The elevator hummed softly as it ascended, the sound almost too loud in the heavy silence that had settled over me. The women continued talking, their voices fading into the background, their words blending into indistinct noise as my thoughts spiraled inward.
I couldn't focus.
Not anymore.
Not with this.
My grip tightened slightly against the side of my dress, the silk cool beneath my fingers. I forced myself to breathe slowly, evenly, but it did little to calm the storm building inside me.
If it was Alexander…
My chest ached at the thought, sharp and unexpected.
No. That didn't make sense.
The way he had looked at me. The way he had spoken to me. The quiet moments we had shared over the past months—those weren't lies. They couldn't be.
Could they?
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry.
The elevator slowed.
A soft chime echoed, and the doors slid open smoothly, revealing the upper floor. The lighting here was softer, more subdued, the hallway stretching out in quiet elegance, far removed from the lively energy below.
The two women stepped out first, their laughter spilling lightly into the hallway as they continued their conversation, their heels clicking in sync as they walked away together.
"…I can't wait to see his face when it's announced—"
"…and hers too, imagine—"
Their voices faded into soft giggles as they disappeared down the corridor, leaving behind only the faint trace of their perfume and the echo of their words.
I stepped out a moment later, my movements slower, more deliberate.
And then I stopped.
Right there, just outside the elevator.
The doors slid shut behind me with a quiet finality, the soft click echoing faintly in the stillness of the upper floor.
The silence hit differently here.
No laughter. No clinking glasses. No hum of conversation.
Just… quiet.
And suddenly, everything came rushing in at once.
What am I even doing?
The question hit me hard, sharper than anything else that night.
I stood there, frozen for a moment, my reflection faintly visible in the polished surfaces around me, my heart still beating unevenly in my chest.
What am I doing here?
The mission.
The Quinn family.
The plan to destroy them, to stop everything they stood for, everything they had built on cruelty and power and silence.
That was why I was here.
That was always why I was here.
So why—
Why was my mind so consumed with him?
Why did the thought of this announcement—this possible engagement—feel like it was unraveling something inside me?
I pressed my lips together, my hand tightening slightly at my side.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
I wasn't supposed to feel this way.
I wasn't supposed to care this much.
Alexander was part of this family.
Part of this world.
And yet…
The memories came uninvited. The quiet moments. The way he would look at me when he thought I wasn't paying attention. The softness in his voice when he spoke to me. The way he had held my hand earlier, as if it meant something more than just a passing gesture.
That wasn't fake.
It couldn't be.
But then what was this?
This announcement. This marriage. This alliance.
My chest tightened again, a mix of confusion, frustration, and something deeper, something I didn't want to name.
Why am I like this?
Why am I going all… crazy over him?
I let out a quiet breath, the sound barely audible in the stillness around me.
This wasn't me.
I was supposed to be focused. Calculated. Controlled.
Not standing here, questioning everything because of a man.
Because of him.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, gathering myself, trying to push the thoughts back, to force my mind into clarity again.
This changes nothing.
The mission was still the same.
The Quinn family still needed to be stopped.
Whatever was happening tonight—whatever this announcement meant—it didn't change what I had to do.
And yet…
It felt like it changed everything.
I opened my eyes slowly, the hallway stretching out before me, quiet and waiting.
My reflection stared back at me from a distant polished surface—poised, elegant, composed.
But beneath it, I could feel the cracks forming.
The uncertainty.
The questions I didn't have answers to.
And the one thought that refused to leave.
What if it's him?
I lifted both hands and slapped my cheeks lightly—once, then again, just enough to sting, just enough to snap me out of whatever spiral I was sinking into. The sound echoed faintly in the quiet hallway, sharper than I expected, and I sucked in a breath, forcing myself back into focus.
"Focus," I whispered under my breath, my voice barely audible, but firm enough to anchor me.
This wasn't the time.
Not for confusion.Not for feelings.And definitely not for whatever this… thing with Alexander was doing to my head.
I pressed my lips together, exhaling slowly as I straightened my posture. The soft fabric of my green dress settled against my skin, the diamonds cool against my collarbone as I rolled my shoulders back, grounding myself in the present.
I guess I really was getting stupider than I thought.
The realization came with a sharp edge of frustration. I had trained for this. I had prepared for this. And yet here I was, standing in the upper floors of the Quinn estate, letting emotions cloud my judgment like some naïve girl who had never stepped into danger before.
Pathetic.
I shook my head slightly, dismissing the thought before it could take root. No. I wasn't pathetic. I just needed to get it together.
This mission…
I glanced down the hallway, my eyes narrowing slightly as I scanned every inch of the space before me.
This mission hasn't given me anything.
The thought pressed heavily against my chest. Weeks—months—of careful observation, of living among them, of waiting for the right moment, and still… nothing solid. Nothing concrete. Just fragments, suspicions, and endless second-guessing.
The hallway stretched long and wide, lined with dark polished wood panels that reflected the soft, golden lighting from the wall sconces. The floor beneath my heels was smooth, almost silent now, the faint click of each step muffled by a subtle runner carpet that ran down the center.