Jacob's words calmed her down a bit.
Maybe… maybe escaping wasn't as impossible as it felt.
She chose to stay quiet, running through the steps of her plan in her head.
Jacob held out his phone toward her.
_"Here, enter the location."
After typing in the address, she handed it back. Jacob tapped a few things, then glanced at the bodyguards in the rearview mirror.
He started the engine and pulled onto the road.
_"Put your seatbelt on, please…"
She obeyed, and then fell into silence, staring out the window—unaware she was chewing on her bottom lip.
Forty minutes later, they finally arrived.
The uptown neighborhoods were usually quiet—and this one was no exception.
_"You were right. That restaurant's not far from here."
-"Yeah… it's just about a 20-minute walk."
Her house was at the end of a dead and.
The car could've driven all the way in, but Jacob decided to park right at the entrance instead.
The street was nearly empty—barely a car or soul in sight.
They both got out of the car.
It was a four-story apartment building.
She unlocked the metal entrance door with a code and stepped inside.
_"What floor?"
-"Third."
Her voice was clearly shaking—something Jacob couldn't ignore.
He followed her, fingers brushing against the knife tucked at the back of his belt.
They reached the third floor.
She entered another code.
_"Lost your key?"
-"No… it's in my locker at the restaurant. I figured we wouldn't need it."
They walked in.
Jacob scanned the apartment quickly—everything seemed normal.
The place was nicely decorated.
He admitted,
_"You've got good taste. Made it all look homey with the simplest stuff."
Diana gave a soft laugh and thanked him before stepping into a room tucked into the corner of the living area.
-"I'll try to be quick. Not taking much with me."
Jacob's eyes followed her, then he moved toward the window.
It was a long drop down.
Bathroom, kitchen—safe.
He checked the three-seater couch, the cabinets, and the small balcony near the kitchen.
Then he walked into the room.
Diana was busy gathering a few things.
He peeked into the closet—clear.
The bed was too low to hide under anyway.
Everything seemed fine.
He sent a quick text on his phone:
_Don't rush yet.
Then he turned to Diana.
_"I'm gonna go downstairs for a smoke. I'll come back up to help you carry your stuff."
This was it.
Her one shot.
She tried not to look too eager.
-"Alright… if you want, you can grab water or whatever from the fridge."
Jacob smiled warmly and stepped out.