TRAP

When they arrived at the CION brothel, Leroy, Victoria, and Yakov were immediately greeted by Mort's men in the lobby. All of them were dressed in formal black business suits. Yakov and Leroy walk ahead as Victoria tailed them behind, holding tightly on the jacket. Stunned, Victoria's eyes widened when she was finally able to return to CION Brothel where her life started to get better and her life changed, which later turned for the worst because of the wrong decision she made.

'If only I hadn't left this place, maybe the misfortunes and nightmares I'm facing right now wouldn't have happened to me.' said Victoria to herself with great remorse.

The actress asks herself why they brought her back to the brothel. Creux Morosov, the owner of Brothel entered her mind. Victoria couldn't bring herself to believe that it was Creux who ordered to bring her back. She leaves the place without having a proper conversation with the owner of the pleasure house.

"A slut is a slut. Everywhere you go, you smell like shit." One of the courtesans commented who recognized Victoria. The group broke into laughter while eyeing Victoria in derision.

The actress lowered her head and ignore their unforgiving jeer. Turning to face the courtesans, Yakov cleared his throat which got their attention and blankly looked at their place. The group shut their lips closed.

"I'm sorry." The courtesan apologizes and slightly bowed. Some of Mort's men, Yakov, Leroy, and Victoria went to the exclusive elevator and boarded inside to bring them down to the Underground Zero of CION Brothel where Mort occupied the ground floor.

Leroy push the button to which Victoria's eyes widened and started to tremble again, begging for her life. She can feel her impending demise after boarding the elevator and Death was waiting for her outside the elevator door. Down on her knee, she cried helplessly for her life to be spared but Leroy and Yakov ignore her pleas.

"Please, I'll tell you everything but don't take me to Ground Zero. I'm begging you..." Victoria begged, tears streaming down her cheeks. She has never been to Ground Zero of the CION brothel, but she has heard a lot of darkest and most inhumane deeds take place in the mysterious level of the brothel. Whenever she thinks of it, her hair stoods on end out of fear.

This is the part of the CION brothel she does not want to roam around. She knew her doom fate was inevitable. She is going through the worst but going to the Ground Zero of CION Brothel would certainly have her dead.

"Of course. You will confess everything whether you like it or not." A tall, muscular man coldly said. Victoria turned to him begging.

"P-please...h-help...m-me." She stammered and didn't seem to bother the coldness around as they are getting nearer to the place. The actress didn't even notice she was covered in mud. The man frowned and rolled his eyes at her.

"Not gonna do that." He nonchalantly replied and brush Victoria's hand on his arms mercilessly. The actress was shoved on the floor. Hands thrust into his pocket, Leroy sighed heavily and soundly at Victoria's drama.

"I fucking hate this job," Leroy murmured beneath his lips. The elevator ting and it opened. Victoria was pulled up by Mort's men by her hair and the actress did nothing to fight them. With their bulk physique, they could easily tear her to pieces. Their tight grip on her hair was so painful that she felt she would go bald at any second.

Victoria endured the pain. They dragged her to a dark reddened room and throw her inside. Her face was shoved on the cold floor for the second time. They shut the door closed and Victoria swallowed hard. She slowly looked up with her disheveled and disgusting appearance. She reeks of an awful smell. Her throat went dry in fear. She couldn't see anything inside. She knew the men who had brought her in had also entered the room but none of them spoke. She could feel the pairs of piercing stare at her from the darkness. It's like the abyss had eyes.

"A-anyone, p-please save m-me." Stuttering, Victoria could barely breathe from the fear and she could feel the beat of her heart accelerate.

The light flickered on and there revealed the gorgeous hunk sitting in his majestic chair with legs crossed and head slightly tilted on the side looking like a Ruler of the Underworld and could set the world on fire in just a wave of his hand. Behind him were his men, eyes glimmered in callous and pitilessness.

Extremely frightened, Victoria quickly crawled away from terror and petrified when a pair of green eyes coldly and menacingly dawned on her. Blood ran cold, and the actress shrinks cowardly under Mort's presence, afraid for her life. She could feel the hunk could end her just by his icy-cold stare. If she had a lot to say earlier right this moment she could feel her tongue getting cut. No words came out of her lips as her fear of the man sitting like Death himself overwhelms her. If she makes one wrong move, she will literally lose her head.

