The car pulled up, headlights slicing through the mist.
I stood there, barely feeling the night air anymore.
I should have reacted. Should have said something.
"Future mother-in-law."
But the words barely registered now.
The past hour was pressing down on me. The cold, the fear, the lake, the exhaustion. I had been running on instinct, but now... it was catching up.
A door opened, and a man stepped out.
Broad shoulders. Sharp eyes. A presence that demanded respect.
I didn’t need an introduction. Agustin.
I didn’t know him, but I’d known men like him. Efficient. Professional. A man who had done things and didn’t lose sleep over them.
But when his gaze landed on Franz, something shifted.
It was only for a second—a hesitation.
Like he was looking at something he didn’t quite recognize anymore.
Franz, as usual, ignored it.
"Took you long enough."
Agustin nodded once, silent.
He moved forward, tossing a hoodie to Franz before turning to me.
I took it without a word.
It was warm. Dry. The moment it touched my skin, I realized how cold I was. How badly I had been shaking.
I pulled it on, my limbs feeling heavier by the second.
"Something with your DNA."
I didn’t react. Just reached for my necklace.
The last piece of my past.
I unfastened it and dropped it into the plastic bag.
But at this point, I felt nothing.
Another click. Then it was over.
Agustin sealed the bag and pocketed it without a word.
Franz tossed him the key.
"Take it back to the house."
Agustin nodded. "Got home. Rattled, but alive."
He just opened the car door.
I moved before I could think. Before I could question what the hell I was doing.
Not because I trusted him.
Not because I had a choice.
But because there was nothing else left to do.
The car doors shut. The world outside blurred.
The warmth wrapped around me, and my body finally started shutting down.
Before I could stop myself—
At first, I didn’t understand why they wanted me to watch him.
Franz . A college student. A nobody.
Why would a higher-up from the Kafka family tell me to keep an eye on him?
But the more I saw, the more dangerous he seemed.
In one night, I had to clean up two bloodbaths and fake the death of one of the city’s most influential people.
I acted nervous while filming the video. Just enough to make sure he wouldn’t think much of me.
I needed to find out why he was truly here.
And I needed to report quickly—before I was killed by either him or the higher-ups.
He gave me his bike key.
"Take it back to the house."
I caught it, nodding. Playing my role.
"Got home. Rattled, but alive."
Franz barely reacted. Like he expected that answer.
He turned toward the car with the girl. Victoria.
She didn’t resist. Too exhausted.
As they drove off, I stared at the bike key in my hand.
I had done things before. Cleaning up messes. Covering tracks. Making problems disappear.
This was just another job.
It would be tricky—but doable.
First, I needed to report.
Before I became the next problem to disappear.