VENGEANCE IN THE SHADOWS [KIM MINGYU]

{15} Veils of Deception

Chapter 15

"Veils of Deception"

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As Alara left her father's mansion, an odd sense of unease clung to her. She noticed the guards in black suits nodding as she passed, their stoic faces giving nothing away.

It was routine, but today, everything felt heavier, like a shadow following her even in broad daylight.

Her father's words lingered there was a subtle intensity in how he spoke, as though he had a plan that went beyond what he shared with her.

She couldn't shake the feeling that, while he showered her with luxuries, there was a deeper expectation beneath it all.

Sliding into her car, Alara let out a soft sigh, turning her mind to the strange events that had started to weave their way into her life. There were the unknown calls that had been coming every night, at odd hours when the city was asleep and the world felt unnervingly silent.

The messages, too cryptic, sometimes just a single line or word, as if they were testing her reaction. They had started out seemingly harmless, but lately, they were tinged with something darker, more invasive.

It was as though someone was peering through the cracks in her life, watching her every move.

As she drove through the city, weaving past the gleaming high rises and further into the calm of the hills, she tapped the console to activate Ava.

"Hey, Lulu," Ava's light, familiar voice greeted her, filling the car with a soothing hum.

Alara managed a small, tense smile. "You know, sometimes I think my life's been hacked, Ava," she murmured, her eyes focused on the winding road ahead.

"It's like... everything is being controlled. Like with Raiden and everything else. Doesn't it feel strange?"

Ava's calm voice responded cheerfully, "Would you like a detailed report of unusual activities in your life for the past few days, Lulu?"

Alara chuckled softly, though her laugh lacked its usual carefree tone. "If only it were that simple. It's not just about tracking activities. It's... it's like something in my life has shifted, and I can't quite put my finger on it."

She glanced at the hills stretching out beyond her windshield, feeling the quiet of the landscape. It was beautiful, serene even, but the isolation of the drive only seemed to deepen her unease.

The calls, the messages, the subtle shifts in her father's demeanor they all seemed to be leading toward something, and she felt like a mere passenger in her own story.

Ava, observing her expression through the rearview mirror, replied thoughtfully, "Perhaps your hesitation stems from the fact that, deep down, you know you value freedom, Lulu. Maybe that's what's troubling you the idea that someone else might be shaping your life, no matter how glittering it may seem."