CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 48 — The Silent Companion
That evening, the storm outside the penthouse suite was ferocious. Valeria walked through the empty, minimalist rooms of her apartment, her thoughts a chaotic storm of their own. Victor followed a respectful five paces behind her, an unwavering, silent guardian.
She stopped in front of the massive glass wall, looking at their dual reflections stretched across the dark backdrop of the city.
"Victor," she called softly.
"I’m here, Valeria."
"You’ve been beside me since Marbella. You knew about my mother, you knew about the ledger, and you knew the exact codes to bypass my father's safehouses. Who was actually paying your retainer before I activated the Zurich accounts?"
Victor remained silent for a long moment. The rhythmic ticking of her steel watch seemed to count down the seconds of her growing paranoia.
"Your mother pulled me out of a black-site prison in Europe ten years ago," Victor finally answered, his voice completely devoid of deception. "My directive was absolute: ensure you survived until the day you signed that deed in Zurich. Beyond that, I have no employers."
May you like
Valeria turned around, looking directly into his cold gray eyes. "So why are you still standing in my shadow, Victor?"
A faint, uncharacteristic trace of emotion softened his hard features. "Because I want to see what you do to this world, Valeria... or what this world finally does to you."
