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No... she would never do this to me."
My thoughts raced in absolute chaos, desperately trying to calm the suffocating anxiety crushing my chest. Every instinct screamed at me to get out of there immediately, but I refused to believe Gavin's words.
No... he was lying.
Camille would never betray me.
Caution guided my steps as I approached the body sprawled across the cold floor. His eyes remained wide open and vacant—a hollow stare that confirmed there was no life left in him.
Adrenaline surged through my veins as I knelt beside him and began searching his pockets.
He's lying. I just need proof. I'll take it back to Camille and expose his betrayal.
I repeated the thought like a mantra, yet Gavin's cruel words continued to echo in my head, planting a poisonous seed of doubt.
How did he even find me here?
Did he really travel all the way to hong Kong just for revenge... or—
No!
My fingers finally brushed against the small burner phone I knew all too well.
A fresh wave of panic crawled up my spine as I powered it on.
As expected, there was only one contact saved.
My hands trembled violently as I opened the messages.
Don't forget. The document comes first. Eliminate the target second.
The words struck me like a physical blow to the gut.
My heart skipped a beat.
My knees nearly gave out beneath me.
Those were Camille's exact instructions before I left.
The document comes first. Eliminate the target second.
And the number displayed on the screen left no room for doubt.
In an instant, every piece of the puzzle fell into place.
How had Gavin found me?
Of course...
He could never have tracked me down on his own.
Gavin might have despised me for what happened to his father, but if there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that he would never disobey Camille.
To him, the mission was absolute.
So she really...
A sickening wave of rage and grief numbed every one of my senses, leaving only a single question echoing through the emptiness of my mind.
Why?
My vision blurred as tears finally spilled over.
With trembling hands, I dialed the number.
One ring.
Two.
The call connected.
Silence.
The familiar silence on the other end told me everything.
It had to be Yuki... or Tory.
"I want to speak to Camille!"
Silence.
"Yuki, I know it's you! Put Camille on the phone! Right now!"
I screamed until my throat burned, every word dripping with the fury and betrayal I had desperately tried to suppress.
Still...
Nothing.
Of course no one answered.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face as memories of Camille flooded my mind in a relentless cascade.
"You're not like the others, Minjae... You're my son."
Each memory struck me like another slap across the face as the truth finally settled in.
For reasons I couldn't understand...
Camille had betrayed me.
She had sent Gavin to kill me.
Minjoo...
I have to get to my brother.
Forcing my shattered mind to pull itself together, I wiped the tears from my face and struggled to regain my composure.
I had to move.
I had to—
A sudden, crushing pain exploded at the back of my neck.
My legs gave out instantly.
Disoriented and helpless, I lost my balance and collapsed.
The looming silhouette of a man with piercing golden eyes was the last thing my fading vision registered before my eyelids grew heavy...
...and everything plunged into darkness.
