Jasmine's POV
The next morning came far too soon.
I hadn't slept… not really. Every time I closed my eyes, the words from the night before flashed across my mind:
"You should've failed today. That was just a warning."
I tried to rest on the couch, but my body stayed alert, my thoughts looping through the erased files, the footage, the folder that had blinked out like a ghost… ZARA 001.
By the time sunlight slipped through the blinds, my eyes felt heavy. The city outside was already awake, horns blaring, engines humming. I made coffee strong enough to burn and told myself that I would face it head-on.
At 8:45 sharp, I walked into KnightCorp headquarters, my laptop tucked under my arm. The marble lobby gleamed under white light, too perfect, too calm for the chaos buzzing in my head.
Ares was already in his office when I entered. He looked up briefly, dark circles under his eyes betraying that maybe he hadn't slept much either.
