Delete all evidence

Neil guided Alysha through the dim hotel corridor, moving quickly but quietly, his grip on her arm firm as he pulled her along. The opulent halls of the Suegra Hotel seemed to close in on them, every shadow a potential threat, every distant sound setting their nerves on edge. The urgency in his movements told Alysha everything she needed to know—danger was closing in fast.

They reached a back stairwell, and Neil pushed the door open, leading her down several flights of stairs at a near-run. Alysha’s heart raced in time with their hurried steps, her pulse a fierce drumbeat in her ears. She glanced back over her shoulder, paranoia creeping in, every thought plagued by fear that someone might already be coming for her.

Once they finally burst through a side exit, cold morning air hit her face, sharp and bracing. The city was barely awake, the street eerily silent as they dashed across it, disappearing into the maze of alleys and side roads. Neil didn’t stop or slow, his grip unyielding as he pulled her into the shadows, out of sight from the hotel and anyone who might be searching.

“We’re clear… for now,” Neil panted, finally releasing her arm once they reached a secluded alley. His face was grim, his jaw tight. “But listen, Alysha—we have to stay ahead of them. The Rodriguez family won’t take this lightly. They’re ruthless, and they’ll come looking.”

Alysha felt the ground sway beneath her as she absorbed his words, the gravity of her situation crushing her. She hugged herself, her entire body trembling with shock, shame, and fear. 

She remembered the night before, each one of which brought her to tears with the realization of what had happened and what it meant.

“What… what am I supposed to do now?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Neil’s eyes softened, but he remained focused. “Right now, we disappear. We’ll find somewhere safe, far from here. Until I figure out our next move, you stick with me, and trust no one.”

Alysha and Neil sat down inside the car. Neil took action quickly. He turned to one of his trusted men and gave him a command."Contact the secret agent hacker and delete all captured footage of Alysha Jarl from the Suegra hotel," 

The man nodded in acknowledgment before swiftly departing to carry out Neil's orders, leaving Alysha feeling a sense of unease gnawing at her insides.

Alysha’s mind spun with questions, each one twisting tighter than the last, weaving a web of suspicion and dread around her. Why was Neil erasing every trace of her presence? Why delete the CCTV footage? What were they hiding—and from whom?

She clenched her fists, her thoughts racing back to last night. She had been brought to the hotel with great formality, escorted by Suegra family members she barely knew. They had welcomed her, instructed her to go to the room and wait for Armin, her husband in name but a stranger in every other way. They’d assured her he’d arrive soon; he was supposed to have the second key, to join her.

But that’s not what happened. Someone else had come. Another man had opened the door, entered her life like a thief in the night, and shattered her world.

Neil’s tense expression gave nothing away as he deleted the last of the CCTV files. The whirring sound of the laptop felt ominous, final. He looked up at her, his face shadowed with secrets. “If the Rodriguez family finds out about this…” His voice was low, the unspoken consequences hanging heavy in the air.

“Finds out what?” Alysha’s voice wavered, barely above a whisper. “That I was put in that room for Armin, and someone else came instead? They arranged this meeting, Neil. I even saw family members. They told me to wait for him. How could another man have gotten in unless…” Her words faltered, the full realization chilling her. “Unless someone wanted him to.”

Neil’s jaw clenched, his gaze flickering as if weighing his next words carefully. “That’s exactly the danger. This isn’t just a mistake, Alysha,” he said, his voice strained. “Someone might have orchestrated this—either to destroy you, to weaken Armin, or to sabotage both. And if the family finds out that you…” He didn’t finish, his silence more terrifying than any words.

The pieces began to form an unsettling picture. What if Armin himself had orchestrated this? What if, instead of claiming her as his wife, he had set her up to fall into another man’s hands, to disgrace her and bind her to a scandal that would shame them both?

“Neil,” she whispered, her voice barely holding steady, “am I being framed?”

Neil looked away, his silence speaking volumes. With a resolve that chilled her, he deleted the final file, erasing the last trace of her presence at the hotel. “For now, we act as if last night never happened. For your safety… and maybe even for Armin’s.”

She looked at Neil, her eyes filled with uncertainty as she grappled with the weight of their actions.