Chapter 7 - THE ASSASSIN IN THE DARK The first bullet shattered a window.
Mateo pushed Isabella to the floor.
Glass exploded across the room.
Security guards rushed through the doors.
The attackers vanished before anyone could catch them.
But they had left something behind.
A black thorn symbol carved into the wooden desk.
Isabella stared at it.
"Why didn't they kill me?"
Mateo examined the room.
"They wanted us to know they could."
A warning.
Not an assassination.
A message.
Later that night, Isabella couldn't sleep.
She stood by the window, watching the city.
For years, she had dreamed of escaping poverty.
Now she had escaped it.
And discovered that poverty had never been her greatest prison.
Fear was.
Mateo joined her.
"You should rest."
"Everyone keeps telling me what I should do."
He stopped.
She turned toward him.
"I'm sorry."
"No."
He smiled slightly.
"You don't need to apologize."
"I've been controlled my entire life."
"I know."
"I don't want that anymore."
Mateo nodded.
"Then I won't control you."
A quiet moment passed.
Their eyes met.
Something unspoken settled between them.
But before either could say anything, Mateo's phone rang.
A message.
ONE OF YOUR PEOPLE IS A TRAITOR.
Mateo looked at Isabella.
She understood immediately.
May you like
Someone close to them was feeding Silas information.
And suddenly, everyone became a suspect.
Related Stories
