Amara sat on the edge of her bed, her mind racing.
The stranger in her room. The whispered warning. Alexander's dark warning that the killer might already be inside the mansion.
She couldn't sleep.
Her hands were still trembling when she noticed something unusual—a small black dot glinting in the corner of the ceiling near the curtains.
She froze.
It was a camera.
Someone had been watching her. All night.
Her heart pounded in her chest.
Why? Who could have planted it?
Before she could process it, a soft knock came at the bedroom door.
"Amara, are you awake?" Alexander's voice. Calm, steady, yet… impossibly sharp.
She swallowed hard.
"I… I just heard a noise," she whispered.
Alexander stepped inside, his gaze immediately scanning the room. When he saw the camera, his expression darkened.
"Where did you see that?" he asked, moving closer.
Amara pointed shakily. "Up there… in the corner."
Alexander's jaw tightened. He moved to the camera and gently removed it from the ceiling.
"It's a high-end spy camera," he muttered, studying it. "Not cheap. Someone went through a lot of trouble to watch you… or me… or both."
Amara's stomach twisted.
"Why would anyone do this?"
Alexander didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned toward her, his dark eyes locked onto hers.
"Because," he said slowly, "the person who wants me dead doesn't care about contracts or laws… only about revenge."
Amara felt a shiver run down her spine.
Suddenly, Alexander placed the camera in his hand and tapped a small button. The screen lit up, showing grainy images of someone entering her bedroom earlier.
Her eyes widened. "That's him! That's the man!"
Alexander's lips pressed into a thin line.
"And he's not the only one," he said quietly. "This mansion has been compromised. That's why you must never leave your room alone… and why I cannot let you go anywhere without me."
Amara's throat went dry.
"Then… what do we do?" she whispered.
Alexander's gaze hardened.
"We find out who is behind this before it's too late. And Amara… trust me. This is bigger than either of us."
Outside, the wind howled, rattling the windows.
And in the darkness, Amara realized that her safe, luxurious mansion was actually a cage… and someone inside it wanted her dead.