TIGHTENING THE CHAINS

The city was quiet at this hour, too quiet. Chloe kept her head down, her hands buried in the pockets of her coat as she weaved through dimly lit streets. Each step felt heavier than the last, the weight of her double life pressing harder against her.

She wasn't supposed to feel like this.

The location the agency had chosen for the meeting was an abandoned bookstore on the outskirts of town. A forgotten relic, much like the pieces of herself she was beginning to lose in this mission. She slipped inside through the back entrance, inhaling the scent of old paper and dust. The faint glow of a streetlamp outside cast long shadows over the broken shelves.

Then, a shift in the darkness. Someone was here.

"Careful, Reed. You almost made me nervous," Chloe muttered, her voice steady despite the tension in her chest.

A man stepped forward, his silhouette sharp against the gloom. Agent Reed—tall, lean, and perpetually unreadable. He didn't waste time on pleasantries.

"You're late," he said, his tone clipped.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "It's not like I can just walk out of Milan's world whenever I want."

Reed studied her for a moment, then spoke. "We're running out of patience, Chloe. You've been embedded for months, but we don't have enough to bring him down. We need results."

Chloe scoffed. "You think I don't know that? Milan doesn't hand out trust. If I move too fast, he'll see right through me."

Reed's expression darkened. "That's not what concerns us." He stepped closer, voice lowering. "We're beginning to question where your loyalties lie."

A slow, icy rage crept up Chloe's spine. "You think I've gone soft?"

"I think you've been in too deep for too long," Reed said, watching her closely. "And we can't afford for you to start seeing him as anything other than the enemy."

Chloe clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay calm. "I know exactly who Milan is."

"Good," Reed said, reaching into his coat. He pulled out a small flash drive and held it out. "This contains intel on his rivals—people who pose a threat to his operations. Get his reaction. See who he focuses on. If he bites, we can use it. If he doesn't…" He let the sentence hang.

Chloe hesitated before taking the drive, the cold plastic burning against her skin. Something felt off. The agency was pushing harder than usual.

"And if he doesn't take the bait?" she asked carefully.

Reed's stare was unyielding. "Then we start considering other options."

A chill ran through her. She knew what that meant. If the agency thought she was compromised, they'd cut their losses. She was expendable.

Swallowing down the unease, she pocketed the drive and turned toward the door.

"Chloe," Reed called after her.

She glanced back.

"This isn't just about bringing Milan down," he said. "It's about making sure you come out of this alive. Don't forget which side you're on."

She didn't answer.

As she stepped back into the cold night, the weight in her pocket felt heavier than it should. And for the first time, she wasn't sure which side she was on anymore.

---

Milan's Doubts

The moment Chloe walked into Milan's penthouse that night, she knew something was different.

He sat in his usual chair, whiskey in hand, but there was something calculated in the way his gaze followed her. Not just observing—analyzing.

"Busy night?" Milan asked, voice smooth but laced with something sharper.

Chloe kept her expression neutral. "Had to wrap up some work."

Milan hummed, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Work. Of course." He gestured for her to sit, his eyes never leaving hers. "Tell me something, Chloe. Do you ever get tired of pretending?"

A warning bell went off in her head. Was this a test? A trick?

She tilted her head, feigning confusion. "Pretending?"

Milan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Everyone wears masks. You, me, Viktor… but at some point, the mask slips. And when it does, what's underneath?"

Her heartbeat quickened, but she forced a smirk. "That depends on what you want to see."

Milan's lips curved into something unreadable. "Clever." He set his glass down and stood, slowly closing the space between them. His fingers brushed against her chin, tilting her face up to his.

"Let's play a game," he murmured.

Chloe swallowed. "What kind of game?"

Milan's gaze darkened. "You tell me something true, and I'll do the same. But if you lie… I'll know."

A slow, dangerous game. And one she couldn't afford to lose.

Chloe met his stare, willing herself to stay steady. "Alright," she said, voice calm. "You go first."

Milan smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I don't trust you."

Her breath caught for just a fraction of a second.

Then she smiled back. "Good. I don't trust you either."

Milan chuckled, a deep, knowing sound. "Now that's interesting."

And just like that, the game had truly begun.