gone. It had been stripped away so cleanly it was almost unsettling, as if it had never existed at all. In its place remained something firmer, sharper, more grounded, and significantly less forgiving of what she was hearing.“You’re asking me,” she said slowly, deliberately spacing each word as though she was testing whether the sentence itself made sense when spoken aloud, “how you can reunite me with a man who is already married?”Elias remained exactly as he was, seated with quiet control, posture relaxed in a way that suggested ease rather than carelessness. His expression did not shift in

"You haven't even done the work and you're asking for a deposit," Elias replied.Emily folded her arms carefully as she sat across from Elias, her gaze fixed steadily on him.“You’re asking me to involve myself in something extremely delicate,” she said. “And we’ve never worked together before.”Elias leaned back calmly.“And?”Emily tilted her head slightly.“And the only way I can trust that you’re serious,” she continued, “is if part of the money is paid upfront.”For the first time since the negotiation began, Elias narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.“A deposit,” he repeated.Emily nodded without hesitation.“Yes.”Elias studied her carefully.“You haven’t done any work yet,” he pointed out calmly. “Why should I pay before results?”Emily didn’t flinch.“Because I don’t know you,” she replied directly. “And I don’t take verbal promises seriously when this much is involved.”Her tone remained professional, almost legal.“In my line of work,” she added, “agreements are built on proof,

The moment Antonio casually asked whether he could bring his wife along to dinner, Emily felt something twist inside her chest. For a brief second, she simply stared at him. Her smile froze. Not because she hadn't known he was married. She already knew that. Cynthia was hardly a secret. Antonio spoke about her openly, naturally, and without hesitation. Emily had heard her name several times since reconnecting with him. She knew he loved his wife, and she knew their marriage appeared stable. But knowing something intellectually and being confronted with it directly were two different experiences. Hearing him suggest bringing Cynthia to what she had intended to be a personal reunion between them felt like a splash of cold water on carefully built expectations she hadn't fully admitted even to herself. She had imagined the evening differently. Not romantically. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. Still, she had imagined an opportunity for them to reconnect without d

Within a short time, the two huge men helped Antonio to a nearby room. It was one of the rooms in the hotel that housed the restaurant.The hallway was quiet as they guided him along. Most of the guests were gathered in other parts of the building, leaving the corridor nearly empty. Their footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor as they approached the room that had already been prepared.One of the men pulled out a key card and unlocked the door.A soft click sounded.They entered and carefully led Antonio inside.The room was spacious and neatly arranged. A large bed occupied the center, while a small sitting area stood near the window. The curtains were partially drawn, allowing only a faint glow from the city lights outside to filter into the room.As soon as they entered, they carefully laid Antonio on the bed.He remained completely unconscious, breathing steadily as the medication continued to affect him. His chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm. Aside from that, there

Antonio held the phone slightly away from his ear as Cynthia’s voice continued pouring through, sharp with worry and frustration, filling the quiet hotel room with a tension that immediately pulled him further into awareness.“Where have you been since last night?” she asked again, her tone tighter now, almost breaking at the edges. “Do you know how many people I had to call?”Antonio leaned against the edge of the hotel bed, still trying to fully gather his thoughts. His head felt heavy, as though his mind was only partially awake, still trying to connect fragments of the previous night into something coherent.“I’m fine,” he said calmly. “Relax.”“Relax?” Cynthia snapped immediately. “Antonio, you didn’t come home. You didn’t answer your phone for hours. Do you know what I went through?”Antonio sighed slowly, rubbing the side of his forehead as he listened to her rapid breathing through the phone.“I told you, I’m fine.”Cynthia didn’t calm down. If anything, her voice sharpened fu