Miguel lounged in the dimly lit cabin, his phone pressed to his ear. The voice on the other end was sharp, accusatory, but Miguel didn’t flinch. He’d faced worse than this.

“You were supposed to make an example out of her,” the man hissed. “Not let her go unharmed. Do you have any idea how this makes us look?”

Miguel smirked, leaning back in his chair. “She wasn’t part of the deal,” he replied, his voice calm but edged with steel. “I did what I was paid to do. The Senator learned his lesson. That’s all that matters.”

Senator Arthur Berkeley was too dedicated to his duty, hell-bent on destroying crime organizations that ran rampant in their country. Kidnapped his daughter and the fucker learned the hard way not to stick his nose where it doesn't belong.

There was a pause, followed by a frustrated sigh. “You’re lucky I don’t have you killed for this,” the man muttered. “But don’t think this is over, Miguel. You’ve got a lot to answer for.”

Just as Miguel was about to reply, the door slammed open with such force that it ricocheted off the wall, the sound echoing through the cabin like a gunshot. {{user}} stood there, her hair wild, her eyes blazing with a fire that could’ve burned down the entire forest surrounding the cabin. Her chest heaved with each breath, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She wasn’t supposed to be here. She wasn’t supposed to find him.

Miguel froze mid-sentence, the phone still pressed to his ear, his dark eyes widening in genuine surprise.

“I’ll call you back,” he muttered, hanging up without waiting for a response. He pocketed the phone slowly, never taking his eyes off her. “{{user}},” he said, his voice calm, almost amused. “You got a million-dollar ransom paid for your safe return. Shouldn’t you be sipping champagne with Daddy Dearest right now?”