I finally arrive in front of the hotel.
My heart is pounding so hard I feel like it's going to burst out of my chest.
I quickly pay the taxi driver, my hand trembling, and head toward the reception.
— Hello… I would like to see Mr. Malik Belrose.
My voice is weak. Fragile.
The receptionist checks her screen and gives me a professional smile.
— Yes, Mr. Belrose is here. But… he is accompanied.
Accompanied.
The word hits me like a blow.
By whom?
My stomach tightens, but I force a smile, thank her, and head toward the elevator.
The doors close.
The ride to the floor feels endless.
Every second weighs too heavily.
I keep telling myself I need to speak to him.
He needs to know.
He needs to help me understand what's happening to me.
When the doors open, my heart tightens even more.
I walk down the corridor.
Then I stop dead in my tracks.
His door is slightly ajar.
I raise my hand to knock…
When I hear my name.
— Esther was a mission. But not anymore.
I freeze.
Mission…?
My legs go weak.
The air leaves my lungs.
Another voice resonates.
Masculine. Harsh.
— But your father wants the job finished in three days. Otherwise, he'll take drastic measures.
Drastic measures…
My blood runs cold.
What did that mean?
What were they planning to do to me?
I press a hand to my mouth to stifle a trembling breath.
Malik's voice returns, lower, tense.
— Let him take them then! I can't anymore. I'm stopping here.
A silence.
Then he adds, as if forcing the words out of his chest:
— It's true… the mission was to seduce Esther. To make her vulnerable. Then destroy her. Destroy her… and her father. But I can't. I can't do it anymore.
My heart explodes.
Seduce.
Manipulate.
Destroy.
Me.
From the beginning…
Everything was fake?
Every glance. Every smile. Every whispered promise. Everything.
I feel like the ground is slipping beneath me.
I cling to the wall, unable to stand.
Why me…?
Why us…?
What did my father do to make me a target?
Malik's voice returns one last time.
Bitter. Almost broken.
— The conflict between my father and Esther's father doesn't concern us! We don't have to suffer because of their mistakes!
Mistakes. Secrets. Lies.
And me, stuck in the middle of it all…
Like a puppet being pulled by invisible strings.
This time, it's too much.
I spin around so fast I almost fall.
I don't even feel my tears falling.
I leave the hotel almost running, breathing as if I'm suffocating.
The world around me becomes blurred.
The cars.
The voices.
The wind.
I don't hear anything anymore.
Just one word.
Again.
And again.
Mission.