CHAPTER 95: 95

Every spectator of the scene was left whispering a ripple of voices swelling across the courtyard like a soft but persistent tide. Some were murmuring in shock, others in awe, while a few exchanged looks that spoke more than words ever could. The once-cheerful chatter of the crowd had dissolved into hushed tones and darting glances, their curiosity blending with fear. Fingers pointed discreetly, and phones were raised to record, though no one dared move too close. The air felt heavier, as though the atmosphere itself held its breath.

But amid the chaos, two people stood still not speaking, not reacting, their faces blank yet their eyes sharp with realization.

Tom and Nix.

They were the only two who weren’t surprised. The only two who recognized the pattern.

Tom had seen that same calculated move before in the school campus where Carmela back in Paris where Carmela had dealt with one of the people that intended to bully her. The same precision. The same deadly calm. The way her right hand had moved first to distract before her left delivered the finishing blow, swift and silent.

Nix, too, remembered. His memory dragged him back to a much darker day to Ella. He had watched Carmela use that very technique during a confrontation that almost ended with blood on marble floors. The way she’d stood afterward, with her chest rising slowly, gaze unreadable, not remorseful but composed. That same chilling composure now mirrored in Elisa’s trembling hands and blank stare.

They both knew what it meant.They both knew who it pointed to.

Carmela.

They didn’t say a word. Didn’t even glance at each other. As Sofia gasped for air, struggling to regain her breath, they turned simultaneously and walked back inside. Not because what happened didn’t concern them but because it did, too deeply. The scene felt like a ghost from their past clawing its way back into reality.

"She said she was left-handed," Nix muttered under his breath, his brows furrowed. "Then how did she..."

"I think something isn’t right.."Nix’s eyes darkened hearing Tom’s words.

Before Tom could say anymore Luna appeared from the corridor, her boots making sharp, deliberate sounds against the floor. Her usual smirk was gone; her expression was stone serious.

"It’s time," she said quietly.

For a brief moment, the three of them exchanged glances and an unspoken understanding passing between them. There was no need for words. Whatever was happening, whatever was unfolding beneath the surface, they all knew it was connected. And they were running out of time.

They followed Luna down a narrow passage, the hum of the ship’s engine vibrating faintly underfoot. The lighting was dim, the air thick with salt and tension. Finally, she pushed open a metallic door that led into a smaller, tech-filled cabin, the kind of place where secrets were born.

Inside, Suzy sat before a sleek array of monitors. Her posture was tense, every muscle in her shoulders pulled taut as her fingers flew across the keyboard with the precision of a trained warrior. Lines of code scrolled down the screens like green rain, while a holographic blueprint of the cruise ship hovered above the desk, rotating slowly. Her eyes flicked from one monitor to another, reflecting the shifting colors,blue, green, and white each one mirroring her concentration.

Her focus was razor-sharp. Sweat beaded lightly at her temple, but she didn’t wipe it away. Her breathing was steady, and controlled the kind of control that came from countless missions like this one. Every keystroke was deliberate, as if she were in battle with an invisible enemy.

Then the door burst open behind them. Liam rushed in, slightly out of breath, his hair tousled and shirt partly untucked the look of someone juggling both chaos and diplomacy.

"Sorry about earlier," he said quickly, his voice half-apologetic, half-nervous. "Elisa’s just having a little... you know, female mood swings." He forced a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Anyway about the painting. It can only be in one place according to the blueprint of the cruise, his room. I sent in some spies disguised as maids, and they reported he doesn’t let anyone near his closet. So my guess is.."

"Actually, it’s not there," Suzy interrupted, her tone cool and matter-of-fact as she tore her gaze from the screen.

Liam blinked. "What?"

"I’ve already scanned that entire area," she replied, spinning her chair slightly toward them. "And behind his closet, there’s a hidden walkway a sealed passage that leads to an underground compartment. Not on any official blueprint." She tapped a few keys, and the holographic display zoomed in, revealing a faint red outline beneath the master suite. "See that? That’s the entry point."

She leaned back, crossing her arms. "My guess? The painting isn’t in his room. It’s down there.. in the basement."

Suzy’s words hung in the air like an electric charge. The dim cabin lights flickered, reflecting off the blue glow of her multiple screens. On one screen, lines of code pulsed like a heartbeat; on another, the ship’s blueprint expanded, rotating in holographic precision every corridor, stairwell, and restricted area marked in glowing red.

"An underground basement?" Liam echoed, his brows furrowed as he leaned over her shoulder. "On a cruise ship?"

"It’s not an actual basement," Suzy replied without looking at him, her voice low but sharp with focus. "It’s a concealed storage compartment built into the lower deck and it’s custom-made. Whoever designed it wasn’t just hiding valuables. They were hiding something... personal."

Nix crossed his arms, the faint hum of the engines beneath his feet syncing with his pulse. "So, we’re breaking into the most secure part of the ship," he said, almost to himself. "Figures."

Luna, still standing by the door, folded her arms and glanced at the others. "Then we’ll need to move before dawn. Security rotation changes at 7:00 p.m. the only time the maintenance passage linking the east deck to Camillo’s suite is unguarded."

Tom nodded. "That gives us exactly one hour."

