CHAPTER 4: From Russia, with Love

“I’m so sorry, Mia.” Samantha’s voice was soft, filled with sympathy.

“I guess this is where we say goodbye again, bestie.” Her voice trembled, revealing the tears about to spill.

“Just hang in there a little longer.” Samantha placed a reassuring hand over hers. “Besides, we’re so close to finding your father.”

Mia’s expression hardened. “What intel do we have on him?”

Samantha turned her laptop toward her, the screen illuminating a familiar face—her father. He was seated in a café in New Jersey, looking just as lively as she remembered.

“Seems he’s moving back to New York,” Samantha said carefully, waiting for Mia’s response.

Mia swallowed hard, maintaining a steady voice. “Secure his address as soon as possible. I’ll pay him a visit once I return.”

“And your mom?”

“Don’t say a word to her until I handle this,” her tone was confident. “She’s been through enough since he left.”

Samantha’s gaze softened. “Alright… just promise me you’ll be okay.”

Mia gave a quick nod, forcing a smile she didn’t feel. Then, with her pulse thrumming, she typed a message to Zac.

“I’m sorry. Something urgent came up, and I had to leave town. I’ll text you as soon as I return.”

Her fingers shook on the keypad. Before uncertainty could set in, she took out her SIM card and tucked it away in her wardrobe.

A minute later, a loud car horn blared outside.

“It’s time to go.”

**************

Days blurred into weeks. Weeks into months.

Three months of working with Xiang in Russia, yet Zac’s presence clung to her like a ghost she couldn’t escape.

When the plane touched down in New York, Mia expected relief, but she felt the opposite.

She was at a restaurant close to the airport, absentmindedly poking her food on her plate as she waited for Samantha. The warmth of the dish did nothing to ease the cold weight in her chest.

Her eyes were focused on her phone, her thumb hovering over the power button. She was eager to go home, reactivate her SIM card, and contact Zac.

Three months of silence. What would Zac think of her now? Would he hate her for disappearing? Would he—

Just then, a news broadcast flashed across the TV screen, the anchor’s voice cutting through the hum of the terminal.

Billionaire Zac Cornell Engaged to Top Model Bella Browth.

Mia’s breath hitched. The fork slipped from her fingers, clattering against the ceramic plate.

Maybe she misheard it. Zac? A billionaire? Engaged? How? Her heart pounded in her ears.

“No. No, this can’t be real. It couldn’t be.” Her eyes locked onto the TV screen.

He never told her—not once. Not in all the moments they shared, not the hours they spent texting the next day. He had let her believe he was just another man, let her fall for him without ever revealing who he really was.

Was it because she wasn’t the kind of woman who belonged in his world? Or had he looked at her and thought maybe she was just a passing indulgence—someone temporary?

Is that why he never told her?

She had spent three months surviving on memories of him—his voice, his touch, the way he looked at her.

And yet, there he was—not waiting, but moving on—without her.

Mia’s stomach knotted, and tears pricked her eyes, but she wouldn’t allow them to fall—not in that moment.

The airport noise became suffocating. She pushed back her chair, its legs scraping against the floor. She didn’t care if her legs were steady enough. She just had to move.

Was this what heartbreak felt like? Because the weight was too heavy for her to bear as she wandered aimlessly with clouded vision.

She needed more air.

“Hey, Miss! Be careful.”

A deep voice jolted her from the haze.

She blinked, realizing she had tripped over someone's suitcase.

In front of her stood a tall, handsome man with honey-blonde hair, dressed in a crisp shirt, assessing her with sharp sky-blue eyes.

“I’m sorry, sir,” she stammered. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“No harm done,” he said kindly. “You look exhausted. Mind if I walk with you?”

She stared at him for a moment. Typically, she would walk by, but something about him—his voice, something soothing—made her rethink.

To her surprise, she nodded.

As they strolled, his cheerful stories of travel and adventures managed to steal a small smile from her.

“That’s my ride,” she said, pointing as Samantha’s familiar ginger hair came into view.

The man lowered his head. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mia."

“Same here, Mr. Angelo."

With that, he turned back, vanishing into the crowd as she made her way to Samantha’s car.

**********

The drive back was quiet, but as soon as they arrived at the house, Mia could no longer hold back her emotions. She grabbed a bottle of whiskey, pouring herself glass after glass.

The burn of the alcohol hardly registered in her throat compared to what she felt.

“How did I end up in this situation?” Her shoulders shook with quiet sobs.

Samantha sat beside her, wrapping her hands around Mia’s. “Mia… it’s okay to hurt.” She snatched the half-empty bottle. She wasn’t trying to fix her pain—because telling her to stop wouldn’t make it disappear.

“This is just a small part of life. You’re young, smart, and beautiful. You have to let yourself move forward,” she said gently.

Mia nodded, finding hope in her words as she sniffled and wiped her nose. But that hope didn’t last long. Then her phone buzzed—Xiang’s crew. Another task. Another demand

Her mind spun. Who do I even blame for this mess?

Her father—the man who once promised to protect her, only to drag her into this nightmare with his debts?

Xiang—the man who controlled her every move, treating her like a chess piece?

Or Zac?

What is he? What was he?

The only person who made her feel human. Who made her hope for something more. And now, he was engaged. Happy. While she remained trapped in this endless cycle.

Maybe if she had finished her mission earlier, she could have been a free woman.

But she’s still stuck.

And now, she didn’t even know who to hate more.

**********

With no other option, she returned to the ruined warehouse. Her boots echoed against the dusty concrete floor as she stepped inside.

Xiang sat at the head of the table, his fingers drumming against the surface.

“Take a seat."

Mia complied, even though she hated that she kept coming back here.

He slid an envelope toward her. “Take a look.”

What was it this time? she wondered, her fingers trembling as she opened it.

The moment she saw the photograph, the air left her lungs.

It was Zac.

His familiar, confident smile stared back at her.

“This can’t be happening,” she whispered to herself.

“Now listen up.” Xiang’s cold voice sliced through the air.

“This man right there is our new target, and you’ll be going undercover as a cook in his estate.”

Mia fought to keep her expression neutral, her grip tightening around the photo. Xiang didn’t know she knew Zac. He couldn’t have known.

She couldn’t react—she couldn’t let him see through her.

“Our client wants solid information on his ongoing project,” Xiang continued. “You’ll report weekly for three months… so be prepared to blend in accordingly.”

“Three months is a long time for surveillance,” Mia managed to speak. “What’s in it for us?”

“Enough to cover your last mistake.” His expression darkened. “But if you’re not competent to handle this, Megan can take your place. We can’t afford to lose another deal.”

Megan. Her mean colleague who had been waiting for her to fuck things up, but Mia was Xiang’s favorite player.

Xiang’s gaze bore into her, daring her to decline as he leaned forward. “This time, I’m giving you a choice. Are you in or out?”

Mia bit her lip hard, caught between her instincts, screaming at her to say no and a decision she dreaded the most.

But Xiang was never a man that gave second chances—only illusions of them.

And so, when the words left her lips, they tasted like surrender.

“I’m in.”

This time, she wouldn’t let her feelings ruin everything.

This time, she’d finish what she started.

Because freedom was the only thing left to fight for.