45. Three Months

Bastien (Three Months Prior)

As I end the call with Niko, the silence of the private jet feels even more oppressive. The weight of my decisions, of the path I’ve chosen, bears down on me with relentless pressure. The plan to track Anya through the chip feels like a small victory, but the cost of it gnaws at me.

I lean back in my seat, the luxury of the jet mocking me in my moment of turmoil. My mind replays the moment on the rooftop, the sound of Ivan’s laughter, the look of betrayal in Anya’s eyes.

I forced myself into this role, the villain in her story, all for the greater good of taking down her father. But at what cost?

The image of her, wounded and helpless, stays with me. The fact that I orchestrated her abduction, even if it was to save her from a worse fate, eats away at me. I used her, and now she’s back in the clutches of a man who sees her as nothing more than a pawn in his twisted game.

I pour another drink, the burn of the alcohol a temporary distraction from the chaos