Alina's hands shook as she tried her phone again. No signal.
"Of course," she muttered. "Of course there's no signal."
"You're not supposed to have one," the man said from behind her. Calm. Controlled. Observant.
She spun. "Who are you? Why am I here?"
"Damien Cross," he said, his voice even, precise. "You've stepped into my world."
"My world?" she repeated, heart racing. "I just took the wrong elevator!"
He tilted his head, studying her. "Wrong elevator? Maybe. Or maybe you were always meant to be here."
Alina backed away, bumping into a sleek leather chair. "This isn't normal. This isn't legal. You can't just… keep me here!"
"I can," he said simply. "Because no one leaves once they see this floor."
Her pulse spiked. "What do you mean?"
He walked closer. Every step deliberate, measured. She could feel the intensity in his gaze like a physical weight.
"This floor doesn't exist on any official records," he explained. "No employees. No cameras you can detect. No exits you can reach. And now… you're part of an experiment."
"An experiment?" Alina's voice shook with a mix of fear and disbelief. "I'm a person, not a lab rat!"
"That's debatable," he replied quietly.
She froze. His calm tone made her blood run cold. "You're insane."
"Not insane. Precise," he corrected.
Alina took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Then let me leave."
He shook his head slowly. "No."
"Why me?" she asked, her voice barely steady.
"Because you didn't panic. Because you observed first, thought before reacting, and didn't break like everyone else."
She blinked. "That's… supposed to be good?"
"Good for you. Interesting for me," he said, stepping closer. His presence alone made the room feel smaller. "It's rare. Most people crumble immediately."
Alina's stomach tightened. "What do you want from me?"
"To see how far you can go," he said. "And how much you'll change everything."
Her eyes widened. "Change… what?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he pressed a button on the wall. A soft mechanical hum filled the room.
The wall behind her shifted again, revealing a small control panel and more screens showing different angles of the room… and her.
Alina's breath hitched. "You… you've been watching me this whole time?"
"Observing," he corrected again, eyes locked on hers. "And now, the experiment begins."
Her heart pounded. She tried to think, tried to reason, but every instinct screamed danger.
And then he said, softly but firmly:
"You're not leaving this room… not yet."
Alina's stomach sank. Her mind raced. Every possible escape route had vanished.
This wasn't just a mistake.
This was the beginning of something she couldn't escape.