"Don't make me wait." With his stoic-faced, Mort coldly said after a few minutes of silence. His deep and unforgiving indifferent voice made the actress shiver to the bones. She had no idea in mind what he meant. Unable what to do, Victoria took off Leroy's jacket and was about to undress herself when Mort's eyes squinted and brows knitted together. He looked at her brazenly which stop the actress from getting naked.

"Talk." Mort coldly added making Victoria gulp hard even if her throat completely dried up. She is losing her sane. She didn't know what to say to the man as she couldn't think of anything. Her mind went blank because of his terrifying presence. Yakov interjected them.

"I'm not interested in what happens here so can I go first?" Yakov said that Klauss, who was on Mort's right side, motioned him to leave. Yakov said nothing and left the room without giving a fuck to Victoria whose eyes followed him and wanted to get out of the place.

"Miss Victoria, you can talk right now." Klauss grabbed Victoria's attention. The actress shifted her gaze at the silver-haired man next to his Boss. Her eyes were filled with questions, asking what Mort wanted to hear from her. Klauss sighed heavily.

"Confess everything you did start with spreading the issue about Sumire killing the TV host," Klauss said impatiently. Shaking, Victoria slowly nodded to him and stared at the hunk. Victoria wonders why Mort still cares about Sumire when she was supposed to marry Maddox today which Charlotte interrupted the wedding. Gathering all her remaining strength with her knees on the floor, she chooses to answer him.

"Yelena ordered me to do it. She told me to ruin her image by creating strong evidence, a fake one to look more convincing that Sumire is the culprit behind the TV host's death who was fired because of her. It was Yelena who caused Dieu's death. She spread the word to the Mafia Lords that Dieu had the five Deeds of Sale under his possession and so they went after him and killed him. She also gave Charlotte the chance to kill Sumire at her wedding today but Maddox caught the bullet. And I killed Charlotte as Yelena wanted to erase all the evidence."

Victoria tearfully confesses while facing the floor. The heavy feeling inside her chest subsided as she finally told the truth. She's aware Yelena is coming after to kill her. She has no allies and she has no place to go.

"Clear Sumire's name in the public. And it's all up to you after you are done doing it. You can kill yourself or surrender to the police." Mort coldly replied and stood up. Victoria was surprised when Mort pass through her. They didn't hurt or tortured her.

"You won't kill me?" She asked while looking up at the man but Mort scowled at her.

"You are already dead, Miss Victoria," Mort said apathetically and leave the room. Klauss followed his Boss and the other men except for Leroy and Victoria who were left inside the room.

"Wear this," Leroy ordered and gave the black box containing women's clothes.

"There's a bathroom over there." He pointed to the restroom and without a word, Victoria went in there to take a shower and get dressed and tidy up. After 30 minutes, Victoria came out and Leroy stood up waiting for her in the chair.

"Let's go," Leroy said and walk ahead of her but the actress had a second thoughts about following him. She remains nailed in place.

"Where will we go?" Victoria asked and Leroy let out an audible sigh.

"Are you dumb? Of course, we'll go to the press. You will clear Sumire's name, remember?"

Leroy irritably said and Victoria lowered her head, cannot meet the contemptuous look in the young man's eyes on her. She wasn't ready to confess her sin in the public after defaming the maiden but there is nothing she could do. There is no turning back. She has to face the consequence of what she has started and she has to end it.

"Before that, I would like to talk to the owner of the Brothel," Victoria asked but Leroy derisively scoffs at her.

"The audacity." Leroy lowly mumbled and cast a degrading look on her from the head down to the toe.

"No." Leroy rejected her request in a flat tone. Victoria's shoulder greatly drooped.

"Sorry." Victoria gave a weak response. Mouth zip shut, she followed after Leroy who was already walking ahead.

Klauss and Mort have returned to the MDA building. A short silence reigned inside. Mort was coldly looking outside the tinted glass of the office while Klauss and Laurel facing his back. He was in deep thought.

"Sir, what are we going to do with Sumire? Should we take her?" Klauss asked who broke the silence. Laurel was sitting quietly on the sofa with her arms crossed on her chest. She had been waiting for them for hours.

