STON

y piece of art, every thread of the expensive rugs screamed Jakob's lies. I walked through

ent footsteps echoed in the foyer. My heart didn't flutter; it seized, a k

into the living room, shedding his expensive jacket, his eyes sweeping over me with a possessive gaze. "You look... pensive. Lon

pulling away subtly. "The g

er." He walked to the bar, pouring himself a drink. "Here, you look like you need something to unwind.

gut screamed. My mind flashed back to Alden' s wor

keep my voice light. "I' m not reall

ense. You' ve been stressed. One small nightcap won' t hurt. Come on, for me."

p. The liquid slid down my throat, coating it with a strange, metallic aftertaste. A wave

round my waist. The touch was repulsive. "You' l

my mind foggy. I dimly registered him helping me into bed, his s

hind my eyes. My body felt heavy, alien. A sense of unease, a feeling of bei

then clearer. They were coming from the

painfully, I sat up. My gaze fell on the small, framed photo on my bedside table-a picture of Jakob and me, smiling, arm i

larger than a pinpoint, wired to a tiny transmitter. My blood ran cold. They were watching me. N

. I fumbled for my phone, my fingers clumsy. With shaking hands, I carefully detached the device, then, usi

pposite him, cool and collected. And then, I saw them. Two other men, faces vaguely familiar from company events, laughing, their eyes predatory. And a woman. A beautiful, s

voice sharp. "That sedative you gave her l

be sleeping until noon. Wouldn't want he

nged, calculated incapacitation. And they had been doing this for a

nce of Clara' s 'corporate espionage' – doctored emails, fabricated transfers to offshore acc

the room, over my things, with undisguised conte

ant. I told her I didn' t want kids. She

rjected. He was eyeing the camera, a smirk on his face. "A pre

the gala, after she' s publicly discredited, a little... 'accident' will take c

t planning to ruin me. They were

camera lens, "once she' s 'gone,' her assets can be liquidated

uss that later. There' s a certain clientele interested in..

ed into the frame. He carried a small, medical-looking bag. "T

eyes. "Our little artist needs to be... prepared

mind reeled.

"Clientele are highly interested in a woman of her... background. An

't just killing me; they were selling me. Selling my body, my ver

preading across her face, "is that she' ll never know. We' ll wipe

refully extracted some of my hair from the bed, then took a small swab from my cheek. My heart pounded,

clinical. "No memory of this will remain. We' ll e

a," Jakob said, raising his glass. "The perfect stag

stifle a scream. The horror was too immense, too profound. They were not just bet

llway. Jakob's head snappe

e. My fingers were clumsy, numb with terror. I stuffed the camera back into th

My heart hammered. I forced my breathing to e

e leaned down, his lips brushing my ear. "Sweet dreams, Clara. Enjoy the last few ni

voices from the living room slowly fade, then

through me, burning away the last vestiges of the sedative. I w

hing. I located Jakob' s personal safe, hidden behind a false panel in his study. The combination, a date he t

leek business phone, but an older model, discreetly tucked away. I knew Jakob. He always ha

. A series of encrypted messaging apps appeared. My breath hitched. I clicke