In a need of a break from her demanding job, Carmina seeks refuge in a hidden gem of Italy - Amalfi Coast. But her plans for a peace are thrown off course when a mysterious stranger appears out of nowhere.
Despite Carmina's expertise in unravelling...
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Carmina ran, refusing to even glance back. She dashed into the hotel, her footsteps thundering across the entire lobby. In one second, she vanished from sight; if someone had been watching her, they wouldn't have been able to keep up with her speed. Hidden in the shadow of ornate pillars, she was making a difficult decision: risk the longer back corridors or the shortest, more dangerous route in this situation? Opting for the third-she bolted through the garden, with a plan to break into her own suite in a way neither Dae nor the hotel staff would notice.
Without sparing a moment, she dashed into the garden at the rear of the resort. She climbed onto a small wall, from which she carefully leaped onto the terrace of the already closed restaurant. However, the worst was yet to come. Between her terrace and the one she was currently on, there was nothing but a narrow gap - a treacherous path, she knew that. If someone noticed her while she was hanging on the wall, it would be over.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into? Craving adrenaline, Carmina, huh? Well, now you've got it, your fucking adrenaline," she muttered to herself, barely managing to overcome each obstacle. Hanging on like Mufasa on the cliff, she cautiously passed the dangerous gap, trying not to make a sound, avoiding drawing attention. With the last of her strength, she climbed over the railing of her own terrace. Collapsing onto the floor from the inner edge, she cursed under her breath.
With no time to waste, she burst through the partially open door and reached for the safe. It was happening-the very thing she had hoped to avoid. But she had to be ready. It could be her only chance.
With precise movements, Carmina slid the bullet magazine into the gun. The metallic clicks echoed with a faint rattle as the components shifted into place.
***
When she reached the door of Dae's suite, she clung to the wall, fighting to hold back her tears. She couldn't even steady her breath anymore. She had no idea how to explain the absence of the drinks she had promised or the scraped skin on her hands. Every nerve in her body was screaming to flee, but she couldn't just leave him here. Summoning every ounce of courage, she slipped inside the suite.
"What happened?!" Dae was next to her in an instant. She looked like a mess. Tired, pale, scratched, with tousled hair. Definitely didn't resemble the princess he had left outside the hotel entrance.
"Nothing. Just a little dizzy, that's all," she lied, her lips trembling as she forced a smile.
"Dizzy? Did you have a drink without me?"
His joke didn't land with her at all. And when he hugged her, she only prayed that his hands wouldn't rest on the weapon she had attached to her hips. "Oh, yeah, our drinks. They, uh, they didn't have what I wanted," she blurted out. Her phone vibrated suddenly.
"Leave all your things, the agency will take care of it. I'm outside the hotel, waiting in the car. Jake"
"Redemption," she whispered in relief, setting the emergency plan in her mind.
