ire groaned as the loud beeping of her rm filled the hotel suite.
mming her hand on the bedside table, she silenced it, then pulled the pillow over her head.
Last night had been exhausting. She hadn''t been able to sleep until nearly 4 AM, and now, with barely four hours of rest, her body felt like it was shutting down.
But there was no time to sleep in.
Grumbling, she dragged herself out of bed, shuffled into the bathroom, and freshened up before heading to the living room to order breakfast.
Her fingers scrolled through the room service menu, but her mind wasn''t even processing what she was looking at. Abandoning the menu for a moment, she grabbed the TV remote and turned it on, letting it y in the background as she continued deciding what to eat.
That was, until-
"Breaking news on Quantum Haven''s disastrous opening night!"
ire''s head snapped toward the screen.
The footage of the ident yed again, and she sighed heavily.
Of course, the media was eating this up.
Alexander appeared on the screen next, giving a short, clipped statement to reporters.
"Last night was an unfortunate ident, but I assure you, Quantum Haven remains fully operational and safe. We are investigating the cause of the incident, and all affected guests will bepensated ordingly."
ire raised an eyebrow.
"Damage control at its finest," she muttered, rubbing her temple. She had told Alexander to act fast, but
she hadn''t expected him to have a PR statement ready this quickly.
Still, she couldn''t focus on that right now. There were only two people responsible for this mess-one was the idiot who executed the n, and the other was the mastermind.
She cursed under her breath.
"Eligos, you bastard."
Before she could stew in her thoughts any longer, her phone buzzed loudly from the bedroom.
She got up to check, sighing as she saw Matthew''s name shing on the screen.
She had a feeling she knew what this was about.
She answered, bracing herself.
"Matthew―"
"Why did you lie to me?"
Matthew''s voice was cold.
ire pinched the bridge of her nose. She really didn''t want to deal with this first thing in the morning.
"I didn''t lie," she replied evenly. "I just didn''t tell you everything."
"That''s the same damn thing, ire!" Matthew snapped. "I saw the video. You almost got crushed, and you told me you were fine. Do you have any idea how pissed I am right now?"
ire sighed. "Matthew, if I had told you the truth, you would''ve immediately booked a flight here." "You''re damn right I would''ve!"
"Exactly," ire said. "And I don''t want that."
Matthew fell silent for a moment before he exhaled sharply.
"I just want to make sure you''re safe," he said, his voice quieter but still frustrated. "If something
happened to you, I''d-" He stopped himself. "I''d feel guilty."
ire softened slightly but kept her tone firm.
"I get it, Matthew. I do. But you also need to rest. You''re still recovering."
Matthew grumbled something under his breath.
ire quickly cut in before he could argue further. "What matters is that I''m fine, okay? And right now, I need to know Andre''s location."
Matthew sighed heavily. "I figured you''d say that."
There was some clicking on his end before a message notification popped up on ire''s phone. "That''s the address," Matthew said. "If you just want to know."
ire raised an eyebrow. "Emphasizing the word ''just'' like that... Do you think I''m going to do something reckless?"
Matthew scoffed. "Oh, I know you will. I''ve known you long enough, ire. You don''t just ''know'' things. You act on them."
ire smirked slightly. "Well, you''re not wrong."
"Which is exactly why I''m telling you to be careful," Matthew warned. "If you walk into whatever mess Andre is in, you better have a damn good n."
"I always do," ire replied confidently.
Matthew sighed. "Yeah, and somehow, you always end up in danger anyway."
ire chuckled softly. "That''s just life, isn''t it?"
Matthew didn''tugh. Instead, he lowered his voice, his concern evident.
"Just... promise me you won''t do something stupid."
ire hesitated before responding, "I''ll handle it. Trust me."
Matthew wasn''t satisfied with that answer, but he knew ire too well. If she had made up her mind, there was no stopping her.
"Fine," he muttered. "But if anything happens, you call me. Immediately."
ire smiled slightly. "Noted."
As she ended the call and looked at the address on her phone, her mind was already racing with the next steps.
Andre was the key to getting to Eligos.
And ire wasn''t going to waste any time.
ire stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the cuff of her zer as she mentally ran through everything she nned to say to Andre. She wasn''t going to let him get away with this-she would corner him, make him slip up, and get the truth.
This was going too far, and she had to put an end to it before things spiraled further out of control. Matthew had warned her not to go alone, but she had brushed off his concern. She could handle herself.
Still, as she reached for her phone, her eyesnded on the cryptic text message she had received before the opening night disaster.
"You''re being watched. Be careful."
A chill ran down her spine as she stared at the words.
Who would send her something like this? And how had they known what was about to happen?
Then her phone vibrated.
She nced down, and her eyes narrowed at the name shing on the screen.
Adrian Saint Laurent.
Of course, he was calling.
She should have expected this. There was a high chance Adrian had already seen the press conference
footage. If that was the case, he was definitely going to ask about the chaos at the hotel.
"Hello," she greeted, her voice neutral.
"ire." Adrian''s voice was filled with concern the moment he spoke. "Are you okay?"
"I''m fine, Adrian."
"Why didn''t you tell me about what happened?"
"I assure you, I am fine. I didn''t see the need to. It was a mess, yes, but the situation is being handled."
"I saw what happened, ire. That wasn''t just some ident."
ire closed her eyes for a brief moment. "No, it wasn''t. Someone caused it on purpose."
"Who?"
ire sighed. "You know who."
"Eligos isn''t it?"
"Yeah and Andre."
"Where are you now?"
She didn''t answer.
More silence. Then-
"Are you going after him alone?" Adrian asked, his voice quieter, more serious.
ire didn''t answer right away.
"Just- Just be careful, ire. I don''t want anything bad happen to you." His voice grow softer and ire sighed.
"I will don''t worry about me."
The call ended, and ire let her phone drop onto herp.
ire stepped out of the car, staring up at the hotel where Andre was staying. It was a luxurious ce by most standards, butpared to Quantum Haven, it paled inparison.
The golden lights shimmered on the hotel''s ss exterior, giving it an illusion of grandeur, yet ire found nofort in its appearance. She wasn''t here to admire the architecture. She was here for answers.
As she walked inside, she pulled out
her phone and read the message
from Matthew again, confirming
вот
Andre''s room number. Taking a deep breath, she strode to the
elevator, pressing the button with a
sense of finality.
Reaching his floor, she stepped out, heels clicking against the polished floor. She stopped in front of his
door, inhaled deeply, then knocked-firm, deliberate, a warning in itself.
A groggy, irritated voice came from inside. "Who the hell-?"
The door swung open, revealing
Andre, still dressed in the same suit from earlier, though disheveled. His shirt was untucked, his tie loosened, and he reeked of alcohol-though ire had a feeling he wasn''t as drunk as he had pretended to be earlier.
Upon seeing her, his tired expression quickly shifted into something more guarded. "ire," he drawled, forcing azy smirk. "Didn''t expect a visit."
ire shoved the door open further and stepped inside without invitation. "Cut the act, Andre. I know you weren''t actually drunk."