THE HOSTAGE'S DILEMMA
Absolute, undeniable shock.
His eyes widen, his jaw slackens almost imperceptibly. He looks at me, then back at the documents, his gaze darting between the two. His earlier composure crumbles, replaced by an expression of pure, unadulterated astonishment. For a split second, I glimpse a raw vulnerability in his eyes, a flicker of something similar to fear, quickly masked.
Then, the shock dissipates, replaced by a slow, spreading grin. It starts small, a twitch at the corner of his mouth, then stretches wider, revealing perfectly aligned teeth. It’s a terrifying grin, devoid of warmth, full of triumph, and something sinister.
Bab Populer