Chapter 3 - THE WEB OF BETRAYAL
The next few days were a blur of shadows and secrets. Gabriel’s recovery was kept secret; he was officially 'in critical condition' to keep his enemies complacent.
I became his eyes and ears. With my cleaning cart as a cover, I moved through the estate with a newfound freedom. I wasn't just a maid anymore; I was a spy in the house of the enemy.
I found a hidden micro-transmitter inside a lamp in Gabriel's office. I caught Vinnie meeting with a man in a black sedan near the east gate. I documented every discrepancy, every strange interaction, and fed it back to Gabriel.
He watched me with a mix of awe and suspicion. “You’re good at this,” he muttered one night as I showed him a recording I’d captured.
“My mother taught me to mend things, Gabriel. To mend, you first have to understand how something is torn.”
That night, we were interrupted by an alarm. It wasn't the perimeter alarm—it was an internal one. Someone was in the basement archives.
Gabriel drew his weapon, his movements fluid and pain-free. He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the secret passage behind the library. “Stay close. If I fall, you run.”
“I’m not running,” I said, my heart pounding.
We reached the basement, but the archives were already open. Vinnie was there, stuffing files into a leather satchel. He froze when he saw us, his eyes darting toward the door.
“Boss? You’re… you’re supposed to be in bed.”
“I’m feeling much better, Vinnie,” Gabriel said, his voice cold as ice. “Especially now that I see you’re doing my filing for me.”
Vinnie pulled his gun, but Gabriel was faster. A single shot rang out, and Vinnie fell back, clutching his chest. He slumped to the floor, gasping.
“Why?” Gabriel asked, looming over him.
Vinnie laughed, a wet, rattling sound. “You’re weak, Gabriel. You got soft. The Syndicate pays better, and they don't ask for loyalty—they ask for results.”
“You killed your own people,” Gabriel said.
“I killed your future.”
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As Vinnie exhaled his last breath, I walked toward the satchel he had dropped. Inside wasn't just files; it was a ledger. I flipped through the pages and stopped on a signature that made my blood run cold.
It wasn't a Syndicate leader’s name. It was Dr. Harrison Cole.
