The recording ended.
The word lingered.
"Do it."
Raina stood very still.
She didn't replay the call. She didn't need to. Some words carve themselves into the mind the first time they're spoken.
She reached out and turned the screen dark.
Then she pressed the intercom.
"Albert."
He arrived without hurry, as though he already knew why he'd been summoned.
"Yes, Miss Raina."
She didn't look at him. Her gaze was fixed on the city beyond the window.
"The call Chloe made," she said calmly. "I want the person on the other end."
Albert nodded once. "The line was masked. Multiple relays. Professional work."
"I didn't ask how well they hid," Raina replied. "I asked for who they are."
A pause.
Then Albert said, "Understood."
She finally turned to face him.
"Whoever she spoke to," Raina continued, voice level, "is the one who made Selena afraid. The one who made her write a goodbye letter before she was dead."
Albert's expression hardened.
"I want the name," Raina said. "The face. The history. Who they work for. Who they've buried before."
She stepped closer, lowering her voice—not with anger, but with certainty.
"And I want to know how many times they've been ordered to do it."
Albert bowed. "I will begin immediately."
He turned to leave.
"Albert."
He stopped.
"When you find them," Raina said quietly, "do not alert anyone. Not law enforcement. Not intermediaries."
"Of course."
Raina looked back at the darkened screen, at the silence where Chloe's voice had been.
"Chloe thought she gave an order," she said softly.
"She doesn't understand—she signed a confession."
Albert exited.
Raina poured herself another glass of wine—not to drink, but to steady her hands. She set it down untouched.
Her reflection stared back at her.
Unblinking.
"Whoever you are," she murmured, "you took a job."
The city lights flickered.
"And I never let contractors walk away."
The door closed behind her with a soft click.
The hunt had begun.