Her voice turned colder, almost scolding. “A mild concussion, a nasty bruise on your arm—you’ll recover soon. But don’t think you’re off the hook for this one.”
I chuckled weakly, wincing as the movement tugged at my wounds. That was Bianca Gardner for you. Even after all these years, she hadn’t changed—sharp-tongued and fiercely protective in her own twisted way. As she began reporting the mission results to her superiors, I closed my eyes, letting the weight of the day settle over me. Everything had gone according to plan. Or rather, this plan had been set in motion long ago.
***
Carter had been a plant from the very beginning. It was a fact that shocked even the upper echelons of the General Administration, though what surprised them more was how easily Scarlett fell for such a basic ploy. She claimed to love me, yet she betrayed me without hesitation. She climbed into another man’s bed, indulging her desires as though our vows meant nothing. That betrayal had sealed her fate.