Russian Roulette /̵͇̿̿/’̿’̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿
CHAPTER 10
Click. The projector emitted a crisp sound, casting a photo onto the opposite wall. Alex sat in the empty projection room, staring at the enlarged image illuminated before him.
It was a photograph of Tessa, captured mid-stride as she walked alongside Vicente’s inner circle somewhere in Saint Leroi.
She doesn’t belong there, Alex thought idly. Tessa looked so out of place, her demeanor starkly contrasting the hardened criminals around her.
She’s too straight-laced to thrive in a place like that. Like a brittle twig—it bends just a little before it snaps.
Click. The next photo appeared, a close-up of Tessa’s ID picture. It wasn’t recent, taken years ago when her face still radiated a faint pride in her work and a flicker of hope for the future.
Not that she was smiling, of course.
How different she had looked just yesterday. She was worn, visibly fraying at the edges, but holding on nonetheless. She’d have to keep holding on—this mission demanded it.
Sure, it was a heavy burden for a C-rank Sentinel. But Tessa was never destined for a simple life.
Of all people, why did she have to end up with Vicente Zermo as her guide?
Alex’s mind wandered to the night Tessa had called him, her voice cracked with tears. She had finally found the guide she’d been waiting for her whole life, only to be dragged into despair.
“Why did he know when I didn’t? Answer me! Explain it to me!”
Tessa had never asked the real question. She never demanded to know if Alex had known all along. Whether he had deliberately kept it from her. She never accused him of betrayal.
Did she trust him that much? Did she truly believe he had been in the dark as well?
But the truth was, Alex hadn’t been entirely clueless.
Not entirely.
As he stared at the photograph projected by the projector, deep in thought, a subordinate opened the door and entered. The subordinate hesitated, glancing at Alex before speaking.
“Sir, the director is looking for you.”
“Why?”
“It seems to be regarding the trip you took to Saint Leroi last time.”
Alex switched off the projector and removed the photo. In an instant, the projection room was filled with darkness.
He walked down the hallway with his direct subordinate, Selwyn. Even while walking together, Selwyn appeared to be cautiously observing him before finally bringing up the topic.
“About the operation you’re handling right now… Is it really okay?”
“What about it?”
“I’m talking about Tessa Ambrose… the agent infiltrating Saint Leroi.”
“Why Tessa?”
“Well, if that agent were to defect… She’s only a C-class Sentinel, but she’s been at the center of major operations before. She must have a lot of information.”
Alex scoffed. Defection? That might be possible, but he didn’t think Tessa could cause any real harm to the intelligence agency by doing so.
They must have already made their preparations.
After all, they had accepted such a dangerous mission.
“If she wants to defect, let her.”
“Deputy Director! But…”
“The person we’re talking about is Tessa. Do you really think she’d walk into the underworld by herself? She’s more likely the type to blow my head off with a gun. So, don’t worry.”
At that, Selwyn fell silent. After a brief pause, he spoke in a hesitant voice.
“But… what if Tessa learns the truth?”
They had now stopped in front of the director’s office. Alex looked at Selwyn with an indifferent gaze, his voice devoid of any emotion.
“What truth?”
“You know what I mean, sir.”
“Even if she finds out, nothing will change. Do you think we’d send Tessa there without reason? Stop worrying and go back to your work.”
Selwyn composed himself and nodded, then bowed his head slightly. Alex watched him walk away for a moment before knocking on the door.
“Director, it’s Alex Reed.”
“Come in.”
When Alex opened the door, the sound of a cat’s meow greeted him first. A white Persian cat made an indistinct sound toward Alex before curling up in its owner’s arms.
Its name was, if he remembered correctly, Annie.
Director Melissa Hart sat at her desk, holding Annie in her lap. The cat purred contentedly as it snuggled against her.
“Riddle, take a seat. You went to Saint Leroi last time because of the drug distribution route report, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I trust you’ve handled it well. You’re a veteran, after all.”
Alex merely flashed a polite smile. Director Hart set Annie down on the floor. The cat immediately crawled into its favorite box, curling up and yawning.
“So, how is she?”
“Tessa, you mean?”
“She’s infiltrated so deeply that it’s not easy for us to keep an eye on her. Sending anyone to watch her near Zermo is a burden now. If she’s caught, she’d go down without a fight, and we’d lose personnel. It’s a nightmare.”
“Tessa is holding up well.”
“On the outside, at least?”
“I have no doubt Tessa will continue to do well.”
Director Hart nodded.
“If that’s what you believe, I suppose there’s nothing more to say.”
But the issue wasn’t just Tessa. Both Alex and Director Hart knew this well.
“What about Vicente Zermo? Tessa’s receiving his guiding, isn’t she?”
“It’s probably not significant.”
Alex answered.
“She’s probably just playing with him, like a toy.”
“If Vicente Zermo ever develops any unnecessary ambitions toward Ambrose, things could get complicated. How many times has he changed his mind, after all?”
“Do you really think so? Even if he has such thoughts, Tessa won’t fall for it.”
“Regardless, this is a high-risk game.”
Director Hart clicked her tongue. How did they end up making a deal with someone like Zermo…? She muttered under her breath, and while Alex remained silent, he didn’t disagree with her.
“Keep an eye on her a little longer. Everything depends on Tessa. If she can steer this deal in our favor, we could have Zermo dancing to our tune. It’s like winning the war with the underworld.”
“…I understand. They’ve promised a great price in return.”
“On the other hand, if things start to go south…”
Director Hart tapped the gun resting on the desk.
“Just kill him. Understood?”
“Do you think Zermo will accept that?”
“We’ve been holding the reins from the start. Tessa is our agent. If the Intelligence Agency handles one of its own agents, Zermo can’t say a word about it. Don’t you think?”
“He was the one who requested Tessa.”
Alex couldn’t help but voice his concerns. Was it really possible to let things end like this, as the Director suggested?
In his mind, it seemed impossible.
“He won’t like that outcome, for sure.”
“Anyway, keep watching. This deal needs to be wrapped up successfully.”
Alex nodded. He believed Tessa would hold her ground. She had to. For them—and for his own life.
* * *
In the end, the bath salts Alex had gifted were never used. They were one of the few items that carried the scent of the world she would return to. How could she carelessly use something like that?
Tessa placed the bath salts in a visible spot, keeping them safely tucked away.
“They haven’t forgotten me. They’re wishing for my well-being. That’s why they sent me a gift.”
She lived her life waiting for the day she could return to them. She would leave this vulgar and decadent world behind and return to where she truly belonged.
Someday, for sure.
To put it simply, staying close to Vicente and “getting involved with him” was still a struggle. It was because he was someone Tessa could never love. She promised herself she would try even harder not to like him.
How could she? He was the kind of person who could hang anyone he deemed an enemy from a streetlamp, and that someone could very well be Tessa.
But aside from that, thanks to the guiding she had received, Tessa was able to sleep deeply for the first time in a long while. Was the morning ever this refreshing? Waking up without a headache was the first time since her manifestation.
Tessa dressed in the same suit design she always wore and went outside. She looked no different from an ordinary office worker.
Except for the two pistols she had concealed in her coat.
As soon as she stepped outside the building she was staying in, she came face-to-face with the same sedan she had seen before. However, this time, it wasn’t an agent wearing sunglasses waiting for her.
The window rolled down. And the person who appeared wasn’t anyone else but Vicente.
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