The Heart System

I turned and started down the hallway, moving toward the staircase. Every step had to be placed carefully, avoiding the parts of the wood that looked worn or unstable. The house was too quiet, and that made every small sound feel louder than it actually was.

Halfway down, I paused.

Footsteps.

Someone was moving on the ground floor.

I lowered myself slightly and leaned just enough to peek past the railing. The same guy I had noticed earlier was there, walking through the living room area. He looked like security, moving slowly, scanning things without rushing.

I waited until he turned his back and disappeared toward another room before continuing.

The rest of the way down felt longer than it should have, but I made it without a sound. Once I reached the bottom, I didn’t waste time. I moved straight toward the front door, staying close to the wall and out of open sightlines.

The door was shut, but not locked.

I quickly scanned the area and spotted a small shelf beside the door. A bowl sat on it, and inside were several keys. I grabbed them carefully, picking the one that looked like it belonged to the main lock.

I slid it in and turned it slowly.

Click.

I froze for a second, listening.

Nothing.

No reaction.

I let out a quiet breath and placed the key back exactly how I found it, making sure nothing looked disturbed. Then I stepped away from the door.

That was one problem handled.

Now I just needed to get out without running into that guard.

I moved toward the back corridor we had seen earlier, but before I could reach it, I heard footsteps again. Closer this time.

Shit.

I quickly looked around and spotted a small fake apple on a side table near the living room entrance. Without overthinking it, I picked it up and tossed it lightly across the room, aiming toward the far side of the living room.

It hit the floor with a dull thud.

The reaction was immediate.

“What the hell?” the guard muttered, his footsteps shifting direction as he moved toward the noise.

That was my opening.

I turned and slipped into the back corridor, moving quickly but carefully.

Unlocked. Nice.

I pushed the door just enough to slip through, then stepped outside and pulled it closed behind me.

Cold air hit my face immediately, carrying the smell of the sea and damp ground. I didn’t stop there. I moved along the side of the house, keeping low and using the overgrown yard as cover.

I glanced up toward the second floor.

A few seconds later, the window of the master bedroom opened slightly, and Cora climbed out carefully. She lowered herself down using the edge and dropped the last bit to the ground with a soft landing.

“You good?” I asked.

“Yeah…”

We moved together this time, quick and quiet. I climbed first and swung myself over, then reached down and helped her up. She followed smoothly, and we both dropped onto the road on the other side.

We didn’t stop walking immediately. We kept moving, putting distance between us and the house before either of us spoke.

Finally, after a while, I let out a long breath and glanced back.

The house looked completely normal. No lights switching on, no one running out, no signs that anything had gone wrong.

“That was closer than I’d like,” I muttered.

Cora nodded beside me. “But we didn’t leave anything behind.”

I huffed quietly. “Yeah. Thanks to you.”

She smiled a little, clearly relieved.

And just like that, we were gone without leaving a trace.

James fucking Bond.

⟁ ⟁ ⟁

I put the keycard back into my pocket and unlocked my phone as soon as I stepped inside. The familiar warmth of the penthouse hit me after the cold outside, carrying the faint smell of food and something sweet Minne must have been preparing earlier. I opened the app Cora had installed for me and waited for it to load while shrugging off my jacket. I hung it on the rack near the door, taking my time like nothing unusual had happened tonight, even though my pulse was still a little too fast for my liking.

As the app booted up, I walked into the living room.

Jasmine and Kim were seated at the dinner table, both with their laptops open, screens glowing against their faces. Their fingers moved quickly across the keyboards, focused and in sync with whatever they were working on. When they noticed me, they both lifted their heads for a brief second, smiled casually, and then went right back to their screens like I had just come back from a normal evening.

“Hey, girls,” I said, walking toward the table. “Have you guys had dinner yet?”

“Nope,” Jasmine replied without looking up, her eyes locked onto her screen. “We waited for you… wait, which shortcut was that again, Kim?”

Kim leaned slightly toward her, pointing at the screen. “Alt plus shift, then click. Not the other one, you’ll mess it up.”

I pulled a chair and sat down, letting my body relax a little. At the same time, the app finally loaded on my phone. The camera feed popped up.

The bedroom.

Just the bed, untouched, silent, and completely normal.

I stared at it for a second, watching for any movement that wasn’t there. No Jack. No Robert. No sign of anything yet. It made sense, though. They wouldn’t be there this early. Still, seeing that empty room after everything we had just done felt surreal. We actually pulled it off.

Guess I’d have to check it tomorrow. Hopefully at the right time. Hopefully catching them both in the same bed, doing exactly what I needed them to be doing… something ’unholy.’

“Welcome back, Master.”

I looked up and saw Minne standing at the hallway entrance, hands lightly clasped in front of her.

“I didn’t hear you come in, sorry,” she added.

“Hey,” I smiled, locking my phone and slipping it into my pocket. “Where’s Tessa?”

“She’s taking a shower,” Minne replied. “I’ll start preparing dinner now.”

“Thank you, honey.”

She nodded softly and headed toward the kitchen, already moving with that quiet efficiency of hers.