The question about Daniel's feelings hung in the air, but he remained focused on the monitor in the control room. Inside the interrogation room, Inspector Rose pressed Stella for answers.
"Why are you running? What's your plan?" Inspector Rose demanded, attempting to unravel the mystery.
"Kill me, kill me!" Stella shouted in frustration, shaking the table. Her attempts to move closer were thwarted by the chains restraining her. Despite her fury, Inspector Rose remained unperturbed.
"There's nothing you can do to me. It's better you kill me now because when I have the chance, I will kill you," Stella threatened, a weak laugh escaping her lips.
"I am not a killer like you," Inspector Rose responded, calmly smoking. "But if you really want to die, no problem. At least let your new family live."
Stella was taken aback by Inspector Rose's statement. The inspector pulled out a document from the file on the table and dropped it in front of Stella. It was the result of the pregnancy scan.
Discovering the truth about her pregnancy, Stella was overwhelmed with emotion. Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded, "Please don't kill me. Don't kill my baby. What do you want from me?"
"I don't want to kill you," Inspector Rose said, extinguishing her cigarette. "Currently, you are declared dead for your safety, but I can bring you back to life."
Stella, still processing the revelation, asked how.
"I want you to work for me for 10 years. After that, I'll allow you to lead a normal life. But before that, you'll undergo training here. If you pass, you'll be sent out to the world to start working for me," Inspector Rose explained.
Stella, feeling the weight of her decision, looked at her stomach, rubbing it gently. "I will do as you wish."
Inspector Rose, leaning back in her chair, added a condition. "Tell me, why did you end up in the warehouse, and who are you?"
"I will," Stella said, her mind grappling with the complexities of her past and the uncertain future that lay ahead.
As Stella's emotions ebbed and flowed, Inspector Rose leaned forward, her eyes piercing through the haze of confusion. "You seem to have a lot to share. Don't hold back. Your cooperation is essential."
In the control room, Officer Daniel continued to watch, torn between his duty and the unfolding drama. The air in the room was charged with tension as Stella, now resigned to her fate, took a deep breath.
"Fine. I'll work for you. But you have to promise that my baby will be safe," Stella said, a mix of determination and vulnerability in her voice.
Inspector Rose, contemplating the gravity of Stella's decision, leaned back and nodded. "Your baby will be safe. But remember, secrecy is crucial. You'll have to disappear from the world you once knew."
Stella, still holding the pregnancy scan results, nodded solemnly. "I understand."
Inspector Rose sits closer to Stella paying attention to her. "Welcome to a new life, Stella. Starting now, you belong to a different world, tell me what happens."
Stella, her emotions in turmoil, took a deep breath, ready to share the untold stories of her past.
**Flashback**
Seven years ago, Stella, a young 13-year-old, shared a modest home with her father, Mark. The absence of her mother loomed as an unspoken mystery, an uncharted territory that Mark avoided delving into. Questions about her mother were met with evasion, Mark citing that it was a long and intricate story, one that Stella was not yet ready to unravel. Respecting her father's guarded secret, Stella ceased her inquiries.
Despite the financial challenges, their home resonated with a unique warmth. Mark, though not rolling in wealth, always tried his best to ensure Stella felt loved and provided for. However, behind this facade of contentment, Mark concealed layers of undisclosed truths, veiling his work life in a shroud of secrecy. Stella, being forbidden from knowing his workplace and the intricacies of his profession, often wondered about the enigma surrounding her father.
The evenings were marked by an unspoken rule – any friend of Mark's was ushered into privacy, away from Stella's prying ears. She was to retreat to her room, leaving Mark and his visitors to their discussions.
Then came a pivotal night, one that etched itself into Stella's memory. Following a seemingly ordinary dinner, Mark's phone rang, and an air of distress engulfed him during the hour-long conversation. Stella, watching her father's expressions morph into worry and recklessness, could not grasp the content of the call.
Once the call ended, Mark's demeanor underwent a sudden transformation. Urgency pervaded the atmosphere as he approached Stella, instructing her to pack her belongings. Their lives were about to be upended, and explanations were not on the menu.