Suzy’s fingers danced across the keyboard. Tap, tap, tap. "I’ll reroute the ship’s internal cameras for fifteen minutes but that’s the max before the system auto-corrects. When that happens, we’ll have to be ghosts."

The tension thickened. Nix finally moved closer to the screen, eyes tracing the digital path glowing in blue. "We enter through here the maintenance shaft behind the staff quarters. It’ll take us straight to his floor, but the motion sensors.."

"..will be down," Suzy finished for him. "For ten minutes only."

"Then we’re on the clock." Nix’s tone was clipped, and deliberate, the kind of voice that made people obey without hesitation.

Luna adjusted her gloves, a sly smirk tugging at her lips. "It’s been a while since I did something illegal in heels."

Tom gave her a look. "This isn’t your usual playground, Luna."

"Oh, sweetheart," she murmured, sliding a compact knife into her boot. "It’s always my playground."

The group dispersed in perfect coordination each one slipping into silent motion like trained operatives. The hallway outside was dim, bathed in the rhythmic red glow of emergency lights. Every sound and the creak of the ship, the distant waves slapping against the hull felt amplified in the silence.

Nix took the lead, his steps precise and calculated. Liam followed behind, quieter than expected for his size, carrying a slim toolkit. Luna ghosted along the wall, her eyes constantly scanning. And Suzy’s voice whispered in their earpieces from the control room.

"Three cameras disabled... You’re clear for twenty meters."

And with that they moved.

When they reached Camille’s quarters, the corridor was empty. The nameplate on the door gleamed faintly under the light Camille S. Ward. A man known for his wealth, ruthlessness, and obsession with secrecy.

"Code lock," Liam murmured, crouching by the panel.

"Bypassing now," Suzy’s voice buzzed softly. "Three seconds..."

Click.

The lock gave way.

Nix pushed the door open a fraction, letting the darkness spill out like smoke. The air smelled faintly of expensive whiskey and old wood. Inside, the suite looked almost untouched, too neat, and too symmetrical. Every object was placed with surgical precision, except one: a half-empty glass of red wine still on the table.

Luna’s eyes flicked toward it. "He’s nearby."

"Then move fast," Nix ordered.

They slipped inside. Liam moved straight to the closet, a massive oak structure built into the wall. "This is it."

He pressed against the side panel, and with a faint click, the wood shifted revealing a narrow passage lined with steel and dim amber lights.

"Bingo," Tom muttered.

They filed in one by one. The tunnel was colder, the hum of machinery echoing beneath them. At the end of the narrow path was a biometric lock, a fingerprint and retina scanner embedded in a steel door.

"Suzy.." Nix started.

"I see it," she interrupted, her fingers flying on the keyboard. "Override in progress."

For a second, the system resisted. Then a soft chime rang responded in the room

"Access Granted"

The door slid open with a hiss, revealing a hidden chamber. The walls were lined with artifacts, priceless art, rare gems, antique weapons. But at the far end, illuminated by a faint overhead light, hung the object they came for: the painting.

It was larger than they expected, framed in black glass, its colors alive even in the half-dark. The painting was actually a portrait of a woman, her eyes hauntingly familiar.

Liam’s breath hitched. "That’s... Carmela?"

Before anyone could answer, a faint sound echoed from the corridor behind them, it was footsteps.

Nix froze. "We’re not alone."

The others turned sharply. The door that had been open seconds ago now stood sealed.

Then came a deep calm voice laced with authority rang through the room

"I wondered," Camillo’s voice slithered through the vault like a serpent, amplified by the hidden speakers above. "Who would dare enter my private chamber... But I should’ve known."

A low, amused chuckle followed, cold enough to raise goosebumps. "It’d be you."

A sharp click echoed.

Then boom! the lights flared to life, flooding the metallic room with a blinding glare. For a heartbeat, their pupils shrank to pinpoints as every hidden lens on the walls rotated toward them, their tiny red dots blinking in unison like a circle of predator eyes.

Luna cursed under her breath, the word barely audible and her hand instinctively went for her knife.

Tom spun in place, panic flickering in his eyes as the mechanical whirring of reinforced locks echoed from the only exit. The vault door sealed shut with a hiss that felt almost deliberate, slow and cruel.

"We’re trapped," he whispered, his voice trembling.

Nix didn’t move. His silhouette stood perfectly still under the harsh light, his head tilted slightly toward one of the cameras. For a moment, his expression was unreadable then something darker, colder, settled in his gaze.

"Not yet."

The words came out like a promise... or maybe a threat.

Before anyone could react, he reached for his sidearm, his movements swift and fluid the kind honed by instinct, not thought.

CRACK!

The gunshot split the silence.

A single bulb exploded above them, showering the room in shards of glass. Then another. And another.

The lights sputtered, flickered and then died.

Darkness swallowed everything.

All that remained was the faint hum of the security system, the smell of gunpowder hanging thick in the air, and Camillo’s voice crackling faintly through the speakers now laced with irritation.

"Well... that’s inconvenient," he murmured.

Somewhere in the dark, Nix’s voice answered calm, quiet, and close enough to make Luna’s pulse skip.

"Not for us."

Then, silence.

Followed by the faint, synchronized click of three safety triggers being released.

The hunt had begun.