Luku moved to Lara's side, his breath catching the moment he saw her up close. Her skin was frighteningly pale, almost colorless, and his eyes were drawn to the dark stains of dried blood along her lower stomach. The sight sent a jolt of shock straight through him.

  "Don't worry," his master said evenly. "She isn't dying today."

  The words carried a steady, grounding weight, easing the tightness in the room—if only slightly.

  But Luku's hands clenched at his sides, fingers curling into tight fists. Anger trembled through him, raw and barely contained.

  "Who did this to Lady Lara?" he asked. His voice shook, not with fear—but with fury.

  A little hint of guilt shot at the Fei's mind.

  "That's not important anymore," his master replied, brushing the question aside. "Did you prepare the contract?"

  "Yes." Luku straightened at once, the tension in his voice giving way to something brighter. "Mr. and Mrs. Stone are on their way here right now. They wished to speak with you personally, Master."

  For the first time since he had entered the room, a hint of relief—and even happiness—colored Luku's expression, as if this development finally promised some measure of order after the chaos.

  "Let's not have this discussion here, especially with their parents," his master said quietly. "There's a café down the block. We'll talk there."

  "Understood, Master. I'll inform them right away—please excuse me for a moment."

  Luku gave a brief bow, then turned and stepped out of the room, the door closing softly behind him as he went to make the arrangements.

  Silence settled over the room after Luku left, heavy and unmoving. It lingered in the quiet hum of the monitors, in the still forms of Alcy and Lara—

  —and until Fei finally broke it.

  "I—"

  "You are to remain quiet and observe." His interruption was swift, the words clipped and final.

  "Y-you can't boss me around, kid!" Fei snapped back, flustered. "I'm the adult here!"

  The protest burst out of her, sharp but shaky, more embarrassment than authority behind it as the silence closed in once again.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "You are my hostage," he replied sharply, the words leaving no room for argument.

  Fei stiffened. Any retort she had died in her throat. She looked away, lips pressed into a thin line, and muttered a quiet grumble she couldn't quite suppress.

  A sudden knock broke the tension. The door opened, and Luku stepped back inside—this time with someone else.

  A stunning woman entered with him, her presence immediately commanding the room without a single word spoken.

  "Finally. You're here, Sele," he said casually, as if this were nothing more than a long-awaited appointment finally kept.

  "My, oh my... would you look at that."

  She let out a light chuckle, her eyes glinting with recognition as they settled on him. "Five years since we last met, and you haven't aged a bit. Guess you really did find immortality, huh, Muuey?"

  Both Luku and Fei jolted at her words, the air in the room shifting instantly.

  "Immortality?" Luku blurted out, disbelief flooding his face as he turned toward his master. "Master... is that true?"

  The thought seemed to strike him all at once. His eyes widened further, voice rising as realization set in. "Wait— I've known you since I was ten. How is it that you haven't aged at all!?"

  The question hung there, heavy and unavoidable, as silence pressed in once more.

  “Ms. Sele, she—”

  Before Luku could finish, his phone rang. The sound cut sharply through the room, abrupt and insistent. He froze for a beat, then quickly checked the screen.

  “I’ve got a message,” he said, looking up. “Mr. Stone says they’re already at the café. They’re waiting for you.” He hesitated, then added, “They don’t feel very comfortable there and asked that we hurry.”

  The urgency in his voice lingered in the air, pulling attention away from Lara and back to the matter waiting just outside the hospital walls.

  Muuey rose to his feet. “Let’s go.”

  Luku immediately moved ahead, opening the way. As they prepared to leave the room, Fei hesitated, uncertainty tightening her chest.

  “What about—”

  “Stay,” Muuey cut her off, his tone final. He glanced toward Sele. “We’re counting on you.”

  Sele waved a hand lightly, a crooked smile touching her lips. “Of course. This ain’t my first rodeo.”

  With that, Muuey and Luku stepped out, the door closing behind them—leaving Fei behind with Sele, the quiet of the room settling in once more.

  “Well then,” Sele said lightly, breaking the stillness, “time to get to work.”

  She slipped her coat from her shoulders and tossed it over the chair Muuey had been sitting in, the motion practiced and unhurried. Then she turned her attention fully to Lara.

  With careful hands, Sele pulled back the sheets covering her, exposing the extent of her injuries. Her expression shifted—no jokes now, no smirk—only sharp focus as her eyes traced the pale skin and the bloodied wound.

  Fei watched in tense silence as Sele leaned closer, already assessing, already moving as if this was something she had done countless times before.

  Fei’s thoughts twisted sharply inward.

  Now’s my chance.

  Her posture shifted, subtle but unmistakable. A cold glare slid from her eyes to Sele’s back, hard and calculating, stripped of hesitation.

  I just have to kill them. Here and now.

  Her fingers curled slowly, pulse hammering in her ears. Then I run.

  The room felt suddenly smaller, tighter—as if the air itself sensed what she was about to do.

  The steady beep-beep-beep of Lara’s heart monitor felt like a countdown. Sele was focused, her hands steady, her guard completely down. Fei’s shadow stretched across the floor, inching toward the woman’s exposed neck. One strike. That was all it would take to end this nightmare and get back to her kids.

  Fei is about to make a move! Do you think she can actually take down Sele?