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Victor nods

"I will do that," he says

Ophelia turns toclose-lipped smile

"You keep him in line," she says "And just try the heels You’d look fabulous in them"

I smile back "I’ll think about it"

She patsup her purse fro after Ophelia leaves, I’ at the door, not with her onmyself to look at Victor

He walks around in front of me and fits my elbows in his hands I stand with my arms crossed loosely over my stomach

"Sarai," he says

I raise my eyes to look at him and before he can say whatever it was he had planned to say, I blurt out softly, "I’m so sorry for…Victor, I’m not crazy or…well, I’m really sorry"

"Don’t be," he says

I just look at hioes on "Have you ever considered playing professionally?"

Many long seconds go by before I e somewhere," I say and his hands fall away fro like that anymore I just like to play for ain, I walk over to the couch and start arranging the clothes in a neat pile on the cushion

With o on:

"I don’t have any idea what I’ll do when I get toout An education of sorts and then after that o into…," I can’t finish because I don’t knohat to say I dodge it, fidgeting the fabric anxiously in my hands now "At least I’ll look nice when I see her Maybe she’ll acceptclothes that didn’t come from the half-off rack at the dollar store"

"Can you prouess I owe you that much," I say "What?"

"Just that you’ll play for me from time to time"

"What do you mean?"

He leans over beside a bookshelf and takes another suitcase into his hand Then he walks towardthe two latches on the sides

When he opens it, it’s empty He points briefly at my pile of clothes

"Our plane leaves in an hour," he says "From here on out until I tell you otherwise, you are Izabel Seyfried and you are confident in your skin You are strong- except when you feel the need to state your opinion on whatever matter you choose, even when it’s not asked for You fear nothing, yet you exude a sense of vulnerability that you know, privately of course, will drive a powerful man’s need to knohat it’s like to be the one to break you You are wealthy, though no one needs to knohere your h of it to wipe your ass with one hundred dollar bills every time you take a shit And the only man in any room that can tame you is me, which ill, al this mission So, keep in ly And whatever I tell you to do, do it without question because it could be the difference between life and death Do you understand?"

I stare at hiaround inside my head, but that’s the only one I could pluck from the disarray

He steps up to me "Yes," he answers "I’ll take you with me on one mission because I want you to see what it’s like You need to understand that the life I lead is not the life for you" He takesthe suitcase aside "Hopefully, this will help you to be e and a job and friends and boyfriends"

He encloses his fingers aroundabout what he said, about his reasons for doing this Mo to convince

"Sarai, listen to o with me you need to know that you could be killed I will do everything in uarantee because no matter how much you trust me, you should never, under any circumstances trust anyone fully In the end, you can only trust yourself I am not your hero I a bad ever happen to you Trust your instincts first always, and me, if you choose, last"

I nod apprehensively

"So ill it be?" he asks "France or Los Angeles?"

I don’t really have to think about it because I knohat I want, but I pretend to think about it toout a breath

Victor gazes into my eyes for asettles on his expression

He stands up and straightens his suit

"Then pack your things," he says as he walks away "We leave in ten minutes"