Jasmine's POV
The storage room felt too small, too quiet, too warm. My hands were still shaking a little as I replayed the audio I had just captured. Each sentence Lucien spilled in that call could ruin him, could bury him and could save us.
A soft thud echoed from the hallway.
I froze.
Another sound… footsteps. Slow, deliberate, almost confident. Not the kind of footsteps someone makes when they're lost.
I quickly switched off the recorder on my phone and tucked it into the inner pocket of my jacket. My breath hitched. Please let it be Ares. Please…
The footsteps stopped right outside the door.
Then a female voice, calm and sharp like a blade:
"Hiding in a storage room, Jasmine? Really?"
My stomach dropped.
That was not Ares.
I swallowed hard and stepped back as the door swung open.
Zara Knight stood there.
Perfect posture. Perfect expression. Perfect cold eyes.
