Chapter 107 - The Weight of Suspicion

​The atmosphere in the private gym on the fourth floor of the Palace Hotel de Bercy was suffocating—not due to the room's temperature, but because of the heavy silence that had settled between them. The space, reserved at the last minute by Taishi to avoid the scrutiny of foreign delegations, smelled of waxed wood, rubber, and the cold metal of weight plates lined up against the mirrored wall. Aibek was running on the treadmill at a steady speed, maintaining a long, repetitive stride designed to exhaust his legs' energy reserves. The rhythmic, dry, and monotonous sound of his running shoes impacting the canvas belt was the only constant noise competing with the low hum of the air conditioning system.