21

**AMELIA'S POV**

“When do we leave?”

Carlos glanced at his watch. “Now. Valentino’s hosting a big meeting tonight. We need the device in place before it starts.”

Martin led the way, his silence somehow more unnerving than Carlos’s playful quips. In the car, he explained the plan in short, clipped sentences. The mission sounded simple enough—too simple.

When we arrived at the estate, the place was lit up like a palace. Guards were stationed everywhere, making my stomach churn.

“How are we supposed to get in?” I asked.

Carlos pulled out an ID badge. “We’ve got someone on the inside. This will get us through.”

Sure enough, we breezed past the checkpoints, flashing the badge like it was a golden ticket. Inside, the mansion was all marble floors and glittering chandeliers, but the tension in the air was thick.

Carlos laid out the final steps. “You’ll sneak in through a ventilation shaft to get to the meeting room. Plant the device, crack the code, and get out.”

“Sounds simple,” I muttered, though i wasn’t so sure about what i just said.

“It’s not,” Carlos warned. “After gaining access to the front door of the meeting room, you'll have to crack the security code to get inside. Valentino takes security very seriously. I’ll stay outside and provide backup if needed"

The car rolled to a stop at the entrance of the estate, the gates towering before us like sentinels guarding a fortress. My heart thudded in my chest as I clutched the ID card. Martin moved first, his stride steady and unyielding, and I forced my legs to follow.

We passed through the gates without a hitch, flashing the ID card as if we belonged here. Just as Carlos had said, gaining access was easy—a fact that should’ve comforted me but didn’t. The mansion loomed ahead, its opulent exterior a stark contrast to the darkness I knew waited inside.

The hallways were eerily silent, each step amplifying the tension pressing down on me. My palms were damp, and I tried to focus on the mission, on each precise movement that would get us closer to our goal. The shadows seemed to shift with every flicker of light, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched.

We reached the restroom without incident. Martin opened the door swiftly, and we slipped inside. The cool air hit my face, a brief reprieve from the heat of my nerves. My eyes scanned the ceiling until I spotted it—the ventilation grille, small and inconspicuous, just as described. Martin pointed it out, his silent nod urging me to act.

I dragged a chair beneath the panel, my movements quick but careful, i needed to get out of here as soon as possible, i don’t know why but i have a bad feeling about all of these. If i eventually make it out of here alive, I’m charging kai double. Martin steadied the chair as I worked, and within seconds, the panel was loose. Dark and narrow, the crawl space beyond looked anything but inviting. Martin handed me a flashlight, the small beam slicing through the gloom, and I hoisted myself up.

The ducts were cramped, the metal walls pressing in on me as I crawled forward, following Martin’s lead. The sound of my own breathing filled the space, mingling with the faint hum of machinery somewhere below. Every shift of the metal beneath me sent a jolt of anxiety through my body, but I forced myself to focus.

Finally, we reached the point above the meeting room. Martin gestured for me to go first, and I removed the grille with care, lowering myself onto the thick carpet below. The softness muffled my landing, but my nerves were anything but quiet. I moved quickly to the control panel by the wall, disarming the security system with practiced precision. The device hummed softly under my touch, the sequence of buttons an almost hypnotic rhythm.

Martin stood by the door to keep watch while i work, but that was not enough to gurantee me of my safety. I pulled out my laptop and other devices, my fingers trembling as I connected it to the system. The codes blurred before my eyes, but I pushed through, each keystroke drawing me closer to success.

Then it happened. My elbow brushed a button I hadn’t noticed.

The lights snapped on, flooding the hallway with an unforgiving brightness. In a split second, the alarms blared, their piercing wails echoing through the mansion. My heart dropped as the sound reverberated in my ears.

Chaos erupted. Guards poured into the corridor, their boots pounding against the polished floors. Shouts filled the air, orders and confusion blending into a cacophony. My pulse raced as Martin moved to intercept the nearest threat.

Seizing the moment, I slipped into a darkened doorway, my breath ragged as I tried to steady myself. The alarms weren’t just noise; they were a countdown, each second drawing us closer to being caught.

I heard him before I saw him. Valentino. His voice was as cold as steel, each word sharp enough to cut through the chaos.

“Drop the gun and put your hands above your head.”

Peeking through the crack in the door, I saw Martin slowly comply, his weapon clattering to the floor. My breath hitched as Valentino stepped closer, the gun in his hand pointed towards martin.

“Who else are you here with?” Valentino’s tone was low, deadly.

“I’m here alone,” Martin replied, his voice calm despite the gun pressed to his head.

Valentino’s sharp gaze darted to the floor, landing on the scattered hacking tools. He pieced it together quickly, his mind working faster than I could comprehend, and I could see the realization dawning in his eyes.

There was someone else. Me.

"Who sent you?" Valentino demanded, his voice cutting through the wailing alarms like a blade. I knew Martin would never answer. The rules were ironclad—no operative ever uttered Kai’s name under interrogation. To do so was a death sentence, if not from the captors, then from Kai himself. Kai didn’t tolerate loose ends, and anyone who jeopardized his operations never lived to tell the tale.

"Just kill me already," Martin spat, his voice steady, defiant. "Keeping me alive is a waste of time because I'll never be of help to you."

I could barely breathe as Valentino tilted his head, assessing the futility of pressing further. Then, without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

The gunshot rang out, sharp and final. My heart seized in my chest as I watched Martin collapse, his body crumpling to the floor. A strangled gasp escaped me, barely audible over the alarms, but enough. Valentino’s head snapped toward the shadows where I hid, his cold, calculating eyes narrowing.

No.

My pulse thundered in my ears as his footsteps echoed closer, deliberate and unrelenting. Every step sent a shiver down my spine, the walls of the corridor closing in, suffocating me. My body refused to move, locked in place as fear wrapped its icy fingers around me. Memories surged like a flood, drowning me in the past.

The sound of the gunshot wasn’t just in the present; it dragged me back to the night I lost my father, the image of his lifeless body flashed in my mind. The same helplessness, the same cold reality of death, paralyzed me. My legs felt like lead, my lungs refused to draw in air, and my thoughts were a chaotic storm of terror and grief.

Run. Run. RUN.

But I couldn’t. martin was lying in a pool of his own blood, and this was all my fault, it was as a result of my clumsiness. He had shielded me with his life, and now I was leaving him behind? The thought clawed at me, tearing at my resolve. I couldn’t abandon him like this, couldn’t leave him to be just another casualty that lost their life because of a stupid person.

Tears blurred my vision, my breath hitching as Valentino drew closer. Then, out of nowhere, a hand clamped over my mouth, cutting off my shaky exhale. Another arm came around my waiste, locking me in a vice-like grip.

I couldn’t shout, nor move.