𝑈𝑔ℎℎ. 𝑀𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑠. I got out of bed, feeling the heavy weight of material around my body. 𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎 𝑤𝑒𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠? I thought to myself as I looked through the mirror. I rubbed my face only for my eyes to stumble on...
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I sat at my desk, sifting through paperwork, the usual routine meant to keep my mind off Sophia's distance. I was barely paying attention when Malik entered without a knock, closing the door behind him.
"Got a situation," Malik said flatly, his face set with a hardened look. "Border's been breached."
Nico's jaw clenched, but his face remained impassive. "Who?"
"Unmarked group. The kind that doesn't care about rules," Malik replied, a faint smirk playing at his lips. "They were intercepted but didn't make it easy. Left a few reminders behind." He tossed a crumpled map onto my desk, the edges singed and marked with notes in sharp black ink.
Nico leaned back in his chair, assessing Malik with a narrowed gaze. "You sound like you enjoyed it."
Malik shrugged. "Couldn't help myself."
"What's our next move?"
"Waiting on you. We can either hit back harder or... let them try something stupid again."
"Let them sweat a little," I said, the edges of his mouth curling into a dangerous smile. "They'll make a move if they're desperate. We'll be ready."
Malik nodded, eyes glinting with something dark, but before either could continue, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen, my brows knitting together. The bank? I rarely got calls from them directly.
"This better be important," I muttered, picking up.
"Mr. Vasilios, we have Mrs Vasilios here attempting a ten million dollar withdrawal. We just need your confirmation to proceed."
A 10 million dollar withdrawal?
My grip tightened on the phone. "Put her on."
There was a pause, then the sound of Sophia's faint breathing on the other end. But she didn't say anything. Silence.
"Sophia." I kept my voice steady, though every nerve was on edge, demanding an explanation. "What are you doing?"
Nothing. Not a single word. Just the faint shuffle of the receiver on the other end. She wasn't going to answer me. She was there, clearly listening, but I could almost feel the wall she'd built between us, stronger than ever.
"Are you leaving?"
A hundred questions crossed my mind, each one colliding against the last. I glanced up at Malik, who watched me carefully, waiting, probably reading the situation better than I wanted him to.
"Give the phone back to the manager," I said, exhaling slowly.
There was a brief shuffle before the manager's voice came on, polite and a little tense. "Yes, sir?"
"Do everything she asks," I instructed, voice like steel. "And make sure there are no issues on your end."
