"I Know You're a Threat"
Ella's head snaps toward the voice that stings her ears with quiet authority. Her gaze locks onto the Balu standing across the dimly lit room, poised, elegant, and effortlessly captivating. Her head is held high, her figure casting a commanding silhouette against the faint glow of the lanterns.
At first glance, she appears friendly, her soft features and refined stance suggesting warmth. Yet, the sharp tension in her lips and the fire smoldering in her eyes betray a deeper emotion, one that burns with genuine anger.
"They might not see you for what you are," Balu continues, her voice unwavering. "But I do. And I know... whatever is inside you belongs to you."
The words hit Ella harder than she expects, throwing her into momentary silence. Being told there's something lurking within her, some mystery yet to be unraveled, is one thing. But being told that the mystery is her? That makes no sense. If she truly possesses whatever power this woman speaks of, why doesn't she know it?
Why hasn't she been able to wield it?
It doesn't take much to guess that the Balu's disdain likely stems from something else. Steffen. Her connection to him. That has to be the real source of her displeasure.
"If you really know who I am , why don't you reveal it?" Ella challenge,
"Believe me," Balu exhales, her gaze unyielding, "I wish I could rip the mask off you myself. But my hands are tied."
Ella arches a brow at the cryptic statement. "Oh?"
There's something unsettling about the certainty in her voice. Balu speaks as though she's walked paths that have crossed Ella's before, as though she knows things that even Ella herself does not. Deep down, there's a flicker of realization that makes Ella uneasy.
"If you really know who I am," Ella steps forward, closing the space between them with slow, deliberate strides, "then why don't you just say it?"
Her movements are fluid, measured, like a predator circling its prey. She halts just a breath away, close enough to see the minute twitch of the woman's jaw. Ella lifts a hand, fingers feather-light as they trail along her rival's jawline before gently tilting her chin upward.
A slow, deliberate smile curves Ella's lips. "Tell me," she whispers, voice dipping into a honeyed murmur, "what secret do you hold about me?"
The tension shifts, sharp and electric. The air between them thickens, charged with something neither of them dares acknowledge but both can feel.
Ella's hand slides lower, settling on Balu's waist, pulling her in just enough that her breath mingles with hers, her scent, that intoxicating hint of rose and something darkly sweet, wrapping around her like a spell.
Balu stiffens, her breathing hitching the moment Ella's fingers ghost beneath the hem of her dress. A slow stroke, light yet deliberate, sends a shudder through her.
"Tell me," Ella repeats, voice a siren's call. Her touch dips lower, teasing against the lace barrier barely concealing anything beneath.
A low, helpless sound slips past Balu's lips before she can suppress it. Ella watches, fascinated, as she fights against her own reactions, her back arching, breath coming in shallow gasps, her body betraying her resolve.
But just as quickly, the moment shatters.
"That's enough for today."
Ella withdraws, stepping back as though nothing had happened.
Balu's expression is a mixture of frustration and mortification, her hands flying up to cover her face. Ella doesn't miss the way her body still trembles slightly from the lingering effects of her touch.
"Using your little seduction tactics on me is pointless," she mutters, shaking her head as though trying to rid herself of the lingering spell Ella has cast.
"Really?" Ella chuckles, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Because I thought it worked."
Balu glares at her, but there's no real heat behind it. Only frustration. And something else, something much more dangerous.
"I'm not here to play with you," she finally says, forcing her voice into something steadier. "I came to tell you that I know who you are."
Ella folds her arms, tilting her head. "Oh? And what am I, Balu?"
Balu's name rolls off her tongue, deliberate, challenging.
Balu doesn't hesitate. "An assassin," she says. "A trained killer for the Organization."
Ella's body stiffens, her breath halting as if she's been struck. The words hang heavy between them, slicing through whatever playful air had existed moments ago.
Her mind races, scanning for an explanation, How? How does she know?
"Don't look so shocked," Balu says, her voice quieter now. "I saw it in your memories."
