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The next evening, Bella was ready to meet Viktor for the first time. This morning she had received a coded message, instructing her to an unknown destination: a members-only club situated somewhere in the upper-class part of the city. It barred entry to all and sundry and only the affluent and influential were permitted inside. She chose her outfit carefully, opting for an elegant but simple black dress that allowed her to move, braid neatly tucked under her chin, ready to pull off the look of someone who would walk into the place and fit right in.

The moment she stepped foot inside the club, she sensed that most of the clientele was staring at her and assessing her presence. The place was foggy with the aroma of expensive perfume and cigars along with a distant rivalry of quiet voices. Her eyes searched the bar section, her pulse quickening until it landed on a man at the bar: a tall, well-built gentleman in the finest of suits, with strong jawlines. Sharp pale eyes were looking at h