CHAPTER-4

Alexa’s heartbeat tightened violently inside her chest.

How did he notice?

From that distance…

From the shadows…

It should have been impossible.

Below, Ryan remained seated calmly beneath the chandelier lights, his dark eyes fixed directly toward the upper corridor where she stood hidden.

As though he could see through the darkness itself.

Kim’s tense voice echoed through the earpiece again.

“Vesper, leave now.”

This time, there was no argument in his tone.

Only urgency.

Kim understood something Alexa had just realized too late.

Ryan Velmore was far more dangerous than the reports described.

The moment Ryan slowly placed the whiskey glass onto the table, several guards immediately began moving through the building.

Searching.

Alexa stepped back instantly.

Her boots moved silently across the narrow corridor as she disappeared deeper into the upper floor before the guards could reach her position.

Meanwhile, from the opposite side of the building, Kim quietly blended himself among the security employees working near the lower hallway.

He kept his head down.

Careful.

Calm.

If Ryan ever discovered his identity tonight, everything would collapse.

And Ryan trusted him too much to suspect betrayal.

That trust was the only reason Kim was still alive.

Meanwhile, Alexa moved quickly through the dim hallway while distant footsteps echoed closer behind her.

She turned the corner sharply—

—and stopped.

A women’s restroom.

Without hesitation, Alexa slipped inside and locked the door quietly behind her.

For a moment, silence filled the room except for her uneven breathing.

Then the restroom door opened again.

One of the female staff members stepped inside, adjusting the badge clipped to her uniform.

Alexa’s eyes immediately shifted toward the woman’s outfit.

An idea formed instantly.

A few minutes later…

The restroom door opened once more.

This time, a tired-looking female employee walked out carrying a cleaning cart through the hallway.

Her hair was tied differently.

Her posture relaxed.

A face mask partially covered her features.

Nothing about her seemed suspicious.

Two guards rushed past her without even looking twice.

“Search the upper floor again!”

“She couldn’t have disappeared!”

Alexa lowered her gaze slightly and continued pushing the cart forward without reacting.

Step by step, she moved deeper into the crowd of employees and workers moving throughout the building.

Invisible.

Untouchable.

From the distant balcony above, Ryan watched the movement below silently.

Then suddenly…

His gaze paused briefly on the woman pushing the cleaning cart.

Something about her felt strange.

Familiar.

But before he could look longer, she disappeared beyond the hallway corner and vanished completely into the night.

The cold night air hit Alexa’s face the moment she finally stepped outside the building.

Only after putting several streets between herself and Ryan Velmore’s territory did she finally slow her pace.

Her heartbeat still hadn’t completely settled.

That man…

Something about him felt deeply unsettling.

Not because he was violent.

But because he noticed things no normal person should notice.

Even now, Alexa could still remember the exact moment his eyes shifted toward the darkness where she had been hiding.

As though he had been staring directly at her all along.

The thought alone made her chest feel strangely heavy.

Pulling her coat tighter around herself, Alexa quietly returned to her apartment before locking the door behind her.

The room was dark and silent.

Safe.

At least for now.

Slowly, she removed the black coat and placed it carefully onto the chair nearby before walking toward the hidden compartment behind the wardrobe.

Click.

The secret section opened once again.

Alexa quietly placed the knife, boots, and black outfit back into their proper places one by one.

Then the compartment closed.

And Vesper disappeared with it.

Buzz.

Her phone screen suddenly lit up.

A private group notification.

Kim: What the hell were you thinking?

Kim: You ignored the withdrawal order.

Kim: Do you even realize what could’ve happened tonight?

Another message appeared instantly.

Kim: If you had reacted one second slower, you would’ve died in there.

Alexa stared silently at the screen.

For once…

She had no response.

Because deep down, she knew Kim was right.

Tonight had gone completely out of control.

And somehow, the most dangerous part wasn’t the guards.

It was Ryan Velmore himself.

Alexa slowly typed a short reply.

Vesper: I know.

After sending the message, she turned off the phone completely and placed it face down on the table.

Silence filled the room again.

A few minutes later, Alexa stepped out wearing soft comfortable clothes, her curls falling naturally around her shoulders once more.

The dangerous woman dressed in black had vanished completely.

Now, she simply looked like an ordinary girl again.

But as Alexa lay down against the bed and closed her eyes…

Ryan’s voice echoed inside her mind once more.

“You’ve been watching long enough.”

Her eyes opened again instantly.

And for the first time in years…

Alexa felt something dangerously unfamiliar.

Fear.

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