A Royal Espionage (Reale Series #1)

KABANATA XVII

EMILY'S POINT OF VIEW

It's been a week since I started working at the Kuznetsov, yet I still haven't uncovered any real information about them. Ngunit bumabagabag pa rin sa aking isipan kung ano nga ba ang mayroon sa tabi ng elevator na 'yon. Kaya naisipan ko na this night ay pupuntahan ko iyon. Every night, my curiosity grows, each passing hour tempting me to investigate.

I turn off my lights and grab my cellphone, checking for any hidden cameras that may be planted in my room. I slowly take the camera across every angle of the room, sweeping even the ceiling and hidden corners. Yet, wala akong nakitang kakaiba roon, even in places like the mirror and the lamp,no sign of hidden cameras. Weird.

It's strange, because I thought for sure they would have placed a hidden camera here to monitor me. But there's nothing. Well, that's better. I sit down, switch on my lamp, and open my laptop. I remove every tracking device they could use to detect what I'm doing, taking extra precautions, and I send the information I've gathered so far to IPC. I double-check everything before I hit send, then erase any trace of it from my device.

Just then, my emergency phone buzzes from under my pillow. It's a message from Rishe, agent IPC-Raven.
"Check the room; something's weird on it."

My eyes widen at the text. Weird on it? Has he been here already? No, that's impossible. How could he-

"I was the guy you bumped into earlier," he sends, shocking me even more. So he is here? But why? Wasn't he with Nixen on another mission?

"Why? What happened? May nakita ka ba?" I reply, half-worried.

"I set a hidden camera, but I can't see what is he doin'. He's wearing a long coat and hoodie, and he's with someone. I overheard them talking about the chip," he texts back.

I delete our conversation immediately and tell Rishe to make sure our messages stay undetectable. I quickly turn off my phone and laptop, then slip on my tiny earrings with the hidden recorder. Tying my hair up in a ponytail, I slowly open the door and peek outside.

Alam kong safe ang paglabas ko dahil sinabi na rin ni Rishe na na-hack na niya ang lahat ng CCTV sa grande palace, kaya mabilis niyang naiibalik ang oras kung saan hindi pa ako nakakalabas. Habang nasa hallway ako, alam kong tulog na ang iba dahil nga ala-una na ng hatinggabi.

Dumaan ako sa exit upang malaya akong makakadaan doon nang hindi mapansin na may dumaan sa elevator. I check if anyone is on the way up, but it's all clear. I'm used to maneuvering through tall spaces, so I grab the stair railing, swing myself over, and drop down gracefully to the floor below.

Once I reach the ground, I make my way to the elevator. I put on a cap and mask to avoid being recognized. As I approach the side of the elevator, I finally confirm my suspicions,a hidden door in the wall, cleverly disguised, and obstructed by an ornate table with valuable jars on display. I carefully lift one of the jars, checking beneath it, and, as I thought, there it is.

I press a concealed button, and a code panel lights up in front of me. From my cap, I pull out a small detection flashlight to test for fingerprints on the buttons, hoping it'll reveal which numbers they pressed. Sure enough, there they are.

Just as I'm about to press the sequence, I hear voices approaching, close enough that I can feel my pulse quicken. I quickly press the button to make the panel vanish again, and I slip back out of sight.

I'll just give the password I found here to Rishe. Nixen can get the rest of the information. I remove my cap and mask as I head back up the hallway towards my room. Quietly, I turn the door handle and slip back inside, breathing a sigh of relief.