"Dad, move? To where? For what?" Stella questioned, her curiosity met with stoic silence. Mark, looking around the house as if assessing vulnerabilities, merely urged Stella to follow his directives.
"Go upstairs and pack some of your things. We don't have time," he said, his urgency palpable. As Stella ascended the stairs to her room, the gravity of the situation pressed upon her. Something significant was afoot, and the secure cocoon of her familiar life was unraveling.
In her room, while attempting to pack, a sudden crash reverberated through the house. Stella, caught off guard, froze, the sound echoing like a dissonant note in a once-harmonious melody. It was a broken sound, an auditory disturbance that resonated with an unspoken disruption. Stella's senses heightened, and an uneasy tension filled the air.
Stella, sensing danger, cautiously opened the door to her room,she looked down stairs only for her to see four figures, they were holding guns and swords,she watched silently as they searched their home. A quick retreat to her room led her to hide under the bed, seeking refuge from the unfolding nightmare.
After a while of noise from the intruders , a relative silence fell, leaving Stella suspended between curiosity and fear. Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching. Suddenly the door to her room opened. Her father, Mark, entered the room, his body was full with blood, a harrowing testament to the violent episode that had just unfolded.
"Dad, what happened, what are those people doing here with guns? " Stella's voice quivered, her eyes reflecting the concern etched across her face.
"No time for explanations now, I will explain everything to you later but now We have to leave," Mark urgently urged, holding Stella's hands and looking into her eyes. Mark rushes towards Stella box trying to pack some things but suddenly they notice a figure approaching the door Their hasty departure, however, was abruptly interrupted by an ominous sound emanating from the door.
In a swift response, Mark turned to Stella, his eyes conveying urgency. "Hide under the bed no matter what happened, don't come outside," he instructed, and Stella complied, retreating to the safety of shadows.
As Stella cowered beneath the bed, the door burst open, revealing the menacing presence of the masked assailants. A taunting voice cut through the air, "Why are you running? You claimed strength, yet here you are."
Mark, defiant in the face of impending doom, asserted, "I'm not running. I've told you, I'm not interested in your offer."
"Then face the consequences," one of the guys said . Two among the guys rush towards him but they are not a match for Mark as the two standing notice they are not his match,one brought a gun and shot him, immediately he became weak and knocked down.
"You can't defeat us. You must die," another guy declared, sealing Mark's fate. Another guy among the intruders who was silent since brought out an ancient silver dagger and walked over to Mark who was laying down helpless and cut his throat. In those final moments, Mark's blood smashed on the floor. He looked at Stella who was hiding under the bed till his last moment.
Witnessing the gruesome spectacle, Stella wept in silence, grief and terror binding her in a paralyzing embrace. As the assailants departed, carrying Mark's lifeless body as a grisly trophy, two figures returned to the room, looking around the room.
The room became a hunting ground as the intruders, now standing over Stella, reveled in their cruel conquest. Their laughter, a sinister melody, echoed through the room.
Suddenly, their attention shifted. The two guys look under the bed, and merciless hands reach out to drag Stella into the cold.
In an instant, Stella's sanctuary beneath the bed was shattered as merciless hands seized her, dragging her into the harsh reality she had hoped to escape. The sudden shift from the shadows invoked a desperate cry for help from Stella, tears streaming down her face.
"Help! Somebody, please!" she shouted, her voice carrying the weight of terror and despair. But her pleas were swiftly silenced as a forceful blow struck her, rendering her unconscious. Stella crumpled to the ground, the world around her dissolving into darkness.
The masked assailants wasted no time. With swift efficiency, they bound Stella's hands and legs, transforming her into a captive, helpless against the impending ordeal. The cold reality of her abduction set in as they placed her limp form into a sack, concealing her from the world.
Carried out with a sinister purpose, Stella found herself confined in the cramped, suffocating space of a car's boot. The muffled sounds of the outside world served as a haunting backdrop to her disoriented state. The vehicle roared to life, marking the beginning of an ominous journey into the unknown.
As the car sped away, Stella's consciousness drifted in and out. The rhythmic hum of the engine became a dissonant lullaby, contrasting with the harsh reality of her captivity. The road stretched endlessly ahead, carrying her away from the shattered remnants of her former life.