Second Floor, Lighthouse Hotel – Manager's Office
The moment Winston stepped inside,
Alex's voice greeted him:
"Mr. Winston, thank you for taking the time to come—and for your timely warning."
Winston chuckled, half-smiling, half-dismissive.
"I'm only here as a witness.
Nothing else concerns me."
Three steps brought him to the sofa,
where he sat with his usual calm grace.
Alex shrugged, pulled out his phone,
and right in front of Winston,
deleted the message Winston had sent earlier:
[Charon couldn't stall them. They followed.]
That was why Susie had immediately gone downstairs,
dragging out her exchange with the High Table's Adjudicator for as long as she had.
Having erased the trace,
Alex turned to Nikita.
"Go upstairs. Bring Caine here. Stay with his daughter."
Nikita nodded,
shot a subtle glance at Winston on the sofa,
left two guards behind,
and slipped upstairs alone.
Alex paid no mind,
but Winston, watching her go,
couldn't help remarking:
"Your people are well-trained.
Always thinking about your safety."
"Of course."
Alex smiled,
uncorking a bottle of whiskey already set out.
He poured two glasses,
handed one to Winston,
kept the other for himself,
and, imitating Winston's own tone,
added with quiet reflection:
"Last time, you advised me to keep my head down.
You warned the High Table had noticed me.
But… trouble always comes knocking.
I was never meant to live quietly."
Winston sipped, shook his head faintly.
"That's a road you chose for yourself."
"Mr. Winston—if it were you,
wouldn't you have made the same choice?
Since Caine chose to join my organization,
it's my duty to protect him."
Silence.
Winston didn't answer right away.
He swirled his whiskey,
tasted it,
set it down,
and after a long pause, sighed.
"In our line of work,
how many killers die clean deaths?
Rules, morality—
they crumble before power and profit."
Their conversation was interrupted
by the door creaking open.
John Wick entered.
Behind him stood Helen,
and several Lighthouse assassins.
Alex rose to greet him,
his eyes lingering for a moment
on John's hand, tightly holding Helen's.
The truth clicked instantly—
he understood who the woman was.
"John, I'm sorry to drag you here on such short notice.
I think you already suspect—things are complicated."
"Yeah."
John's sharp gaze swept the room,
noticing Caine's absence.
His voice cut in, direct:
"Caine?
You said I was here to meet him—"
Before he could finish,
a familiar voice answered from the hallway.
"John."
John turned.
From the elevator,
Caine emerged slowly, step by step.
For a moment, John wanted to say:
Now I finally understand why you chose retirement…
But in the end,
he said nothing.
Caine's eyes, meanwhile,
fell on the woman at John's side.
"And this is…?"
Helen smiled,
quick to introduce herself:
"Helen.
John's girlfriend.
It's nice to meet you."
The room fell silent.
Even killers could be caught off guard by such warmth.
After a beat,
Alex broke the tension with a chuckle.
"Hi, Helen.
I'm… John's boss.
Sorry for ruining your vacation.
To make up for it,
our hotel will provide you and John a week in the Presidential Suite—free of charge."
For John Wick,
a suite was nothing unusual.
But for Helen, an ordinary woman—
this was the kind of luxury few ever touched.
The atmosphere thawed instantly.
Her face lit up,
smiling brightly as she answered:
"Really?
That's so kind of you.
John is lucky to have a boss like you."
Alex accepted the flattery without flinching.
In fact,
he leaned into it.
"Why not go up and take a look right now?
I'll have someone show you the way."
One of the female assassins stepped forward immediately,
ready to serve as guide and protector.
Helen, though ordinary,
was no fool.
She knew when to accept a courtesy gracefully.
She nodded.
"Of course.
That's perfect, actually—I'm exhausted from the flight."
Then, turning to John,
she added naturally,
"John, I'll wait upstairs.
Come find me when you're done."
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