Victor shakes his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Me either," he says, and then he's gone, the door clicking shut behind him.
The house falls silent, and I sit there for a long moment, staring at the closed door.
Then I pull out my phone and open the browser, typing Cornel Lupu's name into the search bar.
The screen loads, and a series of images appear: professional headshots, photos from galas and business summits, a few candid shots from charity events.
I click on one, enlarging it, and stare at the face staring back at me.
Cornel Lupu is in his late fifties, with gray hair slicked back, sharp cheekbones, and cold, calculating eyes. He's wearing a suit in the photo, standing beside the Romanian president at some black-tie event.
I'm surprised I don't recognize him or the name. You'd think with the expansion in LA I would have been looped in. It's not like I was entirely coherent, but still, I didn't think I was that bad.
I memorize every line of his face, committing it to memory, because if Elena confirms it's him, I don't care who he is or what president he's standing next to or what he means to my father, for that matter, he's fucking dead.
My phone buzzes in my hand as Matei's name flashes across the screen.
I answer, bringing the phone to my ear. "Yeah."
"Adrian," Matei's voice comes through. "How is she?"
I lean back in the chair, exhaling slowly. "Sleeping. Finally."
"Good," Matei says. "That's good."
There's a pause, and I can hear the faint hum of traffic in the background.
"How's Jordan?" I ask, shifting the conversation.
"She's fine," Matei says. "She's just worried about you two."
"Thanks. Hey, listen," I say, my voice dropping. "The Volkovs gave her Siberian Ice."
There's a beat of silence on the other end, and then Matei's voice comes back sharp.
"How much?"
"Enough to keep her compliant for eighteen months," I say. "She's been off it for a few days now. The withdrawal was bad, but something of note. They gave it to her in pill form."
"Pill?" he asks.
"Yeah, we've never seen it like that before."
"No. Jesus," Matei says, and I hear him exhale. "Okay. We'll figure it out. But right now, just focus on getting her back to Romania. We'll handle the rest. I'll be flying out once you guys are back."
"Yeah," I say, rubbing a hand over my face. "Yeah, okay."
"Adrian."
I pause. "What?"
"You know I'm no good at compliments, but you did good," Matei says. "You found her and brought her back. That's all that matters."
I swallow hard. "Thanks," I say.
"Keep her safe," Matei says. "And I'll see you soon."