#Chapter 44: An Offer He Can’t Refuse

My eyes fluttered open, and my head throbbed with a dull ache. Though body was heavy with exhaustion, it felt like I was being restricted in movement. I blinked and my eyes darted around at the space around me. The room was larger than expected. It appeared to be a barn shed, which exuded an aura of neglect. The air was musty, carrying the scent of damp wood and decaying hay. Cobwebs clung to the corners, and dust particles floated lazily in the dim light that filtered through the cracked windows. The ground floor was cluttered with remnants of the past. Wooden crates and rusted tools were strewn haphazardly across the floor. Broken pieces of furniture, long forgotten and abandoned, were scattered throughout the space, their once vibrant colors now faded with time. The walls were adorned with peeling paint, and patches of wallpaper clung stubbornly to the surfaces. Old, weathered horse saddles leaned against them. A sense of eerie tranquility filled the air, interrupted only by