The smell of damp earth and stagnant water hit us before we even reached the riverbank. Police sirens sliced through the quiet afternoon of Barangay Mabini, and a crowd of onlookers had already gathered behind the yellow caution tape.
Bryle didn't even wait for the motorcycle to come to a full stop. He killed the engine and practically threw the bike onto the grass, sprinting toward the police line.
"Wait! You can't go in there!" a police officer shouted, blocking Bryle's path.
"That might be my friend! Let me through!" Bryle roared, his voice cracking with a mix of rage and pure, unadulterated terror. He looked like a man on the edge of a breakdown.
Oliver and I caught up, breathless. My heart was a drum in my ears, making me dizzy. I looked at the river—a dark, sluggish vein of water—and saw the white sheet covering a small form on the muddy bank. My stomach turned.
Alice, please. I know I saw you at the cabin, but please tell me you stayed there.
"Officer, please," I pleaded, grabbing the policeman's arm. "We have a missing friend. We just need to check."
The officer sighed, seeing the desperation in our eyes. "Only one of you. And stay behind the line."
Bryle stepped forward, his hands shaking so violently he had to ball them into fists. The officer nodded to a forensic person by the body. Slowly, they pulled back the sheet just enough to reveal the victim's face.
Time seemed to stop. Bryle froze. I held my breath, clutching Oliver's sleeve so hard I thought I'd rip it.
Bryle let out a long, shuddering breath and slumped forward, his hands resting on his knees. He stayed like that for a long time before turning back to us. His face was pale, but the wild terror in his eyes had been replaced by a grim relief.
"It's not her," he whispered. "It's not Alice."
I felt my legs go weak, and I nearly hit the ground. Oliver caught me, exhaling a sob of relief. It was a girl, roughly Alice's age, but it wasn't her. The relief was bittersweet—we were safe for now, but someone else's world had just ended.
"Let's get out of here," Oliver said quietly.
As we walked back to the vehicles, my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from Alice.
Alice: Bess, Ruoxi's back. We're going to watch a movie. Don't worry about me.
I stared at the screen. A cold shiver ran down my spine. While we were here, surrounded by death and police tape, Alice was "safe" with a woman we barely knew. I looked at the dark woods surrounding the river and felt a sudden, sharp instinct: Alice might not be in the river, but that doesn't mean she isn't in danger.
The Cabin - Same Time
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was cozy. The lights were dimmed, and the soft sound of a movie played in the background. Alice was curled up on the sofa, looking at the screen with a small, contented smile.
Beside her, Ruoxi sat perfectly still. To Alice, she was a protector, a friend, perhaps something more. But beneath that calm exterior, the mind of Rio was calculating.
Ruoxi's phone vibrated in her pocket. She didn't check it, but she knew what it was: a confirmation from her "employer" that the pressure on Alice's family was increasing.
"Ruoxi? Are you okay?" Alice asked softly, noticing the far-off look in her eyes.
Ruoxi turned, her expression softening into a practiced, beautiful mask. She reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Alice's ear.
"I'm fine, Alice. I was just thinking about how lucky I am that you're here," Ruoxi whispered.
She leaned in, her lips inches from Alice's, but her eyes remained cold and observant. She was watching for the exact moment Alice's heart began to race—the exact moment the trap was fully set.
You're so easy to break, Alice, Rou thought, even as Ruoxi's thumb gently traced Alice's jawline. It's almost a shame I have to be the one to do it.
The kiss that followed was deep and lingering, but for Ruoxi, it wasn't an act of love. It was a signature on a death warrant.
The Price of a Name
Alice was still asleep on the sofa, her face peaceful, unaware that her very existence was a threat to a multi-billion dollar empire. To her, she was just a girl who had lost her identity in a single night of eavesdropping. She didn't know that across the ocean, her real parents were spending millions to find her, nor did she know that her biological uncle was spending just as much to make sure they never did.
Ruoxi stood by the window, the cold light of her burner phone illuminating her hardened features.
"Three days, Rou," the voice on the other end hissed. It was the voice of the man she knew only as the 'Client'—Alice's biological uncle. "My brother and his wife are getting closer to the truth. If they find her, I lose everything. The company, the estates, the legacy... it all goes to that brat. End her, and your debt is wiped clean."
"I understand," Ruoxi whispered, her voice like ice.
"Don't fail me. If she lives, you die. It's that simple."
The line cut out.
Ruoxi looked back at Alice. The girl was a pawn in a game she didn't even know she was playing. She had run away from adopted mother because she felt she just betrayed, never realizing that her "real" family was divided between a mother and father who were desperate to hold her, and an uncle who was desperate to bury her.
Ruoxi's job was simple: finish the job her uncle started.
But as she walked over and sat on the edge of the sofa, the cold, professional shell of 'Rou' began to crack. She watched the way Alice's eyelashes fluttered in her sleep. She remembered the way Alice looked at her with such pure, unfiltered gratitude—the kind of look Ruoxi hadn't received in her entire life of crime.
She's just a girl, Ruoxi thought, her heart aching in a way that felt like a physical wound. She's not a 'legacy' or an 'obstacle.' She's Alice.
Ruoxi reached out, her fingers trembling as she brushed a stray hair from Alice's forehead. At that moment, the realization hit her like a freight train.
She wasn't just protective of Alice. She wasn't just sympathetic.
She had fallen in love with her.
The very person she was paid to 'unalive' had become the only reason she wanted to stay alive. Ruoxi felt a sickening wave of guilt wash over her. Every kiss, every touch, every kind word she had given Alice was built on a foundation of lies. She was the wolf in the fold, the blade at the throat of the person she loved most.
If I kill her, I get my freedom, Ruoxi realized. If I save her, I become the target and they will kill her too.
Alice stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She saw Ruoxi sitting there and gave her a sleepy, trusting smile.
"Ruoxi? Are you okay? You look... sad," Alice murmured, reaching out to touch Ruoxi's cheek.
The touch burned. Ruoxi wanted to pull away, to scream the truth, to tell Alice that her 'friend' was a monster. But instead, she leaned into the touch, a single tear escaping her eye.
"I'm fine, Alice," Ruoxi lied, her voice breaking. "I was just thinking about how much your life is worth."
"I don't have anything, Ruoxi," Alice chuckled softly, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "I'm just an adopted girl with no family. I'm worth nothing."
You're worth everything, Ruoxi thought, her resolve hardening. You're worth more than the company, more than the debt, and more than my own life.
She realized then that she couldn't do it. She couldn't kill her. But she also knew that if she didn't, the organization would send someone else—someone who wouldn't be as "gentle" as she had been.
The clock was ticking. Three days. Three days to turn a mission into an escape. Three days to save the girl who had unknowingly stolen her heart.