Chapter 127

• I stumbled backward, refusing to take my eyes off the man standing before me. In the dim corridor, he looked less like a man and more like a predator caught between patience and attack a breath away from pouncing. I forced my eyelids shut for a second, then opened them again, pushing the fear down where it couldn't be seen.
• The man looked like he had stepped straight out of a high-budget Chinese drama the kind with flawless male leads. His tailored black suit hugged an athletic frame, perfectly molded to power and elegance. Short black hair, precisely styled, crowned a face that seemed almost sculpted. If I hadn’t been so utterly terrified, I might’ve called him beautiful.
• “Who are you?” His lips curled into a faint, almost gentle smile as he spoke, his voice smooth and persuasive. “And how did you end up here?”