– Where’s the girl?

     – In the next room.

     – Bring her.

     – Yes, sir.

     – Let go! You hear me! Let go, I said! Ow! – the tearful sixteen-year-old girl, dragged by her hair, thrashed and screamed with all her strength, trying to free herself from the iron grip of the young man’s right hand, who was only a few years older than he was. Ignoring her resistance, wrestling with her, he dragged her through the secluded suite of a New York hotel. The teenager, yanked hard downward by her hair, fell with force to her knees in front of the older man, who, sitting comfortably on a cream-colored sofa, stared at the cityscape stretching beyond the fourteenth-floor window. A city said to never sleep.

     – Do you know why ninety percent of people in the world never succeed? Why all their efforts, no matter what they do, fail to bring them fulfillment or satisfaction? – Elegantly dressed in a graphite suit, the gray-haired man, approaching sixty, asked, his calm gaze resting on the frightened, tearful teenager. – It happens when you follow the same worn-out patterns. Work, home, work, play, work, pleasures. And round and round it goes. It strips a person of their true identity. At the edge of despair, desire turns against itself, pushing one to change a life that has proven to be such a profound disappointment, no matter the cost. Following this thought, this desire, we arrive at a place where we begin to reap benefits thoughtlessly, accepting all the conditions that have been set beforehand. – The man, growing even more serious, took a sip of hot coffee from the cup he held in his right hand. – When time drifts freely and no one comes to collect a debt, we fool ourselves into thinking it might have disappeared, like us. Unfortunately, nothing in this world comes for free. That is why I find it all the more surprising that when the day comes to repay the generosity and kindness they have received, everyone suddenly tries to hide in their old shell, hoping that the debt they owe will simply be forgiven. – Rising, he walked to the glass wall, which showed how high he had risen above the others. – Bring them in. – Saying this, he glanced again at the girl, who, following him with her eyes, saw two men enter the room, and right behind them, two others, badly beaten, who began shouting that she had nothing to do with this.

     – Dad – the teenager whispered. – Brother – she said, through tears.

     – Leave her alone, you bastards! – shouted the boy, only a year older than his tearful sister.

     – You see, my dear, every debt must be paid. Your father took out his debt some time ago. Unfortunately, he couldn’t repay it. Then your brother came and insisted he would pay it. And unfortunately, he failed too. – The man, setting the cup down on the low glass table, approached the wooden case lying on it. Opening it, he pulled out a black pistol with the inscription Walther P99. – Do you know what this is? – he asked, calmly loading bullet by bullet into the magazine. When he finished, he chambered a round and aimed the barrel straight at the girl’s forehead. She looked at him, her eyes full of tears. – This model is used by law enforcement. It fits perfectly in a woman’s hand. It holds fifteen 9-millimeter rounds. Perfect when you need to fire a burst. – Saying this, he lifted the barrel off the terrified teenager’s forehead. Lowering it toward the floor, he asked her to open her eyes. When she did, she saw the man grab from the wooden box, where he had earlier taken the gun, a long, black, cylindrical object and begin attaching it to the gun’s barrel. Watching what he was doing, she didn’t notice the slight smile on his face as he caught her genuine interest. Responding dryly to her unspoken question, he said it was a suppressor to muffle the shots he would fire. The girl froze. Terrified, she turned her gaze toward her badly beaten, bleeding father, who knelt nearby with her brother, staring in fear at the distinguished, unshaken man walking toward them, who, without warning, fired a shot into the teenager’s father’s left knee.

     – Dad! – she screamed.

     In a rush, she sprang up from the floor and ran to her father, who was writhing in pain.

     – Please don’t kill him! I beg you! – As she tried to help him, she was once again yanked backward by her hair.

     – So. Where were we? Oh yes – the man, glancing at the two men standing just behind the kneeling debtor and his son, gave them a signal to draw their weapons and aim them at both men. – In fifteen minutes, you will go down the stairs to the eighth floor with one of my men. When you stand in front of the elevator that he leads you to, you will have one task. When the elevator doors open, you are to fire all the shots at the person standing inside. Is that clear? – he asked, watching her closely.

     – But… I’ve never fired a gun. I’ve never even held one – she replied in a trembling voice, stuttering badly.

     – Then it’s time to change that – the man, turning his back to everyone, handed the gun to the boy who had brought it earlier from the next room. The boy immediately shoved the weapon into the terrified girl’s hand. Dazed, she helplessly watched as her shaking hand moved toward her father. When her finger pulled the trigger, the gun made a muffled sound, wounding the man in his other knee. As soon as it happened, she dropped the gun to the floor in panic. Bursting into loud sobs, she tried to rouse her fainted father, who had lost consciousness immediately after the second shot.

     – If you don’t want the same thing to happen to your brother, I suggest you repay the debt your father owes me. Once you confirm that you’ve done it, your father will be taken to the hospital along with your brother. Say your goodbyes.

     – Say goodbye? What about me? – the girl asked, looking at the stoic man through eyes swollen from crying.

     – You’ll be entering a world for a few years that will give you a chance to reassess the life you’ve led so far. For that chance, when you come out, you can thank your father. And one more thing. Are you familiar with the saying, “Silence is golden”? – Seeing her nod, he approached her, crouched down, and patted her gently, saying, – As long as you remain silent, your loved ones will be safe. Do you understand?

     – Yes.

     When he was sure she truly understood the message, he glanced at the watch on his left wrist. With a calm gesture, he signaled to everyone that it was time. Returning to the sofa, he listened to a report from his trusted employee on the status of higher-level matters.

