~ ISLA ~
I woke up aching everywhere.
It wasn’t the sharp kind of pain—but the deep, lingering soreness that wrapped around my body, as if I’d been crushed a thousand times and somehow stitched back together overnight. My muscles protested even the smallest movement.
On top of that, my head throbbed faintly. For a moment, I just lay there, eyes half-open, letting the fog lift slowly.
Then, the faint memories of last night rushed in, one after another. The party. The confrontation between me, Liana, and Stacey—before I went up to the presidential suites to find Alistair.
And then…
My body stiffened instantly, dread coiling tight in my stomach. My fingers curled against the sheets as my breathing hitched. The image of Markus’s face as he yanked me inside the room—his aggressive attempt
