Owen studied her in silence, as if trying to measure the weight of her resolve. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Fine. I accept."
Sophia's lips curved into a faint, confident smile—not taunting, but certain. "One more thing. You may have set the rules of this game, but every game has an ending…But don't forget—before anyone reaches the finish line, there are countless times they fail first."
He turned toward the shattered window, his expression thoughtful. Even he was curious now—who would be the one to win this twisted game?
...
Out on the road, Lucas drove one-handed, his other hand gripping the steering wheel tight as his voice cut through the car's Bluetooth system.
"Lucas, I'm here," Kai reported through the line, "but there's something off. There's another group here—I can't tell who they are."
Lucas's brows knitted. "Another group? That's impossible."
