Memories replayed in her mind, recalling the time he had pinned her down on the bed, attempting to assault her, yet pretended to let her go when an aide came in to report, “The mountain eagle has found the cat.” This was their code. A few days later, Irina, disguised as a maid, had appeared, and after that great fire, Irina had vanished without a trace. Perhaps he had killed her, or perhaps he had captured her. At this moment, Khanyi had no intention of getting involved in either side’s stance; her greatest concern was for her brother Victor’s whereabouts.
As she stood at the staircase, lost in thought, the worst situation unfolded. Lieutenant Jacob, who had just escorted a few officers down the stairs from the third-floor meeting room, spotted her standing at the second-floor staircase. He immediately realized he had made a serious mistake and rushed over to grab her arm, attempting to lead her away. “What are you doing standing here? Come with me!”
Khanyi ignored Lieutenant Jacob, her dark gaze fixed on the tall, slender man in a crisp black uniform surrounded by several senior officers. Although the uniform was not extravagant, the two oak leaf insignias on the standing collar indicated his rank, and his overly handsome face did not quite match that of a general. She knew he was feigning calmness, staring at her silently after a moment of surprise, locking eyes with her for a brief moment. His ice-blue eyes flickered, looking towards Lieutenant Jacob, who understood his meaning and quickly stepped forward, forcibly pulling her away.He did not make her wait long. Almost at the same time Captain Jacob stepped out, he entered the small reception room and closed the door behind him.
“What are you doing here?” He stood three steps away from her, seemingly suppressing his anger, and said in a low voice, “You should know what this place is.”
Khanyi did not hear his words and was too preoccupied with his displeasure. Just like in the corridor moments ago, she stared intently into his eyes, her dark eyes shimmering with something crystalline.
He was taken aback by her gaze, his lips twitching slightly, and his tone unconsciously softened, “What? What do you want to say?”
“Why did you lie to me?” she finally asked, her voice choked.
His ice-blue eyes fixed on her, not understanding her meaning.
“Professor John Brown… he is the spy you planted at Samuel Art School, right?” She asked each word deliberately, her tone not forceful, yet resonating with conviction.
He was stunned, his clear pupils suddenly widening, the corners of his eyes twitching rapidly. This sudden question caught him off guard, as he was usually quick-witted. He was not entirely clear about what had happened just moments ago in the corridor, but her words explained her actions and her current emotional outburst, while also revealing that she had inadvertently stumbled into his headquarters and seen something she should not have.
“In fact, he is not the only spy. The chef in the villa is one too; he is not really Italian. The driver is also one; he is just like those two guards at the hotel door. The gardener is one, and the maid who does odd jobs is one too. Everyone is! They might be promising young officers, but you sent them to spy on your lover!”
Faced with her barrage of accusations, his brows furrowed tighter, his lips pressed into a thin line, trembling slightly, but she did not give him a chance to speak.
“Your network of spies is spread across the country, your dark hands reach everywhere, infiltrating every corner of this nation. Fine, that’s your job, but why treat me like this? Everything has been meticulously plotted by you. You pretended to let me go, only to plant spies to follow me. You went to such lengths to deceive and humiliate me, to see how I would submit to you?”
“Enough,” he intended to interrupt her, but seeing the tears streaming down her dark eyes, he was momentarily speechless.
“The one who should say that is me. I’ve had enough, enough of this life. All around me are spies, nothing but spies; all I see are conspiracies. I live forever in a shroud of darkness. Perhaps I should thank Professor Brown—no, Captain John Brown or whatever other name! In any case, he made me see your true face…” She sobbed as she accused him, her voice hoarse and choked.
“Are you accusing me? If I had intended to hide something, have you been completely honest with me?” His ice-blue eyes stared at her, watching her tears continue to fall like rain.
She paused, knowing exactly what he was referring to; it must be that he had discovered her interactions with Marcus. But she believed she had done nothing wrong against him. On the contrary, he had been watching her, manipulating everything from the shadows. “You’ve known about my acquaintance with Marcus for a long time, haven’t you? Since that agent passed me a note on the train, you must know every word I exchanged with him, every action I took…”
He interrupted her, turning away, avoiding her gaze, something flickering in his ice-blue eyes. “I’m not interested in that, nor do I want to argue with you here. This is my office. If you have questions, we can discuss them when I return,” he said, and as soon as he finished speaking, he quickly walked to the cabinet, picked up the phone, and decisively ordered, “Jacob, come in immediately.”
Captain Jacob arrived promptly. He didn’t even look up, turning his back to her, yet accurately issued orders to his subordinate, “Take her back.”
“Miss Gianna, please come with me,” Captain Jacob said to her, his black uniform sleeve blocking her view.
Khanyi stood still, her dark eyes filled with tears. His tall, black-clad figure gradually became blurred in her vision, and she felt a surge of grievances, anger, and questions that she wanted to voice but could not. With the support of the stern SS captain, she stumbled out of the room.
