Chapter 82

Author Although Yuna loved drinking, she wasn't a smoker. The cigarette between her fingers was as foreign as wielding a sword. As Jack's eyebrows shot up in surprise, Yuna immediately erupted into a violent coughing fit, her eyes watering as the acrid smoke invaded her lungs. Her face flushed crimson from the effort to breathe through the burning sensation. "Whoa there, rookie," Jack laughed, reaching out to pat her back. "Maybe don't try to be badass when your lungs clearly aren't on board with the plan?" Desperate to wash away the taste, Yuna grabbed her glass and downed the entire contents in one swift motion. The burn of alcohol overpowered the cigarette's bitterness, providing momentary relief. With a look of absolute conviction, she crushed the offending cigarette into the ashtray. "Never again," she muttered, her voice still raspy. "That was... horrific." As she raised her head, her entire body went rigid. There, in the private room visible from the second-floor balcony, sat a