Ella exhales sharply. So that's how. Even though she had forced Balu out of her mind, she must have glimpsed something, something dark enough to confirm what she had already suspected.
Balu's gaze hardens. "A girl from the Organization is no saint," she continues. "You were trained to kill, to manipulate, to do whatever it takes to complete a mission. You have no heart, no remorse.."
"That's not true," Ella cuts in, her voice sharp.
And it isn't. Yes, she was trained for all of those things. But she has never taken a life. Her missions were always about information retrieval, theft, deception. She had been taught how to kill, but she had never done it. She had refused. Much to The Lady's displeasure.
But that doesn't matter now. Because Balu's accusations aren't about what she has done. They're about what she could do.
Balu watches her carefully, eyes glinting with suspicion. "Tell me, Ella," she says, voice low, "was it your mission to seduce Steffen?"
Ella scoffs, loud and incredulous. "Seduce him?" She shakes her head, exasperated. "If that had been my mission, I would have accomplished it long ago. He's no difficult prey."
And that much is true. If she had wanted to manipulate Steffen, she could have done it effortlessly. But that's not what's happening. It never was.
Yet a deeper worry gnaws at her. Five days. It has been five days since she last reported to the Organization. Two more, and they'll come for her. And if there's one thing she knows for sure, it's that no one defies the Organization and lives.
She has two days to decide.
And if she fails... she won't have to worry about Balu uncovering the truth.
Because the Organization will silence her first.
A similar case had occurred before, a female agent sent to eliminate a powerful and wealthy man. Disguised as a maid in his household, she had initially followed the mission's objective. But within just five days, she had fallen hopelessly in love with her target. Blinded by emotions, she had abandoned her orders, choosing instead to reveal the truth to the man she believed to be her soulmate.
For a while, it had seemed as though they had escaped the Organization's grasp. They fled to a neighboring country, hopeful that distance would grant them freedom. But love, no matter how sincere, could not protect them from the Organization's reach.
She had been there when it happened, when two assigned agents found them. Watched as they carried out the execution with calculated efficiency. Her beloved had no chance to fight back. Neither did she. Their bodies were carefully staged in their car, the scene made to look like a tragic accident. A warning to any other agent who dared to betray their mission.
Ella knows the story all too well. It's a reminder of what awaited her if she ever attempt to disappear without the Organization's permission. Even if she wished to sever ties, they will never let her go. Worse, they will come for Mia.
And Mia... Mia is innocent in all of this.
Ella can take care of herself. But Mia? She can't risk her getting caught in the crossfire.
"I'll have you know," Ella said, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her, "my stay here is not by choice. As you already know, I'm being compromised by your king. If it were up to me, I would be gone already, far away from here and back to my own life."
Balu observers her closely, her gaze unreadable, yet something flickered in those sharp eyes. After a moment, she leans forward slightly and said, "Then I'll make that possible. I'll get you out of here. Out of his life. If you're that desperate for it."
Ella stares at her, taken aback. The offer is too abrupt, too unexpected. Suspicion crawls up her spine.
"You'll help me?" she asks , trying to gauge Balu's intent.
"No." Balu corrects her without hesitation. "I'm helping myself." She leans back against the table, her tone unwavering. "I don't want you near him, so I'll make sure you're gone."
Ella's fingers curls into her palms. She can hear the conviction in Balu's words, but she also sense something beneath it, something more than just disdain. Is it fear? Concern? Whatever it is, it only makes Ella more curious.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" she ask. "He watches my every move. He barely lets me out of his sight, especially after the last incident."
Balu's lips curls into a knowing grin. "Leave that to me. Tomorrow, we're going into the city. That's your chance. When the moment comes, you disappear. And you never return."
Ella exhales slowly, letting the idea settle. It is risky. It could go wrong in countless ways. But if there is even the smallest chance of escaping Steffen's grip, and keeping Mia safe, she will take it.
"Deal," she said, sealing her fate with a single word.