The Massage Palace - Episode 18

The darkness was absolute, a void filled only by the ragged sound of their breathing and the cold, metallic click of a gun hammer being pulled back.

"I told you," DAMIAN's voice echoed from the hallway, a disembodied ghost in the dark. "I play to win. You thought you could use your politician puppet to crush me? You brought the fight to my doorstep."

The emergency lights flickered on, bathing the penthouse in a strobing, blood-red glow. Damian stood there, flanked by two armed thugs, a cruel smile twisting his lips. His eyes fixed on Malik.

"Get dressed," Damian commanded, gesturing with his gun. "All of you. The Senator and I are going to have a little chat about embezzlement and campaign finance violations. You're my insurance."

The Senator, now pale and sweating, held up his hands. "Damian, this is a mistake. We can make a deal."

"The only deal," Damian said, "is the one where I walk out of here with your hard drives and a very large wire transfer. And you," he pointed the gun at Lia, who was frantically trying to cover herself with a throw pillow, "are coming with me."

"No," Malik snarled, stepping in front of her, completely naked and utterly unafraid. "You touch her, and I swear to god, I will tear your heart out with my bare hands."

Kendra, already pulling on her dress, saw the opening. While Damian's attention was on Malik, she slowly slid her hand into her discarded purse on the floor. Her fingers closed around the small, silver pistol she kept there for just such an emergency.

"Such a hero," Damian sneered. "Tie him up."

One of the thugs moved toward Malik with a zip tie. But as he passed Kendra, she exploded into motion. She rose from the floor in a fluid, deadly arc, the silver pistol in her hand.

"Drop it," she yelled, her voice sharp and clear. The gun was aimed squarely at Damian's head.

Everyone froze. The thugs looked at their boss, unsure.

"You don't have the guts," Damian said, though a flicker of fear crossed his face.

"I'm a businesswoman, Damian," Kendra replied, her finger steady on the trigger. "And you're a hostile takeover. It's time to liquidate your assets."

Malik saw his chance. He lunged at the nearest thug, disarming him with a brutal crack of bone. The second thug fired a wild shot, shattering a floor-to-ceiling window. Glass rained down.

In the chaos, Damian made his move. He grabbed Lia, holding her in front of him as a human shield, his gun pressed to her temple.

"Let's see how much your hero is worth now," he snarled.

Malik froze, his blood turning to ice.

But Lia wasn't the same girl he'd saved from the alley. She was a survivor. She slammed her head back, smashing it into Damian’s nose. He howled in pain and surprise, his grip loosening for a split second.

It was all Malik needed.

He closed the distance in three strides, wrenching the gun from Damian's hand. He spun the rival boss around and slammed him face-first onto the marble floor.

"It's over," Malik growled.

"Not yet," Kendra said, walking over to the Senator, who was cowering behind his desk. She picked up his phone. "You're going to make that call. Now. Or the next story on the news is about your… extracurricular activities."

The Senator nodded, his face ashen. He made the call.

As the sound of distant sirens grew closer, Malik looked at Kendra, then at Lia. They were standing amidst the wreckage, naked, bruised, but victorious. The empire had fallen, but the kings and queens were still standing.

Teaser for Episode 19

In the aftermath of the siege, the trio must face the consequences. The Senator, indebted and humiliated, offers them a new kind of legitimacy—one that comes with a price. Kendra and Lia confront the reality of their relationship, forcing Malik to make an impossible choice. The series finale.

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