Mine

Chapter 34

The sleek wooden table was piled with them, dozens of photos lay scattered across it, each one capturing her in different moments. Some candid, some from the security feeds he had access to, others taken up close, intimate. Taehyung leaned back in his chair, one hand absently tracing the edge of a picture where she was smiling, oblivious to the web tightening around her.

A low hum echoed in his ear from the earpiece as the call connected. He didn't bother with pleasantries. "I have a job for you" his voice was smooth. "There's a girl. Lee Cherry." He plucked a photo from the pile, dragging his thumb across her image before flicking it aside. "Put her on the list. Make it real, no staged games, no easy escapes. I want her in the system, marked as cargo."

A pause. Then, a voice on the other end responded. "That's... high risk. There would be no u-turns, You sure?"

His fingers curled around the edge of the table, his jaw ticking. "Do I sound unsure?" His tone dipped, dark and unwavering. "I'll handle the cleanup when the time comes. Just make sure she's taken."

Another beat of silence. Then, a reluctant agreement. "Understood. I'll make the arrangements."

The call cut, but he remained still, eyes flickering over the photos once more. A smirk played at the corner of his lips as he picked up the image he had pushed aside, tapping it against the table.

"It's time for your knight in shining armor to step out of the shadows, baby girl."

He leaned back, dragging a slow breath through his nose as he twirled the photo between his fingers. His gaze flicked to the dim glow of the city skyline beyond the window, the distant hum of traffic sat in great comparison to the chaos he was about to set in motion.

It wouldn't be long now.

She had spent too much time feeling safe, too much time believing she could keep her secrets buried. But fear... fear was a powerful thing.

It stripped people bare, made them desperate, and made them talk. And if Raven was watching as closely as Taehyung suspected, then he'd make sure she had a reason to crawl out of whatever hole she was hiding in.

He let out a quiet chuckle, resting his elbow on the table as he propped his chin against his knuckles. "Let's see who comes running first, hmm?"

With one last glance at the scattered photos, he reached for his lighter. The flame flared to life, licking hungrily at the edges of one picture, the one where a hooded figure was captured through a security survillence. It was her! The one he was blood thirsty for! The one who was the ticket to his success putting an end to his image of being a failure!

He watched as the fire curled and blackened the edges, consuming the printed image.

Soon, she'd have nowhere left to hide.

—----------------------------------------------------

She wandered through the halls, fingers grazing over the smooth wooden railings as she let out a breath. Resting. Recovering. Sitting still. None of it felt natural to Maria. She wasn't used to having such a luxury in her life.

The stillness made her uneasy. The silence, the absence of chaos, left too much room for her thoughts to creep in. And, that was a very scary place to be in.

She wasn't meant for this kind of life, lying in bed like some delicate thing that needed sheltering. Her body was tired, yes, but the restlessness ran deeper. It clawed at her, urging her to move, to do something.

The house was eerily quiet, save for the occasional creak of the wooden floor beneath her feet. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting long shadows across the hallways.