Chapter 21: The Shadow on the Pavement
Clara stepped up to the railing of the rooftop garden. The cool night air was a welcome relief after the chaotic whirlwind of pink feathers and Lukas's relentless karaoke performances downstairs. But as her gaze fell to the pavement below, the blood in her veins turned to ice.
There he was.
Standing in the pale, flickering glow of a streetlamp directly opposite the entrance. The man with the hat. He didn't look up; he simply stared at the exit, motionless, like a predator waiting for his prey to emerge.
Has he found me? Is he working for HIM? The mere thought of her ex-husband made her throat tighten until she could barely breathe. Or was it a paparazzo, looking to sell Ariadne's true identity for a few million won?
She recoiled, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She couldn't keep running forever. She had to know who he was. Lukas? No. Lukas would immediately cause a dramatic scene, which would blow her cover in seconds. Min-ho? Too dangerous. If he learned the truth about her flight before she had a chance to explain, he might despise her forever.
There was only one person she could call now. Someone who had saved her neck more than once in the past, even if their connection was... complicated. This person was the only human being capable of rivaling Lukas in terms of sheer stubbornness and pride—a fact that had led to explosive friction over the years. The two of them couldn't even be in the same room without the air catching fire, and Clara had often found herself caught in the crossfire as they vied for her attention.
She hadn't dialed this number in a long time, desperate to maintain the fragile peace she had built. But now, she had no choice. With trembling fingers, she unlocked her phone and opened the messenger app.
"I need you. It's happened—I'm being followed. Please, come from Berlin to Seoul as fast as you can. I can't handle this alone. – Clara."
She hit send and stared at the display until the message was marked as "delivered." A cold shiver ran down her spine. She knew she was triggering a diplomatic earthquake. If Lukas found out she had reached out to this person of all people—and secretly, no less—the set of "Ariadne" would descend into absolute chaos.
But as she looked back down at the dark street, where the man in the hat waited patiently in the shadows, she knew one thing for certain: To fight the devil, she needed someone even more ruthless.