Top Assassins Call Me The Lady Boss-Chapter 114: Mission for Matilda

Chapter Hundred and Fourteen

Asli pushed open the door to Matilda’s room, careful not to make too much noise.

The faint scent of vanilla and old paper filled the small space, and the soft creak of the door made her grimace.

Quiet, she reminded herself to be quiet.

The young girl was sprawled across the bed, a book face-down on her chest, fast asleep under the dim glow of the bedside lamp.

Asli stood for a moment, watching her; the peacefulness she hadn’t known herself in years.

Matilda didn’t belong in their world. She shouldn’t even be breathing the same dangerous air Asli did.

But right now, she needed her.

"Matilda," she whispered, moving closer. She knelt by the bedside and tapped her shoulder. "Wake up."

Matilda stirred, blinking blearily up at her. "Asli? What... what time is it?"

"Almost five." Asli kept her voice low but firm. "I need you to do something for me. Now."

Matilda pushed herself up on her elbows, frowning. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong." Asli shook her head. "I just need a favor. No questions."

Matilda squinted at her suspiciously. Asli had never asked her for a favor before. "Well, that is new."

"It is nothing huge." Asli pulled the small coil of green thread from her pocket and held it up between two fingers. The thread was thin, almost weightless, a soft forest green that would catch the right pair of eyes and vanish to anyone else. But she wasn’t going to explain why to Matilda.

"I need you to get this onto someone for me. Just... place it. Somewhere they won’t feel it or notice it. Somewhere he won’t brush it off, but the person it is intended for might spot it right away."

Matilda sat up fully now, all sleep gone from her face. "That is it?"

"That’s it," Asli confirmed.

The girl stared at the thread for a moment, then back at her. "Who is it you want to see it?"

Asli folded her arms. Was the right question not who she wanted her to put it on?

"You don’t need to know," Asli said. "Just trust me."

Matilda bit her lip, hesitation flashing across her face. Then she nodded slowly. "Alright. Who will he be?"

She was finally asking the right question.

"He will be coming to the hall," Asli said. "In fifteen minutes. He usually wears a gray or black jacket."

She paused.

"Markus?"

Matilda’s eyes widened at the name. She knew of Markus... everyone did. So why was Asli speaking as if he was a stranger?

However, she doubted he wouldn’t see it. She had come to realize something about him. He wasn’t as stupid as they all thought he was. There was something about his aura when they were alone.

Dangerous. He was unpredictable and that was the reputation Markus carried around her.

Should she tell Asli? She shook her head. She didn’t want Asli to think she was lying so she’d stop training.

"You are serious," Matilda muttered.

Asli nodded grimly. "I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important."

Matilda swung her legs off the bed and stood. She was already moving toward her closet, grabbing a sweatshirt. "Fine. How close do I have to get?"

"Close enough to bump into him." Asli’s voice softened, just a little. "But not too close. You’re just clumsy. You trip. You laugh. You apologize. And you’re gone."

Matilda gave her a look... half amused. "You’re asking me to bump into Markus and act casual about it."

"Yes."

Asli pressed the thread into her hand.

"Why are you acting like I do not know Markus?" She asked. Something was off about Asli this morning.

Usually, she acted as if Markus was not to be taken seriously but right now, she was acting as if Markus could hurt her if she got closer to him. But she didn’t ask her.

"Okay." She was going to do it her own way anyway.

"And Matilda, don’t forget you need to make sure it stays on him. Somewhere visible enough for someone else to notice, but not so obvious that he feels it and brushes it off."

Matilda sighed dramatically. "How am I supposed to know if he will brush it off or not?"

"Just... go," Asli ordered dryly.

Matilda laughed under her breath, shaking her head.

They exchanged a small smile. It was tight. Then Matilda tucked the thread into the hem of her sleeve, hiding it carefully.

Asli stepped back as Matilda grabbed her slippers quickly, and pulled her hoodie up over her head.

There was a spark in her sister’s eyes now... adrenaline, excitement, and fear all tangled up together.

"You remember what to do?" Asli asked one last time.

Matilda nodded. "Trip. Laugh. Apologize. Thread sticks. Walk away."

"Good girl." Asli reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

"Do not be obvious."

Matilda rolled her eyes. "Please. I’m the least threatening thing in that room."

Asli watched her slip out of the bedroom, light on her feet. The door clicked softly shut behind her.

Alone now, Asli let out a long, slow breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding.

