Chapter 339

"Do you really think you're in any position to ask questions?"

Evelyn's lips curled into a cold smirk as she pressed the blade deeper into Ivan's throat.

The sharp sting of metal breaking skin sent a wave of panic through him. The realization that death could come in the next second made his defiance crumble.

"W-Wait! Let's—let's talk this through!"

"Fine. Then talk. Who sent you?"

Evelyn tilted her head slightly, her voice deceptively calm.

From the moment she got into the car, something had felt off.

Serena would never have reached out so abruptly without warning. If she were truly in trouble, she would have called her father first—not Evelyn.

But Serena’s phone had gone dead, and that could only mean one thing: this wasn’t about Serena at all.

They had come for her.

So Evelyn played along, waiting for the right moment to strike and uncover who was behind this.

"We don’t reveal our employer," Ivan ground out after a tense pause.

"How noble," Evelyn mocked, tapping the flat of the blade against his cheek. "But tell me—do you value your life more than your professional ethics?"

Ivan clenched his jaw, the veins in his forehead bulging.

She could see the fear in his eyes. He wasn’t fearless—he just knew the consequences of breaking the rules.

In this line of work, betraying your employer meant exile. No second chances.

But Evelyn wasn’t in the mood for patience.

"You’d rather die than talk?"

The knife slid across his throat, drawing a thin, deliberate line of blood.

She controlled the pressure perfectly—enough to hurt, not enough to kill.

Ivan hissed through his teeth, his composure cracking.

Yet he stayed silent.

Evelyn exhaled sharply—then froze.

Footsteps.

Someone was coming.

"Fine. If you won’t tell me, someone else will."

Before Ivan could react, Evelyn struck the base of his skull with the hilt of the knife.

His body slumped to the side, unconscious.

She quickly bound him with the rope from earlier, then dragged him toward the bed. He was heavy, and time was running out.

With no better option, she yanked the blanket over him just as a knock sounded at the door.

"Ivan, don’t push your luck."

It was Dmitri.

He must have gotten suspicious when Ivan didn’t return.

Their employer hadn’t ordered anything extreme—just a simple abduction. If Ivan got carried away, it would be his head on the line.

Viktor had sent Dmitri to check.

Evelyn moved silently, barefoot, knife in hand.

Her gaze locked onto the door.

"Ivan, Viktor said not to rough her up too much. If you damage the merchandise, the boss won’t be happy."

Another knock.

No answer.

Dmitri sighed and turned the knob.

The door swung open.

The room was dim, lit only by the bedside lamp.

Dmitri’s eyes landed on the lump under the blanket, and he smirked.

"Damn, you work fast. But don’t get too—"

He stepped closer, intending to pull the blanket back.

Then froze.

The shape was wrong.

"Ivan?"

A whisper of movement behind him.

Dmitri barely had time to turn before cold steel pressed against his throat.

"Now," Evelyn murmured, her breath warm against his ear. "Let’s have a real conversation."