Katelyn had pulled the same stunt before when chasing a stalker. The two flights of stairs now felt like just one. Yanis ran faster, panic setting in. Katelyn was right behind her, her voice cold as she said, “If you tell me what you know, I might let you go.”

If Yanis hadn’t decided to run and had stayed quiet, Katelyn wouldn’t have been so certain. People with guilty consciences were usually the easiest to catch.

Yanis didn’t dare glance back. If she told the truth, it would really be the end for her. They had raced from the twelfth floor all the way down to the first. The escape door was just ahead. Yanis’ eyes lit up with hope as she rushed toward it, pushing it open. But instead of freedom, she was met with the deafening roar of an engine and the screech of brakes!

Yanis had barely stepped out of the building when a car appeared, slamming into her and throwing her like a rag doll through the air. She hit the wall with a brutal thud, her body crumpling as blood sprayed from her mouth. The car’s front was completely smashed, and there was no sign of the driver’s condition—or even if they were still alive. It all happened in an instant.

If Yanis hadn’t rushed out, or if Katelyn had been the one in her place, the story would’ve ended differently. Blood seeped from Yanis’s limp form, pooling beneath her.

Katelyn inhaled deeply, steadying herself before she bolted toward Yanis. Her shoes splashed through the spreading blood as she fell to her knees beside her.

“Hold on, Yanis,” Katelyn urged. “I’ll operate on you. Just hold on.”

Yanis’ eyes fluttered open as she coughed out a fresh wave of blood, spilling from her lips. Her trembling hand reached for Katelyn’s as she muttered, “T…” Whatever she wanted to say remained unfinished as her hand dropped, lifeless, to the ground.

“Yanis!” Katelyn’s voice cracked with desperation. She stared into her empty eyes, her heart breaking as she realized Yanis was dead. Grief hit her like a blow. Yanis had been alive just moments ago, full of life, and now she was nothing more than a lifeless shell. But the harsh reality of the situation settled in quickly. Yanis hadn’t been innocent.

Every journey starts at gα?ησν?s?c?

She had uncovered truths she wasn’t meant to know and had taken money that wasn’t hers. It was enough to mark her for death. This wasn’t their first cover-up either. Katelyn had witnessed the same ruthless tactics during the investigation on Amiri. It was a clear message—anyone who got too close to their secrets was expendable.

Katelyn’s hands curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms as anger burned in her chest. What did the T Organization want from her? From the beginning, they had been scheming to end her life, and now their methods had become more advanced, using increasingly calculated strategies to bring her down. This shadowy group was like a ticking time bomb, ready to detonate and upend her life.

Her legs felt like lead, but she forced herself to her feet. She stumbled toward the wrecked car; the front was a crumpled mess, the windshield completely shattered. But as she leaned closer to look inside, her breath caught in her throat. The driver’s seat was empty. The car had been driverless.

What kind of tricks were they playing now? Her hands, still sticky with Yanis’s blood, trembled slightly. Yanis had been there during Katelyn’s first surgery for Jamison. That vibrant woman was now gone, a cruel reminder of how far this conspiracy had spread.

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