Kirill, who had just fired the final shot into the enemyâs head, saw Yuri walk out and greeted him with his arms wide open.
âHey, Yuri!â
âLetâs go.â
âDid you find it? Um, Iâm guessing you didnât find it?â
âI knew it wasnât there. I just needed confirmation.â
Shrugging his shoulders, Kirill handed him a gun. Yuri put it in his back pocket and proudly took a step forward. Kirill along with the men who messed up the penthouse trailed behind him.
Kirill stepped forward unexpectedly and fired bullets at the visible cameras. They had just smashed the elevator camera and shut the door when they noticed a deadly pale Guilio running anxiously through the closing door. Guilio brushed past them as if in slow motion.
The elevator descended toward the lobby.
âWe shouldâve left some scars on her body so that he wouldnât get suspicious,â Kirill muttered as he stroked his knife.
When Yuri heard it, he closed his eyes as if tired and said menacingly, âDonât even think about hurting a hair on her head. If I see any of you spill even a drop of her blood⌠Iâm not going to let it go.â
* * *
Sei had no way of knowing how much time had passed by.
It didnât matter if it was day or night.
She didnât know if a day or several days had passed because she slept through it all.
She only remembered Guilio jolting her awake after she had just passed out.
She only remembered him looking around her limp body and handing her over to the paramedics.
The scene in which the beautiful penthouse was turned into a blood-drenched living hell kept repeating over and over in her mind like an old nightmare, tormenting Sei.
She was depressed. She tried to remember everything as if it were a dream but she had no idea it would all end up a nightmare.
The only good thing about the situation was that Guilio didnât doubt himself.
She was the only survivor and eyewitness in the room where the shooting occurred.
She saw nothing because she had been drugged, but she was still a witness and a survivor.
Guilio lost ten of his trustworthy men in an instant as a result of this incident.
It looked as if he had paid the price for the 300 kg of cocaine.
In any case, she woke up next in a hospital near the hotel.
After suffering from the cold quite badly, her mouth was dry and her sense of reality had noticeably been reduced.
Sei shook her head dazedly and swallowed the water and pills at the same time. She then exited the room after the nurse, who had given her three daysâ worth of medications already, congratulate her on her discharge.
Interestingly, the media remained silent despite a shootout happening in Milanâs largest and oldest hotel.
Sei was curious as to who was behind it.
Now that she was alone, she packed a suitcase with the intention of fleeing before Guilio arrived at the hospital.
When she opened the bag to take the clothes out, she noticed the ruby necklace that Yuri had given her. Sei tried to ignore it by changing out of her hospital gown and into an ordinary tourist outfit.
Thatâs right, thereâs a blue sapphire embedded in its stock. Itâs a sapphire with a color similar to my eyes. And itâs not just a gunâŚ
She dozed off while under the influence of the red candy, then opened her eyes when it was all over.
Sei took one last look around her room before leaving. A patientâs gown was neatly folded on the bed and a cell phone and a note were placed next to it.
This is enough.
She left the hospital, ignoring Guilioâs call, and went to the airport without anyone noticing her. She then purchased the quickest flight to New York without hesitation.
Sei hid in the womenâs restroom until just before her departure time, leaving Italy only after she had completed her seven nights and eight days itinerary.
* * *
âAre you really not going to tell me? Where have you been to look like this? Did you know there were two break-ins while you were away? But there was nothing missing. Did you have anything valuable they couldâve taken?â
Sei yawned. She awoke late and took a shower, but she couldnât shake her sleepiness. Even though Sei was drowsy, she was still able to enjoy the toast Chloe had made for her.
She just smiled awkwardly at Chloeâs nagging as she poured herself a cup of cold milk. It wasnât something that she could just tell her and involving her in her matters was a bad idea.
âChloe, I have one question. Did a man ever pay you a visit while I was away? Aside from the thief, have you ever encountered one while at home or at your workplace?â
âWhat? A man? Are you having some sort of affair?â
âNo. Anyway, a strange man didnât visit you? Well, you can just refuse them⌠Well, andâŚâ
Her voice saying so began to fade away.
The intruder.
The incident in which he broke into Guilioâs villa.
And after about a fortnight, he invited her to meet him at the hamburger restaurant.
Cold sweat dripped down her back. Everything in her life became jumbled when she began to doubt things. After looking around the house suspiciously, she ran into her room and pulled out the ledger she had hidden among her other things.