She wasn’t so sure about Markus’ character yet. Until she confirmed it, she needed to be sure Matilda was careful around him.

Maybe she should change him. But how would she do that without him suspecting she knew something about him? And what if she didn’t change him and he ended up hurting Matilda all in the name of training her?

She sighed.

Cole needed the signal.

Markus couldn’t know.

She moved to the window and parted the curtains just enough to see the dim lights of the Villa’s outer perimeter.

The night was thinning now, bleeding into the pale gray of the morning.

Minutes ticked by, each second dragging slower than the last.

*******

Matilda adjusted the green thread tucked carefully into the inside pocket of her hoodie as she made her way toward the hall.

She snorted under her breath. ’Bump into him and say sorry? Really?’

Asli knew how to kill a man with her pinky finger, but when it came to human interaction, she might as well have been raised by wolves.

Markus was not some uptight stranger walking around suspicious of every move.

Markus knew her.

He was even training her.

If she tried to ’accidentally’ bump into him like a weirdo, he’d smell something wrong a mile away.

No.

’It has to feel natural. Casual. Like every other morning she ran into him before he took his lunch box from my Aunt and disappeared to his Villa.’ she told herself.

Matilda straightened her shoulders and spotted him at the far end of the hall, his jacket slung lazily over his shoulder, his head slightly bowed as he tapped something into his phone.

She scoffed when she remembered how Asli was behaving earlier.

This was the same Markus. He always relaxed, always looking like he had nowhere in particular to be. Though his training said otherwise.

She inhaled once, then set off toward him with easy steps.

"Markus!" she called out, pitching her voice just right... excited but not too eager.

He looked up immediately, a slow grin curving his mouth. "Hey. Shouldn’t you still be sleeping?"

Matilda gave him a mock glare. "I just wanted to see you! When is our training session? Right now? Well, that wouldn’t be bad."

His grin vanished instantly and slipped the phone into his pocket. "Training session? At five in the morning? What are you planning?" He eyed her suspiciously.

Maybe, she should not have added that they should go for training right now. She was complaining throughout the first session that she was tired.

"Don’t mind me. I just wanted to see you." She finally decided to say.

She saw as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

She smirked, trying to pretend like she didn’t see his reaction. "And anyway, last time, you promised to show me how to break someone’s hold if they grabbed me from behind."

Markus chuckled, the low rumble of it echoing faintly in the quiet hall. "You don’t mean it, do you?"

"Also, I want to be prepared," Matilda said lightly. Her fingers twitched in her pocket, brushing the thread. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Now. She needed a moment where it would make sense.

"Alright then," Matilda said, squaring her shoulders like she was being serious about it, "if we’re not training now, and you have a video of it on your phone, show me."

She stepped closer, reaching out as if to snag his wrist and pull him into action.

Markus, half-amused, tilted his head at her impatience. "Alright, alright, slow down."

He caught her hand mid-reach, his fingers closing around her wrist with a grip much firmer than necessary.

His brows pulled together into a frown, his gaze dipping down to where their hands were connected.

Matilda’s heart slammed against her ribs.

Did he feel the thread? Did he know? How was that even possible?

She kept her expression bright like she hadn’t panicked.

Had she been too obvious? Had Asli’s plan just blown up in her face? Maybe she should’ve done it the way Asli told her to.

Markus’ eyes lifted back to hers, his features softening.

"You’re getting way too comfortable bossing me around," he muttered, his voice dry.

Then just like that, he released her wrist, also releasing a small, almost fond scoff under his breath.

Matilda let out a tiny, invisible sigh, her pulse still racing, but her face didn’t show it. She laughed, light and careless, exactly how he knew her to be.

As Markus shifted his weight, patting his jacket like he was looking for his phone, she acted quickly. In a single casual move, she brushed the green thread along the inside fold of the collar.

The thread barely clung there, hidden by the natural folds of the fabric, invisible unless someone was really looking for it.

’How would the person intended to see it see it then?’ she asked herself as she thought. So she pulled the thread a little to let it show though it hid under the collar.

Perfect.

Markus didn’t seem to notice either.

He found his phone, pulled it out, and flipped through it lazily, looking for the training video she’d asked about.

Matilda stepped back, her hands now in her pockets. She grinned knowing she had accomplished her mission.

He showed her the video from YouTube, his attention fully occupied for the moment, and she nodded at appropriate times, pretending to pay attention.