7 – THE

she moved along the wall

tently, and James' departure left a cold, quiet tension behind him. Her pulse raced, not just from fea

s. Nothing unusual. Until... a

he baseboard. The wood was warmer than the

do

tomac

d gently.

echanica

barely wide enough for a single person. Dim red e

a pan

had been her

stale, yet there wer

ts in the

eft open on the floor.

of water, condensation

h dates just a week ago: financial ledgers, security protocols, and

ting was un

rgi

n down Shar

Live feeds. Pan, tilt, zoom - cameras covering the penthouse. Some

yes w

rgia's priva

ere while orchestrating m

ne had not lef

pers. A small notebook fell

n Georgia's prec

. Observation: proactiv

ing too fast. Risk

n-up in progress. Target: CFO.

art po

That

r role wasn't just mimicry

been moving behind her

ebook down. The wall opposite her had a sa

mmered faintly in

against it. Nothing

rgi

n swa

re, hiding. Watchin

made her

nt, deliberate, coming from

whipped

th

tion grat

her

os

lse es

oward the pa

n... a

org

on f

uth we

ward again, into

pained, almost frag

aro

eath c

Georgia

iv

in this ve

chest t

en used recently. Som

sure who was the hunte

k echoed again -

m door clicke

ck

as tr

e was insi

d from behind

s were barely audi

uldn't b