The early hours of the day felt steely and intense. Layla hadn't slept during the night as she was congested and her mind was continuously moving through the next potential possibilities of the game she was about to play. The phone call with Pascal was not as smooth as she wanted to be. There was some form of tension in his voice and it wasn't fully in her favor. But she had no other alternatives. She needed to force him in. And if trust was going to be the part of the deal, then she knew it was important to control the information revealed.
Pascal had ever been a mystery. He was a part of her history, someone who had moved in and out in her life like a shadow. However, he used to have his connections. And those connections had always kept him one step ahead. That's why she had called him. He knew how to move in the shadows just like her. Both of them together could expose Kamal's empire and bring it crashing down. But that didn't mean he was a friend.
As Nina moved through the documents that Maya had given her, sharp thoughts anchored her focus. The Raven Project was not a business venture; it was the epicenter of Kamal's international operations. Dismantling it from the inside out would mean effectively destroying everything he had built. But the project was a beast in and of itself, thoroughly guarded and embedded within a web of ruthless powerbrokers, corrupt politicians, and mercenaries who would kill to keep it running.
The subtle buzz emerging from her phone signaled an incoming message from Pascal.
"Meet me at the old pier. Tonight. Midnight."
Hovering fingers hinting at an impending click and a mind recalling memories stemming from several years ago kept her eyes fixed on the screen. They old pier marked a chapter long closed. It was a meeting place neither of them had visited in years, and no one would expect a rendezvous there.
But even as she wrote a short reply, her stomach twisted with anxiety. Pascal had always been avoiding her, remaining in the shadows, and that had kept him safe. But now, things were different; the rules had changed. She wanted him. She was not sure whether she could completely trust him, but at this juncture, trust was a luxury she could not afford. She needed to bet on whatever chances were given to her.
The journey to the pier took longer than expected. The silence of the almost empty city was eerie, broken only by a faint achromatic light glowing in the distance. Coupled with dim flickers of nearby streetlights, this glimmer of light served as a beacon. Rather than bringing her solace, it only added to the growing sense of dread that turned every corner. For Layla, the weight of every new decision felt like a step closer towards a seemingly inevitable confrontation.
Like clockwork, the gentle whisper of water lapping the shores reached her ears as she approached the pier. The wind had picked up, and now carried a bone-piercing chill out of the night. Only now did she realize that there was indeed a person at the other side, cloaked in darkness, only to be half revealing by the dim light of a far streetlamp. It was Pascal.
As she walked closer to him, he turned to face her, his profile stark against the harbor's view. He always had an unreadable face, but this time he felt different and Layla couldn't understand why. The man who used to help her family and was once a dependable friend, now felt more like a phantom—an untrustworthy presence she couldn't fully disregard, yet couldn't shake off either.
"You came," she heard Pascal's voice shatter the silence and like always, it was smooth and steady.
"I didn't have much choice," she kept a cool, but tense voice, one filled with emotions she had been bottling up ever since agreeing to meeting him.
"You always have a choice, Layla." Deeply studying her, Pascal's eyes narrowed. "But my guess is that you're in deeper than you think."
For the first few moments, Layla chose silence. She didn't know what details she should proffer. How much information should she expose? Kamal for one had made it clear that she was threading on thin ice. If Pascal had any sympathies towards him, no matter how vague, then she had to proceed with caution.
"I require assistance with something, Pascal," she utters, distinctly softer than before. "I'm targeting Kamal. His empire. The Raven Project. But I need your support."
Pascal's pause is long and deliberate, as if he is considering her proposition. He didn't move his gaze from her face, and his expression remained masked. The still air was palpably charged as the silence lingered, taut and heavy with thick tension.
"Do you really believe you're the first one who is trying to take down Kamal?" Pascal said with a hint of something—amusement, perhaps, or mockery. "He has built something that does not simply disintegrate in an instant. You may not realize how deep his machinations run."
"In my eyes, what he can do is more than enough," Layla replied, hotly and with a cold edge to her words. "And that's precisely why I'm doing this. It's not as simple as taking him down for me. I'm doing it for my family. For everyone whose lives he has wrecked."
Pascal's mouth twitched, and for a brief moment he looked like he was smiling. "You've got fire, I ll admit that. But beyond being willing to give you whatever you want, how far to the other side have I put that dip? You need something more than fire, like a plan, alliances, resources, people with the keenest abilities at diving into this game. You think you can do this alone?"
Even as he spoke, Layla held her posture and didn't let his insults affect her. "I can't afford to sit idly for others to decide whether they help me or not. This is my mess to clean, and with or without you, I'm taking action, Pascal."
Through her words, Pascal seemed to have studied her in a way she hadn't noticed before, as if noticing her for the very first time.
After exhaling, his breath hanging in the cold air, he moved closer to her.
"Okay," he remarked. Virtually mocking no more, his voice sincere, solo, "I'll assist you. But do not for a second assume this is going to be a walk in the park. Kamal's empire doesn't just 'go poof' because someone decides to smack it. It will take everything you have to bring him down, Layla. Everything."
"I know," Layla responded, sounding defeated yet resolute. "And I'm ready."
Pascal turned away, deeper in thought as he searched for a plan. "We need a plan that guarantees you put all your trust in me… more than you have ever dared before."
Pascal marched forward and Layla kept her pace with him as well. This was not a time to be distracted; everything she had concocted in her mind with him by her side was more than enough to place Kamal in his proper place. Rationally speaking, this was the commencement for the next level of warfare she would unleash, enabling full throttle approach without restrictions. FUTURE remained blurry to her and relentless thought dwelled about un
certainty emerging worse than her wildest estimation.