     – We need to be at the airport by one – said a thirty-year-old assistant, stepping quickly into the apartment. Pausing briefly, she cast a quick glance at the bloodied, unconscious man held by his son and at the tearful teenager standing right beside them.

     – Everything ready?

     – Yes. People are in position. There shouldn’t be any problems.

     – I hope you’re right – he replied dryly, his gaze fixed on a distant point beyond the horizon.

     The woman, noticing what he was looking at, remarked with a faint, crooked smile that soon he would be able to admire views from that place as well. The man did not react to her comment. He stood up and headed for the bedroom he had occupied for the past two days.

     – Get her cleaned up and make sure she carries out the task – the woman threw over her shoulder as she left the room.

     – Come on – one of the men snarled impatiently, grabbing the girl by her left forearm. – Move it, there’s no time!

     The girl looked at her terrified brother. With the last of her strength, she tried to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. He was looking at her too, his gaze full of compassion. He knew that now it depended solely on her whether he and their father would survive or not. Once inside the bathroom, into which she had been dragged by force, she was given five minutes to pull herself together. Staring into the mirror, she could barely recognize herself. With a trembling hand, she turned the faucet, and cold water poured out. Feeling it, she closed her eyes. She began to pray for any kind of help. Unfortunately, none came, and the allotted time ran out. She was pulled from her thoughts by the loud pounding of a fist against the door.

     – Here – said the man standing in front of her, pressing the gun into her right hand.

     During this brief moment, he rattled off a rapid stream of commands. The teenager, nodding mechanically, tried to remember the most important ones.

     – Wait… – she whispered, tugging at his brown leather jacket. – How will I know it’s that person?

The man stopped in front of the elevator. He looked her straight in the eyes.

     – She will have a black rose in her hand – he muttered, glancing around to make sure no one was coming. – Remember, the lives of your loved ones depend on this. If you don’t shoot, you’ll have your father’s and brother’s blood on your hands.

Hearing this, she felt tears well up in her eyes once more.

     – And if there’s more than one person? What then?

     – There won’t be. We’ll make sure of that. The elevator will stop only twice. The first time on the third floor. One of our men will get in, hand over the rose, then get out on the sixth floor. The next time the doors open, it’ll be this floor. The boss told you to empty the entire magazine. If I were you, after the first shot, I wouldn’t look to see where the others land. The moment the doors open, keep pulling the trigger until the gun jams. When it’s over, head for the stairs. I’ll be waiting for you there. Do you understand?

Seeing the terror on the girl’s face, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a brief message on the screen saying the target was by the elevator.

     – Good luck.

     The girl glanced at the man as he walked away. A second later, her eyes moved to the heavy metal object in her hand, then to the elevator.

     – Please… don’t go. Don’t go – she whispered to herself.

     Meanwhile, the chaos on the ground floor caused by the blockage of elevator number three had agitated the guests waiting nearby. The hotel staff, trying to manage the situation, offered free desserts in the café. As the guests began to accept the offer, two employees signaled that the target they were watching was approaching through the lobby. Blocking access to the first two elevators, they forced him to stop in front of the third one – exactly as everyone had hoped. When the elevator started moving, they signaled to someone on the third floor to press the button so it would stop there. And so a young woman in her late thirties, posing as a cleaning lady, entered the elevator, politely greeting the man inside. In her left hand, she held a long, black rose without thorns. As the doors began to close, a pleading voice came from down the hall, begging the elevator to stop. The man quickly thrust his right hand forward, holding the doors open. Thanks to that, the elevator didn’t move.

     – Thank you – said the young woman, struggling to push a hotel cart stuffed to the brim with linens inside. – Thank you – she whispered again, casting a quick glance at the cleaning lady standing right behind her, someone she had never seen before. – Are you new?

The woman, slightly flustered, began to push forward. Pretending to stumble, she carelessly handed the flower to the man, then hurriedly stepped out as soon as the elevator doors opened.

     – Excuse me, you forgot your flower! – he called out, following her into the hallway.

     When he saw that the woman had quickly disappeared around the corner, he sighed and returned to the elevator. Chuckling under his breath, he looked at the shy twenty-something staring at the elevator floor.

     – Here, take it. I won’t be needing it – he said with a faint smile, extending the impressive rose toward her.

Only then did the girl timidly lift her head.

     – Haru? – he asked uncertainly.

     – Scott? What are you doing here? – she replied, surprised. – I didn’t recognize you at all with that cap on.

     – I have a meeting on the eighth floor. It completely slipped my mind that you work here.

     – Yeah, part-time. I’m just making extra money for my studies. The moment the elevator arrived, I had just finished a phone call with Nino. He said he’d be here in about ten minutes. Do you want us to wait for you?

     – No. From what I know, he’s already planned his evening. I’m pretty sure that if I tried to change his plans today, I wouldn’t survive it – as he said that, he laughed loudly. – Take the rose, please, and have a good time. After the eight weeks we’ve spent together, he deserves a bit of a break from me.

Laughing together, they heard the sound of the elevator coming to a stop.

     – See you later – Haru said, smiling broadly.

     Before Scott could reply, she felt a sharp, unpleasant sting in her right side, just between her ribs. Clutching the spot, she glanced down at her hand, which instinctively clenched as it tried to stem the trickle of warm, red liquid. When she looked up in terror into Scott’s eyes, he turned toward the corridor, where a tearful teenager stood with a gun aimed in their direction, babbling over and over the same word, “sorry”.