"No. Because of what happened, the Massoullèves will probably keep her further away from me and they are doing me a favor by doing that especially since we are in the middle of an impending war." Mort replied.

"But what if they used her against you?" Klauss asked again. Enemies will likely come after her.

"They won't do that unless they are suicidal. By now, they know Sumire is a Massoullève, and if they don't want the highest official on the surface involved, they will never touch her." Mort said without turning his back on them. Klauss clicked his tongue soundly.

"They tried to kill Sumire twice. Yelena and Charlotte almost succeeded. I don't think-" Klauss didn't finish what he had to say when Mort turn around and blankly eyed him.

"They won't touch her." Short but cold, Mort said which silenced Klauss. Laurel suddenly intervenes with them.

"How about the five Deeds of Sale? Where exactly are those things hidden?" Laurel asked, slightly frowning.

"It was hidden in the five paintings Sumire won at the Viccini Auction House." Eyes widened, Laurel and Klauss were frozen in their place at Mort's answer.

"You turned Sumire into a war trigger. Of all people, why did you keep those things in her? Does Sumire know that she is holding the five dangerous things that will surely kill her?!" Laurel exclaimed, getting more anxious about the maiden's situation. She wanted to hurt Mort by what he did.

"No." Mort curtly replied. Laurel stood up and quickly approached Mort to punch him in the gut but Klauss came rushing and stopped her.

"Mort, what the fuck is going on inside your brain?! Wait, do you even have one?" Laurel asked angrily as Klauss tried to calm her down.

"Look at what happened to Dieu because Yelena spread lies about the Deeds of Sale. He died! What if she did that to Sumire without knowing that those five things were in Sumire's possession?" Hands form into a fist, Laurel yelled almost breathing fire on Mort's face but the hunk didn't even budge in his place. Cold and completely unbothered.

"She won't do that," Mort replied. Fuming in anger, Laurel stepped Klauss hardly in his foot.

"She won't do that, she won't do this. She just fucking did it to your brother! She's desperate. She's gone mad. She's suicidal. She will drag everyone down with her! And will bury anyone to her grave! " Laurel shouted while her nostrils flared. She keeps on struggling from Klauss's grip. She badly wanted to land a blow on Mort's face.

"Do you even love her?" She added and cast a skeptical look on him.

"Don't you dare question my feelings for her. I know what I'm doing, Laurel." Mort replied in a serious tone. She was going to kick Klauss again but she stopped herself. Hissed, Laurel returned to the sofa without taking her glaring eyes off Mort.

"Sure you fucking do. You are one hella thick-headed stubborn man I'd ever know." Laurel seems to be running out of patience and heaves a deep breath. She doesn't want to talk anymore. But she still couldn't believe, all this time Sumire had the five Deeds of Sale. Those things brought nothing but destruction and death to the maiden but Mort choose to stick those dangerous things on the woman he desired.

'He is definitely insane.' Laurel said in her mind as she asked herself if Mort still had a brain.

"Boss, you should also see these files. Laurel reported this yesterday. Take a look at these."

Said Klauss and handed files to his Boss. Mort accepted it and started scanning the content. Klauss at Laurel who was looking in another direction, trying to calm herself down. Burning in anger, she could kill Mort at any second.

"Where did you find it?" Mort asked, referring to the pictures of their clones' corpses. He feels like what he did to the spy the Gordeux sent to them is coming back to him. He replaced the spy's real face with the face of their Consigliere to make it appear that they killed their Consigliere. Now, it's happening again but this time, it was their faces being cloned and there's so much more of it. Their enemy seems willing to sacrifice thousands of people just to cross him.

His thick eyebrows deeply knitted, Mort is certain it wasn't the Gordeux who was behind all of these. This is the puppeteer he has never seen before. 'Well, haven't I?' he asked himself. It seems to him the Puppeteer and Vladimir have already crossed paths. That traitor who had his lethal weapon.

"Near the sea where Narco's impostor was dumped. There's an abandoned warehouse there. They didn't even leave a trace. It's so clean I'd think Narco did the deed." Laurel butted in. Narco's cleaning company is the one she knows who works the cleanest.

"How do we trap a coward rat?" Mort asked Klauss and give him back the files.

"Lure the other rats with cheese," Klauss responded and took it from him. Mort nodded.

"Do it yourself."