Chapter 107: A Devil In disguise 2

SAMANTHA

He didn’t look convinced. She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.

“We’ve come this far,” she said. “You think I didn’t account for things going wrong? You think this was all built on one outcome?”

“That’s not what this feels like,” he muttered.

“That’s because you’re scared.” His expression hardened at that.

“And you’re not?” he asked.

Samantha didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she held his gaze, steady and unflinching.

“Fear doesn’t change anything,” she said at last. “Action does.”

The silence that followed was different this time. He wasn’t agreeing, but he wasn’t arguing either…That was enough.

“Did you bring it?” she asked.

Marcus hesitated..Then, slowly, he reached into his coat. When his hand came back out, there was a dagger in it.

It was simple in design, but sharp enough that even the dim light caught along its edge. It had a bit of a red stain around its handle.

Samantha’s eyes flickered briefly to it before returning to his face.

“Good,” she said.

She took it from him without hesitation, her fingers closing around the hilt with a familiarity that suggested this wasn’t new to her.

Marcus watched her carefully. “What are you planning to do with that?” he asked.

Samantha turned the blade slightly, inspecting it. “For now?” she said. “Nothing.”

That didn’t reassure him. “Then why—”

“Because sometimes,” she cut in, glancing at him briefly, “not acting is the best move.”

She lowered the dagger to her side..“We pause,” she continued. “We let things settle before we finish this.”

Marcus frowned, not liking her last statement, not like she said he was in this too.

“And Aria?” he asked.

Samantha’s expression didn’t change. “For now,” she said, “we leave her alone.”

The answer seemed to surprise him. “You’re serious?”

She nodded once. “Yes.”

“And if she talks?”

Samantha’s grip on the dagger tightened slightly. “Then we’ll handle it when it happens.”

He studied her for a long moment. “You’re taking a risk,” he said.

She met his gaze evenly. “I always do.”

That didn’t sit well with him, but he didn’t argue further. Not this time.

“Go,” she said after a moment.

Marcus hesitated again, then turned and walked toward the door.

He paused just before stepping out.

“This isn’t over,” he said without looking back.

Samantha’s lips curved faintly. “I know.”

The door closed behind him and just like that, she was alone again.

For a moment, she didn’t move. Then she looked down at the dagger in her hand.

“Not yet,” she murmured. “This is not yet over."

The woods were quieter than usual.

Samantha moved through them without hesitation, her steps light against the uneven ground as shadows stretched between the trees.

The air was cooler here, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and something older, something deeper that lingered beneath the surface.

She didn’t rush, this time there was no need to.

By the time she reached the spot she wanted, the light had already begun to thin, fading just enough to leave the forest in that strange in-between where everything felt less certain.

She crouched down, brushing aside loose soil with her hand..For a second, she simply stared at the ground. Then she drove the dagger into it.

The motion was quick and decisive. She covered it just as easily, packing the dirt back into place until there was no sign it had ever been disturbed.

When she stood, her hands were slightly dirty, but she didn’t bother brushing them clean immediately.

“For now,” she said quietly, almost to herself, “we stop.”

Her gaze lifted, scanning the trees around her and that was when she felt it…It was not a sound or movement but she couldn't deny that

subtle, but undeniable feeling of being watched.

Samantha stilled. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she turned her head just enough to catch the faintest flicker of motion behind her.

Someone was there! She thought to herself panicking.

The realization settled quickly, her mind already adjusting. She didn’t react immediately; instead, she took a single step forward, as if she hadn’t noticed. Then another.

Behind her, there was a sudden rustle.

“You." She stuttered in shock.

Her gaze locked onto the figure just as they broke into a run between the trees. It was the guard from earlier…

The same she had sent to call Marcus. She recognized him even from a distance.

For a second, she simply watched him. Then her lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile

"I am …I am sorry, I won't tell—”

She didn't wait for him to finish the statement as she lurched at him with one swift unexpected move.

Soon, she was dragging his lifeless body away close to a ravine.