Evelyn sat frozen behind her large oak desk, the harsh light from above casting sharp shadows across her pale face. Her hands shook as she clutched the medical file, the bold black letters of the test results blurring before her eyes. Shock showed in every line of her face. Her usually calm and composed expression was broken, revealing raw disbelief. She blinked once, twice, but the words on the page stayed the same. The room felt heavy and suffocatingly quiet, except for the faint hum of the air conditioner. Inside Evelyn’s mind, however, panic and confusion roared so loudly it drowned out all reason.Marcus, the head of security, stood stiffly by the door, his usually calm face showing cracks of worry. In over a decade of working under Evelyn; through corporate espionage, threats, and crises, he had never seen her like this. The news of John’s failed plan had shaken her deeply. Her unshakable confidence seemed shattered like glass, leaving her looking vulnerable in a way that made e

The dim light in the motel room flickered like a weak, dying heartbeat, throwing long, shaky shadows across the cracked, peeling wallpaper. Evelyn, Marcus, and Hannah stood frozen, their hands raised high in surrender. The air felt heavy, filled with the sharp smell of gun oil and fear. Shirley and Creed, standing side by side with two large men at their backs, had finally pulled out their guns—sleek, black pistols that glinted coldly under the buzzing light. The barrels were steady, aimed straight at their heads, like the killers had practiced this moment countless times.Marcus’s heart thudded hard in his chest, his pulse roaring in his ears as he searched desperately for a way out of this nightmare. He swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped forward a little, his movements slow, his voice shaking but firm, careful not to do anything that might get them all shot."Wait, wait—please, just listen to me," Marcus begged, his eyes flicking nervously between Shirley and Creed. "You d

The man in the red suit stood by the tall window, his hands clasped neatly behind his back, staring out at the moonlit cityscape. The faint glow of streetlights below barely touched his sharp silhouette, his tailored suit catching faint glints of crimson under the dim light. His presence radiated authority, stillness, and quiet danger. The room was silent save for the ticking of an ornate clock on the wall, the kind of silence that was heavy, calculated, and suffocating. Then came a soft but firm knock on the door.“Come in,” the man said, his deep voice smooth, composed, yet carrying an unmistakable edge.The door opened, and Jake, the man in the dark coat who had been in and out of this office earlier, stepped inside. His face was calm, though his words carried the tension of bad news cloaked in grim amusement.“It seems Richard’s men are quite dumber than we thought,” Jake said with a faint smirk, closing the door behind him.The man in the red suit finally turned slightly, one sha

The room seemed to breathe with a strange silence, the kind that presses against the skin like damp air before a storm. Evelyn’s gaze locked on Marcus, her eyes sharp, calculating, searching his face as though she could carve out the truth from the tension coiled in his jaw. There was something in his expressionthat made her heart beat unevenly.For a moment, Hannah seemed to forget the bitter quarrel that had sparked between her and Evelyn only minutes earlier. The lines of anger that had cut across her features softened, confusion seeping in to replace them. She stepped forward, her voice low but steady, carrying a question that hovered like smoke in the air.“Marcus…” Hannah swallowed, her throat tight, her eyes darting between him and Evelyn. “Is there something about John’s death that we don’t know about?”Marcus didn’t flinch. His eyes, dark and unreadable, shifted to Hannah, then back to Evelyn. He gave a single, deliberate nod, the movement slow, almost reluctant.“John’s deat

The weight of Marcus’s words lingered in the air long after they had been spoken. Evelyn and Hannah sat frozen, each trying to wrestle with the impossible revelation that John had not only orchestrated his own death but had risen again. Their eyes flickered with disbelief, each glance between them a mirror of the other’s turmoil.“I know it’s hard to believe,” Marcus said at last, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees, his voice low and steady, “but everything I’ve told you is true. After the encounter John had with the old woman, he told me to protect the two of you from whatever danger might come. He knew Richard wouldn’t stop after that day.”Evelyn’s lips parted slightly, her eyes narrowing as though she were trying to stitch sense into something that defied all logic. Hannah, on the other hand, inhaled sharply and shook her head. “But why didn’t you tell us?” she demanded, her voice breaking, her eyes burning with anger and grief. “After John was shot on the podium and h