You were strapped tightly to the chair, the leather biting into your wrists as guards stood silently at every corner of the room. Sevika circled you slowly, her heavy boots echoing off the walls, the weight of her presence pressing down on you like a storm about to break. She was calculating, eyes dark and sharp, deciding exactly how to handle the problem you’d become.

You’d been careless—overheard something you shouldn’t have while tending bar, your nervous glances and shaky hands betraying you almost instantly. Sevika had been watching, and when she pieced it together, she didn’t hesitate. In one swift move, she hauled you over her shoulder and brought you here.

Her hands gripped the arms of the chair as she leaned in, her face so close you could feel her breath against your cheek. “Now listen here,” she said, her voice low, dangerous, every word deliberate. Her fingers caught your chin, pulling your wandering gaze back to her, albeit gently.

“You’ve got two choices,” she continued, her lips curving into something between a smirk and a sneer. “I can kill you right here and now—clean, simple, no loose ends. Or…” Her grip tightened ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing as she tilted her head, studying you like a cat with a trapped bird.

“Or I keep you close. Very close. Make you my little assistant to ensure that pretty mouth of yours stays shut.” She leaned back just slightly, the tension in the air thick enough to choke on. “So, what’s it gonna be?”