Ana gripped her rifle, her fingers trembling slightly against the cold metal. She exhaled slowly, steadying her position. This time, she had to do it. No misses. No hesitations.
Her heart pounded as she adjusted her aim, centering the scope over the man standing beneath the dim streetlight. The one known only as Tiger. The target she had been ordered to eliminate for far too long.
Her boss had demanded this kill countless times. And this? This was her thirty-sixth attempt.
Thirty-six times.
Thirty-six failures.
Her throat tightened as she adjusted her grip. Sweat beaded on her brow, despite the chilling night air.
Ana was about to pull the trigger when, suddenly, the man looked straight into the rifle's visor.
Golden gaze.
Striking. Piercing. Unwavering.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she stumbled backward, pressing her back against the rough stone wall behind her. Her breath hitched, goosebumps rising across her skin. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she clutched her rifle close, her hands unsteady.
Every time she pointed the gun at him, only him, it happened. That unbearable weight settled deep in her chest, a suffocating guilt coiling in her stomach like a snake tightening its grip.
Why? Why him?
She swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut for a brief moment before shaking her head. No. This was just another kill, just another mission. It didn't matter. He was just a target.
Just a target.
She took a sharp breath and repositioned the gun.
The rifle clicked as she cocked it, her finger tightening around the trigger—
But he was gone. Ana's blood ran cold.
It wasn't surprising that he had vanished after being caught, but something about it felt... different. Wrong.
Her body tensed, instincts screaming at her.
"AGH!"
A tight grip yanked her head back, fingers twisting into her hair with a force that sent shockwaves through her skull.
Ana's breath caught as a powerful presence loomed behind her, radiating an aura so intense it sent a shiver crawling down her spine. The scent of steel and something smoky—like embers lingering in the night air—wrapped around her.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
His voice was low, rich, and filled with something dangerously close to amusement.
"You think you have the authority to do that?"
The sound of his voice wasn't just in her ears—it rumbled through her, a dark challenge vibrating in her chest.
Ana gritted her teeth, her body frozen, paralyzed under his grip. She refused to respond, but her silence was an answer in itself.
"Thirty-six times," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear. "And you have never succeeded."
Her jaw clenched. His fingers tightened in her hair ever so slightly, tilting her head just enough to force her to meet his gaze.
A smirk ghosted his lips
"What is stopping you, Lion?"
Ana's jaw clenched, but a strange sense of familiarity rang through her mind. She stared back into his piercing golden eyes, her breath shallow.
It was as if they were both predators, standing at the edge of an invisible battlefield, ready to pounce.
Her earpiece crackled with static—then came the voices. They had heard everything.
Boots thundered against the pavement, the unmistakable sound of men rushing in. Gunshots erupted, shattering the night air. Chaos descended upon the alley like a storm, but Ana barely registered it.
A smirk curled at her lips. This is it. The end.
But then—why did she feel a twisting knot in her stomach? Why didn't she want it to be over?
Rifles snapped into place, aimed at him. Dozens of red sights painted his chest, ready to take him down in an instant. Yet, Tiger didn't flinch.
Instead, his golden gaze sharpened.
In one swift movement, he pressed his pistol against her ribs.
Ana's breath hitched. A shiver raced down her spine as she felt the cold steel nudge against her skin.
No, no, no.
The mob boss emerged from the shadows, stepping into the moonlight. His expression unreadable. Cold. Calculated.
Ana turned to him, her eyes pleading—begging for an explanation, a chance, anything.
He only stared at her, then gave a slow nod toward Tiger.
"Shoot her as you wish."
The words hit like a thunderclap.
Ana's blood ran cold. Her face paled in horror.
No.
No. No. No. NO.
THIS TRAITOR!
Click.
The gun fired.
Pain exploded through her side, a white-hot agony tearing through flesh and bone.
A strangled scream ripped from her throat as she crumpled to the ground.
Darkness swarmed her vision.
The last thing she saw was Tiger standing over her, watching her fall.
Then—nothing.
but...was this this the end?...
no.
she hurriedly opened her eyes. her sight was him sitting taking a drag of cigarette while the men including the boss burned in fire..
...